The Best VPNs for NBA League Pass
After testing 65 VPNs with NBA League Pass, we identified three that worked best to live stream blackout NBA games: ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and Windscribe.
You can quickly compare our chosen VPNs for NBA League Pass side-by-side in the table below:
We’ll go through each VPN in more detail below.
1. ExpressVPN: Best Overall VPN for NBA League Pass
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Servers in 11 US states for bypassing local blackouts | Expensive |
Servers in 106 countries for streaming NBA League Pass International | Doesn’t work on Android due to a lack of a GPS spoofing feature |
Fast connection speeds for no buffering | MediaStreamer doesn’t work with NBA League pass |
Easy-to-use Firestick app | |
Router app for extra device compatibility | |
24/7 customer support |
ExpressVPN is easily the best VPN for NBA League Pass.
Its high-speed servers in 106 countries, including 11 US states worked exceptionally well with NBA League Pass, both in the US and abroad.
Although it’s more expensive than other VPNs, its reliable performance, easy-to-use apps, and fast connection speeds make it worth the extra cost.
It’s versatile, too — we’ve used it to stream dozens of other sports, including out-of-market NFL games and live Premier League soccer.
ExpressVPN servers that work with NBA League Pass:
- For bypassing local blackouts: New York, Atlanta
- For bypassing national blackouts: Frankfurt – 1, The Hague
Streams In-Market and Out-of-Market NBA Games
After testing 65 VPNs with NBA League Pass, ExpressVPN was one of only two VPNs that could stream the NBA on US and international Servers.
The benefit of a compatible US server is that you’ll be able to get the fastest speeds while using the VPN.
The advantage of a compatible international server is that you’ll then get access to every blacked-out NBA game, including those on national television.
See how ExpressVPN compares to its main competitors in the table below:
VPN Service | US Server | International Server |
---|---|---|
ExpressVPN | ||
NordVPN | ||
PrivateVPN | ||
Surfshark | ||
Windscribe Free |
ExpressVPN’s excellent performance is down to its large server network. To avoid local blackouts, we connected to a streaming-optimized server in one of the 11 US states it offers — spanning both the East and West Coasts.
While other top VPNs, including Private Internet Access and CyberGhost, have servers in even more US locations, we found their IP addresses are blocked by NBA League Pass. Both VPNs failed to unblock a single live game in our tests.
To conceal our real IP address and avoid nationally blacked-out games, we connected to a server in a country outside of the US and Canada. We recommend the Netherlands or Germany, which are subject to fewer blackout restrictions.
Connecting to servers is simple by using ExpressVPN’s easy-to-use software. Simply tap the three dots on the home screen and select the name of the country you want to appear from.
Faster Speeds than All Other NBA League Pass VPNs
In our NBA League Pass speed tests, ExpressVPN performed better than every other VPN. Live video streams always loaded in the highest resolution and without buffering.
While connected to server locations that bypassed NBA blackouts, like Germany, we recorded speeds of 94Mbps. This is more than fast enough to stream in a maximum 1080p resolution, which requires a minimum connection speed of 3Mbps.
You can see how ExpressVPN’s connection speeds compared to other VPNs for NBA in the table below:
VPN Service | Average International Download Speed |
---|---|
ExpressVPN | 83Mbps |
NordVPN | 73Mbps |
PrivateVPN | 73Mbps |
Surfshark | 75Mbps |
Smart DNS Is Ineffective, but Router App Is Superb
Sadly, MediaStreamer doesn’t work with NBA League Pass. ExpressVPN’s Smart DNS service failed to redirect our traffic and we were blocked from streaming any blacked-out games.
To use ExpressVPN on devices that don’t support VPN apps, like Roku, you can install ExpressVPN onto a compatible router. Thankfully, ExpressVPN’s router app is the best we’ve tested and is as easy to use as its other apps.
2. Surfshark: Cheapest VPN for NBA League Pass
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Very affordable on longer-term plans | Doesn’t work with national blackouts |
Spoofs GPS coordinates to bypass League Pass blackouts on Android | Smart DNS feature doesn’t work with NBA League Pass |
Good speeds using the WireGuard protocol | No VPN router application |
Intuitive apps for popular devices | |
Unlimited simultaneous connections | |
7-day free trial on mobile |
Surfshark is cheaper than ExpressVPN and we recommend it for beating NBA League Pass blackouts on Android mobile devices. Its Android app includes an extremely rare GPS spoofer, to bypass GPS-based mobile restrictions.
It’s therefore also a very useful VPN to bypass local NHL blackouts on Android smartphones and tablets.
Sadly, Surfshark is slower than ExpressVPN across both short and long distances. Also, its international servers don’t work with NBA League Pass, meaning you won’t be able to get around national blackouts.
Surfshark servers that work with NBA League Pass:
- For bypassing local blackouts: Dallas, Atlanta, Ashburn
Works with NBA League Pass on Android
The NBA League Pass Android app determines your location using GPS as well as your IP address. As connecting to a VPN server typically only changes the latter, almost every VPN we tested failed to stream blackout NBA games on Android.
Surfshark’s Android app includes a rare fake GPS setting that syncs your location with the VPN server’s. Even top-rated VPNs, like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, don’t offer this functionality.
But, while we were impressed with Surfshark’s ability to work with NBA League Pass on Android mobile devices, we were disappointed with the VPN’s compatibility with other devices.
Surfshark’s Smart DNS service failed to change our DNS address on Apple TV and games consoles. There’s also no router app available, so we had to set up a virtual router from our PC to watch games on our Roku and Chromecast.
Doesn’t Stream National Blackout Games
We found that none of Surfshark’s international servers work with NBA League Pass. The service is therefore unable to bypass nationally blackouts, like those on ESPN and TNT.
Many of the VPN’s servers in 18 US states worked, though. You can still get a US VPN IP address from outside the blackout area for local non-televised games.
While connected to Surfshark’s US servers, live streams loaded instantly and without errors. We found that videos streamed more quickly when we connected using the WireGuard protocol, too.
Cheap Pricing Plans and a 7-Day Free Trial
Despite its excellent performance, Surfshark is one of the cheapest VPNs on the market.
On its two-year subscription plan, Surfshark costs only $2.21 per month, a saving of over 60% compared to ExpressVPN.
If you set up your account through the iOS, Android, or Mac app, you’ll also be able to use Surfshark free for seven days.
You can see how affordable Surfshark is to rival VPNs in the table below:
VPN Service | Pay Monthly Price | Cheapest Price |
---|---|---|
Surfshark | $12.95 | $2.21/mo over 26 months |
CyberGhost | $12.99 | $2.03/mo over 26 months |
ExpressVPN | $12.95 | $6.67/mo over 15 months |
NordVPN | $11.99 | $3.29/mo over 24 months |
PIA | $11.99 | $2.03/mo over 26 months |
3. Windscribe: Best Free VPN for NBA League Pass
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Free with no payment details required | Only one server works with the NBA |
Works around both types of blackouts | 10GB monthly data cap |
Location Warp fakes GPS location on Android | Slower download speeds than other NBA VPNs |
Excellent app for Firestick & Android TV | No live chat customer support |
Smart DNS tool works on Smart TVs | |
Secure encryption & private logging policy |
Windscribe is the only free VPN that streams blackout NBA games. All the other free VPNs we tested, like Atlas VPN and Proton VPN, failed to unblock NBA League Pass on any server.
Windscribe server that works with NBA League Pass:
- For bypassing national blackouts: Germany – Frankfurt
Limited Server Options
In our tests, we could only stream live NBA games using Windscribe Free’s Germany server. We were blocked from accessing the service while connected to all of its other free locations, like the UK and the US.
While this allowed us to access NBA League Pass International to stream every type of blacked-out games, we could not switch to another server whenever it stopped working.
Although this only happened once, it meant we couldn’t stream any games until Windscribe fixed the issue. The premium VPNs in this list, like ExpressVPN and Surfshark, have dozens of compatible servers to prevent this from happening.
Additionally, connecting to a server in Germany from the US meant our speeds dropped from 100Mbps to 80Mbps. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, recorded a download speed of 93Mbps when we connected to a server in a neighboring state.
Compatible with Every Streaming Device
Windscribe was able to stream live NBA games on all of our devices. It has options for faking your location on Android, Apple TV, and Firestick.
Unlike every other VPN, Windscribe’s Smart DNS feature, Control D, works with NBA League Pass. We used it to stream the service on our PS5 and LG Smart TV. Although it costs extra, Control D has a 30-day free trial and doesn’t require any payment details.
Like Surfshark, Windscribe’s Free App comes with a fake GPS feature for Android. Although it wasn’t as easy to set up as Surfshark’s, it still successfully spoofed our GPS coordinates.
For streaming on Roku and Chromecast, you’ll have to share a VPN connection using your PC’s mobile hotspot. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to use Windscribe’s router configuration files, although this can be complicated and requires a compatible router.
In the table below, you can see how Windscribe Free has more impressive device compatibility than even premium VPN services:
VPN Service | Compatibility Features |
---|---|
Windscribe | Fake GPS, Smart DNS, Router configuration files |
ExpressVPN | Native Router app |
NordVPN | Router configuration files |
PIA | Router configuration files |
Surfshark | Fake GPS, Router configuration files |
10GB Data Cap Is Frustrating
Windscribe is completely free to use. You don’t have to provide any payment details and the app doesn’t push you to upgrade to a premium subscription.
The VPN imposes a number of restrictions on free accounts, including very few server locations and a 10GB monthly data cap.
We found this data cap sufficient for streaming a single game only, as the NBA app automatically adjusts the resolution depending on your internet speed. This meant we weren’t able to choose a lower resolution to save data.
As such, we only recommend Windscribe Free for watching a one-off blackout NBA game. For regular access to NBA League Pass from anywhere, you’ll have to use a paid VPN with unlimited bandwidth.