Best VPNs for Hungary

Hungary is a country of mixed reputation toward internet freedom. On the one hand, freedom of speech is guaranteed and also exercised to the fullest extent. However, the second decade of the 21st century brought trends in politics that worsened the already questionable aspects of online content. The thing to highlight in terms of Hungary’s internet freedom are not restrictions; there are few. It is the content that raises eyebrows. Freedom of speech is used to such extent that misinformation is prevalent, mostly for political reasons. Politicizing issues is a problem in Hungary, and it puts a stamp on the online content of the country. Availability however is good, partially because of the very same reason.

Editor's choice

NordVPN

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Easy to use on any device

Extra privacy and file sharing

Comprehensive online protection

Fast and reliable connections

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Security

Surfshark

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Easy to use everywhere

Enhanced online privacy

Fast and secure connections

Protect unlimited devices

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Multi-device users

IPVanish

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Protect all your devices

Ensures user privacy

Help anytime you need it

Strong online protection

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Gaming

ExpressVPN

Editor's rating:

Works on all major platforms

Fast, smooth browsing

Easy for anyone to use

Added features for flexibility

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Traveling

CyberGhost VPN

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Enhanced privacy and security

Fair prices

Flexible IP address options

Protects all your devices

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Streaming

ZoogVPN

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Affordable VPN solution

Fast and stable connections

Straightforward platform

Protects your online privacy

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Torrenting

Private Internet Access

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Multiple device compatibility

Keeps your IP address private

Suitable for all users

Tailor settings to your needs

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Beginners

TunnelBear

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Intuitive and easy to use

Extra privacy and security

Blocks trackers and ads

Smooth, fast browsing

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Using a Hungarian IP

One of Hungary’s main sources of income is tourism, much of which is being promoted online. This results in a good range of availability for anyone who wishes to find out more about the country. Since the Hungarian language is rarely known outside the country’s borders, we are happy to report that site translations into English and German are often available. Furthermore, Hungary’s location generally helps internet connections as a gateway between eastern and western Europe.

Some VoIP providers in Hungary include 3C Hungary, 4voice, BudgeTalk and Ephone.hu. Streaming television online is mostly restricted to the state-run M1 to M4 and Duna channels and essentially all broadcasts are done in Hungarian. Thus, most television and radio content in the country is not aired on- or offline too much elsewhere, except along the borders and in Transylvania, where a significant Hungarian minority lives. A lot of Hungarian emigrants and expats live in North America and Australia even, places located far away from central Europe. Thus, we argue that VPN providers are a great way of connecting back to Hungary an accessing its full online content.

Hungarian online privacy laws

There is only one significant event to mention in the case of Hungary. In late 2014, the government intended to tax data traffic, both for casual internet users and even more so for corporations, organizations. Though the plan was eventually repelled, this direction highlights the approach of government officials, namely, seeing the internet as a potential source of profit. Other than this, Hungary follows the EU legal directives.

Internet censorship in Hungary

Generally, there are few cases of censorship. Hungary does fall under the EU directives of internet law. Some search engines are filtered and results for child pornography, hate speech and racism will (generally) not appear. Hungary is also affected by Google’s search filtering. Foreign gambling websites are also not looked upon kindly.

An important aspect of Hungarian online press is that nearly all popular news portals are owned by persons or organizations that are politically affiliated. This has a bias effect on the content that is published. So if not necessarily censorship (by law at least), then misinformation is a crucial factor that plays a dismal role in today’s Hungarian online press and media. We do have to call attention to a lenient factor in Hungarian censorship. Hate speech is an interesting matter in politics. The far-right wing party is known for making negative remarks in this matter either openly or suggestively, and are called out for it as a consequence. However, the softer right-wing ruling party is occasionally keen not to take further steps in these matters, to further their own political agenda. The fact that actions such as hate speech are overlooked for whatever reason is bad news online.

Streaming services in Hungary

The availability of streaming services known worldwide varies in Hungary. Spotify is present very actively, while Netflix is still bias about opening a market in the country. As with any location not part of the United Kingdom, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime are not available in Hungary. Apple Music is open for service, and so is 8tracks. Hungarian companies also launched their own VOD services, MoziKlub and MyTV, respectively. We do have to note though that the selection of the latter two in shows is limited. Overall, as in other areas of business in the country, there is a trend of non-foreign companies being present on almost all markets.

Free Hungarian VPN trials

Since Hungary’s internet availability is more or less good, connecting to IP addresses of the country is more problematic in terms of speed. Thus, we would like to recommend you a few VPN providers that are not only exceptional in this field, but in others, too. For a good all-in-one choice, we would like to call HideMyAss to attention. They offer a worldwide availability of locations including Hungary, one of the quickest services and if you do run into some problems for some mysterious reason, post-purchase customer service is also excellent. PureVPN also offers a wide selection of countries, while supporting P2P and all security protocols in use today. The company also offers rarer functions like a kill switch. And finally, another all-inclusive choice would be ibVPN. Coming at a ridiculously low price, you get much, much in return, including a complete device support, 24/7 customer service, and their own SmartDNS solution named ibDNS.

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