We tested 55 VPN services for key attributes including speed, reliability, and support for popular streaming devices.
We’ve purchased every premium VPN subscription at full retail price and, as of writing, we’ve carried out over 10,000 unblocking tests.
We tested each VPN on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, and PS5.
To calculate a VPN’s overall rating for Netflix, we rate it based on six subcategories.
To rank the best VPNs for Netflix, we tested for:
- Whether the VPN reliably worked with US Netflix.
- How many other Netflix regions it unblocked, such as the UK or Japan.
- Download speeds across the VPN’s server network.
- High-quality apps for popular streaming devices.
- Expansive server network with thousands of IP addresses.
- The VPN’s customer support quality and availability.
In the sections below, we’ll go into greater detail about the categories of performance we test for in Netflix VPNs. We’ll also explain how much of our overall rating they make up:
1. US Netflix Reliability: 25%
Minimum Requirement: Streams US Netflix regularly on some US servers.
We Recommend: Streams US Netflix on all US servers.
The American Netflix library has the largest collection of movies and TV shows. It contains almost 6,000 titles, while some other regions have just over 2,000. For this reason, it’s essential that the best Netflix VPN works with US Netflix all the time and on every device.
We test 55 VPNs with US Netflix every week and track each VPN’s performance over time. If a VPN fails to unblock the American Netflix library for two consecutive weeks, we substitute it on this page for a more reliable VPN.
As well as working consistently, the best VPNs for Netflix will access the streaming service on any of its US servers. This means you can connect to whichever server is closest to you, resulting in faster speeds and higher resolution video.
2. Foreign Netflix Libraries: 25%
Minimum Requirement: Works with at least 4 Netflix regions.
We Recommend: Works with over 10 Netflix libraries.
Many popular Netflix TV shows and movies are only available to stream outside of the main regions. Using a VPN that works with a larger total number of libraries increases the chance you’ll be able to access the content you want.
The best VPNs work with Netflix on almost all of its servers. The worse-performing services work with just the US.
To find out how many Netflix regions each VPN works with, we conducted the largest Netflix VPN study of any publication. In all, we tested 55 VPN services with Netflix in every country in the world.
To keep our information as accurate and up-to-date as possible, we update our findings weekly with data from our manual and automated testing process.
3. Speed: 20%
Minimum Requirement: Average international download speeds above 25Mbps.
We Recommend: Average international download speeds above 80Mbps.
Streaming is a data-intensive activity, so you need high speeds from your VPN to avoid video buffering. As you’ll be using a VPN to access Netflix regions from around the world, the VPN’s long-distance performance is the most important speed factor.
To calculate an international speed rating for each VPN, we test each while connected to servers in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. After this, we then work out the average and assign the VPN a rating out of 10.
We prefer VPNs with an average international speed of over 80Mbps, as these can be relied upon to deliver 4K resolution across every server location. The worse VPNs have speeds of around 25Mbps, which often means inconsistent performance across different countries.
4. Streaming Device Compatibility: 20%
Minimum Requirement: Native app for Amazon Fire TV.
We Recommend: Apps for Fire TV, Android TV, and a Smart DNS feature.
If a VPN isn’t compatible with streaming devices, you’ll have to install your VPN on a router to unblock Netflix on your TV. This is a complicated and involved process, so we only recommend Netflix VPNs that provide native apps for popular streaming devices.
We check the compatibility of each VPN with our Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, Apple TV 4K, and PS5. After setting up the VPN on these devices, we download the Netflix app and verify that we can now stream geo-restricted content.
As well as native apps, our top-rated VPNs also provide Smart DNS functionality. This means you can use a proxy server on any non-VPN-capable device.
5. Server Locations: 5%
Minimum Requirement: At least 10 server options in popular Netflix regions.
We Recommend: Over 100 servers in popular Netflix regions, each with unique IP addresses.
Netflix prevents VPN users from accessing its service by blocking known VPN server IP addresses.
A large server network means users are more evenly spread out rather than overcrowding servers in popular locations.
This impacts how often the VPN can stream Netflix. The fewer people who connect from a single VPN IP address, the less likely it is that Netflix will detect and block it.
Additionally, having more servers in a country makes it more likely you’ll find one that works.
The best Netflix VPNs will have several city-level server locations in top Netflix regions, like the US and Japan. We give extra credit to VPNs that provide dozens of IP addresses per server, too.
6. Customer Support: 5%
Minimum Requirement: Email support and online guides.
We Recommend: 24/7 live chat customer support.
When using a VPN with Netflix, some servers may not work or you may encounter error codes. Because of this, it’s useful for a VPN to have good customer support to help resolve any issues.
A VPN’s customer service team will be able to tell you which servers are currently working with Netflix and be able to provide workarounds for any error codes.
We use a bespoke scoring system for rating each VPN’s customer support out of 10. A VPN service must include live chat support, along with email and online resources for us to rate it above 8.6 for customer support.