The Best VPNs for Netflix

It’s important to know that not all VPNs will work with Netflix at any given time.

VPN services and Netflix are engaged in a ‘cat and mouse’ game. A VPN that works today could get blocked tomorrow, and you might need to occasionally switch VPNs to maintain access.

Currently, the best VPNs for Netflix are ExpressVPN, Windscribe, and NordVPN.

1. ExpressVPN: Best Overall VPN for Netflix

Pros	Cons
Consistently accesses 18 Netflix libraries, including the US & UK	More expensive than competitors
Fast connection speeds for HD & 4K streaming	Doesn’t work with Netflix in Mexico & Switzerland
Easy-to-use apps for Firestick, Apple TV & Android TV
Excellent 24/7 customer support
Smart DNS feature unblocks US Netflix on games consoles and Smart TVs
Router app extends device compatibility to Roku & Chromecast

ExpressVPN is the best VPN you can get for Netflix. Although it’s more expensive than the other VPNs in this shortlist, it stands out because of its reliable unblocking performance, fast international download speeds, and easy-to-use apps.

Always Works With the Most Popular Netflix Libraries

ExpressVPN’s standout feature for Netflix is its reliability. Over the last five years of testing VPNs with Netflix, ExpressVPN has been the sole VPN consistently accessing more than 50% of the eight most popular Netflix libraries.

The chart below illustrates ExpressVPN’s stable performance compared to the unreliable effectiveness of other VPNs across the years.

Even during the strict 2021 Netflix VPN ban, it could unblock four of the eight most popular Netflix regions. Alternative VPNs, like NordVPN and Surfshark, didn’t work with any.

The one frustration we’ve encountered is that ExpressVPN’s default US server location doesn’t work with US Netflix. You’ll have to manually search and connect to the New Jersey location instead, which is less intuitive than other VPNs that auto-connect to a US Netflix-optimized server.

Wide-Ranging Streaming Device Compatibility

ExpressVPN is the only VPN with a router app, a Smart DNS feature, and apps for streaming devices — ensuring compatibility across all of our streaming devices, including Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, and Roku.

MediaStreamer, its Smart DNS feature, lets you reroute traffic through a proxy without additional software, enabling use with devices like Smart TVs and gaming consoles. With it, we consistently accessed US Netflix on a Sony Smart TV.

However, unlike CyberGhost’s Smart DNS, MediaStreamer doesn’t support Netflix region switching beyond the US. Additionally, Netflix blocks AirPlay content on Roku, so you’ll need to use another of ExpressVPN’s compatibility solutions.

ExpressVPN’s dedicated apps are easier to set up and use than any other VPN, too. The simplified home screen interface removes any potential confusion for beginner users, but you can still activate advanced options, like ad blocking, from the settings once you’re more familiar.

2. Windscribe: Accesses the Most Netflix Regions

Pros	Cons
Unblocks 32 Netflix libraries, including the US	Slower long-distance download speeds than competitors
Dedicated apps for Firestick & Android TV	Doesn’t have an app for routers
Unlimited simultaneous connections	VPN subscription does not include Smart DNS feature
Browser extensions allow quick Netflix region changes	Lacks real-time human customer support
	Short refund guarantee period

Windscribe is a superb option if you want to access the most amount of Netflix titles. Contrary to the recommendations of many other VPN review sites, our research discovered that Windscribe works with more Netflix libraries than any other VPN.

However, it falls short of ExpressVPN due to its comparatively poor device support and slower international download speeds.

Works With More Netflix Libraries Than Any Other VPN

We tested 65 VPN services with Netflix in every country around the world, to identify which ones work with each Netflix region.

Our data shows that Windscribe can stream more Netflix libraries than any other VPN. The benefit of this is that you’re more likely to be able to access whatever TV show or movie you want to watch.

We’ve collected the full test results of our Netflix VPN research in the table below:

The chart below also summarizes the top 10 Netflix VPNs and the number of regions they access:

As you can see, Windscribe works with 32 different Netflix regions, including the US, UK, India, and Australia. This is far greater than other popular VPNs, including 28 more than Atlas VPN, 26 more than Private Internet Access, and 23 more than Surfshark.

Historically, Windscribe was inconsistent with popular Netflix libraries, like the US and Canada. Although it’s been working reliably recently, there’s no guarantee its performance will remain steady in the future.

Windscribe’s download speeds are also slightly slower than alternatives. Using it, we could sometimes only stream in HD. If you have a Premium Netflix subscription that supports Ultra HD content, a faster VPN, like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, is more suitable.

Limited Support Options & Streaming Device Compatibility

Windscribe’s live chat support is below-par and nowhere near the level we expect. There is no human 24/7 live support, and most live queries are dealt with by an unhelpful chat bot.

Whenever we encountered an issue streaming Netflix with Windscribe, like a server suddenly being blocked, we had to wait over a day for the VPN’s support team to reply via email. By this point, we often didn’t want to stream the content in question anymore.

In comparison to its competitors, Windscribe also underperforms in streaming device compatibility. Despite offering user-friendly apps for Fire TV and Android TV, it lacks a Smart DNS tool for gaming consoles and doesn’t have an app for routers, unlike ExpressVPN.

3. NordVPN: Best Cheap VPN for Netflix

Pros	Cons
Compatible with 17 Netflix libraries, including the US, UK & France	Can’t access Netflix in India, South Korea & the Netherlands
Excellent value at $3.29 per month	Smart DNS doesn’t work with Netflix
Automatically connects you to a server compatible for Netflix	No dedicated router app
Fast download speeds using NordLynx (WireGuard) protocol for HD & 4K streaming
30 day money-back guarantee & 7-day free trial on Android

At just $3.29 on a two-year plan, NordVPN is a good alternative VPN for Netflix if Windscribe and ExpressVPN exceed your budget.

The VPN works with some sought-after Netflix libraries, including the US and UK, delivers fast connection speeds for high resolution streaming, and is compatible with most streaming devices.

Affordable & Effective for Watching Geo-Restricted Netflix Content

With access to 17 Netflix libraries and a low price point of $3.29, NordVPN offers superb value.

The chart below shows how well NordVPN performs compared to its price in the chart below. The VPNs towards the top-left of the chart provide the worst value, whilst those towards the bottom-right offer the best value.

Despite being more affordable by $2 compared to popular VPNs like VyprVPN and Proton VPN, NordVPN works with 15 and 11 more Netflix libraries respectively. Additionally, ExpressVPN is $3 more expensive than NordVPN, but only works with 1 more region. Windscribe is $2 more expensive but only works with one more sought-after Netflix library.

In addition, you can save even more money by using NordVPN’s Meshnet feature to bypass the Netflix password-sharing ban and split a subscription cost with someone outside of your household. None of the other VPNs we tested offer a feature to workaround the password-sharing ban.

Doesn’t Work With Some Popular Netflix Libraries

Sadly, NordVPN doesn’t provide access to as many desirable Netflix libraries as other VPNs in this list. During our tests, we were unable to stream exclusive content from the India, Netherlands, and South Korea libraries. To watch some popular series, like Death Note, we had to resort to alternatives like ExpressVPN or Windscribe.

Additionally, NordVPN’s integrated ad blocker, Threat Protection, did not filter out any of the ads shown when using Netflix’s Basic plan. However, you can connect to the VPN’s Ukraine server to sign up for a cheap Netflix subscription and get an ad-free subscription plan for much cheaper.

To meet or exceed our strict Netflix VPN testing criteria, a VPN must do more than just access Netflix. It requires a combination of fast download speeds, extensive device compatibility, and excellent customer service. Contrary to the recommendations of other VPN review websites, we’ve discovered that many popular VPNs fail to meet these standards.

Here are some popular VPNs that successfully unblocked country-specific Netflix regions, but fell short in other areas.

CyberGhost

CyberGhost performed extremely well in our Netflix unblocking tests. The VPN reliably assessed all seven key Netflix libraries, including the US and UK, and was one of only five VPNs that worked with Netflix Japan.

Despite this, CyberGhost is let down by its poor download speeds, which often resulted in delayed video playback and frequent buffering.

Additionally, as it requires you to connect to specific streaming-optimized servers, lots of users are directed to a small server pool, worsening its speed even further. We’ve also found that these labeled servers sometimes don’t work, increasing our frustrations.

PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is compatible with the fifth highest number of Netflix libraries, unblocking 10 total Netflix regions, including the popular Australia, Canada, India, and UK libraries.

However, unlike the other VPNs in this list, PrivateVPN was extremely unreliable with US Netflix. Though it worked more often than not, we would have to connect to multiple different servers before finding one that was compatible. And sometimes, none would work at all.

Hide.me

Hide.me has improved more than any other VPN with Netflix over the last year of our testing. The VPN has almost doubled the number of accessible Netflix libraries from 6 to 11. It’s also one of only a few VPNs that provides an app for Apple TV.

Despite these improvements, the VPN still falls short of our top three recommendations for Netflix. It unblocks 66% fewer libraries than Windscribe and 66% fewer than ExpressVPN. It also still can’t access Netflix in Australia or India, so content choices are limited.

It’s also one of the only top VPNs without a Smart DNS feature, so you’ll have to set up a mobile hotspot or install it on a router for accessing Netflix on a Smart TV or games console.

Surfshark

Despite claiming to work with every Netflix region to “view all of the content that Netflix has to offer,” our research found that Surfshark in reality only works with 9 Netflix libraries.

This is 9 and 8 fewer than ExpressVPN and NordVPN respectively. Moreover, unlike these VPNs, it can’t access the popular Netflix libraries of Australia, Germany, and Japan.

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access (PIA) once provided access to 10 Netflix libraries but has seen its performance halve to 6: it now doesn’t work with Brazil, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, or Turkey.

This, in combination with PIA’s poor streaming device compatibility, means there are now far better Netflix VPNs available.

After testing 65 VPNs with every available Netflix library, our data shows that 33 VPNs cannot unblock any geo-restricted Netflix content.

By tunneling your internet traffic through a VPN server, you can obfuscate your physical location and trick Netflix into thinking you’re connecting from a different country.

On most devices, like desktop and mobile, you can do this easily by clicking or tapping on the country within the VPN app. But the process is much more difficult on other devices, like Roku and Chromecast, where you’ll have to configure the VPN using another device.

Here’s a quick summary of the methods required to access Netflix in another country on different devices:

Platform	Method	Set-up Difficulty
Desktop	VPN App	Easy
Mobile	VPN App	Easy
Streaming Devices	VPN App	Easy
Roku, Chromecast & Games Consoles	Mobile Hotspot	Moderate

In the following sections, we’ll provide easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to watch Netflix with a VPN.

Desktop or Laptop (Windows & Mac)

Accessing a different country’s Netflix library is easy on a computer. Simply connect to a VPN server in the region you want to access by selecting it in the VPN app. Then, open Netflix in your web browser.

For a practical demonstration, watch our video showing us using a VPN to access international Netflix libraries in real time below:

Mobile (iPhone, iPad & Android)

Accessing international Netflix content on mobile devices using a VPN is simple. However, we noticed there are some unique considerations to be aware of compared to desktop streaming.

For instance, the Netflix mobile app can override your VPN’s DNS settings, forcing the app to use its own DNS servers. This allows Netflix to detect VPN usage on mobile more effectively, making some VPNs useless for mobile streaming.

Streaming Devices (Fire TV, Android TV & Apple TV)

When using a streaming device, it’s much easier to access geo-restricted content on Netflix compared to other streaming services, where changing your app store region is often necessary

Since the Netflix app is the same in every country, you can version already installed on your device. Alternatively, you can simply download it from the device’s app store while signed into your regular account.

Roku, Chromecast & Games Consoles

Roku, Chromecast, and games consoles like PS5 and Xbox don’t support VPN apps. Additionally, content-sharing solutions, like Casting, only work with Netflix if both the devices are connected to the same VPN server.

However, you can still access different Netflix regions on these devices by either using a VPN-enabled router, installing a VPN on your existing router, or setting up a mobile hotspot on a Windows PC.

The latter is often the quickest and easiest option as it’s more likely you already have the required hardware.

No single Netflix library hosts all the available content, so you have to regularly switch between regions to stream everything that’s available. Using a VPN to obfuscate your true location allows you to roam between up to 32 different Netflix regions.

In the table below, we’ve listed popular shows and movies, which Netflix libraries they’re available in, and the VPNs that can reliably unblock them:

Netflix Region	Popular Content	Compatible VPNs
Canada	This Is Us, Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Young Justice, Death Note	CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, Hide.me, Hotspot Shield, IPVanish, NordVPN, PrivateVPN, Surfshark, Windscribe
Japan	Rick and Morty, Goodfellas, LOTR: The Return of the King, Parasite, The Dark Knight, House, M.D.	CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, FastestVPN, Hide.me, NordVPN, Windscribe
UK	Peep Show, Power, Spirited Away, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia	CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, Hide.me, NordVPN, PrivadoVPN, Private Internet Access, PrivateVPN, Surfshark, Windscribe
US	Saving Private Ryan, Arrested Development, Top Gear, Downton Abbey, The Great British Baking Show	CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, Hide.me, IPVanish, NordVPN, PIA VPN, PrivateVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, Windscribe

As you can see, popular TV shows and movies are dispersed across different Netflix libraries. To maximize your chances of accessing your preferred titles, it’s best to choose a VPN that works with many Netflix libraries, like Windscribe or ExpressVPN.

You’ll only need a single VPN subscription and one Netflix subscription to access all of these libraries. You can switch between them as often as you like.

We hands-on tested 65 VPN services using our customized Netflix VPN testing process. All of the results on this page are the product of original research from our in-house team of experts. No information is taken from third party sources.

These categories rely on objective and quantifiable data, reducing the risk of human bias or error. Testing is performed frequently to ensure the information is always up-to-date.

You can see how the top 10 Netflix VPNs scored in our testing categories in the table below:

You can read a detailed explanation of how we test and rate every Netflix VPN in each category in the sections below:

1. International Netflix Access (30% of Overall Rating)

The broader the range of libraries a VPN can access, the higher your chances of being able to access the content you want to watch.

According to our data, the most sought-after international Netflix regions are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, and the UK. As a result, VPNs that unblock these regions earn a higher rating compared to those that access less popular regions.

How We Test International Netflix Access

To test a VPN’s performance in this category, we manually connect to a VPN server in the target country. The key part of our test is streaming specific titles that are unique to that particular region. For example, for Canada, we test with “Pulp Fiction”; in India, we use “The Usual Suspects”; and in the UK, we stream “The Catch.”

How We Rate International Netflix Access

2. US Netflix Access (30% of Overall Rating)

As US Netflix is the most popular Netflix region to unblock using a VPN, it’s essential for a top Netflix VPN to access it reliably.

How We Test US Netflix Access

We manually connect to a US VPN server and then attempt to stream “The Great British Baking Show,” a title exclusive to US Netflix. If it streams successfully, it passes the evaluation.

We repeat these tests every week, allowing us to track every VPN’s performance over time. If a VPN can’t access US Netflix for two consecutive weeks, we adjust its rating.

How We Rate US Netflix Access

3. Streaming Device Compatibility (20% of Overall Rating)

To stream geo-blocked Netflix libraries across all of your devices, a VPN will need to be compatible with all of them, including more challenging platforms like Roku and games consoles.

How We Test Streaming Device Compatibility

We install VPN apps on devices like Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV, and evaluate Smart DNS for devices like Smart TVs and gaming consoles. We also assess VPN setup on routers, including ease of configuration. Lastly, we evaluate the VPN’s ability to access Netflix across these devices, ensuring comprehensive compatibility.

How We Rate Streaming Device Compatibility

4. Speed (20% of Overall Rating)

Streaming is a data-intensive activity, so your VPN needs to provide fast download speeds to avoid buffering. As you’ll be using a VPN to access Netflix regions from around the world, the VPN’s long-distance speed performance is the most important factor.

How We Test Speed

We conduct speed tests using our proprietary speed test tool. We perform 12 individual speed tests from VPN servers located in eight regions: the West and East Coasts of the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Africa, and the UK.

The final speed rating for each VPN is derived by calculating the average of these 12 test results, ensuring a well-rounded evaluation of its performance.

How We Rate Speed

A VPN that maintains speeds over 95Mbps scores maximum points, with ratings dropping for slower speeds. Our speed scale starts at 0.1, indicating significant Netflix streaming interruptions, and maxes out at 10.0, reflecting a seamless streaming experience.