The Best Free & Paid VPNs to Get a UK IP Address

Detailed List of the Best Free UK VPNs

1. 1. Windscribe: Best Free UK VPN

   Two UK servers, 10GB data allowance, and reliable access to British streaming services.

   Ranked #1 Free VPN for the UK

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   Pros

   • Completely free VPN apps
   • Unlocks BBC iPlayer, All 4, ITVX & UK Netflix
   • Excellent US-UK speeds
   • 2 London servers available
   • Safe logging policy & security settings
   • Additional security preferences & customization

   Cons

   • 10GB monthly data limit
   • Unable to use Edinburgh & Manchester servers
   • No human live chat
   • No logging policy audit
   • Based in privacy-unfriendly Canada

   Overall UK Rating: 7.0/10

   This overall rating is calculated based on the following category ratings. To learn more, read our UK VPN testing methodology.

   • UK Server Locations:
     7.5/10
   • UK Streaming:
     9.9/10
   • Speed:
     8.8/10
   • Privacy & Logging Policy:
     8.9/10

   Windscribe is easily the best free VPN for the UK. It has the most free UK servers, fast US-UK download speeds, and it unblocks the most British streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and UK Netflix.

   It’s ad-free and comes with a generous 10GB monthly data limit. This is restrictive compared to paid VPN services, but you won’t find a safe free VPN for the UK offering more data or features than Windscribe Free.

   

   Data Cap	10GB
   Free UK Servers	2
   UK Server Locations	London
   UK Netflix	Yes
   See all features
   Compatible with	Windows macOS iOS Android Linux +more

   Very Good for Streaming UK TV & Movies

   Windscribe is the only free VPN that manages to access UK Netflix from outside the UK. It also unblocks all the major British streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, and ITVX wherever you are in the world, despite VPN crackdowns from British broadcasters.

   This means that expats and fans overseas will be able to stream movies for free and watch shows like The Great British Bake-Off, Peaky Blinders, and Strictly Come Dancing without hassle or intrusive pop-up ads.

   Even without the WindFlix servers, which are reserved for paying customers, Windscribe Free unblocks nine more Netflix libraries. If you’re in the US looking to stream Star on the UK’s Disney Plus you can also use Windscribe Free.

   A 10GB Monthly Data Allowance

   Windscribe Free’s main downside is that it limits your data usage to 10GB of data a month. That means you’ll have to ration your streaming and downloading.

   This is actually one of the more generous data allowances from a free service. Other popular free VPNs like TunnelBear and Avira Phantom have a data cap of only 500MB per month, so you’re protected for much longer with Windscribe.

   Fast Speeds on Both UK Servers

   Windscribe has two free UK servers. Both are in London, listed as ‘Crumpets’ and ‘Custard’. This is twice as many free UK servers as any other free VPN.

   

   Windscribe has two free UK servers.

   As the leader in UK servers, Windscribe spreads user load to avoid congestion, meaning you can get a UK IP address and avoid CAPTCHAs and lag.

   Windscribe records excellent download and upload speeds when connecting to the UK.

   Windscribe’s average speeds from US (New York) to UK (London):

   • Download: 87Mbps
   • Upload: 94Mbps
   • Ping time: 75ms

   These are extremely fast speeds for a free VPN service (we tested them using a 100Mbps dedicated connection). You’ll experience no issues streaming or performing any other online activity on a UK server.

   Windscribe lets you connect to VPN servers in nine other locations, too, making it the best free VPN for Germany, the US, and Canada, too.

   The full list of servers are:

   • Canada
   • France
   • Germany
   • Hong Kong
   • Netherlands
   • Norway
   • Romania
   • Switzerland
   • USA

   You can always select ‘Best Location’ to connect to an optimal server.

   No payment details are required

   Windscribe also has a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. This is useful for light browsing of the web. There’s no sign-up necessary. You can install it without an account, it has one free UK server, and it’s limited to 2GB per month.

   Windscribe is by far the best free VPN for the UK. It’s safe to use and lets you stream British TV. Torrenting is allowed, encryption is via AES-256 cipher, and its logging policy is very private.

   Sign up is simple enough too – you just have to head to the website and create an account. No payment details are required.

   Visit Windscribe

   or read our full Windscribe VPN Review.

   
   

2. 2. ZoogVPN: Safest Free UK VPN

   One UK server, 10GB of free data & access to major UK streaming services.

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   Pros

   • One free UK server
   • Unblocks BBC iPlayer, All 4, ITVX
   • 10GB of free data per month
   • No payment details required
   • DNS leak protection & obfuscation technology
   • Fast US-UK speeds

   Cons

   • No UK Netflix access
   • Inferior 128-bit encryption
   • Unreliable customer support
   • No VPN browser extensions
   • One device per account limit

   Overall UK Rating: 5.8/10

   This overall rating is calculated based on the following category ratings. To learn more, read our UK VPN testing methodology.

   • UK Server Locations:
     5.0/10
   • UK Streaming:
     9.5/10
   • Speed:
     8.0/10
   • Privacy & Logging Policy:
     6.8/10

   ZoogVPN has a free version that comes with a free UK server and 10GB of data per month. It’s very easy to install and use, making it extremely useful to those looking to get a UK IP address.

   ZoogVPN Free is very good at unblocking UK streaming sites. In our most recent tests, it worked to access BBC iPlayer, All 4, and ITVX. It’s not quite as good as Windscribe, though, as it does not unblock UK Netflix.

   

   Data Cap	10GB
   Free UK Servers	1
   UK Server Locations	London
   UK Netflix	No
   See all features
   Compatible with	Windows macOS iOS Android Linux +more

   Free UK VPN server

   If you want a UK IP address, you can easily get one by installing ZoogVPN Free and connecting to its free UK server. There is no complicated signup and payment details aren’t needed.

   Although ZoogVPN lists its UK server location as London, we performed IP checks and found our fake location to be listed in Lancashire, Northern England. It reconnected us to the same IP address each time too, so it doesn’t offer multiple UK cities. Only Windscribe does.

   

   ZoogVPN Free offers a UK – London IP address.

   A single IP address runs the risk of server congestion, as well as UK streaming blocks. If many ZoogVPN free users are connecting to the same IP, performance will be affected, and streaming sites can more easily identify and blacklist that IP address.

   Watch UK TV on 10GB of data

   British broadcasters haven’t yet blacklisted any of ZoogVPN’s UK IP addresses as it manages to unblock all the major streaming sites except UK Netflix. We had success accessing BBC iPlayer, All 4, and ITVX on the free UK server. UK Disney+ is available, too, so those in the US can access Star content.

   As with Windscribe, the problem lies in the 10GB data cap that ZoogVPN imposes. It’s a generous data allowance, but it prevents limitless streaming.

   We like that there’s a progress bar on the home screen of the app, allowing you to keep track of how much data you’ve used. The app is functional and extremely easy to understand overall, so novice users shouldn’t be put off.

   A trustworthy, no logs VPN service

   ZoogVPN has the best privacy policy on this list. It only knows about your total aggregated download and upload data. It’s very private and protects you from mass monitoring. There’s a warrant canary, too, to let users know about any legal requests for data.

   Although the WireGuard protocol isn’t available, OpenVPN is, and the rest of its security suite is industry-standard. This includes a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and the inclusion of obfuscation technology called ‘ZoogVPN Shadowing’.

   Improved speeds

   Our tests show ZoogVPN’s international speeds have improved substantially. Previously, ZoogVPN Free was one of the slowest free VPNs for connecting to the UK, but its download speeds have since increased from 35Mbps to 88Mbps.

   ZoogVPN’s average US (New York) to UK (London) speed:

   • Download: 88Mbps
   • Upload: 42Mbps
   • Ping time: 79ms

   This is the fastest free VPN for connecting to the UK from the US on this list. However, Windscribe Free is faster across all other locations, if you need to connect in from elsewhere.

   Visit ZoogVPN

   or read our full ZoogVPN Review.

   
   

3. 3. TunnelBear: Best Free UK VPN for Beginners

   A trustworthy VPN with a free London server & access to major British streaming services.

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   Pros

   • Free London IP address
   • Unblocks BBC iPlayer, All 4 & ITVX
   • Trustworthy & private VPN service
   • Unused data rolls over into next month
   • No server or feature restrictions

   Cons

   • 500MB monthly data cap is very restrictive
   • Doesn't work with UK Netflix
   • No live chat feature & slow email support
   • Occasional VPN connection drops
   • Based in privacy-unfriendly Canada

   Overall UK Rating: 3.6/10

   This overall rating is calculated based on the following category ratings. To learn more, read our UK VPN testing methodology.

   • UK Server Locations:
     5.0/10
   • UK Streaming:
     9.5/10
   • Speed:
     8.8/10
   • Privacy & Logging Policy:
     5.8/10

   TunnelBear isn’t as good as Windscribe and ZoogVPN, but its user-friendly interface and design might win you over. With a free VPN server in London and a simple signup process, you can use it to get a UK IP address within minutes

   The free version of TunnelBear is limited to 500MB of data per month. This is very restrictive, so we only recommend TunnelBear Free to those who want to do some light web browsing. Although it unblocks British streaming sites, we don’t recommend TunnelBear as a VPN for British TV – you won’t be able to stream for very long before hitting that data cap.

   

   Data Cap	500MB
   Free UK Servers	1
   UK Server Locations	London
   UK Netflix	No
   See all features
   Compatible with	Windows macOS iOS Android Linux +more

   Same as premium version, except for data cap

   TunnelBear Free is the same as the premium version of TunnelBear in almost every way, with 47 server locations across the globe, first-party DNS servers, and the ‘GhostBear’ obfuscation tool designed to get around censorship.

   TunnelBear is a scandal-free, trustworthy VPN with a safe logging policy and it commissions independent audits to earn user trust.

   The one critical difference between the paid and free version is the data cap. TunnelBear Free imposes a meager data cap of 500MB of data per month, which is extremely limiting. For this reason, we can only recommend TunnelBear’s free version for light casual use, such as visiting UK websites or protecting yourself when travelling and using public WiFi.

   

   TunnelBear has a free UK server.

   On the plus side, as opposed to some other free VPNs that renew their data caps each month, TunnelBear doesn’t wipe your unused data – it allows you to transfer data over to the next month. You can also tweet about TunnelBear to get an additional 1GB of data.

   You can use TunnelBear Free on up to five devices but the data limit is spread throughout one account.

   Accesses major UK streaming sites

   Our most recent tests show that TunnelBear Free unblocks all the major British streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, All 4, and ITVX.

   But unless you manage to accumulate months of free data, we don’t recommend TunnelBear for streaming British TV shows and movies. The 500MB data cap means you will barely be able to get through a single episode without reaching the limit. 

   Good US to UK speeds

   Your usual Internet speeds will drop by about 14% when using TunnelBear to connect into the UK from overseas. This is based on an average New York to London connection speed, which you can see the results of here:

   • Download: 86Mbps
   • Upload: 94Mbps
   • Ping time: 86ms

   A 14% speed loss is excellent for a free VPN, particularly when considering the physical distance. However, its 500MB data cap means we only recommend TunnelBear Free if you want to perform quick online searches safely, like accessing a UK website or accessing airport WiFi when traveling.

   Visit TunnelBear

   or read our full TunnelBear VPN Review.

   
   

The Overall Best UK VPNs Analyzed

1. 1. NordVPN: Overall Best VPN for the UK

   Over 500 servers in the UK that unblock all major British streaming services.

   Ranked #1 out of 65 VPNs for the UK

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   Pros

   • 588 fast, private & secure UK servers
   • The absolute best VPN for BBC iPlayer
   • Unblocks UK Netflix, All 4 & ITVX
   • Impressive connection speeds into the UK
   • Unblocks UK TV apps on Firestick
   • Allows six simultaneous connections

   Cons

   • Smart DNS isn't reliable with UK streaming apps
   • Doesn't accept PayPal
   • Renews at a more expensive monthly price
   • Desktop clients can't be resized

   Overall UK Rating: 9.5/10

   This overall rating is calculated based on the following category ratings. To learn more, read our UK VPN testing methodology.

   • UK Server Locations:
     9.8/10
   • UK Streaming:
     9.6/10
   • Speed:
     9.7/10
   • Privacy & Logging Policy:
     8.8/10

   NordVPN is the best VPN for the UK. It has 588 UK servers that in our tests delivered optimal speeds connecting into the UK from overseas. It’s ideal for effortless, lag-free streaming of British TV.

   In fact, we particularly recommend NordVPN to UK expats that want to regain access to Netflix’s UK titles as well as all British channels, like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and All 4 (Channel 4).

   We’d like to see more city locations, though. Currently all of NordVPN’s UK servers are in London. This may be an issue if you want to watch regional programs.

   

   Cheapest Price	$3.29/mo over 2 years See all plans
   UK Servers	588
   UK Server Locations	Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester
   Compatible with	Windows macOS ChromeOS iOS Android Linux +more

   Largest Quantity of UK Servers

   NordVPN has 588 secure servers based in London, the second-largest park of UK servers.

   Only CyberGhost has more UK servers, which isn’t included in our recommendations since it’s much slower than NordVPN and less reliable for streaming.

   Although it doesn’t yet own its entire server infrastructure, all of NordVPN’s servers are bare-metal. Most other VPNs use virtual servers. This means NordVPN’s servers are physically located within the UK and its infrastructure is much safer.

   

   NordVPN has 588 servers spread across the UK.

   It has also moved towards a totally diskless RAM server network, meaning that user data can never be seized. On top of that, regular infrastructure audits are commissioned.

   However, NordVPN doesn’t permit you to select other UK cities, regions, or countries. If you want an IP address in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, you’re out of luck.

   The Best VPN for BBC iPlayer

   NordVPN’s UK IP addresses are regularly updated to avoid British streaming blocks.

   In fact, the VPN is currently our top-choice for consistent access to BBC iPlayer. It also works with UK Netflix, All 4, ITVX, and Disney Plus UK.

   

   NordVPN is one of the most reliable VPNs for streaming BBC iPlayer.

   Unfortunately, NordVPN’s Smart DNS tool is only intended for accessing US streaming sites, and it’s not as useful for trying to watch British TV.

   Instead, you can use the NordVPN Fire TV Stick app if you want to stream UK content from your big screen device. Just be sure to set up a UK Amazon account to access the UK streaming apps.

   Excellent long-distance speeds

   Using NordVPN to connect to London from New York, you can expect to see average download speeds of 90Mbps.

   This is slightly slower than ExpressVPN, but only by a few megabits and still very fast. You won’t experience much buffering or loading time when connecting into the UK.

   NordVPN benefits from an affordable price tag – it only costs $3.29 per month. There’s a seven-day free trial available on mobile devices, too, and you can claim all of your money back within 30-days of subscribing, essentially giving you a free VPN for a month.

   Visit NordVPN

   or read our full NordVPN Review.

   
   

2. 2. ExpressVPN: Fastest UK VPN

   Unblocks UK streaming platforms from abroad at the fastest speeds.

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   Pros

   • Fastest US to UK speed connections
   • Works with BBC iPlayer, UK Netflix, All 4, ITVX
   • Best Smart DNS for UK streaming
   • Secure RAM-based UK servers
   • Very easy to install & use
   • Excellent Fire TV Stick for streaming British TV

   Cons

   • Unknown number of UK servers
   • More expensive than NordVPN
   • Occasional BBC iPlayer VPN blocks

   Overall UK Rating: 9.4/10

   This overall rating is calculated based on the following category ratings. To learn more, read our UK VPN testing methodology.

   • UK Server Locations:
     9.3/10
   • UK Streaming:
     9.3/10
   • Speed:
     9.7/10
   • Privacy & Logging Policy:
     9.2/10

   ExpressVPN is a close second to NordVPN thanks to its exceptional US to UK speeds. Our tests recorded an average New York to London download speed of 93Mbps. For such a long distance connection you cannot ask for more.

   It’s also a reliable alternative for unblocking British TV services. ExpressVPN has an up-and-down history unblocking BBC iPlayer, but it’s currently working well. It’s also optimal for watching Channel 4 outside the UK.

   

   Cheapest Price	$6.67/mo over 15 Months See all plans
   UK Servers	Undisclosed
   UK Server Locations	Coventry, London
   Compatible with	Windows macOS ChromeOS iOS Android Linux +more

   Exceptional New York to London Speeds

   ExpressVPN isn’t transparent about how many UK servers and IP addresses it has as part of its server network, but we know they’re all based in London, listed as ‘London’, ‘Docklands’, and ‘East London’.

   

   ExpressVPN has three London-based servers.

   This could be limiting if you live outside of London, but this isn’t reflected in ExpressVPN’s speed performance. It’s currently the fastest VPN for connecting into the UK from abroad, with an average download speed loss of 7%.

   Based on this, we can deduce that ExpressVPN maintains a large number of UK servers. We’ve never encountered any signs of server congestion, such as annoying CAPTCHAs, or connection issues.

   Unblocks British Streaming Services

   ExpressVPN hasn’t always unblocked BBC iPlayer, so it’s not included in our list of the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer, but it is currently working well and we’ll continue to monitor it closely.

   You can use ExpressVPN to access Star (the UK’s version of Hulu) even if you’re in the US, and it will unblock other British on-demand channels, like ITV and Channel 4, ensuring you never miss an episode of your favorite shows.

   ExpressVPN’s smart DNS tool MediaStreamer enables you to trick BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 into thinking that you’re in the UK without a VPN connection. It’s a great tool if you want to watch BBC content from your Smart TV or Apple TV.

   

   ExpressVPN is a reliable VPN for British streaming sites.

   The downside is that ExpressVPN is more expensive than NordVPN. It’s worth taking advantage of ExpressVPN’s seven-day free trial for mobile, or its 30-day, no questions asked money-back guarantee.

   Unknown Number of UK servers, but Extremely Safe

   Although ExpressVPN still uses many more virtual servers than NordVPN, all its UK servers are physically located in England.

   ExpressVPN actually runs zero-knowledge DNS servers, meaning when you connect to a UK website ExpressVPN will handle and encrypt your DNS request itself and stop a third-party doing it.

   It also has TrustedServer technology that stops your data ever being written onto hard drives, along with regular wipes of information stored on RAM only servers. ExpressVPN is a super safe option for UK connections.

   We’ve never seen a DNS or IP address leak using ExpressVPN, and its kill switch is 100% reliable, making it ideal for sensitive online searches as well as stopping British broadcasters from seeing your real IP.

   Visit ExpressVPN

   or read our full ExpressVPN Review.

   
   

3. 3. Surfshark: Best Cheap UK VPN

   200 fast UK servers in three cities, with IP addresses for BBC iPlayer, UK Netflix, and more.

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   Pros

   • The most affordable premium UK VPN
   • Over 200 secure UK VPN servers
   • Glasgow, London & Manchester IP addresses
   • Unblocks all major British streaming channels
   • Best for streaming Star on UK Disney Plus
   • Unlimited device policy

   Cons

   • Kill switch not enabled by default
   • Sometimes leaks IPv6 addresses
   • No OpenVPN on macOS
   • Smart DNS works for US streaming only

   Overall UK Rating: 9.2/10

   This overall rating is calculated based on the following category ratings. To learn more, read our UK VPN testing methodology.

   • UK Server Locations:
     9.2/10
   • UK Streaming:
     9.6/10
   • Speed:
     9.1/10
   • Privacy & Logging Policy:
     8.7/10

   Although it’s much cheaper than ExpressVPN and NordVPN, Surfshark still offers a robust package if you want a UK IP address. It comes with 200 UK servers across three British cities and it works to access all the major UK streaming services from abroad.

   It’s UK server technology isn’t quite as sophisticated as NordVPN or ExpressVPN, and it’s slower than both on long-distance connections, but it makes up for it through its private logging policy and affordable price tag.

   

   Cheapest Price	$2.21/mo over 27 months See all plans
   UK Servers	200
   UK Server Locations	Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester
   Compatible with	Windows macOS iOS Android Linux +more

   Over 200 servers across England and Scotland

   Surfshark allows you to connect between Glasgow in Scotland, Manchester in Northern England, and London in the South. These are all physical servers.

   Surfshark doesn’t list the exact number of UK servers it maintains, but it did inform us:

   “We cannot disclose the exact amount. But it’s over 200.”

   If correct, this is a substantial amount. It’s not as high as NordVPN, or CyberGhost, but it’s more than you’ll ever need for connecting to the UK.

   Fast speeds for smooth UK streaming

   Surfshark records average download speeds of 88Mbps when connecting from the US to the UK. This isn’t as fast as NordVPN or ExpressVPN, but it’s more than good enough for Full HD streaming of British TV.

   Surfshark is a good streaming VPN as it gets around blocks for BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All 4, and it’s our number one recommendation for Disney+. If you want to access the UK’s Disney+ for Star content that you get on Hulu in the US at extra cost, it’s worth thinking about Surfshark.

   Only $2.21 per month

   If ExpressVPN and NordVPN are too expensive, go for Surfshark, which is one of the cheapest VPNs you can get. It costs $2.21 on its cheapest deal, which is excellent value for money.

   Surfshark also runs one of the best genuine VPN free trials, so you can even test it completely free. If you do subscribe to Surfshark, you’ll get another month free thanks to a no questions asked 30-day money back guarantee.

   Visit Surfshark

   or read our full Surfshark VPN Review.

   
   

Are Free UK VPNs Safe?

People download free VPNs thinking they’re safe to use, but many are designed to collect, store, and sell your data. Some even contain malware.

The three free VPNs we recommend are certifiably safe. We’ve performed in-depth research into their effectiveness and performance. Windscribe, ZoogVPN, and TunnelBear have been developed by respected privacy companies.

There are other safe free VPNs like Hotspot Shield, Proton VPN, and Avira Phantom Free. However, we can’t recommend them for the UK due to excessive data restrictions or lack of free UK servers.

VPNs to Avoid for the UK

After reviewing 65 VPNs in detail, specifically for connecting into the UK, we’ve discovered a number that aren’t worth using.

The VPNs below are some of the most popular on the market that we don’t recommend you use to connect into the UK:

Avast Secureline VPN

Overall Ranking: #32 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed

Overall Rating: 6.2/106.2

What we don’t like: Avast VPN logs too much internet data, it’s slow connecting into the UK, and it doesn’t unblock UK Netflix.

Hola VPN

Overall Ranking: #40 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed

Overall Rating: 4.1/104.1

What we don’t like: Hola VPN is a terrible free VPN that endangers your internet privacy and security. It collects web activity logs. Streaming-wise, it doesn’t work any UK streaming platform.

Turbo VPN

Overall Ranking: #47 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed

Overall Rating: 2.2/102.2

What we don’t like: Turbo VPN can’t unblock any geo-restricted British content platforms. Furthermore, it’s riddled with intrusive ads, and it also suffers from DNS leaks.

Betternet VPN

Overall Ranking: #44 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed

Overall Rating: 3.0/103.0

What we don’t like: Betternet VPN is an inadequate VPN for the UK. It’s slow, leaks DNS requests, and it doesn’t work with any British streaming service.

How to Get a UK IP Address with a VPN

Getting a UK IP address is very simple when using one of our top-rated free or paid VPNs for the UK.

Follow the instructions in the video below to change your IP address location to the UK. We’ve used NordVPN to demonstrate:

Play

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to get a UK IP Address:

1. Download a VPN with UK IP addresses. Make sure it’s safe and comes with any additional features you need, such as British TV streaming support. We recommend NordVPN.
2. Run the installer and install the VPN software onto your chosen device.
3. Open the VPN application and sign in with your account details.
4. Once logged in, select a UK server via its server list and connect to it.
5. With a connection established, you can now confirm that your IP address really has changed using our IP address checker tool.

How to Watch UK TV from Abroad Using a VPN

Watching UK TV from abroad is one of the most popular reasons for getting a VPN. If you try and access BBC iPlayer or Channel 4 from outside the UK without a VPN, you’ll encounter the error message:

BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues.

A VPN bypasses this geo-block by masking your true IP location. It lets you use the internet as if you’re in the UK and unblock Channel 4, BBC iPlayer, UK Netflix, Channel 4, ITVX, and UK Disney+ (Star).

To watch UK TV online from abroad:

1. Download a VPN with a UK IP address that hasn’t been blocked by your streaming service.
2. Connect to a UK server. If there are any optimized servers for UK TV, select that.
3. Visit the streaming website or open up the app.
4. Start streaming your chosen show.

EXPERT TIP: Before you start streaming, clear your web browser cookies and cache first. To find out which VPNs work with iPlayer most reliably, read our list of the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer.

What Is the Best Free UK VPN for My Device?

Our top-rated free VPNs for the UK have native applications for Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS.

You can also use some of them on other devices, too. Below are our recommendations specifically for other devices, operating systems and platforms.

VPN Browser Extensions

VPN browser extensions are useful for changing IP address directly from your web browser.

However, most VPN extensions are proxies, which lack the encryption that VPN software provides.

Windscribe has a very popular browser extension, up there with the best VPN extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

It’s a free proxy and ad blocker with free London servers available. You’ll have to upgrade to access the Manchester and Edinburgh servers.

Windscribe Free includes a browser extension for Chrome.

TunnelBear has a Chrome and Firefox VPN extension for anonymous browsing, too, but you need an existing TunnelBear account and it uses the same free data.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Windscribe has the best free VPN app for Fire TV Stick. It’s simple to use and it unblocks apps like BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX.

Given the free VPN’s 10GB monthly data cap, we recommend streaming in Standard Definition (SD) to use less bandwidth.

Competitors-wise, PrivadoVPN also has a functioning Fire TV Stick app with a UK server, but it’s been buggy to use in our tests.

Hide.me also has a user-friendly Firestick app. It’s free and delivers fast streaming speeds, but unfortunately there are no free UK servers available.

Both ZoogVPN and TunnelBear don’t have native Fire TV Stick apps at all.

Linux

Windscribe free is also one of the best VPNs for Linux. Like most VPNs, it doesn’t have a GUI. But it does have a straightforward terminal CLI that’s easy to download and run.

Windscribe Free is available on Linux.

TunnelBear and ZoogVPN only offer limited support for Linux, with manual installation required.

How We Test VPNs for the UK

If you want a UK IP address, you’ll need a safe VPN that lets you stream British streaming services such as Netflix UK, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and All 4.

To find the best UK VPN, we test for:

• VPN servers located in the UK.
• Fast long-distance connection speeds connecting into the UK.
• Works with UK Netflix, BBC iPlayer, All 4, ITVX and more.
• A 100% free VPN service with a generous or unlimited data allowance.
• AES-256 cipher, OpenVPN encryption, and no data leaks.

We’ve tested 150 VPNs by connecting into the UK and analyzing them in four different categories, rating each out of 10. We then combine these category ratings to calculate an overall ‘VPN for UK’ rating.

In the table below, we summarize how our recommended VPNs are rated in each category, as well as their overall rating for the UK:

VPNs with a data cap receive a reduction to their overall rating.

Below, we explain the science behind our rating system in more detail, and how each testing category contributes to our UK-specific VPN ratings.

1. UK Server Locations: 30%

Minimum Requirement: Some servers in the UK.
We Recommend: An expansive and diverse server list within the UK.

In order to unblock UK streaming services and deliver the fastest UK speeds, a VPN needs to offer servers that are based in the UK.

We analyze each VPNs server network and count how many UK-based servers they offer to free and paid subscribers. The best VPNs for the UK will offer a choice of British server locations.

2. UK Streaming: 30%

Minimum Requirement: Unblocks BBC iPlayer.
We Recommend: Works with BBC iPlayer, UK Netflix, ITVX, and All 4.

Many VPN users want to unblock streaming content that is restricted in their location.

For UK VPNs, we regularly test each VPN’s ability to watch British streaming libraries from overseas. The platforms we test are:

• All 4
• BBC iPlayer
• ITVX
• UK Disney+ (Star)
• UK Netflix

The more UK streaming services a VPN unblocks from outside the UK, and the more reliable streaming access is, the higher we score the VPN.

3. Speed: 20%

Minimum Requirement: Long-distance download speeds no less than 40Mbps.
We Recommend: International speeds of 60Mbps or higher.

We test every VPN’s speeds in the UK by connecting to a UK VPN server from New York.

We then calculate the average speed loss when compared to our internet connection without a VPN. The smaller the speed loss, the higher we rate the VPN’s international speeds.

The absolute best VPNs deliver speeds of over 90Mbps (on a 100Mbps test connection), which is faster than most VPN services on the market.

4. Privacy & Logging Policy: 20%

Minimum Requirement: Anonymized connection logs, no activity logs.
We Recommend: A strict, zero-logging policy and no data leaks.

Many VPNs fail to meet the basic standard for online privacy, either leaking data, logging your activity, or selling your information to advertisers.

We only recommend VPNs that are safe and private. We examine every VPN provider’s privacy policy in detail. We’re looking for policies that are as close to zero-logs as possible. That means no recording of activity logs..

We also investigate the company behind each free VPN. They should be transparent and trustworthy.

Data Cap Penalty: Up to 50% Reduction

Although every shortlisted free VPN performed well in our tests, data caps can limit their functionality.

If you use up your data cap, you won’t be able to connect to the UK VPN server anymore. Consequently, you will no longer be able to obtain a UK IP address or watch geo-restricted UK streaming services.

We apply a penalty to the VPN’s overall UK rating based on its data cap:

• Unlimited bandwidth: No deduction to the overall rating
• 10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
• 500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
• 5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
• 1GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
• 200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
• 500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating