How to Watch Channel 4 from Anywhere

You can watch Channel 4 live or on-demand in America completely free. To do this, you simply need to sign up for an All 4 account and use a VPN with access to UK servers.

A VPN works by spoofing your real IP address to make it look like you’re in the UK, getting around British streaming geoblocks in the process.

To create an account with Channel 4, you only need to provide an email address and UK postcode.

In the video below, we show how easy it is to stream The Great British Bake Off from the US by connecting to a UK IP address. We use ExpressVPN as an example:

Not all VPNs work with Channel 4. You’ll know your VPN isn’t working if you get this error message:

“Not available. All 4 is only available in the UK.”

To stop getting this error message, you need a top-rated streaming VPN that isn’t blocked by Channel 4.

We’ve tested 55 VPNs with Channel 4 on a weekly basis since 2016. Based on our research, we can tell you which are the best and most reliable VPNs for accessing Channel 4 in the US and other countries outside the UK.

At the very least, a good VPN for Channel 4 gets around UK geo-restrictions. We only recommend VPNs that also come with a large number of UK servers and fast US to UK speeds. They also come with dedicated apps for Android TV, Fire TV, and a Smart DNS tool.

You can compare the 10 best VPNs for Channel 4 using the table below:

As you can see, most major VPNs unblock Channel 4. Based on our testing and data, we’ve compiled the top three VPNs for watching Channel 4 outside the UK here:

1. ExpressVPN: The Best VPN for Channel 4

ExpressVPN comes with servers in London, fast US to UK speeds, and apps for desktop, mobile, and TV devices.

PROS	CONS
UK servers in London Fastest US to UK speeds Reliable access to Channel 4 Smart DNS works with All 4 Android TV & Fire TV Stick apps Secure & private VPN service	Only one UK city available Unknown number of UK servers Expensive

ExpressVPN is the fastest and most reliable VPN for watching Channel 4 in the US, or anywhere else.

Although it only has a single UK city to choose from (London), it has enough UK servers to ensure you never experience user congestion when streaming British TV.

In fact, ExpressVPN offers the best long-distance speeds to the UK. We recorded a download speed average of 83Mbps, which ensures that US to UK connections are fast enough for streaming All 4 content in Full HD.

ExpressVPN is widely compatible across devices and platforms, meaning that you can stream Channel 4 from a number of different devices, too.

This includes desktop (Windows and macOS), mobile (Android and iOS), and Android TV. You can use ExpressVPN on Xbox and stream Channel 4 via your games console, or install ExpressVPN on Apple TV.

ExpressVPN also has an excellent app for Fire TV, which you can also use to unblock other British streaming sites like BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub.

You can also install ExpressVPN on your router. With a VPN on your router, you can download the All 4 app onto all of your home devices with ease.

You can also use ExpressVPN’s Smart DNS, MediaStreamer. It’s one of the few Smart DNS tools that is catered towards British streaming, and it works to unblock Channel 4 without you needing to use the VPN.

If you’re unsure about paying the subscription price-tag, you can get ExpressVPN for free for up to a month and test it out.

2. NordVPN: The Best VPN for UK Servers

NordVPN reliably unblocks Channel 4 from abroad and comes with the largest number of UK servers.

PROS	CONS
Reliable access to Channel 4 440 UK servers Good US to UK download speeds Extensive device compatibility Low-cost subscription plans	SmartDNS does not work with UK streaming sites

NordVPN is another reliable way to watch Channel 4 from the US. It has hundreds of UK VPN servers in London and excellent international speeds for buffer-free streaming.

We recorded 79Mbps download speeds connecting into London from the US, placing it just shy of ExpressVPN’s fastest speeds.

Unfortunately, NordVPN’s SmartDNS feature does not work to access Channel 4, or any other British TV site. However, the VPN remains a reliable solution that’s also recommended as the best VPN for unblocking BBC iPlayer.

You can install NordVPN and watch Channel 4 on multiple devices, including Fire TV, Samsung TV, and games consoles. You can install it on router for household-wide device coverage, too.

NordVPN is competitively priced at $3.29 per month. It’s not in the same ballpark as the best cheap VPNs, but you can take advantage of its 30-day money back guarantee or free trial and get NordVPN for free.

3. StrongVPN: StrongDNS for Channel 4

StrongVPN is a safe VPN with UK servers in five cities, a Smart DNS that access Channel 4, and a cheap price tag.

PROS	CONS
UK IP addresses in five cities StrongDNS unblocks Channel 4 Affordable cost No logs VPN	No free trial option Based in the US Slower than ExpressVPN & NordVPN

StrongVPN has the most UK city server locations, with UK IP addresses available in Canterbury, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Rugby. All of these UK connections work to access Channel 4 from overseas.

One of StrongVPN’s biggest selling points is its Smart DNS feature, StrongDNS. Unlike so many other Smart DNS tools, you can use it across lots of international streaming services, including UK ones. Most importantly, it can access Channel 4.

StrongVPN doesn’t match ExpressVPN’s or NordVPN’s speeds, but its 47Mbps average download speed is more than enough for HD streaming when connecting into the UK.

StrongVPN is slightly more expensive than NordVPN, but $3.66 per month is still great value for money – and cheaper than ExpressVPN.

It doesn’t have a free trial option, but you can use StrongVPN’s one-month refund guarantee to trial it.

Not many free VPNs come with UK servers. For example Hide.me Free, Hotspot Shield Free, and Atlas VPN Free don’t come with UK servers, making them useless for Channel 4 streaming.

We’ve tested every trustworthy free VPN to see which can unblock Channel 4 from the US. You can compare the best free VPNs for Channel 4 in the table below:

As you can see, all the trustworthy free VPNs managed to access Channel 4 from the US. But some are better suited for All 4 streaming than others.

Based on our testing, we’ve put together this list of the best free VPNs to watch Channel 4:

1. Proton VPN Free: Unlimited Data for All 4

PROS	CONS
Accesses Channel 4 No data restrictions Lots of free UK servers Trustworthy VPN service London & Manchester IP addresses Easy payment-free sign-up	Not all servers work with Channel 4 No live chat support

Proton VPN Free unblocked Channel 4 in our most recent streaming tests, and it comes with an unlimited data allowance.

This is the ideal scenario for those looking to watch Channel 4 in the US for free, and it makes Proton VPN Free easily the best free VPN for Channel 4.

Proton VPN is the only free VPN we recommend that offers more than one UK city location. IP addresses are available in London and Manchester, providing greater geographical coverage.

You can also select from a large pool of different UK servers. So if one server doesn’t work with Channel 4, you can try another one. This isn’t possible with other free VPN services.

Historically, Proton VPN Free has not always been reliable as a streaming VPN. There’s a chance that it could stop working with Channel 4, but we’ll be monitoring its performance and will update this page if anything changes.

You can use Proton VPN Free on Fire TV Stick, Android TV, and Chromecast with Google TV. This enables you to stream Channel 4 from a wide range of devices, but it’s not always so reliable.

Proton VPN Free does not require payment details to sign up and there are no hidden catches. You can simply download it and start streaming Channel 4 straight away.

2. PrivadoVPN Free: Reliable Free Alternative

PROS	CONS
Reliable access to All 4 London IP addresses Fast connection speeds Android TV app No payment details needed	10GB data cap Faulty Fire TV Stick app Data has to be manually renewed

Proton VPN Free is the best free VPN for streaming Channel 4 because it comes with unlimited data. But PrivadoVPN is more reliable at unblocking Channel 4, and faster as a VPN in general.

If Proton VPN suddenly stops working, you can rely on PrivadoVPN Free’s London servers to continue giving you access to Channel 4.

That is until you hit the 10GB data cap, which will put serious limitations on your streaming capacity. You also have to manually renew your data each month. It does not renew automatically.

Unfortunately, PrivadoVPN’s Fire TV Stick app is broken, which stops you from downloading the All 4 app onto Firestick. But you can use PrivadoVPN on up to 10 different devices at the same time.

As with ProtonVPN Free, you don’t need to provide any payment details to download PrivadoVPN Free. You just need to insert an email address to get instant access.

Channel 4 is available to stream on desktop via the Channel 4 website and via the All 4 streaming app. This app is completely free and available on Android, iOS, iPad, Apple TV, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and more.

However, not all streaming devices support VPN applications. This means that the best way to unblock Channel 4 from abroad might vary depending on the device you intend to use.

How to Watch Channel 4 on Roku

If you’re based in the UK, Roku comes with British TV Channels, such as Channel 4 and BBC iPlayer.

If you’re in the US, the only way to watch Channel 4 on Roku is to install a VPN on your router and get household-wide device coverage. You cannot install VPN apps or use Smart DNS on Roku.

We recommend using ExpressVPN for Roku, it’s one of the few VPNs with a router app.

To watch Channel 4 on Roku using Express VPN, follow the instructions below.

How to Watch Channel 4 on Amazon Fire TV

If you have an Amazon account registered in the US, you won’t be able to find the Channel 4 app in the Amazon Appstore. This is the case even if you switch to a UK IP address.

To get Channel 4 on your Fire TV Stick, you first need to set up a British Amazon account. You can do this by connecting to a UK VPN server on your desktop or mobile device and creating a wholly new account at amazon.co.uk.

Here are step by step instructions on how to watch Channel 4 on Fire TV Stick:

1. Connect to a UK VPN server.
2. Head to amazon.co.uk and click Hello, Sign In in the top right corner. You should see that there is a UK flag nearby.


The UK flag appears on the UK version of Amazon.

3. Click Create your Amazon Account.


You need to generate an Amazon account from scratch.

4. Insert a name, email, and generate a secure password.
5. Verify your email address via your inbox and use the one time password provided. Do the same with a mobile number not associated with your current Amazon account.


You need to verify your new Amazon account via an email address.

6. With your new UK Amazon account registered, turn on your Fire TV Stick. Dissociate your current account with your Fire TV Stick by heading to Settings > Account & Profile Settings > Amazon Account > Deregister.


You have to deregister your current Amazon account before you can setup a UK Amazon account.

7. Register your new Amazon UK account with your Firestick.
8. Search for the Channel 4 or All 4 App in the Appstore and download it.
9. Install a VPN on your Fire TV Stick and connect to a UK server.
10. Login to Channel 4 and start streaming UK TV.

How to Get Channel 4 on Apple TV

You can only get the Channel 4 app on Apple TV if you’re based in the UK. If you’re not based in the UK, you’ll need to use a VPN.

The problem is that the Apple tvOS App Store does not allow you to install VPNs directly. But there are ways around this.

The best method is to use a Smart DNS service on Apple TV.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Apple TV because using MediaStreamer on Apple TV allows you to watch Channel 4 from anywhere.

We provide instructions on how to set up ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer further down this page.

Alternatively, you can AirPlay content from your iOS device or macOS to your Apple TV, or install your VPN on router. ExpressVPN’s dedicated router app allows you to connect to a UK server through a simple graphical interface.

How to Get All 4 on Samsung TV

Samsung TV does not allow you to install VPN apps.

However, you can use Smart DNS to watch Channel 4 via a Samsung TV. Follow the instructions in the section below to find out how to do it.

Alternatively, you can install a VPN on your router which will provide coverage for any device connected to your home network.

If your device doesn’t support VPN applications, the easiest way to watch Channel 4 from the US is to use a Smart DNS feature.

Smart DNS technology works by rerouting your DNS requests through a UK proxy server. This makes it appear as if you’re connecting from the UK even though your IP address doesn’t change.

Smart DNS is not the same as a VPN, and only a handful of VPNs offer it as an additional feature. Unlike a full VPN service, there are no security or privacy benefits to using Smart DNS. But it is a useful way to stream content that’s unavailable in your home region.

We tested all of the Smart DNS tools on offer from VPN services and can tell you which work with Channel 4 and which do not. Here are our test results:

• CyberGhost Smart DNS

• ExpressVPN MediaStreamer

• NordVPN SmartDNS

• PIA Smart DNS

• StrongVPN StrongDNS

• Surfshark Smart DNS

• Windscribe Control D

ExpressVPN, StrongVPN, and Windscribe all offer Smart DNS services that work with Channel 4. That means you can use them to stream UK-exclusive content on your Smart TV, Apple TV, or any other device that does not support a normal VPN application.

To set up Smart DNS, follow the instructions below. We are using ExpressVPN on macOS as an example.

1. With an active ExpressVPN subscription, head to My Account on the ExpressVPN website and sign in with your registered details.


Sign in to your ExpressVPN account via My Account.

2. Once logged in, go to DNS Settings on the left side menu.


Select DNS settings from the left side menu.

3. Under My IP address registration select Register my IP address and then toggle on Automatically register my IP address.


You need to register your IP address.

4. Head to the ExpressVPN setup page. On the right side you will see Configure MediaStreamer with two DNS server IP addresses.


ExpressVPN provides two unique DNS server IP addresses – redacted here.

5. The next stage will depend on what device you’re using. You can find instructions for different devices on the ExpressVPN website, but we’re using macOS as an example. On your macOS, go to System Preferences.


You can find System Preferences via the Apple logo in the top left corner.

6. Select Network > Advanced.


Select ‘Network’ from the listing of macOS system preferences.

7. On the navigation bar, click DNS. If there is an existing DNS server, make a note of it. Once this is done, remove it by selecting — in the bottom left.


Select DNS from the navigation bar.

8. Click + and paste the first DNS server IP address you saw under the Configure MediaStreamer section. Then do the same with the second DNS server and click OK.

You have now set up ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer on your macOS device.

You can find detailed instructions on how to setup Smart DNS on each VPN’s website:

• How to set up ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer.
• How to set up StrongVPN’s StrongDNS.
• How to set up Windscribe’s Control D.

You’ll know your VPN isn’t working with Channel 4 if you receive this error message:

“Not Available. Channel 4 is only available in the UK. You can find more details on our FAQs.”

The best way to avoid Channel 4 error messages is to use a reliable VPN.

If you’re still experiencing issues, try these fixes:

1. Connect to a different UK server. Channel 4 may have blocked your VPN’s IP address. Changing your server will fix this.
2. Check for IP or DNS leaks. You can do this by using our leak test tool.
3. Clear cookies and cache from your device. This will remove any geo-locating trackers. You can also use incognito mode, or another browser.
4. Use a GPS spoofer. It’s possible that your IP address and GPS location are contradicting each other. A GPS spoofer can align your geolocation with your chosen server location. Surfshark, Windscribe, and IVPN are the only VPNs that have GPS spoofers.
5. Contact your VPN’s support. Support agents can recommend the best servers for Channel 4 and resolve any problems you may encounter.

Channel 4 has some of the UK’s most popular TV dramas, documentaries, comedy sitcoms, and reality shows. It also regularly screens quality movies that you can watch for free.

Some of the most popular Channel 4 content includes:

• The Big Bang Theory
• Channel 4 News
• Derry Girls
• Father Ted
• First Dates
• Gogglebox
• The Great British Bake Off
• Hollyoaks
• The Inbetweeners
• The IT Crowd
• Made in Chelsea
• Suspect