The best VPNs for Cuba in 2026

Psiphon comes from a Toronto company that builds for one job: getting online when the network is trying to stop you. When you press connect, it tries several connection methods and keeps whichever one gets through, and it keeps adjusting as the network changes. It is one of the tools Freedom House names as popular in Cuba, and Psiphon's own homepage links to a Reuters story headlined "Censorship circumvention tool helps 1.4 million Cubans get internet access".

The practical reason it leads this guide is how you get it. Apple's list of App Store countries doesn't include Cuba, so installing apps from inside the country can be hard. Psiphon publishes its Android app as a direct download from its site, and if that page is blocked you can email [email protected] to request the Android or Windows app. The Android app needs Android 7.0 or later, the iPhone app needs iOS 16 or later, the Windows app is an older legacy version, and there is no Mac app yet.

Psiphon Basic is free, shows ads and has fewer features, and needs no account. Psiphon Plus removes the ads and opens every feature from $2.88 a month, but you buy it through the app stores, which won't help most people living in Cuba. For daily use, the free version is the one that matters.

Cuban networks change, and a tool that works this month may struggle next month, so most people who rely on a VPN keep a second one installed. Proton VPN is the best free second tool we found. Its free plan has no data cap and no ads, and Proton lists its Stealth protocol, built to hide your VPN connection from blocking systems, among the features every user gets. Stealth works in the Windows, macOS, Android, iPhone, iPad and Android TV apps.

The limits are one device at a time and servers in 10 countries, which Proton picks for you. Streaming and file sharing are paid features. For reaching blocked news sites and keeping your traffic away from the network operator, that is plenty.

If you are a visitor and want more, VPN Plus covers 10 devices and servers in more than 110 countries for $3.49 a month on the 2-year plan, billed $83.76 for the first 24 months and then $83.88 a year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Proton AG is a Swiss company in Geneva, and we found no sanctions clause in its terms of service, a point to check in a country under US sanctions.

As with every app here, install it and sign in before you travel.

Windscribe gives you more connection options than anything else in this guide. As well as the usual WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2, it has two modes for networks that block VPNs, called Stealth and WStunnel, and you can run them on a wide choice of ports. Windscribe says it works "in heavily censored parts of the globe". When one mode stops working on a hotel or public Wi-Fi network, you can switch to another in the settings.

The free plan gives you 10GB a month once you confirm your email address. That is enough for news, messages and email, though not for much video. If you need more, Pro costs $9 a month or $69 a year ($5.75 a month), and Build A Plan lets you pay $1 a month per country with a $3 minimum. Windscribe takes credit cards, PayPal, cryptocurrency and local payment methods, so you have more ways to pay than most VPNs offer.

Windscribe Limited is registered in Ontario, Canada, and its servers cover more than 69 countries. We found no sanctions clause in its terms of service. Refunds are only possible within 7 days of purchase and if you have used less than 10GB, so test the paid plan at home before you travel.

TunnelBear is worth a place on your phone as a third option. Freedom House reported that both Psiphon and TunnelBear stayed reachable during the July 2021 protests, when the government cut internet service and connectivity took 72 hours to fully return. Its GhostBear setting makes your VPN traffic harder for governments and internet providers to spot, which is the feature to switch on first if TunnelBear won't connect on a Cuban network.

The free plan gives you 2GB, which is small, so treat it as a spare for the days your main tool can't connect. Paid Unlimited starts at $3.33 a month and covers as many devices as you like, with servers in more than 46 countries. TunnelBear's apps cover iPhone and iPad, Android, Mac and Windows.

TunnelBear's pricing page doesn't say how the $3.33 is billed or explain its refund terms, so check both before you pay. Its terms say it may stop serving people named on sanctions lists, which is narrower than the country-wide clauses in Surfshark's and ExpressVPN's terms. For most people in Cuba the free 2GB is the useful part, and you can install it alongside Psiphon and Proton at no cost.

If you already have ExpressVPN, take it with you. It switches on obfuscation by itself on supported platforms when a network tries to block or interfere with VPN traffic, so you don't need to find a setting. Its own Lightway protocol reconnects quickly when you move between Wi-Fi and mobile data, which is useful in a country where you hop between public hotspots. Servers cover 113 countries.

The Basic plan costs $2.99 a month on the 2-year plan, billed $83.72 for the first 28 months and then $99.95 a year, or $14.99 month to month. It covers 10 devices. New customers who buy on the website get a 30-day money-back guarantee, and the iOS and Android apps have a 3-day free trial.

The reason it isn't higher on this list is its export control policy. ExpressVPN asks you to certify that you won't use the service from a country where sanctions prohibit access, and it doesn't say whether that includes Cuba. Ask its support team before you buy a plan for a trip.

Surfshark has a NoBorders mode that switches on when the app detects that the network is restricting it, then points you to servers that work best under geo-blocking or government censorship. You can also turn it on yourself under the Advanced settings. One plan covers unlimited devices, which suits a family traveling with phones, tablets and laptops, and its servers cover 100 countries.

The Starter plan costs $2.49 a month on the 2-year plan, billed $67.23 for the first 27 months and then $79 a year, or $18.95 month to month. New customers on 1-year and 2-year plans get a 7-day free trial, followed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read Surfshark's terms before you buy for Cuba. They ask you to confirm that you are not in a country under EU, UK or US sanctions that would forbid or limit use of, or payment for, the service. Cuba is under US sanctions, and Surfshark doesn't say how the clause applies there.