VPNs are being used in a variety of ways, including bypassing region lock to access streaming content from other countries. In 2016, however, VPNs were even more popular. Netflix expanded into 130 new territoriesHe promised to make it tough by blocking people from streaming Netflix content via a VPN. Since then it’s been a cat-and-mouse game between Netflix and VPN providers to continually provide U.S. Netflix access to their customers. That’s why choosing the right VPN is essential in order to stream U.S. Netflix when outside the country.
As a rule, regardless of what your home billing address is, you always get access to the Netflix catalog of the country you’re currently in. If you are located in Idaho but your laptop is in Japan you will have access to the catalog in Japan. Sometimes that can be great and you get to see a movie or TV show that isn’t available at home. Sometimes, however, you just want your content to continue watching remotely.
Given Netflix’s restrictions towards VPNs, you need to choose a service that has active compatibility with Netflix. This provides some assurance that the service is committed to adapting its strategies in accordance with Netflix’ moves.
If you’re looking to use your VPN for more than streaming Netflix, be sure to check out our comprehensive roundup of the best VPNsAll categories
Updated 12/1/2022Check out our latest review Windscribe Pro. It just missed out on this list, but it’s still a great service with a ton of useful features and an affordable price, which makes it a good value VPN option.
1. NordVPN – Best overall for Netflix
Pros
- Excellent speeds
- Both novices and power users will find enough features to be satisfied
- No-logs policy
- Diskless server
NordVPN is, for us, the best choice to stream Netflix. This company has been challenging Netflix’s ban on VPNs since the beginning. It’s also had a goal of making all of its servers work with the streaming service. As of the writing of this article, this is true. NordVPN promises to deliver Netflix catalogs of all kinds.
NordVPN offers more than 5,000 servers in 60 countries. It also allows you to choose your specific server so that you can switch around if you need to when Netflix’s ban hammer comes down.
NordVPN offers top-notch speeds and Netflix compatibility. It also offers double-hop connections and VPN overTOR. NordVPN uses WireGuard by default. However, it has made some modifications so that WireGuard is more private and friendly for commercial VPN services.
NordVPN is ranked in our top 10 for fastest speeds overall and should be able to stream Netflix from anywhere in the world.
Check out our complete article
Review NordVPN
2. ExpressVPN – Best runner-up for Netflix
Pros
- Consistently high speeds
- Easy-to-use desktop program
- Broad device support
Cons
- Logs data transfer amounts
- Higher than many of its competitors
If NordVPN isn’t your style, our top VPN overall, ExpressVPN, is also an excellent choice. ExpressVPN has more than 3,000 servers across 95 countries. ExpressVPN promises Netflix will work with all servers it has. It also offers fast speeds. Express is slightly more expensive at almost $100 per year than Nord, which costs $60. The app is simple to use, speeds are great, and there are nice extras like a private DNS service that allows you to set up an Apple TV or console to watch U.S. streaming videos overseas.
Please read our full article
Review ExpressVPN
3. ProtonVPN – Best for watching Netflix on a Mac
Pros
- Simple to use software interface
- Secure Core helps hide your location
- Tracker blocker and malware built-in
- One of the fastest we’ve tested on a Mac
Cons
- WireGuard protocol has no other options
- A few occasions where Netflix didn’t work
RRP:
€9.99 a month (approx £8.63)
ProtonVPN is another recommendation. It’s available at a comparable price to ExpressVPN. Unlike NordVPN, however, Netflix doesn’t work on every single Netflix server. It works with many of the more than 1,500 servers but not all. The one issue with Proton is that it can have trouble from time to time, where a stream will suddenly stop, especially if you’re watching while you work on the same PC.
4. Surfshark – Best for access with multiple devices
Pros
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- Works with Netflix in 11 countries
- Labels virtual server locations
- Ad-blocker, tracker, malware and malware blocking built-in
Cons
- Exotic business address
- No server load indicator or ping
Surfshark is another VPN that hits our top 10 for speeds, and while the speeds aren’t outstanding—just 35 percent of the base speed in our last tests—Surfshark is plenty fast enough for Netflix streaming. It is compatible with Netflix. It has ad-blocking and malware-blocking capabilities, double-hop connections and, surprisingly, unlimited simultaneous device connections. This is in contrast to the usual limit of five devices with most VPNs. The Surfshark app is available for Windows. It is also very easy to use.
Check out our complete article
Review Surfshark
Netflix blocks VPNs for a reason?
As we mentioned earlier, Netflix’s big expansion into pretty much every country on earth back in 2016 meant it had to get tough on VPNs. Netflix makes a lot its own content and can make it available worldwide. However, the company licenses tons of content from traditional entertainment companies.
These third parties are still working to establish a global territory licensing system. Under this system, Netflix gets a package of movies and TV shows from these companies that it can show in the U.S., but that aren’t licensed to be shown by Netflix in, say, Europe. Netflix must enforce a block against VPNs to stop people from accessing content made available to Netflix subscribers in the UK but not the U.S.
“We are making progress in licensing content across the world,” Netflix said in a 2016 blog post. “But we have a ways to go before we can offer people the same films and TV series everywhere.”
Netflix isn’t the only company that has to enforce these restrictions. Hulu and Amazon Prime Video are just a few of the companies that enforce these restrictions. Hulu and Netflix are the most active and efficient at it.
VPN access to Netflix streaming
We’ve already covered this in brief, but let’s quickly deal with what you should be looking for in a Netflix VPN. First, speed should not be the main consideration. For a 1080p Netflix stream, the minimum bandwidth is 5 megabits per seconds (Mbps). If you’re streaming in 4K it’s 15Mbps. That’s nothing, and nearly all the top VPNs hit those speeds quite easily in most places.
Instead, you should first consider the basic promise of Netflix compatibility by a reputable company. That’s the rub. Any old VPN can promise Netflix compatibility, but if there aren’t a lot of reviews about the service it may not be the real deal. If possible, stick with well-respected VPN services.
Next, you need to consider how many servers are available for the service–especially the number in your target country. If the VPN has only two Australian servers, it could be a problem if you want Netflix Australia. Many popular VPN services offer online information about their server networks, which will show you the number of servers in each location.
Finally, make sure the VPN’s desktop app (and don’t forget about mobile) allows you to choose specific servers. This is a cat-and mouse game. You need a service that has a variety of servers in the desired Netflix country. That way if one server has been discovered by Netflix, it’s possible the others are still working. Sometimes, simply switching servers will suffice to continue watching. Sometimes, even reconnecting to the same server can fix streaming problems. That’s the one word of warning we’d offer to anyone looking to play the international Netflix game. You’ll need to be able to deal with occasional interruptions. Sometimes, this could mean that access to U.S. Netflix from abroad is blocked by a particular VPN. However, this usually only lasts for a few days. The stream may stop temporarily due to occasional interruptions. This is usually solved by switching servers.
Let’s not forget about speed. The major VPN services offer solid speeds for countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. However, speeds in Australia and Asia can vary greatly. Any of the recommendations in this article should give you the speed you need in these areas.
How we tested
Only days with a wired internet connection of 80Mbps or greater are tested. The daily test measures the speed of five locations around the globe. We run the test three times in each location, then average the speeds to get a daily average. Our countries are generally, but not always the U.S., UK and Germany, Australia, Japan, and Germany.
The daily test takes place on three different days at three different hours of the day. The daily averages are then averaged to create an overall average. We then calculate the overall average as a percentage for each daily speed.
The reason we don’t bother with printing hard numbers as a rule is that experiences in hard numbers can vary wildly. It all depends upon the speed of your internet connection, time of day, device type, and other factors. We believe that percentages, which show how much speed you can lose on a service, are more useful.
Netflix is an excellent service, and while the company doesn’t like you to use VPNs, we’ve never heard of anyone being penalized because of it. Just choose your preferred VPN service wisely and you’ll be good to go.
FAQ
What is a VPN and how does it work?
VPN (Virtual private networks) encrypts your internet traffic. It also disguises your identity when you browse the internet. When used for streaming Netflix, a VPN will reroute your traffic from your location outside the U.S. to their own server within the country masking your true location and allowing you to bypass Netflix’s region locks.
VPNs also anonymize your internet traffic and prevent your ISP potentially spying on your browsing.
Are VPNs legal?
Yes! Yes! A VPN is legal in most countries including the United States. Netflix and other websites might block VPN connections for their own reasons, but they are still fine to use. While using a VPN is legal in some cases, there are some activities that can be blocked by the VPN. Use the following instructions a VPN might be illegal. Activities such as downloading pirated copyrighted materials or accessing dark Web markets are illegal both with and without VPN.
Is a VPN going to slow down my internet speed?
A VPN can, in short, have an impact on your internet speed. But nowadays it’s the exception rather than the norm.
While connected to a VPN, your traffic is rerouted through the VPN provider’s own servers. It is possible for your traffic to travel longer distances depending on the location of these servers, which can slow down your speed. VPNs can encrypt your data, which can cause slower download and upload speeds. This can have a significant impact on speed, and can affect everything from page load speeds to video buffering speeds. These impacts can be greatly reduced thanks to modern VPN providers who have taken advantage of advancements in encryption technology as well as server optimization.
Do VPNs track and store my browsing data?
This is entirely up for the VPN provider you choose. In the past, VPN providers have collected data from their users. However, these were mainly free VPN services with no explicit “no-logging” policies.
When searching for a VPN, be careful to check the company’s website for a “no-logging” policy, third-party trust verification, and trustworthy user reviews. Thankfully, most of the major paid VPNs have clearly stated “no-logging” policies, so it’s typically best to stick with one of them if you have concerns.
Want to use your VPN for more than streaming Netflix? Check out our other top VPN roundups.
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