Is Netflix detecting Hola VPN? The news isn’t good. For the past few years, Netflix has started detecting and blacklisting VPNs. Hola is just one of many VPNs to have its servers blocked by the popular online streaming service. But don’t worry, there is still a way you can fight back. Here we show you what you need to do if Netflix isn’t working with Hola VPN anymore.
Why is Netflix blocking Hola VPN?
To understand why Netflix is aggressively blocking VPNs, you have to look at its business model. Netflix is an American company, that serves 190 different countries around the world. This means it has 190 different country’s licensing laws to adhere to. Which, in short, means it cannot serve the same content to all of its customers.
The USA has the biggest library by far. At the time of writing, it offers 1,157 TV shows and 4,593 Movies to its customers in the States. Compare that to New Zealand – where I am sat, writing this article – and that figure drops to 440 and 1,569 respectively. Or about 38% and 34% of the US library.
The reason the US has a much bigger library is understandable. It has more customers. Which means more buying power. The most recent stats suggest there are 57.71m US subscribers to Netflix. New Zealand only has 1.2m by comparison.
This is important, as Netflix licenses the vast majority of its content from American TV networks. If Netflix wants to add old episodes of Games of Thrones (for example) to its libraries, it has to negotiate a licensing fee with HBO (the content owners). Licenses are negotiated on a country-by-country basis. And as the US has the most Netflix subscribers, it has the ability to license the most content.
If Netflix wants to be taken seriously by the likes of HBO at future licensing negotiations, it has to prove that it has the ability to prevent its subscribers from location spoofing. Which essentially means it has to block VPNs.
How does Netflix block Hola VPN?
The methodology behind Netflix’s VPN ban is easy to understand. Free and/or VPNs have large numbers of users and much, much, much smaller numbers of servers. This creates a bottleneck as users from all over the world connect to VPN servers in America to watch US Netflix.
This makes a VPN easy to spot on Netflix’s side as it will see tens/hundreds/thousands of connections coming from the same IP address. Note that an IP address is the equivalent of a single internet connection, so a normal IP address connecting to Netflix would be an average household. Which means no more than 1-5 simultaneous connections to Netflix at the same time.
When Netflix detects an abnormally large number of connections coming from the same IP address (such as a VPN server) it blacklists it. And when this happens you’ll see the “Whoops, something went wrong… Proxy Detected – You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn these off and try again.” error message.
Netflix detecting Hola VPN? How to fix!
Luckily, there still is something you can do. And it’s an easy fix. You just need to use the right VPN.
As we explain above, free and cheap VPNs are ill-equipped to deal with the problem. You need a VPN provider that understands the problem, has a fix in place and monitors its server connections to Netflix 24/7. The three VPNs below all do this.
If you can afford it, the best way to deal with Netflix detecting VPNs is to buy a dedicated IP. This will prevent your IP address (connection to US Netflix) being shared with other customers. Which, in theory, means you’ll never get blacklisted. I’ve been using a dedicated IP in the UK with PureVPN since December, as BBC iPlayer detects VPNs too, and it’s worked perfectly.
1. ExpressVPN
$6.67/month
If you don’t mind paying a few extra dollars a month, ExpressVPN is a great choice. It’s my VPN of choice for watching US Netflix via my Amazon Fire TV Stick (the best way to watch Netflix using a VPN on an actual TV). I spoke to the marketing manager at ExpressVPN to find out how they combatted the Netflix VPN ban and was told they have a dedicated team that constantly monitors its servers and their connections to US Netflix.
ExpressVPN also has an excellent live chat feature on its website where you can instantly speak to a support agent 24/7.
Click here to get 3 months FREE with a 12-month package.
2. NordVPN
$2.75/month
Dedicated IP: $70/year
This is another excellent choice. It’s considerably cheaper than ExpressVPN and its service is every bit as good. The one feature that holds it back is the lack of an official Fire TV Stick app. You can still install NordVPN on the Fire TV Stick, but it’s a bit of a faff and it’s not perfect. That said, the connection on every other device (Mac, Windows, iOS and Android) is great.
NordVPN also has a technical team that monitors its server’s connections to US Netflix to ensure it provides the maximum amount of uptime. There’s also an excellent support page on the website where you can see a live list of the servers that are working with US Netflix. If you need further assistance, a live chat service is also available 24/7.
New offer: For $70/year you can now buy a dedicated IP with NordVPN. This is a little more expensive than PureVPN’s dedicated IP, but with NordVPN the dedicated IP works across all of its apps. Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. Whereas PureVPN’s dedicated IP relies on customers manually entering their server information into their Android or iOS’s (built-in) VPN settings.
Click here to save 77% on NordVPN.
3. PureVPN
$2.49/month
Dedicated IP: $1.99/month
The final VPN we recommend it PureVPN. However, we only suggest PureVPN is you’re willing to buy a dedicated IP too. This will cost an extra $1.99/month, but it guarantees you a working connection with US Netflix, as you won’t be sharing your IP with other customers.
The PureVPN app proper also offers a working connection to Netflix. However, this is only when you use the Windows or Mac app. Using the iOS or Android-based PureVPN app has a much lower success rate with US Netflix. PureVPN is working on a fix for this, so watch this space.
Note: If you want to use your dedicated IP on Android or iOS, you’ll need to go into your device’s VPN setting and manually enter your PureVPN login and dedicated information. It’s an easy job and only takes two minutes. PureVPN’s live chat agents will guide you step-by-step through the process if you need help.
Click here to get PureVPN for $2.49/month.
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