Content writer and technology enthusiast. Alex discovered his love for writing not long ago, one that deepens with each written article. Tech subjects are right up his alley, and as he strives to perfect his craft, even more, his journey through the cyber-world leads to many interesting topics that he approaches with the skill and passion of an avid learner. He’s decided to put his ability to good use and share any digital novelties he comes across.
Best VPN for Craigslist and how to Overcome the VPN Ban
Craigslist – Where you can find pretty much anything. Scroll through the multiple categories there to find what you need.
Based in California, it was originally created to serve users in the US, but over time, it has extended its reach to provide access to multiple parts of the world. However, the advertising platform has many restrictions in place if you try to post ads outside your area.
The regulations are strict, and many users get banned for cheating the system. Most of the time we’re talking about a temporary ban, a few days or so, but in the worst of cases, they issue a permanent IP ban.
That’s why we use VPNs.
You can use a VPN to disguise your IP and overcome the geo-restrictions some countries might have in place.
With the heightened security, multiple servers to choose from, and increased privacy granted by a VPN, you will no longer fear the impending doom that comes with posting ads outside your area and getting blocked from Craigslist.
In the following list, we’ll talk about the best VPNs you can use to access Craigslist, and how to avoid the IP ban.
Best VPNs for Craigslist
1. NordVPN
Ever since its inception, NordVPN has always been been among the best VPNs on the market. It provides impeccable services, excellent, customer support, and its reputation nears perfection. The vast majority of users have nothing negative to say about it.
NordVPN gives you the CyberSec feature, which will eliminate all the tiresome ads and malware that are sure to get in your way after 5 minutes on the internet.
Pros:
- Six simultaneous connections
- Military-grade encryption
- Based in Panama which is excellent for those who seek to promote privacy
- Users have access to a free trial
- It provides clients with a wide array of tunneling protocols to choose from
- More than 4400 servers in over 60 countries worldwide, making it one of the most expansive VPNs on the market
Cons:
- Connectivity problems from time to time
- IPv6 leak in macOS IKEv2 app
With regard to its server coverage, NordVPN can be said to be at the top of its game, certainly ahead of its competition. Its more than 4000 servers allow for a very interesting feature, the DoubleVPN.
You have access to:
- More than 1900 servers in the US, all of them coming with Double VPN, Obfuscation and P2P compatibility
- 540+ servers in the UK
- 225+ servers in Australia, a huge number, considering the government’s decision to release a new mandatory data retention law in 2018
With so many servers at your beck and call, Craiglist will stand absolutely no chance of stopping your advance. The advertisement platform is known to have a bone to pick with VPNs, as it can detect their use almost immediately.
It will issue a temporary ban at most, trying to deter you from going any further, but be patient and wait for the ban to expire. After that, you’ll be able to access it unimpeded.
Fun fact – if, for some reason, you’re planning on using Craigslist from multiple devices at the same time, NordVPN is there to give you a leg up. With the six connections, you can do that in no time.
2. ExpressVPN
Based in the British Virgin Islands, this online security provider is at the top of its game and way ahead of the competition. With its more than 1500 servers spread across more than 90 locations worldwide, ExpressVPN takes professionalism and excellence on a whole other level.
Pros:
- Top of the line encryption
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 customer support
- Very fast, ideal for streaming
- Unlimited downloading
- Serious zero-logs policy
- Kill-switch
- 3 simultaneous connections
Cons:
- Prices are a little steep
In terms of speed, ExpressVPN is said to be among the fastest, with the biggest decrease being at most one of 25%, and this is the long-distance servers we’re talking about.
If your location is close to the server you want to connect to, then the drop in speed will never usually exceed 10%.
Privacy-wise, ExpressVPN passes all the IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks with flying colors, the only problem being the IPv6 leaks, but you can fix those with the browser extensions.
This is also the tool you will use to access Craigslist if you were banned for whatever reason by one of the admins there. There have been cases of unwarranted IP bans, and there’s nothing you could until the ban expired.
Not anymore. Now this is just a slight inconvenience that you can overcome in a matter of seconds. Digital freedom with unfettered access to all the content on the web is just a few clicks away.
IPVanish
Before VPNs became as popular as they are today, IPVanish was already present on the market, striving to provide users from all over the world with the much-needed online security and privacy.
From then on, it’s only been improving and developing its service, aiming to please its increasing customer base. Right now, it’s ranked as one of the best VPNs in the world, with ExpressVPN and NordVPN ruling the show.
It has more than 1000 servers, with the IP addresses nearing 40.000, so you can imagine the chances of Craigslist successfully banning you completely are realistically non-existent.
It keeps no logs, and the information it does retain has nothing to do with confidential data or traffic at all. Rather, they are technical details related to the servers’ maintenance, up time efficiency, errors, and so on.
Moreover, IPVanish is among the few VPNs on the market that provides users with access to private SOCKS5 proxies, as another line of attack against cyber-criminals. It works with any kind of traffic, making it very versatile and easy to use.
What are the benefits of using a proxy? Greater speeds. However, you have to keep in mind that the encryption levels are also taken down a notch when compared to the base VPN.
You have access to a live support chat where you can talk to one of the staff members about any problems you might encounter. They are prompt and very detailed in their replies as well.
The FAQ articles and the setup guides will offer yet another source of helpful information for when you need some tips and tricks.
Even though Craigslist is warring against VPNs as a whole, there’s nothing it can do against the massive server coverage and the multitude of IP addresses at your disposal. Moreover, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to even discover a VPN-encrypted traffic in the first place.
IPVanish stays true to its name and cloaks your IP so that no one will be able to uncover it anymore, not even your ISP.
Pros:
- P2P filesharing is permitted
- Extremely fast speeds
- DNS leak protection and an in-built kill-switch
- Servers in more than 60 countries
- Zero-logging policy
- Impeccable OpenVPN encryption
- 10 simultaneous connections, leaving its competition in the dust
- Bare metal servers
- Accepts PayPal
- Seven-day money-back guarantee
Cons:
- Does not unblock Netflix US
- Based in the US
Unblock Craigslist quickly and easily with a VPN
Let’s face it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be allowed to post ads on Craigslist outside your area. It would greatly increase your efficiency and the probability to find potential customers if you’re selling anything.
More than that, you should not be banned for doing so, even less so a permanent IP ban that you can never get over.
All of the VPNs mentioned above will allow you to bypass the pesky IP bans, and you won’t have problems with Craigslist’s hate for VPNs either. They can’t stop you, at least not if you use one of these behemoths.
At the very most, you will receive some warnings or even a short interdiction to access the website. But even those are ineffective when you can just change your IP on the spot. You have the potential to overcome any online blocking protocols at your fingertips.
So, don’t let them take away your freedom anymore, take back your privacy.