Do you actually need a VPN in Hungary?
VPNs are legal in Hungary. There is no ban, no licensing and no registration, and Freedom House's 2025 Freedom on the Net report records no VPN restrictions. The report does mark Hungary as a country where some websites are blocked: the gambling authority has the legal power to order ISPs to block unlicensed betting sites, although it has at times suspended that blocking for technical reasons. No social media platform, messaging app, news site or streaming service is blocked, and WhatsApp and FaceTime calls work normally on every network.
The pressure is political rather than technical. Freedom House documents the Sovereignty Protection Office, set up under the 2023 Defence of Sovereignty Act, opening an investigation into the independent outlet Átlátszó in June 2024 over foreign funding and ordering state institutions to collect citizens' personal data. In March 2025 Parliament banned Pride marches and allowed facial recognition to identify attendees, and in April 2025 a constitutional amendment banned LGBT+ events. None of this restricts what a tourist can read, but it explains why many Hungarians and expats use a VPN as a matter of habit.
The everyday reason is Wi-Fi. Budapest's ruin bars, cafes, thermal baths, hostels and the airport all run open networks, and banking, email and work logins should not cross them unencrypted. Hungary is in the EU, so EU plans roam at home rates, but you will still land on shared Wi-Fi often. If something stops working late in the evening, 24/7 live chat from NordVPN or Surfshark is the quickest fix.
What a VPN does and does not do in Hungary
A VPN encrypts the traffic between your device and the VPN server, so the bar's router, the carrier (Magyar Telekom, Yettel or One) and anyone on the same network see only scrambled data. It also chooses your apparent location. A UK server keeps your bank, BBC iPlayer and Netflix behaving as they do at home; a Budapest server gives you a Hungarian IP, which is what people searching "VPN to Hungary" from abroad want for Hungarian banking apps, RTL+ and other local streaming.
It will not speed up a crowded hostel connection, it does not change Hungarian law on anything, and some streaming services block known VPN ranges whatever provider you use. Both picks include a 30-day money-back guarantee, so test them on your actual connection: NordVPN for a city break, Surfshark if you are staying for months.
Recommended VPNs for Hungary
NordVPN, best for short trips and month-by-month plans
It is the one for you if you are covering yourself, or you and a partner, and want something simple to run and easy to forget about. One plan covers 10 devices, and the apps are quick to install and easy to switch off and on as you need. Plans run by the month, the year or over two years, all with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Surfshark, best for long stays and unlimited devices
It is the one for you if one subscription needs to cover everyone. Connections are unlimited, so every phone, laptop and tablet you travel with, and anyone you share a place with, runs on the same plan at once. That suits a stay that stretches to months rather than weeks. It sells the same three terms and adds bonus months on the longer two, with the same 30-day money-back guarantee.
Server networks and speeds in Hungary
Both providers have servers in the country. NordVPN's published list includes Budapest, and Surfshark lists Hungary as well, alongside every neighbour: Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. A Budapest server gives you a Hungarian IP for local services; Vienna is barely further for latency, and for UK banking and streaming you route to London either way, a short hop from central Europe.
The local networks will not hold you back. Ookla's Speedtest Global Index for March 2026 showed a median fixed download of about 252 Mbps and a median mobile download of about 93 Mbps. Yettel's own press release cites Ookla data for the second half of 2024 ranking it Hungary's fastest mobile network, with Magyar Telekom second and One Hungary (the former Vodafone, merged with DIGI under 4iG in January 2025) third.
How to choose between them
The differences that matter fit in one table, and the last two rows are there to name two promises you should not believe from anyone, us included.
| Feature | NordVPN | Surfshark |
|---|
| 1 month | $14.99 | $16.45 |
| 1 year plan, total upfront | $65.88 (12 months billed) | $50.85 (15 months billed) |
| 2 year plan, total upfront | $94.23 (27 months billed) | $67.23 (27 months billed) |
| Devices per plan | 10 | Unlimited |
| Kill switch and auto-connect | Yes | Yes |
| Independently audited no-log policy | Yes (2025) | Yes (2025) |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Guarantees access to any blocked site, anywhere | No | No |
| Makes slow Wi-Fi faster | No | No |
On a single month NordVPN is cheaper. Over a year or two Surfshark is. On everything else the choice is about shape rather than money: 10 devices and a simple setup on one side, unlimited devices on the other.
Setting up before you travel
Do the setup at home, on Wi-Fi you trust, before the airport. Install NordVPN or Surfshark on each device, sign in, and connect once to confirm everything works. Then turn on two settings both apps include: the kill switch, which stops your traffic travelling unprotected if the VPN drops, and auto-connect, which brings the VPN back up when your connection returns.
Nothing is blocked in Hungary, so install and log in before you fly, set a UK server as your default if you rely on banking apps or iPlayer, and switch on the kill switch for bar and hostel Wi-Fi. If you want a Hungarian IP from abroad, save Budapest as a favourite in the app so it is one tap away. Our Best eSIMs for Hungary guide covers getting online the moment you land at Ferenc Liszt airport; both VPN apps run on an eSIM data plan as well as Wi-Fi.
Final recommendation
Hungary is an easy country for VPN use: legal, nothing you need blocked, and very fast fixed broadband. For a Budapest weekend or a short work trip, NordVPN is the pick. It has a Budapest server for a Hungarian IP, fast UK servers for banking and streaming, and ten device connections cover a couple or a work kit.
If you are staying a semester, working remotely or moving with a family, Surfshark is the better value. Unlimited devices covers every phone, laptop and TV on one account, and its Hungarian and neighbouring central European locations keep latency low for daily use.
