Best VPN for Netflix

If you want reliable Netflix access at a cheaper monthly cost than ExpressVPN and are prepared to make some sacrifices, NordVPN could well be for you.

The good news is that NordVPN does the basics very well. It’s not as consistent as our top pick but it is very fast, faster even than ExpressVPN on some specific local connections in our speed tests (frequently around 152Mbps or more). It also gets one over its rival with reliable access to iPlayer.

The apps are slick but limited to only the most popular platforms, however you can protect up to a generous six devices at once. Manual VPN protocol selection and no city-level servers are a minus but we do like its privacy features and strict zero-logs policy.

The customer support is good but can be slow. On a two-year subscription, it works out at incredible $3.99 per month, which for some will be absolutely worth the trade-offs.

Cyberghost is the smart budget pick for Netflix. It’s incredibly cheap but still manages to stack up well against its more premium rivals, on privacy as well as streaming.

Access to Netflix – and other streaming services – is rock solid thanks to dedicated streaming servers. Download speeds on local connections are typically over 92Mbps, which is easily enough for HD streaming even while performing other activities. Speed does drop off on international servers across what’s a fairly small network, but is still more than adequate.

A strict zero logs policy and first-party DNS servers make CyberGhost a top privacy pick, along with the automatic killswitch and other useful extras. The apps are mostly pretty user-friendly but there are nicer-designed alternatives out there. At $2.75 on an 18-month plan though, it’s amazing value and especially easy to overlook the shortcomings if all you care about is reliable Netflix access.

VyprVPN splits the difference between our top picks. It offers a more technical experience than ExpressVPN but is more streamlined than IPVanish. The reliability of its Netflix access also falls between the two.

VyprVPN stands out for having over 200,000 IP addresses available. This makes it difficult for Netflix to completely block its traffic, although you may have to try a few servers to get access. Speeds lag well behind our top picks but you can expect 60Mbps on local connections: more than enough for streaming Netflix in HD.

Its strongest extra features are locked into the premium package that only costs $4.17 per month if you sign up to a 2-year subscription. The proprietary Chameleon protocol that works so well in China makes up in part for a privacy policy that retains basic stats including your IP address for 30 days. The useful NAT firewall is also included in this plan. Customer support is 24/7 and online help is outstanding quality.

We recommend trying out VyprVPN if you don’t enjoy the user experience of our other selections and don’t mind the trade-offs, especially at its special World Cup discount price.

IPVanish is a standout pick for Kodi and torrenting so it’s included here for anyone who wants a VPN for P2P that also works with Netflix. Our recommendation does come with the caveat though that IPVanish lacks optimized streaming servers so access isn’t always guaranteed.

On the plus side though, it’s ultra fast on local connections even if less consistent internationally across a network that’s mid-sized for locations but super-sized for servers and IP addresses. This means no slowdown at peak Netflix-watching times.

The desktop apps could be more user-friendly but make up for it with powerful privacy features. The Amazon Fire TV native app is a big plus although IPVanish does lack browser extensions or support for other streaming devices, while customer support is so-so.

IPVanish isn’t cheap but it only requires a 12-month commitment to slash the monthly price by 46% to a reasonable $6.49. If you are a heavy P2P user that also uses Netflix, IPVanish is for you.