The Best VPNs for Peacock TV

Signing up from outside the US is easier than with most US streamers.

Despite what many sites claim, you don’t need a US payment method: I subscribed with non-US American Express, Mastercard, and Visa cards.

I successfully subscribed to Peacock using a UK Amex card.

A virtual US card (from a service like StatesCard) or an app store gift card also works, but both are slower and pricier. I’d only use them if you don’t have a credit card.

Switching servers is often the quickest fix. Peacock blocks IP addresses it links to VPNs, so a new server usually means a fresh, unblocked IP.

That’s also why I favor VPNs with lots of US servers: more IPs make it harder for Peacock to keep up.

Don’t spend a long time cycling through servers, though. In my experience, if the first few don’t work, none will.

As you browse the internet, websites you visit collect and store data about you. Peacock might be able to use this information to identify your real location.

You can stop this by deleting cookies and other site data stored in your browser cache.

To clear cookies and cache in Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data, select Cookies and other site data, then click Clear data.

Some VPNs accidentally leak data like your real IP address or DNS requests. If Peacock detects any data that reveals your true location, it will block you.

You can test to see if your VPN is leaking data with our simple tool. If you see a data leak, you should raise it with your VPN’s customer support or consider switching to a better VPN.

This is far less likely to happen with a top-tier VPN that provides leak protection.

If Peacock still blocks you after all of the above, your VPN’s US IPs have probably been flagged. The fix is a VPN with a proven track record unblocking Peacock.

The most reliable VPNs right now are ExpressVPN and NordVPN. In my experience, almost every issue related to unblocking Peacock disappears when using either of them.

• What I Did: Connected to the VPN’s US servers and attempted to access Peacock from abroad. I repeated these tests over several months.
• Why It Matters: This reveals which VPNs actually work with Peacock and how reliable they are.
• Optimal Result: Every US server works with Peacock every time.

• What I Did: Performed in-house speed tests to calculate each VPN’s download speed when connecting to the US from every continent. I repeated these tests over several months to get a reliable average.
• Why It Matters: You need fast speeds for high-resolution streaming with no loading times.
• Optimal Result: A speed loss of no more than 20% connecting into the US from anywhere. A VPN should be able to stream Peacock at maximum resolution.

• What I Did: Counted the number of US servers included with each VPN.
• Why It Matters: More US servers means less congestion, and spare IPs if Peacock suddenly blocks one.
• Optimal Result: Has hundreds of US servers spread across each part of the country.

• What I Did: Downloaded and tested every available app included with each VPN subscription, assessing their usability and functionality for streaming Peacock.
• Why It Matters: The more apps a VPN has, the more devices you can stream Peacock on.
• Optimal Result: The VPN has a well-made custom app for every major platform and device, including desktop, mobile, Apple TV, Android TV, and Fire TV. Smart DNS and router support complete the picture.

IPVanish is one of the best VPNs for smart TVs, but it doesn’t cover all 50 states, so you can’t reach every regional broadcast the way you can with ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or PIA. Plus, not every US server worked as smoothly as my top picks.

It also has no Smart DNS proxy or browser extensions, which weakens its device compatibility and user experience.

Mullvad is built for privacy, not streaming, and it shows: it can’t get past most geo-blocks, including Peacock’s.

Surfshark is one of the most popular VPNs around, but its US coverage is surprisingly thin: 24 cities in 19 states, with slower long-distance speeds than my premium recommendations.