The Best VPNs That Beat HBO Max VPN Blocks

Surfshark doesn’t quite match the “plug-and-play” reliability of ExpressVPN for HBO Max, or for unblocking other platforms like Peacock, but it remains a solid choice for more frugal streamers.

On a 27-month plan, you’ll pay $2.49 each month for Surfshark, against ExpressVPN’s $2.99/mo over 28 months.

Clearly, it’s not a massive saving and on a month-to-month plan Surfshark actually costs more, but over the initial 27-month period Surfshark is cheaper, as long as you’re willing to make a few trade-offs.

In my day-to-day use, I noticed a slight drag on streaming speeds, a few extra seconds for my IP address to change, and the occasional VPN error message that sent me back to the server list.

With ExpressVPN I enjoyed a flawless 100% success rate over months of testing, but with Surfshark I hit a few IP roadblocks along the way.

Surfshark is no slouch, but winning the VPN race comes down to fine margins, and those margins still lean in ExpressVPN’s and NordVPN’s favor.

The table below compares the three VPNs for speeds into various regions of the world:

As you can see, Surfshark isn’t a million miles away from ExpressVPN, but it does lose out in almost every region.

I noticed a similar gap in the interface responsiveness. ExpressVPN feels smooth and almost “instant,” whereas Surfshark makes you wait a fraction longer, especially when connecting to certain server locations.

This never made the app unusable, but those extra seconds are the difference between a seamless experience and a frustrating one.

I felt it most on my Fire TV Stick, a device already notorious for moments of sluggishness. Add Surfshark’s connection lag and the odd blocked server on top, and settling down to watch something can start to test your patience.

That said, I still find Surfshark’s apps user-friendly and better designed than the majority of other VPNs on the market.

Device coverage is almost as good as ExpressVPN’s, with the notable exception of a Smart DNS proxy.

One small detail in Surfshark’s favor: there’s no limit to the number of devices you can use it on, whereas ExpressVPN caps you at 10 simultaneous connections on its standard plan.

Proton VPN works in some of the most restrictive countries, which I can’t say about the other VPNs in this list.

If you’re in a country where the internet is heavily censored, then Proton VPN is the VPN you want to stream HBO Max. ExpressVPN switches to obfuscated connections automatically, and it sometimes gets through, but Proton VPN is the one I’ve found more reliable.

You’ll have to switch to the Stealth protocol, which uses modern obfuscation techniques to beat sophisticated national firewalls. This is, above all else, what separates Proton VPN from my other VPN picks.

Proton VPN’s Stealth protocol works quickly to bypass national firewalls.

Not all of the VPN’s servers worked with HBO Max, but I always found one that did after two or three attempts.

With 20,000 servers across 148 countries, which is more ground than any other VPN in this guide covers, there’s never a shortage of alternatives when HBO Max blocks the one you’re on.

The VPN servers in Mexico were particularly useful to access TNT Sports as part of my Basic plan. That gave me access to live Premier League and Champions League games at no extra cost.

Proton VPN has improved massively for streaming, but that doesn’t mean it can compete pound-for-pound with the likes of ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

On top of the speed hurdles I ran into, I also hit a few HBO Max VPN errors while using Proton VPN. Most servers worked the first time, but on occasion I had to switch to a different server location. This happened with a handful of US servers.

Proton VPN doesn’t offer a Smart DNS proxy either, which limited my options to access HBO Max on my game consoles. Not a big deal, but if maximum compatibility is important to you, ExpressVPN is undoubtedly the better choice.

Sadly, there’s no free trial available, so the only way to test Proton VPN for free is to make use of its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Windscribe is one of my favorite free VPNs for cracking streaming geo-blocks, in the US and beyond.

The UI is starting to look jaded, but the apps are straightforward to use and the list of free servers is easy to find.

In my tests, the American and British servers bypassed VPN detection effortlessly.

Windscribe offers two free UK server locations.

The main constraint is the service’s 10GB monthly data cap. That’s roughly four hours of HD streaming, which is fine for a movie or two, but it won’t get you far into a season of The Mentalist.

On top of the data cap, Windscribe’s biggest weakness is that its speeds swing with demand. Its free servers are shared by an enormous number of people, and at times there are simply too many users on them.

I noticed it most in the evenings, when my picture softened and the buffering wheel appeared for a few seconds before playback caught up.

That’s bearable if you’re dipping in for a film or two each month. But if you’re planning on regular viewing with high resolution from start to finish, ExpressVPN or NordVPN are the ones to go for.