Hulu is constantly trying to block VPNs from accessing its service. The reason ExpressVPN isn’t working with Hulu for you right now is probably a direct result of that: Hulu has (temporarily) detected and blacklisted all of ExpressVPN’s servers and IP addresses.
However, that might not be the case. If you’re lucky the error will just be a conflict of information from your browser cookies and current IP address (see the guide below to fix).
But, if that doesn’t work, the only “fix” you have left, is to switch VPNs to one that hasn’t been blacklisted by Hulu (I recommend NordVPN – $3.49/month).
Continue reading if you want to discover how and why Hulu is able to block ExpressVPN, and what you can do to prevent it from happening again in the future.
See also
ExpressVPN not working with Hulu: Fixes
There are three steps you can take to try and fix ExpressVPN not working with Hulu. After trying one, if Hulu still doesn’t work, move onto the next step until the problem is resolved.
Total Time: 5 minutes
Delete Cookies
Deleting your cookies is a great place to start when trying to fix ExpressVPN not working with Hulu.
Cookies are used to make your online experience better however, in order to do that, they sometimes contain information about your location.
If you’re outside of the US and watching Hulu. Hulu can use these cookies to identify your location and block you from accessing its content, even if you’re using ExpressVPN.
Change to a different US server on ExpressVPN
Hulu may have stopped working because the IP address ExpressVPN has given you has been identified and blacklisted by Hulu.
Hulu doesn’t have the capacity to block ExpressVPN outright; however it can block the IP addresses it provides. And just because Hulu has been able to block this IP address, it doesn’t mean it has blocked all of them.
Changing to a different US server will provide you with a different IP, and if that IP hasn’t been blacklisted, by Hulu, then ExpressVPN will work again.
Upgrade to a more reliable VPN
Hulu constantly monitors for VPN connections and tries to block them. The best way to get around this is to use a VPN that has measures in place to get around these blocks.
If deleting your cookies and changing to a different US server doesn’t fix ExpressVPN not working with Hulu, then Hulu has been able to block all of ExpressVPN’s current IP addresses, and you’ll have to wait for the VPN to fix the issue on their side.
The quickest and most effective way to fix this is to use a VPN that is compatible with Hulu. We recommend Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
Why has ExpressVPN suddenly stopped working with Hulu?
The reason ExpressVPN is no longer working with Hulu is because all of its current IP addresses have been blacklisted by the streaming service.
Hulu does not have the rights to broadcast its content internationally. Only customers in the US can use the service. For this reason, Hulu tries to prevent users from outside the US from accessing its content.
If Hulu doesn’t attempt to block customers outside its broadcast zone, it could potentially run into content and licensing issues. VPNs are a well-known way to spoof your IP address and watch Hulu outside of the US, and this is why Hulu tries to identify and block VPN connections.
How does Hulu block ExpressVPN?
The main way Hulu blocks ExpressVPN is by monitoring IP addresses connecting to its service.
In order for a VPN to work as a business, they need to have more customers than IP addresses. Hulu knows this, and it uses it to its advantage. This business model means that customers using ExpressVPN have to share IP addresses. When Hulu notices an abnormal (more than an average household) amount of connections coming from the same IP, it knows that that is an IP that has been provided by ExpressVPN and it blocks it.
This isn’t specific to ExpressVPN. This happens to all VPNs. What’s important is if a VPN has measures in place to get around this. Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) does have these sorts of measures.
Does Hulu still work with VPNs?
Yes, Hulu will still work with a VPN, but you need to use a VPN that has IP addresses that are still compatible with the service. Compatible means you need a VPN that hasn’t had all of its IP addresses blocked by Hulu.
You can either wait for ExpressVPN to release more IP addresses that haven’t been blocked by Hulu however, you may run into this error again. Or to fix the problem, you could upgrade to a VPN that plays a game of cat and mouse with Hulu. To properly fix the issue you need a VPN like Private Internet Access ($2.03/month)
When Hulu identifies and blocks an IP provided by Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) this VPN will close that IP and open a new one. This allows you to watch Hulu from anywhere in the world reliably, and it will help to prevent the errors you’ve run into from happening again.
How to fix ExpressVPN not working with Hulu
To fix ExpressVPN not working with Hulu, you need to upgrade to a better VPN. Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will allow you to watch the service from anywhere in the world reliably.
Below is a list of the best VPNs to watch Hulu outside of the US. All of these VPNs are able to stay one step ahead of Hulu’s VPN blocking techniques and they all have reliable servers around the world.
The best VPNs to watch Hulu
1. Private Internet Access 🥇
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
Special Offer – Save 83%
(30-day money-back guarantee)
2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
SPECIAL OFFER – SAVE 70%!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
3. Ivacy 🥉
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
4. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
Take advantage of CyberGhost’s 1-day FREE TRIAL!
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
(30-day money-back guarantee)
