The Best VPNs for Hulu & How to Fix Your VPN Not Working

We’ve run over 10,000 Hulu streaming tests since 2016 and found that many VPN apps fail to unblock the popular video content platform.

After testing 52 VPN services with Hulu, we’ve identified only three that consistently unblock Hulu from any country.

1. ExpressVPN: Best VPN for Hulu Overall

Pros	Cons
Fast long-distance connection speeds	Most expensive Hulu VPN
16 US city server locations	CAPTCHAs on US servers
The best VPN to unblock Hulu Japan
In-built DNS and IPv6 leak protection
MediaStreamer Smart DNS tool
Very intuitive Fire TV Stick app

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Hulu, delivering very fast long-distance speeds connecting to America from overseas.

We experienced no buffering or loading time when watching Hulu’s movies and TV shows using ExpressVPN.

While there are no streaming-dedicated servers, unlike CyberGhost, this doesn’t matter as all USA VPN servers successfully spoofed our IP location and bypassed Hulu’s geo-restrictions.

This is because the VPN service operates a large US server network with regularly-updated US IP addresses, specifically for streaming access.

ExpressVPN is also a great VPN for Japan and the best VPN for streaming Japanese Hulu. It comes with three server locations in Japanese cities, including Tokyo and Osaka.

ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer also works well with Hulu and other US streaming channels. The VPN’s Smart DNS service lets you watch Hulu on your Smart TV and other devices lacking native VPN compatibility.

The VPN’s apps have built-in DNS and IPv6 leak protection to prevent accidental exposures of your real IP address too. This makes it much harder for Hulu to detect you’re using a VPN.

ExpressVPN isn’t perfect, though. Its main drawback is its price. The cheapest subscription plan is double NordVPN’s.

Despite the pricier subscription, our review of ExpressVPN shows how the VPN service still represents great value, but NordVPN performs almost just as well with Hulu.

2. NordVPN: Best Alternative VPN for Hulu

Pros	Cons
Fast long-distance speeds	Less reliable than ExpressVPN on Fire TV
16 US server locations	Renews at more expensive price
Smart DNS service unblocks Hulu	Only one Japan server location
IP and DNS leak protection	Doesn’t accept PayPal
Affordable price tag
Good Fire TV Stick app

NordVPN has all you need for getting around Hulu’s VPN blocks. In our tests, NordVPN has never failed to unblock Hulu from abroad.

The VPN’s large number of servers in 16 US cities and 16 states all worked with Hulu.

This level of server coverage allows NordVPN to deliver extremely fast and buffer-free streaming speeds into America.

Just like ExpressVPN, NordVPN has a Smart DNS tool to unblock streaming apps on games consoles and Smart TVs, and a functional app for Amazon Fire TV.

While the VPN’s Firestick app gave us one or two issues, the Smart DNS service unblocked Hulu without a hitch on our test Apple TV and Xbox devices.

In addition to its unblocking capabilities, it’s worth knowing that NordVPN comes with excellent IP protection features.

IP and DNS leak protection are enabled by default, which combined with its effective kill switch, prevent Hulu from seeing your real IP location while the VPN is running.

NordVPN only costs $3.29 per month on a two-year plan. While this is cheaper than ExpressVPN initially, NordVPN renews at a similar cost to ExpressVPN.

3. CyberGhost: Best Cheap VPN for Hulu

Pros	Cons
Three Hulu-optimized servers	Speeds can fluctuate
Smart DNS available	No IPv6 leak protection
Cheapest VPN for Hulu	Fewer US and Japan servers
Well-designed Fire TV Stick app	Browser extensions have only 1 US location
User-friendly apps

Even cheaper than NordVPN is CyberGhost, which comes with three Hulu VPN servers: one for Hulu on desktop, one for Android TV, and another for Fire TV Stick.

These specific servers all work to unblock Hulu. Hulu detects CyberGhost’s regular US servers, though, so stick to these Hulu-specific ones.

Our CyberGhost’s streaming tests reveal it’s less reliable than ExpressVPN and NordVPN. While the VPN unblocks Hulu most of the time, we have encountered temporary blocks at times.

The VPN also comes with a Smart DNS tool for Apple TV and games consoles, as well as a nicely designed Fire TV Stick app.

CyberGhost’s speeds connecting into the US from overseas have been impressive lately. Historically, CyberGhost has been relatively slow, however our recent US streaming speeds prove otherwise.

However, the VPN does suffer from occasional speed slowdowns, making it less consistent than ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

Despite its inconsistency, CyberGhost only costs $2.03 per month on a two-year subscription. It’s therefore considerably cheaper than NordVPN, but slightly less reliable unblocking Hulu.

In this section we’ll explain how to use a VPN to watch Hulu from anywhere in the world.

The video tutorial below shows you how to easily use a VPN with Hulu (in this example ExpressVPN):

If the service is detecting that you’re using a VPN or proxy, refer to our instructions on how to fix your Hulu VPN not working.

As we’ve already explained, Hulu doesn’t allow the use of anonymous proxy servers and VPN services.

On top of that, many VPNs aren’t designed to work with streaming services, or simply aren’t good enough to bypass Hulu’s VPN blocks.

If your Hulu VPN isn’t working, and you’re encountering error codes like P-EDU101 or error 16, then Hulu has detected and blocked your VPN connection.

We’ve listed below nine different methods to get around these VPN errors:

1. Choose a Different VPN Service

The best way to beat Hulu VPN blocks is to use a VPN that unblocks the content platform 100% of the time.

Out of 52 VPNs we tested, we found three premium Hulu VPNs that work very well. ExpressVPN currently works the best.

2. Connect to Another US VPN Server

If you already have a VPN but it isn’t working with Hulu, the quickest thing to do is try changing US VPN server. Hulu may not have blacklisted all your VPN’s US IP addresses.

To change US server, close your browser window, connect to a different US VPN server location in your VPN app, and then reopen Hulu in a new browser window.

This fix only works if your VPN operates hundreds, if not thousands, of servers in the United States.

VPNs like ExpressVPN and NordVPN have thousands of US servers that are updated frequently, successfully evading Hulu detection.

If your VPN still doesn’t work after testing more than five American city servers, it’s highly unlikely to work at all.

3. Contact Your VPN’s Support Team

If your VPN doesn’t work with Hulu after testing several US servers, contact your VPN’s customer support. Ask them if they have a server optimized for Hulu.

They may recommend an optimized server, or they may inform you the VPN service isn’t equipped to bypass Hulu’s VPN blocks.

Ideally, your VPN service has 24/7 live chat support available for faster responses. Alternatively, send them an email.

For instance, we contacted ExpressVPN’s live support team and they told us their New York and Los Angeles servers unblock Hulu.

4. Clear your cache and cookies

Clearing your browser cookies and cache removes potential geo-location traces.

Cookies are web identifiers used by websites to track your internet movements. Deleting them can help evade Hulu’s geo-location techniques.

5. Check for IP and DNS Address Leaks

Hulu could be detecting your VPN because the software is leaking your real IP address.

Or, the VPN could be experiencing a DNS leak. This happens when DNS requests (website visit requests) fall outside of the VPN connection, revealing your true location.

Check your VPN is working properly by running an IP and DNS leak test while your VPN is running.

Free or low-quality VPNs are far more likely to suffer from IP and DNS leaks than the most secure VPNs.

The best VPNs have built-in DNS and IP address leak protection to stop these leaks from happening. For this reason, we caution against using free VPNs with Hulu.

6. Change VPN protocol

Your VPN should come with a range of different VPN protocols to choose from.

If the current protocol you’re connecting with isn’t working with Hulu, try changing to a different one in your VPN’s settings.

For instance, ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol is the most efficient at unblocking streaming platforms. We found the same with NordVPN’s NordLynx.

7. Disable IPv6

Many VPNs still aren’t compatible with IPv6 traffic, and this can lead to IP address leaks.

If you have an IPv6 internet connection, and your VPN doesn’t support IPv6 traffic, your connection request will revert back to your ISP.

In other words, the connection will travel outside of the VPN connection, exposing your real IP address location to Hulu.

Highly-rated VPNs like ExpressVPN can block IPv6 traffic altogether. Some VPNs even offer full IPv6 support – such as Perfect Privacy – but they don’t work with Hulu.

If you suspect your VPN is leaking IPv6 traffic, choose an alternative VPN that comes with IPv6 leak protection.

Alternatively, you can disable IPv6 on your device.

If the ‘off’ option is not available, you can also disable IPv6 via your Mac Terminal.

To do this: Open Terminal (⌘ + Space > Terminal) > Type in networksetup -listallnetworkservices > Type etworksetup -setv6off “Wi-Fi”

If you are on Ethernet, type networksetup -setv6off Ethernet

8. Purchase a residential IP address

You can also avoid Hulu’s VPN blocks by using US residential IP. These are IP addresses that belong to household ISPs like AT&T and Verizon.

Unlike shared VPN IP addresses, which belong to data centers, residential IPs are indistinguishable from regular IP addresses. They’re also assigned to one user, typically.

Very few VPN services offer residential IPs, though. The most reliable one so far is Windscribe.

Windscribe is the best free VPN for Hulu, but residential IP addresses are only available to premium subscribers, and cost extra.

Using Windscribe’s US residential IP service works to unblock Hulu, but it’s not the most cost-effective solution.

9. Activate Smart DNS

Hulu can also detect VPNs by checking a user’s public IP address against their DNS settings.

If there’s an inconsistency between IP address and DNS credentials, Hulu can work out you’re using a VPN and even identify your real location.

By changing your DNS settings, you can bypass Hulu’s VPN blocks and even stream Hulu from outside the US without using a VPN at all.

You can change DNS settings by using a tool called Smart DNS, which some VPNs offer. Smart DNS lets you change your default DNS servers to servers in the US.

Smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic or hide your IP address like a traditional VPN. Instead, it reroutes your DNS requests towards US DNS servers, granting you access to blocked websites and streaming services.

We recommend using Smart DNS to stream Hulu on games consoles and Roku, which don’t support native VPN software.

You can see which VPN services offer Smart DNS in our Hulu VPN comparison table.

While it’s possible to use a free VPN with Hulu, options are very limited given most free VPNs don’t unblock the streaming service.

In our streaming tests, only the free versions of Windscribe and PrivadoVPN consistently bypassed Hulu’s VPN blocks. They are by far the best free VPNs for Hulu.

When testing Windscribe, we consistently unblocked Hulu from abroad using the VPN’s free US server.

PrivadoVPN is also a good free VPN for Hulu, although it worked less consistently than Windscribe. On the plus side, it’s considerably faster.

Sadly, both free VPNs limit data usage to 10GB a month, which equates to approximately four hours of HD content before you run out of data.

Other than Windscribe or PrivadoVPN, there are no other free VPNs we recommend to unblock Hulu.

If you’re wondering, free proxy servers won’t unblock Hulu, either. They’re simply not advanced enough to circumvent Hulu’s geo-blocks.

You can use Hulu to watch live American TV, including regional versions of CBS, NBC’s regional network, and sports channels like ESPN and NFL Network.

Your IP address and GPS location, when you first sign up, determines which channels you can watch.

Hulu calls this your “home location” and it’s part of the Hulu + Live TV package. Importantly, Hulu home location restrictions do not apply to standard Hulu streaming packages.

Your home location applies to any device associated with your Hulu + Live TV account.

Even if you’re across the country, watching Hulu on your laptop or mobile will still only show content from your home location.

If you’re away from your home location for more than 30 days, you’ll get the error message below:

“It seems like you’re not at home. Your current ZIP code and IP address don’t match the location of your home linked to this account.”

Hulu lets you legitimately change your home location up to four times a year. But, Hulu uses GPS technology to determine your location (zip code) alongside your IP address.

In fact, you can’t change your home location without granting access to your GPS location.

If you attempt to change your home location when you haven’t physically moved, Hulu will inform you that you can’t.

In this scenario, a VPN can only get you so far. It can change your IP address, but it won’t change your GPS location. This makes Hulu home location errors extremely difficult to get around.

Two ways to fix the Hulu home location error

We’ve identified two methods to bypass Hulu’s Home Location restrictions:

1. Install a VPN on your home router

You can associate your Hulu + Live TV account to a location of your choice by setting up a VPN on your router.

However, you’ll need to do this at the very beginning of the process, before signing up to Hulu.

You must also watch Hulu using a streaming device that doesn’t use GPS technology, such as Roku or Fire TV Stick.

When you install Hulu and it tries to determine your home location, it should identify the location of the VPN server you’re connected to on your router.

However, despite tricking Hulu into thinking you live somewhere else, you’ll have to reverse this workaround to watch live TV from your home region. In other words, you’ll encounter the same problem in reverse.

If you change your VPN server frequently, you may also alert Hulu to the use of a VPN.

With this in mind, consider investing in a residential IP to keep the same VPN IP address.

2. Get a VPN with a GPS spoofer

Hulu’s Home Location feature uses GPS to stop you accessing local content outside of your assigned region. This means you need to spoof your GPS location to bypass it. Unfortunately, not many VPN services can change your GPS location.

Surfshark has a GPS spoofer on its Android app called ‘GPS override’. It works by automatically aligning your GPS location with your chosen VPN server.

IVPN, Windscribe, and Surfshark are the only VPNs that have GPS spoofers. It works by automatically aligning your GPS location with your chosen VPN server. But all are limited to Android devices.

Taking Surfshark’s ‘GPS Override’ as an example: firstly, you have to change your IP address and GPS via the Surfshark app. Then, you need to update your Home Location in Hulu’s settings to match your proxy location.

This isn’t a quick process and its limited to Android only. For that reason, and until GPS spoofers are more widely available to use on bigger screen devices, we recommend using the VPN router setup method.

Hulu doesn’t allow the use of anonymous proxy servers and VPN services.

The streaming platform tries to block VPN and proxy connections because, just like Netflix, it has licensing agreements to stream content in the United States (and Japan).

VPNs change your IP address and spoof your location. As a result, Hulu tries to block VPN traffic to enforce the licensing agreements it has with content owners.

As Hulu states in its terms and conditions:

“Content may be limited to distribution in certain geographic locations. For that reason, we may use different technologies and methods to verify your geographic location.”

How does Hulu know you’re using a VPN? It monitors and blacklists (bans) IP addresses it associates with VPN services.

For example, if thousands of Hulu users are using the same IP address, there’s good reason to think it’s a VPN IP address.

Also, Hulu uses GeoIP databases to discover the IP addresses of VPN servers. Moreover, many VPNs make their IP addresses public, making them easy to identify.

Finally, Hulu checks for mismatches between a user’s IP address and DNS (Domain Name Server) servers, usually caused by VPN DNS leaks.

If your visible IP address is a US one, but your DNS credentials place you somewhere else, Hulu will likely block access.