Best VPNs for Plex with remote access in 2024
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Plex is an American streaming media service that works based on a client-server model. Meaning that users can share their own content library with other users through Plex servers.
The main problem with this platform is that its content is geo-restricted so you can’t access exclusive movies and shows if you’re not located in that specific region. Luckily, the best Plex VPNs can help you unblock any Plex library from anywhere in the world and even access it remotely.
NordVPN is our top choice since it easily unblocked the American library for us. The streaming resolution was excellent and it even removed pop-ups and banners to improve the streaming experience.
If you’re interested in other options, we’ve prepared a full list of best VPNs for Plex based on their unblocking capabilities, features, and performance. You can find it right below.
Top 5 best VPNs for Plex:
- NordVPN – overall best VPN for Plex
- Surfshark – top-class Plex VPN for streaming
- PureVPN – excellent VPN to watch American Plex
- Atlas VPN – great VPN for Plex movie marathons
- Norton VPN – solid Plex VPN choice
What to look for in the best Plex VPN?
If you’re not sure how to choose the best VPN for Plex, here’s what in our honest opinion one should provide:
- Large server fleet. Having the ability to choose from a variety of different servers across the globe can significantly improve your experience on Plex. For one, you can access exclusive content from any country and find servers with a fast and stable connection. So always seek VPNs with many servers in different countries.
- Great performance. Best Plex VPNs should also provide excellent streaming performance – easy access to geo-restricted content, a reliable connection, no buffering, and good resolution. And keep in mind that some of our best streaming VPNs definitely tick all the boxes.
- Features. Make sure to check whether your chosen VPN has a port forwarding feature, as it would allow you to access Plex remotely. Additionally, great VPNs should also include a reliable kill switch and split tunneling.
- Ability to remove ads. Since the free version of Plex is notorious for intrusive and annoying advertisements, VPNs with ad blockers can help you. They have in-built technology that blocks website trackers and ads so that you wouldn’t have to deal with pop-ups and banners during your streaming session.
The best VPNs for streaming Plex – our detailed list:
It might be hard to find the best VPNs for Plex. For this reason, we’ve examined numerous providers in terms of their unblocking capabilities and additional benefits for you – read all about the best ones below.
1. NordVPN – overall best VPN for watching and streaming Plex
| Servers/countries: | 6800 servers in 111 countries |
| Unblocks American Plex: | Yes |
| Includes an ad blocker: | Yes |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get 74% OFF NordVPN + 3 months free 🔥 |
NordVPN is the best VPN for Plex since it can help you unblock any country library, watch movies in excellent resolution, and enjoy an ad-free streaming experience.
Security and privacy: when it comes to data protection, NordVPN uses the advanced AES-256 and XChaCha20 encryption. In addition, it has a strict and independently audited no-logs policy that ensures your information remains private.
Performance: we’ve connected to the server in the US – there was no buffering and we’ve managed to get an excellent resolution that’s essential for a seamless streaming experience. In terms of speed, this VPN supports the NordLynx protocol and you can see live results with our VPN speed test tool.
Features: if you want to get remote access to Plex with a VPN, NordVPN has the Meshnet feature which gives access to devices over encrypted private tunnels. It also has Threat Protection (a.k.a. CyberSec) that blocks intrusive ads and split tunneling allowing you to include/exclude apps from the VPN connection.
Streaming: during our tests, this provider easily unblocked Plex when connected to an American server. Additionally, NordVPN works with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other popular streaming services.
The subscription starts from only $2.99/month for 10 simultaneous connections and includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read more about this provider in our full NordVPN review.
2. Surfshark – top Plex VPN to watch content on multiple devices
| Servers/countries: | 3200 servers in 100 countries |
| Unblocks American Plex: | Yes |
| Includes an ad blocker: | Yes |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now up to 87% OFF Surfshark + 4 months FREE 🔥 |
Surfshark also is one of the best VPN for Plex. You get unlimited simultaneous connections, many servers across the globe, and a reliable connection.
Security and privacy: your data is protected using AES-256 and XChaCha20 ciphers. On top of that, there’s an independently audited no-logs policy guaranteeing complete anonymity.
Performance: our team has examined Surfshark performance with American servers. The results are great – no delays, great video quality, and a stable connection. However, it’s expected as it supports the well-known WireGuard tunneling protocol.
Features: the most useful Surfshark features for Plex are split tunneling and CleanWeb. The former one allows you to reroute your traffic on specific apps/websites, like when watching Plex, while the latter one removes pop-ups, banners, and other ads when streaming.
Streaming: we’ve unblocked American Plex without any problems. Also since this provider has an impressive list of servers in lots of countries, you can definitely access other country libraries as well. What’s even better – it works with other major streaming platforms as well.
You can get a subscription from $1.99/month for unlimited devices with a 30-day money-back guarantee included.
Make an informed choice with our Surfshark VPN review or see how Surfshark vs NordVPN differs.
3. PureVPN – all-round VPN for Plex streaming sessions
| Servers/countries: | 6000 servers in 65 countries |
| Unblocks American Plex: | Yes |
| Includes an ad blocker: | No |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now 83% OFF PureVPN + 3 FREE months 🔥 |
PureVPN falls into the category of our best Plex VPNs as well. It has an impressive list of servers and advanced features that provide a great streaming experience.
Security and privacy: this provider not only doesn’t collect user-related information but also encodes it using the military-grade encryption. Its no-logs policy has been independently audited by a reliable auditor for compliance.
Performance: when we connected to one of the US servers, it took some time to load Plex. However, it successfully unblocked the streaming site and caused no issues when watching movies and shows. For great performance and speed, PureVPN used the well-known WireGuard.
Features: split tunneling, port forwarding, and a kill switch – there’s everything you need for a pleasant and secure streaming experience. You can selectively protect your traffic when watching Plex, get remote access to it, and remain anonymous even if a VPN connection drops.
Streaming: there were absolutely no issues when we tried unblocking American Plex. In addition, this VPN works with other popular services and can help you watch Japanese Netflix, Hulu, and others.
PureVPN costs from $2.14/month for 10 simultaneous connections and each plan gives an extended 31-day money-back guarantee.
Get more information about this VPN in our PureVPN review.
4. Atlas VPN – excellent VPN for Plex with a free version
| Servers/countries: | 1000 servers in 42 countries |
| Unblocks American Plex: | Yes |
| Includes an ad blocker: | Yes |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now up to 86% OFF + 6 months FREE! 🔥 |
Atlas VPN can also be categorized among the best VPNs for Plex since it easily unblocks the streaming site. What’s even better – there’s a free version that you can try.
Security and privacy: your data is encrypted using a 256-bit AES algorithm and this provider also doesn’t monitor or store private user information to ensure maximum security.
Performance: when trying out the VPN ourselves, we’ve quickly unblocked the American Plex and streamed good quality movies. Atlas VPN supports WireGuard, yet we’ve noticed some buffering issues which is quite odd.
Features: there’s a reliable kill switch to stop all traffic if you’re experiencing connectivity issues. In addition, this VPN has the Tracker Blocker feature that prevents third parties from spying on your online activities and blocks malicious ads.
Streaming: accessing Plex with Atlas VPN was easy and quick. We watched the Runner in the American library with no interruptions. Alternatively, it can unblock other popular streaming services if you run out of series to watch on Plex.
Subscription prices start from as low as $1.64/month for unlimited simultaneous connections with a 30-day money-back guarantee included. Plus, there’s a free version with a 5 GB monthly data allowance and access to 3 locations.
Read our Atlas VPN review to find out more.
5. Norton VPN – good Plex VPN with essential features
| Servers/countries: | 5000 servers in 28 countries |
| Unblocks American Plex: | Yes |
| Includes an ad blocker: | Yes |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now up to 80% OFF Norton VPN 🔥 |
Norton VPN can be a good choice for watching Plex. It’s capable of bypassing geo-restrictions and providing a solid video quality.
Security and privacy: AES-256 encryption and a no-logs policy are the measures that this VPN takes to secure your private information. These are the standard procedures that are also used by other VPN providers on the market.
Performance: when testing Norton VPN, we didn’t encounter any problems with unblocking Plex. The resolution wasn’t impressive but solid for watching your favorite shows. And since it doesn’t support WireGuard, I’d say these are good results.
Features: this provider offers only the essentials, such as a kill switch. In terms of additional features, there’s an Ad Tracker Blocker that removes intrusive pop-ups, banners, or redirects when streaming Plex content.
Streaming: with this VPN, you can bypass Plex geo-restrictions easily. We’ve unblocked the American library but it doesn’t work with many more streaming services – only HBO and BBC iPlayer.
Pricing starts from $0.83/month for a single device. For an additional price, you can get x simultaneous connections and try this VPN for free if you get it in a bundle with Norton antivirus.
Get more details about this provider in our Norton VPN review.
6. IPVanish – stream Plex movies on unlimited devices
| Servers/countries: | 2400 servers in 100 countries |
| Unblocks American Plex: | Yes |
| Includes an ad blocker: | No |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now up to 83% OFF IPVanish 🔥 |
IPVanish is a good VPN for unblocking Plex. Since it gives unlimited simultaneous connections you can watch your favorite movies on any of your devices and even at the same time.
Security and privacy: this provider employs the standard protection measures to keep your data safe. For that, it uses the AES-256 algorithm known as the military-grade encryption and operates under a strict no-logs policy.
Performance: we didn’t encounter any problems when unblocking Plex with American servers. However, it was strange to see some buffering since IPVanish supports the fast and reliable WireGuard protocol.
Features: when it comes to extras, this provider is not so generous. There’s a kill switch and split tunneling. Yet, the latter one is only available on Android.
Streaming: during our tests, this VPN showed great success when bypassing Plex geo-restrictions. In addition, it works with other streaming sites, such as Disney+, YouTube TV, Netflix, and others.
You can get a subscription from $2.19/month for unlimited simultaneous connections with a 30-day money-back guarantee included.
Learn more about this VPN in our IPVanish review.
7. PrivateVPN – solid VPN choice for streaming
| Servers/countries: | 200 servers in 63 countries |
| Unblocks American Plex: | Yes |
| Includes an ad blocker: | No |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Now up to 85% OFF + 24 months free 🔥 |
PrivateVPN can also be categorized as a solid VPN for Plex. It bypasses geo-restrictions without any problems and can help you unblock various global libraries from anywhere in the world.
Security and privacy: just like other VPNs on the market, PrivateVPN uses the standard protection measures. Your data is encrypted using the AES-256 cipher and there’s a strict no-logs policy put in place.
Performance: when we connected to the servers located in the US, the streaming resolution was decent but there was some buffering. It could be because this VPN supports the OpenVPN tunneling protocol instead of WireGuard.
Features: PrivateVPN covers the basics with its features. A kill switch protects against accidental data leaks and port forwarding can help you get remote access to Plex with a VPN. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer split tunneling or ad blocking features.
Streaming: we’ve tried accessing the American Plex and this VPN had no issues unblocking it. In addition, it works with other streaming services, such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, and more.
Private VPN costs from $2.00/month for 10 simultaneous connections. Each plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee and you can get a free 7-day trial.
Get more details about this provider in our PrivateVPN review.
Best VPN for Plex compared
| VPN | Rating | Unblocks Plex | Servers | Compatibility | Speed | Price |
| NordVPN | ✅ Yes | 6800 servers in 111 locations | Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS | 90% | From $2.99/month | |
| Surfshark | ✅ Yes | 3200 servers in 100 locations | Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS | 86% | From $1.99/month | |
| PureVPN | ✅ Yes | 6000 servers in 65 locations | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | 67% | From $2.14/month | |
| Norton VPN | ✅ Yes | 5000 servers in 28 locations | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | 74% | From $0.83/month | |
| IPVanish | ✅ Yes | 2400 servers in 100 locations | Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS | 80% | From $2.19/month | |
| PrivateVPN | ✅ Yes | 200 servers in 63 locations | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | 30% | From $2.00/month |
How we tested and selected these VPNs
Even though there are numerous different VPNs available on the market, it doesn’t mean they are equally good for streaming. So here’s how we’ve tested at least a dozen of them and selected only the best VPNs for Plex:
- Connected to the available servers. During the tests, we’ve connected to different servers to make sure that the VPN easily unblocks Plex. For example, when connected to the server in the US, we’ve checked if exclusive American content, such as Hannibal or Runner, is available.
- Monitored the streaming experience. Once we’ve successfully unblocked Plex with a VPN, we’ve examined the quality of resolution and whether it can provide a seamless streaming experience with no buffering. Then, selected only those VPNs that managed to provide a pleasant streaming session without any interruptions.
- Checked the offered features. We’ve also taken into consideration if a VPN offers a wide variety of features that are useful for accessing Plex and streaming movies. For that, we’ve tested the kill switch, split tunneling, port forwarding, and ad blocking features where available. Best VPNs for Plex that we’ve selected ticked all of these boxes.
- Examined the speed. A seamless streaming experience requires great speeds and a stable connection. So we’ve checked whether VPNs support the WireGuard tunneling protocol. Since it’s the fastest and safest option, only VPNs that support it were selected.
- Evaluated the pricing plans. There’s no reason to pay up for above average services when there are great products for affordable prices. We’ve carefully examined all offerings and selected VPNs with the best price and quality ratio.
Why use a VPN for Plex?
If you’re still not sure whether using a VPN for Plex is a good idea or not, here are its key benefits:
- Access geo-restricted content on Plex. Each country library has access to exclusive Plex content that is only available in that region. For example, the US library includes 15000 titles, while the UK – over 8000. A VPN can help you change your virtual location and unblock all Plex libraries from anywhere in the world. Top-class VPN service providers can also give access to other popular streaming services and let you watch American Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and others.
- Block trackers and ads while watching Plex free. The free version of this streaming service is unfortunately filled with ads that are not only annoying but can also be obtrusive to the content or even spread malware. Luckily, a VPN with an ad blocker can help you remove pop-ups and enjoy watching Plex without any interruptions or potential dangers.
- Hide your online activity from your ISP. It’s essential to also mention that your ISP and various websites can track your online behavior, such as movie preferences on Plex and general browsing habits. A VPN in this case encrypts your traffic and makes it untrackable to everyone. Meaning that when connected to a secure VPN server you can effectively stop ISP tracking.
- Enjoy your regular Plex shows while abroad. Normally, if you’ve started watching TV series at home, you wouldn’t be able to continue watching when on holiday in a different country. Traveling VPNs are excellent in this scenario since you can easily access your regular Plex content when on a business trip or holiday.
How to use a VPN with Plex?
Using a VPN for Plex is a quite simple process. However, if you’ve never used one before, we’ve prepared detailed instructions for you:
- Choose the best VPN for Plex, like NordVPN.
- Download and install the app on your device.
- Register an account or log in.
- Connect to the US server and clear cache.
- Open the official Plex website and watch your shows.
Note: We also have a comprehensive article with a how-to guide showing how to clear cookies and cache on all devices and browsers. You can use it if you’re not sure how to do it by yourself.
Plex not working with a VPN – here's how to fix it:
Some users have reported that they didn’t manage to get their VPNs to work with Plex. Meaning that they can’t access exclusive content by country even when connected to a secure VPN server.
If you’re encountering the same issue, here are the potential reasons why Plex is not working with your VPN:
- Plex has blacklisted your chosen VPN’s server.
- Your device is running an outdated OS.
- You haven’t updated your browser.
- Cookies and cache are revealing your true IP address.
You can try the following solutions:
- Switch between servers to find the one that works.
- Change the tunneling protocol in your VPN settings.
- Upgrade your OS and browser to the latest version.
- Clear cookies and cache.
Have you tried everything and still can’t watch Plex with a VPN? Then, there’s a strong possibility that your chosen VPN is not capable of bypassing geo-restrictions and unblocking Plex. In this case, we’d recommend switching to a more reliable provider.
Can I use a free VPN to access Plex?
Yes, you can use a free VPN for Plex but only if it comes from a trustworthy provider. Our top recommendations are Atlas VPN and Proton VPN since they do not collect private user information and are safe to use.
However, it’s essential to mention that even the best free VPNs come with certain limitations. Usually, they give access to servers in only a few countries and put monthly data caps. So even if you can use the services free of charge, they’re not unlimited.
In our opinion, the best alternative for a full VPN experience is trying a premium provider – you’d be surprised how affordable they are. Also, there are ways how you can get premium VPN services free of charge:
- NordVPN. Huge server selection, blazing-fast speeds, and excellent resolution when watching Plex only from $2.99/month for 10 simultaneous connections. There’s a free 7-day trial for Android users while others can try it risk-free with the 30-day money-back guarantee policy.
- Surfshark. This provider offers unlimited simultaneous connections that are perfect for streaming Plex with your family or friends at the same time. You can try it with a free 7-day trial on Mac, iOS, and Android, but the subscription prices start from as low as $2.99/month. Each plan also has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Conclusion
There’s truly exciting content on Plex that many users want to watch. Unfortunately, exclusive shows and movies are geo-restricted, meaning that they are only available for the people in a specific country. Luckily, a VPN, like NordVPN, is capable of bypassing region-based restrictions and unlocking various Plex libraries.
It has a large server fleet, advanced features, and easily unblocked the American Plex library for us. What’s even better is that its Threat Protection feature removed all intrusive ads and allowed us to stream high resolution content without any interruptions.
If you have also tried using a VPN for Plex, please share your experience with us in the comments below!
FAQ
What's the best VPN for Plex?
NordVPN is the best VPN for Plex. It has a large server fleet that you can use to easily unblock over 15000 different titles on American Plex and other libraries. In addition, this VPN includes the Threat Protection feature that blocks intrusive ads when using the free version of this streaming platform.
Can I access the Plex server remotely with a VPN?
Yes, you can get remote access to Plex with a VPN that has a port forwarding feature. For example, NordVPN offers its own take on this feature known as Meshnet. Other Plex VPNs on our list can also be useful in this case.
Does NordVPN work with Plex?
Yes, NordVPN works wonders with Plex. We’ve tested its servers in the US and unblocked American Plex without any issues. The streaming experience was pleasant – there was no buffering and the VPN even removed the intrusive ads.
How secure is Plex remote?
If you use port forwarding to access Plex remotely with VPN, it’s not perfectly secure since you open up the port to be accessed by anyone. However, if you only use the Plex Remote Access feature instead of a VPN, the company claims it’s completely safe.
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