Important Note!
Please reinstall Netflix app before accessing Netflix from another region. If you watch Netflix from your browser, please clear your cache and cookies or better yet use a different browser. The service stores cookies that are used to block access whenever the user tries to switch to a different Netflix region. If Netflix flagged your account, you may not be able to switch regions from within Netflix app, please consider using your browser.
Netflix has different content catalogs for different countries, depending on the licensing agreements it has with the content providers. This means that you may not be able to watch your favorite shows or movies if you travel or live in another region. To overcome this problem, if you want to access different Netflix libraries from around the world, you need a VPN that offers fast and reliable streaming. However, not all VPNs can do this effectively, as Netflix has sophisticated detection methods to block VPN users. Moreover, some VPNs may expose your personal data or slow down your streaming experience.
Additionally, only specific VPN servers are best for Netflix so please be sure to connect to dedicated Netflix servers or contact a provider’s support for an updated list.
For Smart TVs, install VPN app directly on your router. If you install the app from the Android play store, Netflix might not work. To get a flawless streaming experience on your Smart TV, VPN should be setup directly on your router.
That’s why we chose the best VPNs for accessing various Netflix libraries, based on the number of Ddedicated IPs worldwide and dedicated streaming servers.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.49 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
Panama based NordVPN is one of the best security oriented VPN companies with amazingly fast infrastructure. NordVPN is a no logs VPN service that was independently audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers AG based in Zurich, Switzerland (one of the Big 4 auditing firms) to back the claims that they don’t log identifiable user information under any circumstances.
NordVPN custom apps have DNS and IP leaks protection and a kill switch that actively monitors your network and shuts down Internet access when your VPN in not running.
NordVPN offers a Double VPN – a privacy feature that sends your Internet traffic through two VPN servers, encrypting it twice.
Onion Over VPN servers is a powerful NordVPN feature that takes your privacy and security to the next level. Using this tech, you first connect to a VPN server and then to the Tor network. Your ISP does not know you are connected to Tor because your entry point in a secure VPN server, while your destination sees an anonymous Tor exit point.
NordVPN obfuscated VPN servers are a perfect choice to use on restrictive networks and to hide the fact that you are using a VPN. These VPN servers are generally recommended for countries that block VPN altogether because the technology can bypass even the most advanced network filtering. Obfsproxy hides OpenVPN and makes your VPN use completely undetectable. Neither your ISP nor the government will know that you are on VPN.
A strict no logs privacy policy, double data encryption, obfuscation tools and a number of advanced security features, makes NordVPN one of the best VPN providers for security and privacy for users with high expectations.
Besides, NordVPN has a Smart Play technology offering an encrypted connection to access geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and similar services. If you are a torrenting user, NordVPN has torrenting VPN servers as well.
NordVPN offers over 5,000 high-speed servers in 62 countries, dedicated & shared IP types, 6 simultaneous logins; the infrastructure is built to provide maximum online security, bypass Internet restrictions, online censorship and network firewalls.
To read a full NordVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.59 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 9.95 USD
Based in Malaysia, Hide.me is one the most secure and fastest VPN providers offering ultra fast gigabit VPN servers that deliver the fastest VPN speeds for users on gigabit Internet connection.
Hide.Me is a no logs VPN service with custom VPN apps that include a number of advanced features for maximum security. Hide.Me VPN has a built-in protection against IP and DNS leaks. Kill switch is an excellent tool to shut down Internet access when the connection to a VPN server is dropped.
Stealth Guard takes this even further by blocking access to predetermined apps even when the VPN is OFF. Essentially, you can configure Hide.Me in a way that makes it impossible to use Chrome browser, for instance, when the VPN is not running. This feature is an excellent addition to protect yourself from accidental mistakes.
Hide.Me supports perfect forward secrecy, an advanced security feature that tells OpenVPN to regularly renegotiate private keys. In case the private key of the server is compromised, past session keys will not be compromised. Forward secrecy protects past sessions against future compromises of secret keys, and future sessions against current attacks.
The provider also offers advanced VPN masking tools to bypass strict firewalls, censorship and hide VPN use. Hide.Me masks (obfuscates) OpenVPN traffic with TLS-Crypt so, if your WiFi network blocks VPN by analyzing traffic patterns, this methods can bypass the most advanced firewalls. This setup also encrypts every OpenVPN packet twice, sort of like double VPN encryption.
Additionally, the provider offers a dynamic TCP/UDP port-forwarding (UPnP) with up to 10 TCP/UDP ports, a useful feature on WiFi networks that block VPN ports, or for torrenting. Port forwarding feature is a great addition as it can speed up torrenting or streaming when your ISP throttles select traffic.
More so, you can selectively tunnel only specific traffic via secure servers. Split tunneling feature allows this or, alternatively, SOCKS5 proxy can be setup on your browser/torrenting client and re-route only that traffic.
Hide.Me VPN is extremely reliable and very fast which makes it a perfect choice for security oriented users who would like to enjoy uninterrupted streaming and browsing experience.
To read a full Hide.me review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.33 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 10.95 USD
Hong Kong based PureVPN is a no logs VPN service that was independently audited by Altius IT, a leading California-based independent Certified Information Systems Auditor. Altius IT team members are experts in higher-level network security audit, risk management, assessment, and security consulting services.
Secure high-speed PureVPN infrastructure offers advanced security features for anonymous Internet use. PureVPN custom apps have a built-in WebRTC, IP and DNS leak protection. Kill switch is feature that guards the users from unencrypted data leaks when the internet connection drops. PureVPN even has a DDoS protection add-on.
Additionally, the provider considered the importance of uninterrupted streaming by introducing Dedicated Streaming add-on that will boost streaming speed and enhance performance. PureVPN optimized streaming servers are best to get a buffer-free streaming experience.
PureVPN is also one of the few VPN providers that can effectively unblock Netflix. For this purpose PureVPN setup dedicated Netflix servers. At the moment the provider can unblock Netflix USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Japan.
In case you want to limit your VPN use to specific websites/services only, Split Tunneling feature lets you decide which applications to send through unencrypted channel and which one to secure with an encrypted VPN service.
Split tunneling is commonly used in case you need a VPN for torrenting only. More so, PureVPN offers 2,000 high-speed VPN servers in 140 countries with over 60 dedicated torrenting servers and a port forwarding feature to maximize your upload and download speeds.
Overall, PureVPN is a great no logs VPN service for privacy and security, to access geo-restricted streaming content, unblock websites and bypass censorship.
To read a full PureVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.19 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
PIA is a leading no logs VPN service with over 3,000 VPN servers that deliver great speeds and a reliable performance.
PIA offers an easy to install VPN app for all devices with security and privacy features that protect VPN connection from unexpected data leaks. PIA was once subpoenaed by the FBI and the only information they could provide is that the cluster of IP addresses being used was from the east coast of the United States. The FBI case confirms that PIA indeed does not log any user activity.
Their NAT firewall does a great job protecting from cyber attacks, built-in kill switch secures from unprotected data leaks. In addition, PIA apps have a DNS and IPv4/IPv6 leak protection.
PIA VPN service provider gives unrestricted and uncensored access to blocked or censored websites. Aside from unblocking various restricted sites, PIA also works with Netflix USA and Netflix UK libraries, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime.
For faster streaming and torrenting PIA software offers switching between different connection types and ports. The settings have UDP (faster) and TCP connections types that, depending on network, can speed up traffic. UDP is also greatly preferred for torrenting and streaming. Additionally, PIA allows port forwarding to 443, 80, 110, 53, 8080, 9201. Port 443 is the most widespread option because it is used to bypass strict firewalls when all the other ports are blocked. For instance, forwarding traffic through port 443 will likely bypass VPN block on most WiFi networks.
Thus, PIA can bypass strict censorship and firewalls, effectively giving you anonymous browsing experience by hiding your real IP address.
SOCKS5 proxy is another excellent feature that can re-route only certain traffic through VPN tunnel eliminating the need for split tunneling. SOCKS5 is widely used with torrenting software due to its convenience. Once installed on uTorrent, for instance, it works for p2p traffic only.
To read a full PIA review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.49 USD/mo [promocode]
MONTHLY PRICE: 8.99 USD
Offering over 3,000 servers in 55 countries, all mainstream protocols and top-notch security, TorGuard rightfully earned its place as a top VPN provider.
No logging TorGuard VPN is a reliable, fast and secure service for privacy oriented users. TorGuard desktop apps have a kill switch feature that actively monitors your Internet connection to protect you from accidental IP leaks when your WiFi is unstable.
Stealth VPN is a technology that TorGuard uses to bypass Deep Packet Inspection firewalls, such as those typically used at the hotels, airports, restaurants and other public WiFi hotspots to restrict online access. Consequently, TorGuard is a highly recommended VPN service for users who live in the regions with particularly restrictive governments, and would like to unblock censored websites or services.
Besides a great number of security features and ability to unblock VPN on restrictive WiFi, TorGuard is also an ultra fast VPN service with gigabit servers (actually, 10 Gbps). This infrastructure allows the fastest VPN speeds with a reliable streaming and browsing experience.
Unlike most VPN providers, TorGuard VPN can bypass Netflix proxy error with their Netflix streaming IPs. TorGuard can unblock a number of Netflix regions (USA, UK, Canada, Italy, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Japan and Singapore), Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and virtually any streaming or social media service.
TorGuard is not only one of the best VPN services, it also offers OpenPGP encrypted email service with 2 factor authentication and up to 10Mb free storage.
To read a full TorGuard review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.45 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 USD
Romania based CyberGhost is a secure no logs VPN provider with over 6,500 ultra high speed VPN servers in 90 countries.
The provider has a number of advanced security and privacy features that are not offered by competitors. CyberGhost desktop apps have DNS & IP leaks protection, as well as an automatic kill switch that guards your connection if VPN disconnects.
Anti-fingerprinting and tracking protection blocks websites from storing personally identifiable data. A built-in ad-blocker and anti-malware blocks annoying ads along with malicious websites. Automated HTTPS redirect forces unsecured websites to go to HTTPS, ensuring that you browse the most secure version of it.
Data compression is another interesting feature that compresses data to reduce your Internet usage.
CyberGhost, additionally, offers dedicated high-speed streaming servers to unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and other multimedia services. You can also choose to connect to dedicated VPN servers optimized for torrenting.
Split tunneling is a feature that excludes specific websites from passing through the VPN tunnel. CyberGhost split tunneling only works to bypass predetermined websites, like Netflix.com, and cannot be used for other apps, like torrenting.
For faster streaming and torrenting, CyberGhost VPN allows switching between TCP/UDP protocols (UDP may be faster comparing to TCP).
If you are on a restrictive WiFi network that block VPN connection altogether by closing common VPN ports, typically found at hotels, restaurants and the like, desktop VPN apps can automatically test a wide range of ports and connect to the random VPN port that works. For this reason, the provider is a great choice to unblock VPN, bypass online censorship and unblock restricted content.
To read a full CyberGhost review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 9.99 EUR/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 EUR
Germany based Perfect Privacy is an ultra fast (gigabit servers) VPN provider with a heavy focus on advanced online security. As the name suggests, Perfect Privacy VPN has some of the most secure VPN features for maximum security, privacy and complete anonymity.
Perfect Privacy dedicated VPN servers run on RAM, not the hard drive, to secure your anonymity and privacy. This setup ensures that the data is automatically wiped during reboot or server shut down so the government cannot access sensitive user data in case they seize the server.
More so, the provider has one of the best and most advanced kill switch implementations. Their integrated firewall enforces all traffic to be sent through secure tunnels thereby protecting their users from all known IP leaks not only when the app is running, but also after OS reboot. Essentially, it prevents unsecured online access after you restart your device unless you connect to a VPN server.
In addition, Perfect Privacy offers a unique Multi-Hop VPN feature that allows cascading over up to 4 OpenVPN servers (multi-layer end-to-end encryption) at the same time along with SOCKS5 and Squid proxies. So you can create a chain of 6 VPN locations at the same time which basically eliminates any possibility of tracking you down. While this setup surely provides more anonymity, it will dramatically slow you down, which may be an issue for some VPN users.
NeuroRouting is an AI based dynamic routing that determines the most secure and fastest route through the Internet. The algorithm dynamically changes VPN servers when taking a secure route to different destinations. Since NeuroRouting automatically assigns you a new IP address for different exit points, government tracking becomes very challenging, if impossible.
Additionally, Perfect Privacy regularly updates a Warrant Canary page as an insurance that the provider has not received any subpoenas.
Another interesting feature is the provider’s ability to resolve .onion (TOR) addresses without the need for the Tor Browser. Perfect Privacy SOCKS5 and HTTP proxies are setup to resolve Tor addresses by default.
Perfect Privacy also can bypass strict firewalls by obfuscating OpenVPN to look like normal HTTPS traffic with Stealth VPN or OpenVPN over SSH feature. For additional firewall penetration Perfect Privacy allows 5 custom port forwardings or 3 default random ports. Basically, if your WiFi network completely blocks VPN, Perfect Privacy can bypass firewall and unblock VPN on virtually any network.
Overall, Perfect Privacy VPN is the most secure VPN service to avoid mass surveillance, bypass internet restrictions, access blocked websites, and securely stream multimedia content.
To read a full Perfect Privacy review click HERE.
Netflix started blocking VPN services
On January 6, 2016 Netflix announced that it’s now available in 190 countries around the world. While most Netflix content is in English, Netflix also added Arabic, Korean and Chinese to the 17 languages it already supports.
Press release also clarified that “Netflix will not yet be available in China, though the company continues to explore options for providing the service. It also won’t be available in Crimea, North Korea and Syria due to U.S. government restrictions on American companies.”
Most VPN providers were not able to keep up with the recent Netflix crackdown on VPN and proxy services. Netflix aggressively blocks IP addresses that belong to VPN providers, while the most determined continue replacing them on a regular basis.
But Netflix didn’t stop there. They pushed PayPal to join them and blocked Unotelly PayPal account (along with a few other DNS services).
Netflix new policy prevents users from accessing its content through VPN services. Netflix has different libraries of movies and shows for different regions, and some users have been using VPNs to access content that is not available in their own country. However, Netflix claims that this practice violates its licensing agreements with content providers, and that it has to enforce these agreements to protect the rights of the creators. Therefore, Netflix has started blocking VPN services by detecting and blocking IP addresses that belong to VPN providers. This means that users who try to access Netflix through a VPN will see an error message and will not be able to stream any content. Netflix says that this policy is necessary to ensure a fair and consistent experience for all its subscribers, and that it is working on making its content more globally available in the future.
How to pick the best VPN for Netflix
If you want to watch Netflix shows and movies that are not available in your region, you might need a VPN service that can bypass the geo-restrictions imposed by Netflix. However, not all VPNs are created equal, and some of them might not work well with Netflix so you need to look for some features that make a VPN suitable for streaming Netflix. Here are some features that you should look for when choosing the best VPN for Netflix:
- Fast and reliable servers
Netflix requires a high-speed internet connection to stream HD or 4K content without buffering or lagging. A good VPN should have fast and reliable servers in different countries, especially in the ones that have the Netflix library you want to access. You can test the speed and reliability of a VPN by using online tools or by trying it out yourself before committing to a subscription. - Large and diverse server network
Netflix has a sophisticated system to detect and block VPN users, so you need a VPN that can constantly update and expand its server network to avoid detection. A large and diverse server network also gives you more options to switch servers in case one of them gets blocked or overcrowded. - Dedicated IPs
A dedicated IP is an IP address that is assigned to only one user and not shared with others. This reduces the risk of being blocked by Netflix, as shared IPs are more likely to be detected and blacklisted. A dedicated IP also ensures consistent performance and security, as you don’t have to worry about other users’ activities affecting your connection. - Dedicated streaming servers
Some VPNs have servers that are optimized for streaming, meaning they have fast speeds, unlimited bandwidth, and low latency. These servers can also work well with Netflix as they are regularly updated and refreshed to avoid detection. Dedicated streaming servers can enhance your viewing experience and let you watch Netflix in HD or 4K quality. - Strong encryption and security
A VPN should not only help you access Netflix, but also protect your online privacy and security. A good VPN should use strong encryption protocols, such as AES-256, to prevent anyone from snooping on your traffic. It should also have a strict no-logs policy, meaning that it does not collect or store any of your personal data or online activity. Additionally, it should have features like kill switch, DNS leak protection, and split tunneling, to ensure that your connection is always secure and stable.
These are some of the features that a VPN must have to work well with Netflix libraries. By choosing a VPN that has these features, you can enjoy Netflix content from anywhere in the world without any hassle or risk.
NordVPN works with US Netflix very well for me but only the servers that are designed to bypass Netflix proxy error. I also use Mozilla for Netflix because I had problems with the error popping up when I used my regular browser Chrome (I don’t use the app). Not because Chrome doesn’t work but because like this article mentions, Netflix is using cookies to determine my real location. Ever since I switched to a “clean” browser, no issues. NordVPN is stable and the speed is good. Very rarely I get the proxy error but when I connect to another server, it usually works.
As far as I know all VPN providers have issues unblocking Netflix. I have been using VyprVPN for a long time, very happy with their service. They have gigabit servers, very reliable network and I think they are also the most reliable at bypassing the proxy error. I have never had issues watching movies on Netflix in the past 2 years or so. At the beginning of 2016 when Netflix just began blocking VPNs, all VPNs didn’t work. Most providers tried to bypass the error, but were intermittently working. If I remember correctly it took VyprVPN a while to find a working solution and now I don’t ever see the error. I can access US Netflix app on my iphone, ipad and Mac.
VyprVPN is actually known to be quite fast at fixing issues. I sometimes travel to China where VPNs are banned to the point that you cannot even download apps. VyprVPN finds workarounds in China within hours, unlike most other VPN providers that take days or weeks.
My point is that I recommend Vypr if you need to bypass Netflix error. USA servers only, not sure about other regions because I never tried.
I am on ExpressVPN, I use it to bypass the proxy error without issues. It works quite well 95% of the time. Sometimes I have to use a different server, but I don’t think there is a VPN that doesn’t experience issues once in a while. Support is very helpful and knowledgable. They are pricey comparing to most other VPNs, but I think you get what you pay for.
I can bypass the error with NordVPN. They have dedicated Netflix servers that get updated as soon as Netflix blocks their IPs. It does happen sometimes and I either try different servers or contact support and they usually suggest one. Overall NordVPN works, but honestly it’s quite annoying that Netflix forces their users to disconnect from VPN. I use VPN all the time for security and privacy. So I’m not even sure why I continue to use Netflix at this point, pirating makes things so much easier and NordVPN allows torrents.