Best VPNs for Animal Planet

Animal lovers that want to watch the best shows Animal Planet has to offer while outside the US will need a VPN. If your current VPN refuses to connect, its American servers may have been blocked by Animal Planet. Our quick guide uncovers the best Animal Planet VPNs, explaining the steps to take if your current VPN isn’t working with Animal Planet.

If the VPN you’re using at the moment isn’t working with Animal Planet, you may have signed up for a mediocre service that doesn’t do a good job of replacing its blacklisted servers. Our own recommended VPNs won’t let you down.

Now over 20 years old, Animal Planet (owned by Discovery) is a dedicated to showing nature series and documentaries. It’s most popular shows include Animal Cops, Deadliest Catch, Gator Boys and River Monsters. Full streaming of episodes is only officially available for US viewers, but a VPN can help you tune in regardless.

Our expert guide reveals the most reliable Animal Planet VPNs that work from anywhere in the world. Leave your dodgy VPN behind and try one of our superior alternatives instead.

See also: Best VPNs for watching US Netflix on PS4

Can I watch Animal Planet abroad?

Watching Animal Planet from outside the US or abroad doesn’t have to be tricky. To get set up, you’ll need an account with a US TV network that broadcasts Animal Planet, plus a subscription to a VPN.

Animal Planet VPN error message

There are a couple of ways to watch Animal Planet. You can use the official Animal Planet website to stream live content. Alternatively, you can try downloading the Animal Planet Go app on your smartphone or tablet and watch while you’re travelling.

As  Animal Planet is only available in certain parts of the world, you might see an error message if you try to view it from a restricted country. A frustrating warning on the website says: “We’re sorry. This site is not available in your region”.

Without a VPN, your non-US IP address will prevent you from streaming Animal Planet. Sign up with one of our recommended VPNs and you won’t have any problems.

A VPN can give you access to the Animal Planet website and smartphone app even if you’re watching from outside the US. A VPN disguises your IP and make it look like you’re tuning in from within the US. Without a VPN, your non-US IP address will be detected and blocked.

Animal planet fans all around the world are teaming up with reliable VPNs to get their fix. Popular picks include ExpressVPN (£5.13/month), a trusted service that hosts servers in America. There are plenty of options if you don’t want to spend quite as much – Ivacy (£1.02/month) is a fantastic example.

You can catch our full list of recommended Animal Planet VPNs below.

Animal Planet not working with VPN?

If your current VPN isn’t working with Animal Planet, you’re probably using a service that struggles to replace its blacklisted servers. When a website blocks a VPN server, you can’t spoof your location to bypass geo-restricted content. The worst VPNs don’t offer live chat support, either.

The VPNs we’re recommending in our expert Animal Planet VPN guide aren’t let down by these issues. They’re easy to set up for the first time, quick to use and do a brilliant job of replacing servers that aren’t up to scratch.

If you want to guarantee you’re using a VPN that offers hassle-free access to Animal Planet, make sure you sign up with one of our recommended VPNs. All of the VPNs in our guide offer superb value for money – we wouldn’t recommend them if they didn’t.

To get started, simply follow these steps:

  1. Get ExpressVPN (£5.13/month) or Ivacy (£1.02/month)
  2. Download and install the VPN app on your desktop or mobile
  3. Connect to a US-based VPN server
  4. Visit the Animal Planet website and log in with your cable television provider
  5. Watch Animal Planet from anywhere in the world

And that’s all there is to it. Buying and running a VPN doesn’t have to be complicated if you want to watch Animal Planet abroad. If you haven’t committed to a VPN yet, take your pick of our five favourite Animal Planet VPNs.

Best VPNs for Animal Planet 2019

1. ExpressVPN

Price: £5.13/month

Best Animal Planet VPNs - ExpressVPN

We recommend ExpressVPN if you want to watch Animal Planet shows outside the US. This trusted VPN is one of the best around, running on desktops and mobile gadgets.

By installing ExpressVPN, you can assign yourself an American IP address to access Animal Planet on desktop or through the Animal Planet Go smartphone app. ExpressVPN will keep your real IP address and location hidden at all times, so your identity will remain a mystery while you’re streaming.

By signing up to ExpressVPN, you’ll get instant access to over 150 servers in more than 90 countries all over the world. You can obviously use a US-based server if you want to watch Animal Planet, but there are no limits on using other servers if you need to. You might also want to access an Asian streaming server from the UK, for example.

A single ExpressVPN account gives you access to the service on lots of different devices. You can use ExpressVPN to watch Animal Planer shows on computers, smartphones, games consoles and smart TVs.

As ExpressVPN runs a 24/7 live chat service for all members, you’ll have around-the-clock access to technical assistance if you have any questions.

Click here to get ExpressVPN for £5.13/month


2. Ivacy

Price: £1.02/month

Best Animal Planet VPNs - Ivacy

Ivacy is the cheapest VPN on our list, but it’s still powerful enough to give you access to Animal Planet from anywhere in the world. For just over £1 a month, you get super-secure US-based VPN servers, so you’ll never encounter the dreaded ‘not available in your region’ error message.

This budget-priced VPN might turn your head if you’re looking for something cheap. It provides a network of over 1,000 different servers in over 100 locations.

Ivacy can effectively mask your true IP address and assign you a new one, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access streaming services. In just a couple of clicks, you’ll be enjoying Animal Planet with your new US IP address. Anonymous web browsing will also stop your ISP from throttling your internet connection. Ivacy enforces a strict ‘no logs’ policy, so none of your information will be shared with third parties.

As an added layer of protection, Ivacy uses a network kill switch. Ivacy will detect a dropped connection and instantly halt all network traffic, keeping the VPN in a paused state. This means that even if you lose connection without warning, your real IP address and therefore your real identify won’t be exposed.

Sign up to Ivacy for Animal Planet and you’ll be protected across five separate devices at the same time. This fantastic, affordable VPN runs on smartphones, Kodi boxes, games consoles, Roku streaming sticks, routers, Smart TVs and more.

Click here to get Ivacy for £1.02/month


3. NordVPN

Price: £3.04/month

Best Animal Planet VPNs - NordVPN

NordVPN is another secure VPN perfect for streaming your favourite Animal Planet series and documentaries. It’s an easy-to-use VPN that’s protected by military-grade encryption. Your personal information is kept behind closed doors.

With an American IP address assigned to you through NordVPN, you can watch Animal Planet on your computer or using your mobile phone.

This is another example of a VPN with a strict ‘no logs’ policy for all of its users. With complete anonymity guaranteed, nobody will be able to see which websites you visit or which files you stream and download.

You have your choice of over 5,500 servers in 60 countries. As NordVPN says on its website, having more servers means less load, so you’ll rarely find yourself struggling to maintain a connection. NordVPN is clever enough to automatically select the best server for you based on the country you select from the world map view.

Click here to get NordVPN for £3.04/month


4. PureVPN

Price: £2.49/month

Best Animal Planet VPNs - PureVPN

PureVPN will let you watch Animal Planet from anywhere, but the service has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve.

This affordable VPN will let you catch live TV shows and sporting events wherever you are. PureVPN is going from strength to strength, now with over 3 million people signed up to enjoy its benefits.

Like Ivacy, PureVPN uses a network kill switch for added protection. It also supports a handy split tunnelling feature, so you can decide which data to send through your ISP and which to send through your VPN. Up to five devices can be connected to PureVPN with just a single PureVPN account.

Signing up to PureVPN today will see you treated to hundreds of nippy servers around the world. If you’re looking for Animal Planet shows, just make sure you’re connected to a server in the US. All PureVPN members are able to switch between servers as many times as needed.

PureVPN obviously runs perfectly on PC, but you can use it on the move, too. Google’s Chromecast streaming stick is also compatible.

Click here to get PureVPN for £2.49/month


See also: How to Watch BritBox abroad: Stream BritBox Outside USA and Canada

David is a professional journalist. He's been reviewing lifestyle and technology products since 2007. His CV boasts a series of high-profile websites that he's previously edited and managed. These sites include PCAdvisor.co.uk, TechAdvisor.co.uk, PCPro.co.uk, Alphr.com and ExpertReviews.co.uk. Reviewsfire.com is his new project.