Best VPNs for Netflix in 2021

So, the movie you waited for so long has finally arrived on Netflix. There’s only one problem - it’s not available in your region. Picking the best VPN for unblocking Netflix can help you bypass all the geoblocks, and access an unlimited world of content!

It’s true - the right Netflix VPN will be able to bypass geographic location blocks and help you access your desired content. However, Netflix constantly blocks VPN traffic, making it difficult to find a VPN that works with this streaming service.

To help you find the best Netflix VPN that works, we tested dozens of VPNs and compiled a list of the services that are actually able to deliver. Get ready for some binge-watching with the best VPN for Netflix!

Best VPNs that work with Netflix:

1. NordVPN – the best VPN for Netflix and other streaming services
2. Surfshark VPN – the cheapest VPN for Netflix
3. IPVanish - lots of different locations
4. Atlas VPN - a free VPN for Netflix
5. VyprVPN – most inexpensive Netflix VPN in the long-term

How to use a VPN with Netflix

Once you choose a suitable VPN, unblocking Netflix becomes a piece of cake. Here’s how you unblock Netflix with a VPN:

1. Install the VPN of your choice (currently, NordVPN is our top pick)
2. Choose the country you want to access and connect to the server
3. Go to Netflix, either via the Netflix app or your browser

That’s it. Pick a movie and have a great time!

If, by any chance, Netflix doesn’t show the content you need (or worse – displays an error message), there may still be some hope left.

You might still make the VPN work by tweaking a few things here and there, like disabling IPv6 connections. In any case, you can always contact the customer support of your VPN and get the advice and instructions you need.

Best Netflix VPNs in 2021 – our detailed list:

In total, we tested 30+ VPN services and their ability to unblock Netflix. Unsurprisingly, we were left with only seven titles, as the rest weren't great at bypassing the strict geo-blocks of this popular streaming service.

We used a number of different devices (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS) and tried out various features (like SmartDNS) that enhance your streaming experience.

Editor's disclosure: We are aware of and concerned about the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) recently released by the US Department of Justice. It names Express VPN’s CIO Daniel Gericke among the persons who received monetary penalties and agreed to “full cooperation with the relevant Department and FBI components” due to their past misuse of covert surveillance tools, targeting US citizens, as well as journalists and political parties.

At the moment, there are no direct connections established between the misuse of such tools and ExpressVPN. However, in order to offer our readers only the most reliable and safest VPN solutions available, we are temporarily removing ExpressVPN from our lists until further privacy, data security, and ethical evaluations are completed. You can read our full story about the agreement here.

1. NordVPN - the best VPN for Netflix

Visit NordVPN

One of the most well-known VPN on the internet, NordVPN truly earns the #1 spot as the best Netflix VPN, perfect for both desktop and mobile device use.

Thanks to its revolutionary NordLynx tunneling protocol, NordVPN offers ultra fast download speed, which lets you watch Netflix with no interruptions. It also has a staggering number of 5,542 servers across 59 countries. Most of the servers are located in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

To get the best connection speed and stability, connect to countries closest to your location. NordVPN unblocks 15 Netflix libraries, so depending on what kind of TV shows or movies you want to unblock, you'll have plenty of options.

Most servers located in key Netflix areas like the US, UK, Japan, or Germany will work with Netflix. Each of them has plenty of servers to choose from.

Netflix fans will also appreciate the VPN’s SmartPlay technology. This feature helps you bypass streaming media blocks and watch geo-blocked content on smart TVs.

There’s also the possibility to purchase a dedicated IP address that has a much lower chance of being blocked by Netflix. A residential IP address would make you the only person who uses it, and that’s why Netflix and other sites won’t detect any suspicious activity.

You shouldn’t forget that NordVPN is great for unblocking other streaming services, too. It lets you watch content on BBC iPlayer, as well Youtube and DAZN (right now, the latter works with the UK server).

NordVPN is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices. Also, you can use its browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

2. Surfshark - the cheapest VPN for Netflix

Visit Surfshark

Surfshark is yet another great Netflix VPN and other streaming sites. You might have heard about this VPN from various Youtube ads - and for good reason. That’s because Surfshark can unblock a myriad of streaming sites - something that most VPN services fail to deliver.

Try Netflix, BBC iPlayer, or Youtube: you will be watching geo-blocked content in seconds. It’s also nice that Surfshark offers a rather big server fleet that consists of 3,200+ servers in 65 countries, including some excellent dedicated streaming servers. The US, the UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, and many other countries are just a click away.

In addition, Surfshark is able to unblock a massive number of Netflix libraries - 30, to be exact. They include the US, the UK, Canada, France, India, India, Italy, South Korea, Ireland, and Greece.

Just like NordVPN and ExpressVPN, Surfshark offers a solution for streaming devices that don’t support VPNs: SmartDNS. Using it, you can watch Netflix on your SmartTV or PlayStation. Right now, this feature allows you to access only the Netflix US library, but more libraries should be available in the future. And as Surfshark has unlimited simultaneous connections, you can connect it to just about any device in your household.

When it comes to applications, you get the usual bunch: Surfshark has apps for Windows, iOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices. You can also download VPN extensions for Google Chrome and Firefox.

3. IPVanish - lots of different locations

Visit IPVanish

IPVanish VPN is yet another useful VPN service for movie buffs. It flawlessly unblocks the US and UK libraries of Netflix, letting you watch geo-restricted movies and shows without buffering. It also unblocks whichever YouTube library you desire.

When it comes to tunneling protocols, IPVanish supports a few of the really good ones, like IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN UDP. Unfortunately, WireGuard is not yet available on IPVanish applications.

The server fleet of IPVanish is something to boast about. The tool offers 1,600+ servers in 75 locations, which gives you a wide range of countries to choose from. In other words, you might be able to unblock some of the less popular Netflix libraries.

You can download IPVanish onto your Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. As for Linux, you’ll have to deal with manual connections. The service supports unlimited simultaneous connections and costs $3.20 a month.

4. Atlas VPN - a free VPN for Netflix

Visit Atlas VPN

Despite the fact that it’s the VPN with the smallest server fleet on this list (700 servers in 28 countries), Atlas VPN doesn’t give up that easily. It successfully unblocks a myriad of streaming platforms (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube), beating even some of the industry giants that didn’t make it on the list.

The service is extremely secure, as it uses military-grade encryption, has a kill switch, and implements a no-logs policy. It also offers a few interesting features like a malware blocker and a data breach checker. However, its most interesting feature is IP address rotation, which changes your IP each time you close a website and open a new one.

Atlas VPN also offers a pretty great free version with three different locations, unlimited data, and unlimited devices. It even supports torrenting, which makes it one of the most useful free VPNs.

However, investing in a paid subscription doesn’t cost an arm and a leg - you can pay as little as $1.39 a month if you choose a long-term plan.

5. VyprVPN - most inexpensive Netflix VPN in the long-term

Visit VyprVPN

VyprVPN is one of those VPN services that don’t spend a fortune on advertising. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s any worse than the others. In fact, if you’re looking for the best Netflix VPN, VyprVPN might be exactly what you need.

When we tested it on various streaming platforms, it didn’t disappoint us. VyprVPN successfully unblocked Netflix (Canada, the US, the UK, and Germany), BBC iPlayer, and DAZN. The speeds were also great, especially when the WireGuard protocol was selected. However, you should keep in mind that Netflix and other sites might not work with other tunneling protocols. For example, Netflix displayed an error message when we connected with IKEv2.

VyprVPN also offers a feature called VyprDNS.It will help you access geo-blocked content on a lot of different devices. In addition, even though VyprVPN only has 700 servers in 70 countries, each and every server is owned by the company.

You can use VyprVPN with a myriad of different devices. It offers apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, all of which support the WireGuard protocol. You can also set it up with your router or smart TV.

6. CyberGhost - Netflix VPN with the longest money-back guarantee

Visit CyberGhost VPN

Equipped with its cute logo and hauntingly low prices, CyberGhost VPN is one of the best VPNs for Netflix fans. By offering specialized servers for streaming, it is able to unblock a lot of geo-restricted libraries on Netflix and other streaming platforms.

When skimming through the server list, you’ll see that some servers are good for unblocking a particular streaming platform. For example, you’ll see servers for Netflix, Youtube, Crunchyroll, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Sky. If you’re only interested in Netflix, keep in mind that you’ll be able to access the geo-blocked libraries of the US, Germany, France, and the UK.

In addition, the VPN offers SmartDNS that lets you unblock Netflix US, Netflix UK, and Hulu UK on various devices like PlayStation, Xbox, Samsung SmartTV, Roku TV, routers, and the Wii.

Currently, the server fleet of CyberGhost VPN consists of 6,100 servers in 89 countries. The large number of countries will be useful if you want to watch Netflix content available in different regions of the world. Right now, the VPN lets you access the following Netflix libraries: US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan.

However, when it comes to speeds, CyberGhost should step up their game: even though the VPN offers WireGuard, our tests didn’t show stellar results. In fact, the IKEv2 protocol worked better and offered more stability.

You can download CyberGhost for your Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS device. Just keep in mind that its Linux version is not the most convenient one.

How we selected VPNs that work with Netflix:

When making this list of the best VPNs for Netflix, the biggest factor was the app’s ability to unblock the famous streaming site by changing your Netflix account region. However, there were a few other things that we took into consideration:

• Speed. It’s no secret that poor download speeds can totally ruin your Netflix marathon, causing lags and downgrading video quality. For this reason, we picked only those VPNs that don’t mess with your speed too much. We prioritized the services that offer fast tunneling protocols like WireGuard, Lightway, and NordLynx.
• Features for streaming. Most of the VPN services for Netflix we listed have features like Smart DNS (that helps you watch Netflix on devices that don’t support VPNs) or dedicated IPs (which can help you unblock content when regular IPs become useless).
• Country selection. Even though most users want to access the US or the UK libraries of Netflix, it’s not fair to forget all the other countries that also have a good selection of movies and shows. For this reason, we selected the VPNs that have a wide choice of servers.
• Apps and supported devices. As Netflix is also available as an application for Android and iOS phones, we picked only those VPNs that flawlessly work on both desktop and mobile devices.
• Customer support. When trying to access Netflix from another country, you might run into some technical problems. For this reason, we picked the VPNs with good customer support options.
• Price. All of the VPN services on this list offer a great feature-to-price ratio, especially if you consider their long-term subscription.

How to choose the best VPN for Netflix

With the abundance of VPN services, choosing the right VPN for streaming Netflix seems difficult, to say the least. Luckily, the list below will help you feel less overwhelmed. So, here’s how you pick the right VPN provider for Netflix:

• Read VPN reviews. If a VPN catches your attention, do yourself a favor and read a couple of reviews on reputable websites. Usually, VPN experts test out whether the services truly work with Netflix and other streaming platforms.
• Try out the service for free. Most VPN providers have pretty long money-back guarantees. In this way, you can see whether the VPN of your choice truly unblocks the Netflix libraries that you need.
• Check out the features. If you have devices that don’t support VPN connections but are good for streaming Netflix (PlayStation, for example), look for a VPN that offers the SmartDNS feature. Alternatively, you might look into a VPN that supports router connections.

Of course, make sure that the VPN offers servers in the country whose Netflix library you want to unblock.

How does Netflix know you're using a VPN?

If you've tried using a proxy or a VPN to unblock Netflix before, chances are that you are pretty familiar with this message:

Netflix stops you from accessing its international library geographic licensing restrictions. It has to buy licenses for movies and shows to be distributed in different countries. If the company thinks that a certain piece of content won’t be popular in your country, it simply won’t buy the necessary license.

To prevent people from using a VPN, Netflix came up with methods that render many of them useless. Here's how Netflix knows that you're using a VPN:

• Blacklisting major VPN providers. Netflix knows that VPNs exist. So, they seek out lists of IP ranges that belong to a certain provider and block them from accessing a service altogether. This is a problem often suffered by free VPN providers – they're often blacklisted from even accessing Netflix in the first place. But even the top premium options suffer from that, this is why many of them have streaming-suited servers, which Netflix is yet to discover and block.
• Blocking IP addresses. Netflix tracks how many people use the same IP address. As IP addresses are often shared, it is no suspicion to see dozens of people connected on the same one. However, with thousands of people on the same IP, it's bound to raise suspicion. Whenever one IP shares too many simultaneous connections, Netflix locates it and blocks it.

Luckily, there are still ways to bypass these blocks and access Netflix using a VPN.

How to bypass the Netflix VPN block

If you’ve already bought a yearly subscription to a VPN and it suddenly stopped working with Netflix (while it’s already past the money-back guarantee period), don’t take it very hard. There are a few things you can try before canceling your VPN subscription:

• Try a bunch of different servers in the same country (as there might be an IP address left that isn’t yet blocked) or simply wait and try again later – you may be in luck this time.
• Ask customer support for help. A support agent can point out which servers unblock certain Netflix libraries. Or maybe your VPN has launched specialized streaming servers that you can use for an extra buck or so.
• Buy a static IP address that belongs only to you or a select group of people – small enough not to be suspected as an IP that belongs to a VPN service. Keep in mind that your static IP will be bound to a single country and that it doesn’t guarantee access to geo-blocked Netflix content.

Finally, you shouldn’t forget that shows and movies are usually available in multiple countries. For example, I accidentally stumbled upon all the seasons of My Hero Academia on Indian Netflix (while my VPN couldn’t unblock the Japanese library, which is the first to spring to mind when it comes to anime).

Unblocking Netflix across the globe

In case you’re wondering which Netflix libraries you can access with a VPN, you might find the table below pretty useful. However, keep in mind that some of the info might differ at the time of reading this article.

VPNs that don't work with Netflix

Unfortunately, there are many VPN services that are currently blocked by Netflix. These include some top services, such as:

• Private Internet Access (PIA). Despite its huge server fleet, PIA VPN didn’t manage to unblock the US or the UK content of Netflix. However, some user reports suggest that you might have some luck with some of the more obscure servers.
• Mullvad VPN. Right now, this VPN only allows you to watch geo-blocked content on Youtube. It doesn’t allow you to access Netflix, BBC iPlayer, or DAZN.
• TorGuard VPN. TorGuard isn’t the best VPN for Netflix because it can’t unblock this streaming site. However, you won’t get any proxy error - it will still let you watch the content available in your country.

Keep in mind that the situation with VPN services and Netflix is constantly changing. If a VPN can’t unblock this streaming site today, it doesn’t mean that it won’t work tomorrow.

Is it illegal to use a VPN for Netflix?

First and foremost, you have to know that using a VPN for Netflix is completely legal. You won’t get fined or anything like that - Netflix won’t even ban your account, so there’s no reason to get too nervous when you see the proxy error message that scolds you for using a website unblocker.

However, unblocking Netflix is against their Terms of Service:

You may view the Netflix content primarily within the country in which you have established your account and only in geographic locations where we offer our service and have licensed such content.

With that said, it is not a criminal activity comparable to torrenting or otherwise pirating licensed content, and Netflix isn't known to enforce this clause. You can say that it falls into a grey area, leaving the decision solely to your own conscience.

On the other hand, keep in mind that in some countries the general use of VPNs is downright illegal. You should be especially careful if you’re currently visiting or reside in China, Russia, Iran, or the UAE.

Which country has the best Netflix library?

Even though most users look for the US Netflix library when trying to unblock the service, there are lots of countries that offer even more content.

So, according to the newest data, the country with the biggest Netflix library in January, 2021 is Ireland (6,379 titles).

Other countries with the biggest libraries are as follows: Malaysia (6,361), Indonesia (6,264), the Philippines (6,196), Canada (6,162), the Czech Republic (6,129), Singapore (5,960), the UK (5,954), Hungary (5,926), and New Zealand (5,834).

But it's not just the quantity that matters. For instance, Netflix Japan is highly rated by many users, as it offers plenty of exclusive content, not available in many countries. Not every VPN can unlock it – we cover a lot of this information in our guide on watching Japanese Netflix.

In total, Netflix owns 13,900 titles. Wouldn’t it be great if they were available all at once?

Does Netflix work with free VPN?

If you’re already paying for your Netflix subscription, spending extra for a VPN service seems preposterous. Unfortunately, in most cases, this is the only way to unblock the libraries because free VPNs rarely do their job well. Download speed is incredibly important for Netflix, and penny pinching free VPNs simply don't offer enough resources. Plus, free VPNs share a small number of IPs, and they're usually blocked by Netflix already.

On the other hand, trying a free VPN for Netflix won’t hurt - especially as there are a couple of free services that are occasionally able to unblock certain Netflix libraries - according to our tests and user experience.

Windscribe is a good example of a great Netflix VPN, as its free version might still unblock content for the US audiences. On the other hand, the paid subscription of Windscribe should work with more Netflix libraries.

With all that said, stay away from the fully free (not freemium) VPNs - these have a tendency to do awful things to your privacy or security (or both).

Bottom line

If you feel that Netflix geo-blocking is unfair, you’re not alone. Millions of people use VPNs every single day to unblock movies, TV shows, and documentaries. Netflix restrictions become especially frustrating when you realize that your country’s library lacks a season or two of your favorite show, leaving you on a cliffhanger.

So, all things considered, getting a Netflix VPN is totally worth it. It’s one of the only methods to access movies and shows legally, letting you stay away from such illegal activities like torrenting copyrighted content.

Of course, it would be much more convenient if Netflix made all their content available internationally. But, for the time being, we have to rely on services like NordVPN and ExpressVPN to make our lives a little bit more interesting.

FAQ

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