Bypass Geoblocking

Best VPN for Netflix 2023: Which One Works?

Author
Martin Gschwentner
Last update
20. Mar 2023

Have you browsed through all that Netflix has to offer without finding anything good? It might be time to go on a virtual trip around the world since Netflix content differs from country to country. Maybe, you'll be able to find something appealing abroad. All you need to get started is a VPN.

VPNs don't only beef up your security and privacy, they also help to bypass geo-blocking and access content on servers elsewhere. After logging in to Netflix while using a VPN, you'll be able to access content limited to users in that country.

Of course, streaming platforms oppose this, staying hot on the heels of VPN providers to close off access to foreign content. To help you find the right VPN for accessing foreign content, we looked at which providers from our sample can be used to access content from abroad on Netflix. Since US Netflix content is particularly popular, we evaluated US servers, however, the results should be representative of most regions.

Netflix offers different content in every country where it's active.

Best VPN for Netflix: Our TOP 5

From the 27 providers in our sample, 17 were capable of accessing US Netflix content from abroad. Here are our Top 5:

1.

Review Winner: NordVPN

Best Overall 2023
NordVPN
NordVPN
(754,625 )
NordVPN is our number one VPN because it combines speed, ease-of-use, and functionality in a slick package that's also pretty affordable.
5,500+ servers, 60 countries
excellent performance
no logs
6 devices simultaneously
affordable 2-year package
9.4
excellent
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
6
Protocols
5
Contract Period
1 - 24 months
NordVPN 2-year plan
$3.49
monthly price
Visit Website »
30 days money-back guarantee

It doesn't take a lot to figure out why NordVPN secured first place in our evaluation: The provider combines user-friendliness, security, and performance into one of the best overall VPN packages on the market. And the best part? NordVPN is priced right, especially if booking a 2-year subscription.

During testing, we were able to access Netflix content without any problem. NordVPN also took first place in our speed test, meaning that when streaming Netflix content, you won't have to worry about lagging or buffering.

And not only Netflix: The service worked equally well with Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and the BBC's iPlayer.

  • Enables access to foreign Netflix content as well as that of other streaming platforms

  • Secured first place in EXPERTE.com's evaluation

  • Fastest VPN in our speed test

  • Has limited protocol options

Review
9.4
excellent
Visit Website
Check Review
Performance
10 / 10
Customer Support
9.4 / 10
Installation and Features
9.4 / 10
Security and Privacy
9.4 / 10
Server Network
8.6 / 10
2.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN
(595,161 )
ExpressVPN can impress with a strong performance, a huge server network, and excellently designed applications, but this quality also comes at a higher price.
3,000+ servers
160 cities in 94 countries
reliable performance
good for streaming
secure browser extensions
9.4
excellent
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
5
Protocols
7
Contract Period
1 - 12 months
ExpressVPN 12 Months
$8.33
monthly price
Visit Website »
30 days money-back guarantee

ExpressVPN doesn't only follow NordVPN in this list, it also came in second behind the Panama-based service in our overall evaluation. There's little between the two, with both performing equally well (for specifics, check out our head-to-head comparison), however, NordVPN edges out ExpressVPN owing to its much lower price.

So far as streaming is concerned though, ExpressVPN allows users to access Netflix content as well as NordVPN does, with high speeds owing to its 3,000-strong server network spread across 94 countries.

You won't need to limit yourself to Netflix either, as ExpressVPN granted us access to the other three streaming services we evaluated as well.

  • Unlocks foreign content from Netflix and other streaming services

  • Performs excellently

  • Features an intuitive app

  • Pricey

Review
9.4
excellent
Visit Website
Check Review
Performance
10 / 10
Customer Support
9.4 / 10
Server Network
9.4 / 10
Security and Privacy
9.4 / 10
Installation and Features
8.6 / 10
3.

Surfshark

Surfshark VPN
Surfshark VPN
(121,804 )
Surfshark is one of the cheapest providers on the market, but it's a lot more than a great budget option: the relatively new VPN boasts strong protection, many features, and a great support with 24/7 live chat.
3,200+ servers in 100 countries
unlimited number of devices
many apps (Linux, FireTV, ...)
cheap 24-month plan
expensive monthly plan
8.8
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
unlimited
Protocols
3
Contract Period
1 - 24 months
Surfshark 24 months
$2.49
monthly price
Visit Website »
Get 83% Discount

We get it, you're already paying for a Netflix subscription, so why spend more to access additional content? Unfortunately, most free VPNs don't allow users to stream video content without a paid subscription, but we've got the next best thing: Our price-performance pick, Surfshark. Even though the provider is fairly new to the VPN market, it gives its more established competitors a run for their money, not least owing to its impressive second place in our speed test.

Thanks to its high speeds, your night of 'Netflix and chill' won't be an evening of 'buffering and loading'. Surfshark also makes it possible to access the other three streaming platforms we tested it on. As such, our price-performance winner is a solid choice for your digital jet-setting.

  • Enables access to Netflix and other streaming platforms

  • Affordably priced

  • Provides top speeds

  • Server network could be larger

Review
8.8
good
Visit Website
Check Review
Performance
10 / 10
Installation and Features
9.4 / 10
Customer Support
8.6 / 10
Server Network
8.0 / 10
Security and Privacy
8.0 / 10
4.

ProtonVPN

Proton VPN
Proton VPN
(109,527 )
With its open source philosophy and extra security features, Proton VPN targets security-conscious VPN users. But thanks to its user-friendly interface and suitability for streaming, it's worth a look for a wide audience.
open source & external audits
1,900+ servers in 67 countries
solid performance
free plan without data limit
not suitable for China
8.7
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
1 - 10
Protocols
3
Contract Period
0 - 24 months
Proton VPN Free
$0.00
monthly price
Visit Website »
Free forever

ProtonVPN offers the top free VPN from our sample, owing to its unlimited data. Unfortunately, free users are restricted to three server locations and cannot stream content from abroad. Since this is common to all free VPNs in our assessment, it's not that big of a deal.

Paying subscribers can access US Netflix content, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and the BBC's iPlayer without problems.

  • Enables access to Netflix and other streaming platforms

  • Open-source software with security guaranteed by external audits

  • User-friendly applications

  • Limited direct support channels

Review
8.7
good
Visit Website
Check Review
Installation and Features
10 / 10
Security and Privacy
10 / 10
Performance
8.6 / 10
Customer Support
7.4 / 10
Server Network
7.4 / 10
5.

hide.me

hide.me VPN
hide.me VPN
(25,655 )
Hide.me secures its place in our top 10 with good to very good grades in all test categories. The app is filled to the brim with handy features, the performance is solid, and with 10 GB of data per month, the free tier is also worth a look.
78 locations in 49+ countries
many features, incl. split tunneling
free plan with 10 GB monthly
anonymous payment
no recent audit
8.4
good
Data Volume
10 - ∞
Devices
1 - 10
Protocols
7
Contract Period
0 - 36 months
hide.me Free
$0.00
monthly price
Visit Website »
Free forever

We didn't find many things to take hide.me to task for: Across all of the six aspects we assessed providers on, it scored "good" or " very good". We particularly liked its VPN client which, although loaded with features, doesn't make any sacrifices in terms of user-friendliness.

This also applies to how hide.me handled streaming: We were able to access Netflix and other streaming content from abroad without a problem.

Unfortunately, we did experience a few connection issues which might impact its suitability for streaming. Thankfully, these problems were relatively minor.

  • Enables access to Netflix and other streaming platforms

  • User-friendly applications loaded with features

  • Good speeds

  • Relatively expensive

  • Occasional connection issues

Review
8.4
good
Visit Website
Check Review
Installation and Features
10 / 10
Customer Support
8.6 / 10
Performance
8.0 / 10
Server Network
8.0 / 10
Security and Privacy
7.4 / 10

Alternatives

All providers in our Top 5 performed well in our comprehensive evaluation, enabling users to access Netflix content and stream from abroad. With that said, plenty of other services from our sample proved capable of unblocking Netflix content.

Below, you can find a list of these:

Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access
(175,511 )
Besides its huge server network and its audit-proofed 'no logs policy', Private Internet Access sets itself apart from the competition with its module-based app that can be adjusted to each users' habits.
34,000+ servers in 84 countries
customizable VPN client
wide range of features
independent audit 2022
performance could be better
8.2
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
10
Protocols
2
Contract Period
1 - 36 months
Private Internet Access 3 Years
$2.19
monthly price
Visit Website »
CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost VPN
(193,960 )
CyberGhost offers a lot of bang for the buck, especially in the 2-year plan. It has lots of features, even more servers, and quick support including live chat. We had occasional performance issues, however.
8,000+ servers
affordable prices
7 simultaneous connections
fast support with live chat
7.8
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
7
Protocols
7
Contract Period
1 - 24 months
CyberGhost 2 Years
$2.37
monthly price
Visit Website »
45 days money-back guarantee
PureVPN
PureVPN
(55,398 )
PureVPN has servers around the world and covers underserved regions a bit better than many other VPNs. Its range of features is great, too. When it comes to performance, however, PureVPN is behind most of its competitors.
6,500+ servers in 70 countries
covers underserved regions
many features
weaker performance
possible privacy concerns
7.8
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
5 - 10
Protocols
6
Contract Period
1 - 24 months
PureVPN 2 years
$2.29
monthly price
Visit Website »
7-day trial
Windscribe VPN
Windscribe VPN
(131,719 )
With its flexible pricing and a generous free plan, Windscribe is a solid option for budget-minded VPN users. It also has a nice, lean app with lots of features – but sadly, its performance can't keep up.
lots of features
free plan with 10 GB limit
unlimited devices
weaker performance
smaller server network
7.8
good
Data Volume
10 - ∞
Devices
unlimited
Protocols
2
Contract Period
0 - 12 months
Windscribe Free
$0.00
monthly price
Visit Website »
Download for free
VyprVPN
VyprVPN
(81,327 )
700+ servers in 70 countries
located in Switzerland
good for streaming
weak performance
last audit 2018
7.6
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
5 - 10
Protocols
6
Contract Period
1 - 12 months
VyprVPN 12 months
$5.00
monthly price
Visit Website »
30 days money-back guarantee
Hotspot Shield VPN
Hotspot Shield VPN
(1,766,162 )
800+ servers
70+ countries
with free plan
below-average performance
potential privacy issues
7.5
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
1 - 25
Protocols
5
Contract Period
0 - 36 months
Hotspot Shield Free
$0.00
monthly price
Visit Website »
IPVanish VPN
IPVanish VPN
(145,779 )
2,200+ servers with 40,000+ IPs
10 simultaneous connections
strong performance
ugly app
potential privacy concerns
7.4
good
Data Volume
unlimited
Devices
unlimited
Protocols
7
Contract Period
1 - 24 months
IPVanish 2-Year
$2.92
monthly price
Visit Website »
30 days money-back guarantee
show all

How to Watch Netflix via VPN

Once you've settled on a VPN, you're only a few clicks away from accessing Netflix content catalogs from around the world. Below, we'll walk you through how to do this using our price-performance winner, Surfshark.

1. Download and install your provider's VPN client for your operating system and open it.

VPNs generally function similarly to one another.

2. Select and connect to a server from the country for which you'd like to view or access the respective Netflix catalog.

If you want to access content from Netflix's US catalog, connect to a server based in the country.

3. Once connected to the server, log in to Netflix. Now, you should be able to access the content catalog for the country your VPN is currently connected to.

With VPNs, you can access Netflix content libraries from around the world, watching movies and series that otherwise wouldn't be available in your region.

What Content Can Be Found Where?

Now that you have access to Netflix's global catalog of movies and series, you'll need to decide what you want to watch. Netflix doesn't roll out the red carpet either and does exert some effort to conceal what content it offers in which regions. After all, VPNs offer a legal, albeit unsanctioned method for taking advantage of everything the platform has to offer.

Supposing that you'd rather find a specific series or show than go through each international Netflix catalog one by one, there are some practical ways to do this.

uNoGS , a searchable online database, keeps tabs on all of the various Netflix catalogs, providing lists of what's available. One of these details where you can watch all of IMDB's Top 250 films and series.

With uNoGS, you can quickly determine which films and movies are available where.

Should you have a specific film or series in mind, you can use uNoGS search feature to find out which Netflix catalog offers it.

By searching uNoGS database, you can quickly find whatever series or film you're itching to watch.

uNoGS isn't the only database. FlixWatch  also makes it possible to search through Netflix's global offerings, however, unlike uNoGS, it lets you look through each region's catalog in its entirety.

If you want to know what a country's Netflix catalog has to offer, FlixWatch can provide a nice overview.

Free VPN for Netflix?

Is it possible to do all of the above for free? We would answer this question in the negative. Although there likely exist some VPNs that offer users the ability to circumvent geo-blocking at no cost, none of the reputable services we assessed in our sample (27 in total) provided this feature. The free versions they offer don't support streaming content from abroad.

All the same, a solid VPN subscription doesn't have to break the bank, with some costing $2-3 per month, so long as you sign on for a year or more.

No worries: Even though using a VPN to access Netflix content from abroad puts you at odds with the streaming platform's terms of use, you won't face any legal consequences.

Streaming platforms use geo-blocking to protect themselves from claims that they aren't exerting due diligence in adhering to their licensing agreements. Content, such as films or series, is licensed region-by-region, or even country-by-country. As such, Netflix can only offer this content where it is contractually allowed to do so. The result is a cat and mouse game between streaming platforms and VPNs.

Netflix and its kind are not particularly fond of VPNs, and, at least in theory, would be within their legal rights to suspend your account if they could verify your usage of a VPN to circumvent their restrictions. To date, we aren't aware of this ever occurring in practice, however.

How We Tested

To test all 27 services from our sample, we purchased a subscription to each, evaluating their clients and apps thoroughly. Each review is divided into six main areas, five of which were scored and relate to the most important facets of a VPN:

Installation and Features

Which features does each provider offer? How easy are they to use? Which operating systems are supported? We attempted to answer all of these questions rewarding providers who combined intuitive use with plenty of settings and options.

Server Network

In terms of networks, we looked at how many servers each offers, and the number of countries these are spread across. Should you want to access VPN content from a specific region or country, it's advisable to pay attention to whether a provider has solid (or any) infrastructure there.

Performance

We constantly compare the performance of all providers from our sample as part of our VPN speed test. In addition, we also tested each service for a day, to see how they worked for surfing and streaming.

The table below shows which providers from our sample are capable of unlocking US Netflix content:

ProviderNetflix USAProviderNetflix USA

Avast VPN

Perfect Privacy

Avira VPN

Private Internet Access

Cyberghost

PrivateVPN

ExpressVPN

ProtonVPN

hide.me

PureVPN

HideMyAss!

Surfshark

Hotspot Shield

TorGuard

IPVanish

TunnelBear

KeepSolid VPN Unlimited

VyprVPN

Mullvad

Windscribe

NordVPN

ZenMate

Security and Privacy

VPN providers like to promise everything in terms of privacy. We don't take them at their word though, ignoring their "No-Logs" promises or guarantees. Instead, we read between the lines of their privacy policies, and check whether a VPN has submitted to external security audits. Finally, we conduct VPN leak tests and broadly assess each service's general security practices.

Customer Support

We value simple, direct contact methods, preferably via live chat or email support. For the latter or support tickets, we expect answers within 24 hours. Beyond that, VPNs should possess a comprehensive and readily searchable help center with support articles and FAQs.

Conclusion

The content you can stream on Netflix varies from country to country. It would be unfortunate if, as a paying subscriber, you couldn't peruse their entire catalog. Thankfully, with the right VPN by your side, you won't have to and can access content from anywhere.

Streaming services have taken note and do everything they can to clamp down whenever a VPN makes it possible to access their content from abroad. However, as a number of VPN providers advertise their ability to unlock specific streaming platforms, their staffers work just as hard to maintain or restore these capabilities.

FAQ

Which VPNs work with Netflix?

Of the 27 providers in our sample, 17 make it possible to access Netflix content from abroad. Many of these also allow other streaming platforms, like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, or the BBC's iPlayer to be accessed.

What VPN is the best for Netflix?

NordVPN took the top spot in our overall evaluation, offering the best VPN package at an unbeatable price. Since NordVPN also performs well in terms of streaming, enabling access to a number of platforms, we view it as the best VPN for Netflix, followed closely by ExpressVPN and Surfshark.

Is it legal to access Netflix with a VPN?

It isn't illegal, even if it clashes with Netflix's terms of use. Streaming services like Netflix go after VPNs because of the issue it creates with licensing and their exercise of due diligence. If they didn't, these platforms would incur fees and face legal repercussions for violating their licensing agreements. Theoretically, your account could be suspended, however, we're not aware of any such cases. We're confident that you don't need to fear any legal consequences.

Which country has the best Netflix content?

As of 2021, Ireland offers the largest Netflix catalog , followed by Malaysia and Indonesia. Determining which is the best depends, to a significant extent, on what kind of series and films you'd like to watch. With Netflix UK and Ireland, you can find classics like The Office, one of the most-watched series in the US, however, it isn't part of the US or German catalogs. Some online portals, like uNoGS , list what content is available by region.

Author ( German Version) : Martin Gschwentner
Martin Gschwentner majored in American Studies and Media Studies in Germany, the USA and France and works as a freelance editor in Paris. He is a doctoral student at the Institute for English and American Studies at the University of Paris Diderot, where he is researching the influence of money on US politics. On EXPERTE.com he writes about IT security, data protection and software for the self-employed and small businesses.
Translator & Editor: D Bare
Continue Reading