FAQs

How Does Hulu Detect and Block VPNs?

Hulu doesn’t allow the use of anonymous proxy servers or VPNs because it has licensing agreements to stream content only within the United States.

Hulu Error Code Proxy Detection Error Notification

Hulu’s proxy detection error notification.

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.

Is Hulu Only Available in the United States?

Technically, Hulu is also available in Japan. However, since it was acquired by Nippon TV in 2014, the services operate independently.

Hulu Japan offers limited content compared to the American library. You also won’t be able to access it with your US account credentials.

If you want to unblock Hulu Japan, then ExpressVPN is a great VPN for connecting into Japan and unblocking the streaming service via its servers in Tokyo, Osaka, Shibuya, and Yokohama.

Keep in mind that to subscribe to Hulu Japan you’ll need a Japanese payment method, or purchase a gift card.

Is Hulu Content Available On Other Platforms?

US Disney+ subscribers can watch Star, an international version of Hulu, free of charge.

However, Star only features titles Disney owns, unlike Hulu which also hosts content from other production studios.

Subscribers to India’s Disney+ Hotstar can access most of Hulu’s content library, too. You can also use a VPN to watch Hotstar outside India.