Best VPN for BBC iPlayer

Yes, it’s possible to watch BBC iPlayer abroad for free.

BBC iPlayer is a completely free streaming service, but it blocks access to users located outside the UK.

When you use a VPN your true IP is masked and replaced with an IP address belonging to the VPN server.

That means you can connect to a UK VPN server in order to ‘trick’ BBC iPlayer into thinking you’re located in the UK.

Not all VPNs work with BBC iPlayer, though, so be sure to choose one of our recommended VPNs to avoid disappointment.

Read on to find out more.

For the past couple of years the BBC has cracked down on VPN providers, making it very hard to find a VPN that works with the popular British streaming service.

The BBC monitors the IP addresses used to access its content. If it detects that a large number of people with the same IP address are accessing the service at the same time it will block the IP address.

This stops users connecting with that IP address from viewing its streaming content on iPlayer.

If this happens, you might be faced with one of the all-too-familiar BBC iPlayer error messages:

“BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues.”
“This content doesn’t seem to be working. Please try again later.”

Don’t worry, though, because our top VPN picks on the above list work reliably with BBC iPlayer, with minimal disruption.

The BBC is very fast to block IP addresses associated with VPNs, but our recommendations work hard to provide access to the streaming service day in and day out by constantly updating their IP address pool.

While no VPN can guarantee to work with BBC iPlayer 100% of the time, the VPN services on this list are the most reliable.

All of the VPNs recommended in this guide come at a small monthly cost.

There are free VPNs available, but we wouldn’t recommend any of them for watching BBC iPlayer.

Many free VPNs are not safe to use.

We’ve found free VPNs that have secret Chinese ownership, while others suffer from excessive permissions and security flaws.

Hola is one example of a free ‘VPN’ that isn’t actually a VPN – it doesn’t encrypt your traffic and it puts your online identity at risk by allowing strangers to use your IP address to do with as they please.

Hola doesn’t allow free users to access streaming services either, so you wouldn’t be able to watch BBC iPlayer anyway.

Aside from the privacy issues that come with some free VPNs, even the safest ones lack the resources to get past BBC iPlayer’s firewall and VPN blocking.

Getting around BBC iPlayer’s constant IP blocking is time-consuming and expensive. Free VPNs generally don’t put resources towards unblocking iPlayer for their users.

Even the best free VPNs – like Windscribe and ProtonVPN – don’t work with BBC iPlayer.

Your best chance of watching your favorite British TV shows is to buy a quality VPN. They don’t have to be expensive – some only cost a couple of dollars per month if you opt for a long-term subscription.

Once you’ve picked which VPN service you want to subscribe to, you’ll need to install and set up the VPN software before you can watch BBC iPlayer.

The installation process depends on which device you want to use the VPN on.

Most VPN services have custom apps for desktop and mobile devices, while some also come with special apps for Amazon Fire TV and Android TV, too.

If your VPN provides a custom app for the device you wish to stream BBC iPlayer on, just download it directly to the device and log into the app once the installation process is complete.

If you want to use your VPN on a device that doesn’t have a special VPN app, you may be able to install it at router level.

This method is a little more technically complex than using your VPN’s desktop program or app, but it does cover all devices connected to it by default.

If your VPN service allows only a small number of simultaneous connections, installing the software at router level is one way to get around that as it only counts as one connection.

If you need help setting up your VPN take a look at the following installation guides:

• Windows
• MacOS
• Android
• iOS
• Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Router

Once you’ve set up the VPN, you might need to fiddle with some of the settings for the best levels of privacy.

While some VPN apps have automatic settings – it’s sensible to manually set the most appropriate VPN protocol for streaming.

We recommend using OpenVPN as it has the best balance of speed and security.

Make sure to enable the VPN kill switch feature and IP leak protection to keep safe while you stream.

Once you’re up and running, ensure that you connect to a VPN server based in the UK – no other location will work.

If you still see the BBC iPlayer error message read on to find out how to get past it.

Sometimes even the most reliable VPNs stop working with BBC iPlayer – the situation can change from day to day as the BBC’s blocks become more aggressive.

VPN providers describe it as a “cat and mouse game,” as the BBC blocks VPN IP addresses almost as fast as the VPN service churns out new ones.

However, there are a few solutions you can use to get your VPN to work with BBC iPlayer once again.

1. Make sure to switch on DNS and IP leak protection. If your VPN is leaking your true IP address, iPlayer will recognize that you’re abroad.
2. Run a leak test to see if your VPN is exposing your IP address or DNS requests. If it is, get in touch with your VPN provider’s customer support to resolve the issue.
3. Clear your browser cache and cookies and flush your DNS cache. Log into BBC iPlayer again and try once more.
4. Reconnect using a different UK VPN server. Sometimes a VPN server that worked yesterday might not work today. Be sure to do step #2 before you try to watch a show using the new server.
5. Log out of your VPN and then log back in and try again (after you’ve completed step #2). This may give you a new IP address that hasn’t been blacklisted by the BBC.
6. Try accessing BBC iPlayer using a different web browser.
7. Disable GPS and location services on your device and browser.
8. Disable IPv6 at device level.
9. If you’re trying to access BBC iPlayer through the app try again via a web browser.

If all these fail you should get in touch with your VPN provider for help.

Some VPNs offer iPlayer support on some devices and not others, so it’s best to get in touch with your provider’s customer support so that they can help you out.

Likewise, if your VPN service doesn’t come with special servers for BBC iPlayer you should ask customer support which servers they recommend for accessing the streaming site.

Ironically, those connecting to a VPN for iPlayer within the UK run into issues a lot more frequently than those connecting from outside the country.

If you’re in the UK and don’t need privacy to watch BBC iPlayer, you can use split tunneling with some VPN services to route iPlayer traffic outside of the VPN. All other traffic will remain protected.

We’ve tried our hardest to ensure the recommendations above are as reliable as possible, but even those sometimes suffer from the BBC’s aggressive blocks.

Sometimes you may have to come back later and try again.

Due to BBC iPlayer’s crackdowns on VPN services, not many VPNs work with the British streaming service.

We don’t recommend the following VPNs for watching BBC iPlayer:

• IPVanish
• Private Internet Access
• TorGuard
• TunnelBear
• Windscribe

That doesn’t make them bad VPNs – they’re not.

But our testing has shown that they don’t work reliably to unlock content on BBC iPlayer.

It takes a lot of resources to evade the iPlayer VPN blocks, and these services have chosen to use resources elsewhere.

IPVanish, for instance, is a great VPN for torrenting, and Windscribe provides a fantastic free service alongside its premium subscription.

It’s possible to download shows from BBC iPlayer to watch later when you’re offline.

Downloaded shows expire at the same time as their online versions do, so make sure to download them before they get taken down.

You can watch downloaded shows anywhere in the world without a VPN. But remember that without a VPN your personal data will be left exposed to any third-party snoopers.

The great thing about Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is that you can take it with you wherever you go.

That means it’s possible to watch BBC iPlayer on your Amazon Fire TV Stick while abroad or on the go.

You’ll need a VPN that works with iPlayer first – our top picks listed above are your best bet – and preferably one that comes with a native app for the Fire TV Stick, like CyberGhost and
PrivateVPN.

Simply download the custom VPN app on your Fire TV Stick, connect to a BBC iPlayer-friendly UK server, and then boot up the iPlayer app.

If your VPN doesn’t come with an Amazon app, you’ll need to install the VPN at router-level (follow the link for instructions).

Using a VPN to protect your online privacy is perfectly legal in most countries.

There are a handful of countries where using a VPN is illegal, however – check out our guide to find out which these are.

Even when VPNs are not against the law, using one doesn’t exempt you from the law, so be sure that you don’t use your VPN to break any laws.

Using a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer isn’t illegal, but it’s against BBC iPlayer’s Terms of Use to use one in order to access content from outside the UK, so do so at your own risk.

This is because you need to purchase a UK TV Licence to watch or download shows on BBC iPlayer on any device, whether they’re live or on demand.

You don’t need a TV licence to listen to iPlayer Radio or to watch S4C TV on demand on iPlayer, though.

No, Hola VPN doesn’t work with BBC iPlayer.

This free proxy service is not a good choice for streaming, and even if it were we absolutely wouldn’t recommend it.

Hola doesn’t encrypt your internet traffic and it logs all of your online activities.

To make it worse, Hola works as a peer-to-peer network. Your IP address is added to a pool of IP addresses that strangers can use to do with whatever they like. Hola is downright dangerous.

Like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub another British streaming service blocks VPN traffic.

It’s best to contact VPN providers to ask if they work with ITV Hub before purchasing a subscription. Not all VPNs that work with BBC iPlayer will work with ITV Hub.

Once you have a VPN that works with ITV Hub make sure to connect to a UK VPN server in order to watch your favorite British shows.

We tested NordVPN and it worked with ITV Hub first time.

Using a quality VPN can unlock streaming content that you might not be able to access from your country, or the country you’re visiting.

Some VPNs also work with:

• Netflix
• Hulu
• Amazon Prime
• HBO
• Now TV

As is the case with BBC iPlayer, other streaming services might actively block access to those using a VPN.

Be sure to read the Streaming & Torrenting section of our VPN reviews to find out which VPNs work with specific streaming services.