How to watch Netflix with a VPN: It’s EASY! (2023)

You may or may not be aware that Netflix is one of the biggest streaming services in the world. It’s available in 190 countries worldwide and is only banned in five. However, although Netflix is available in all of these countries, the content available to watch is dictated by which country you’re in.

Some countries like the US and UK have much more content than other countries like Georgia and Panama. And if you’re travelling abroad or away from home, you may want to change your Netflix location to gain access to your home library.

There’s a number of ways to do this, however we think the easiest and most reliably way is with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

But not all VPNs are created equal, some VPNs work with Netflix, and a lot won’t. You’ll know the one you’ve chosen isn’t working because you’ll run into VPN not working issues and or errors that say, “You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again.”

The good news is there are VPNs that work reliably with Netflix. This article will explain what a VPN is and how to watch Netflix from any country using one of the best VPNs for Netflix.

How to watch Netflix with a VPN: Quick Guide

To watch Netflix with a VPN, follow these simple steps:

What is a VPN?

When thinking about your online data and what happens to it when visiting apps or websites like Netflix, the easiest way to understand it is it’s like putting mail (your data) in an envelope and sending the mail to a friend (the online service you’re trying to access, Netflix). If someone intercepts the mail and opens it, they can see the information inside.

When you go online, your data travels through numerous networks to reach its destination and if you don’t protect this data, it can be cut off and viewed by others.

A VPN acts as a unique envelope for your data in that it encrypts all of your information into an unreadable code that can only be understood by your computer and the VPN server.

This does two things. First, it allows you to surf the internet privately. Because your data is encrypted, even if someone could intercept it, they won’t be able to read or view the information stored here. Second, it adds a level of security to your online connection. Using a VPN creates a secure tunnel between your device and the internet, making it more difficult for people trying to steal your data from accessing it.

Additionally, a VPN can help bypass geographic restrictions. For example, suppose you’re trying to access a website, streaming service or app that’s only available in a specific location. A VPN can make it look like you’re browsing the internet from that location. This will give you access to geo-blocked content like Netflix libraries from around the world. It does this by changing your IP address.

Every device connected to the internet has a unique identifier called an IP address. This IP address tells the online service you’re visiting, Netflix, where to send the data you’ve requested. However, this poses a bit of a problem in that for this to work, your IP address needs to contain information about your physical location, i.e. it shows which country you’re in.

When you connect to a VPN server, your online data is sent to the VPN before reaching its destination. When you connect to Netflix from your home location, instead of Netflix seeing your home, it sees the location of the VPN server. This will make it look like you’re browsing the internet from that location and give you access to content only available in that location.

What is a good VPN for Netflix?

A good VPN for Netflix needs to be able to do numerous things:

1. VPN Speed: the best VPNs for Netflix need to be fast. This means they need to have servers and infrastructure that enable them to retain fast internet speeds. If you use a slow VPN, you’ll run into buffering and loading issues when using a VPN with Netflix. We prefer a VPN that has a large network of dedicated servers.
2. Servers: the best VPNs for Netflix need to have servers all over the world. This will allow you to access any Netflix library that you want, giving you access to even more content.
3. Security: if a VPN cannot guarantee a 100% secure connection or isn’t a safe VPN then it won’t work well with Netflix. This is because Netflix blocks VPNs. A VPN that isn’t secure is much easier for Netflix to identify and block.
4. Reliability: the most important feature a VPN needs to have is it needs to be able to get around Netflix’s VPN-blocking techniques. If a VPN cannot do this, your VPN won’t work with Netflix, and you’ll run the common Netflix not working with VPN error “You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again.”

How do we test the best VPNs for Netflix?

We test VPNs for Netflix over multiple criteria:

1. We test how secure the VPN is: We do this by running it through DNS leak tests. If the VPN has a DNS leak issue, it has an issue with its security, as internet service providers (ISPs) can still potentially see your online data. The best VPNs don’t come across these sorts of issues.
2. The number of servers: The best VPNs have thousands of servers around the world. The more servers, the better. Lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, don’t have many servers meaning there’s less opportunity for you to surf the web anonymously.
3. Speed: We measure the speed of a VPN by doing speed tests for multiple servers worldwide. We then compare this to our base internet speed with a VPN turned off.
4. Compatibility with streaming services: A critical use case for VPNs is the ability to access geo-blocked streaming services. Unfortunately, these services try and prevent VPNs from accessing their platforms. The best VPNs have measures in place to get around these blocks. When testing a VPN, we try it with several geo-blocked streaming services. The best VPNs will allow you to watch all the leading streaming services worldwide.
5. Price: Based on our research, the average cost of the top 20 VPNs is $4.33/month. We use this as a comparison when looking for the best-value VPNs.
6. Devices: VPNs are usually compatible with more than one device simultaneously. Obviously, the more, the better.

The best VPNs for Netflix

Will any VPN work with Netflix?

VPNs are becoming incredibly popular. Experts suggest one third – of the 5 billion online users – now use a VPN as of 2023.

With this popularity, there has been an influx of VPNs. But unfortunately, not all VPNs are great, and not any VPN will work with Netflix.

The reason for this is because Netflix tries to block VPNs, and a lot of VPNs struggle to get around these blocks. Free VPNs are especially susceptible to Netflix’s blocks.

To get around Netflix’s restrictions, a VPN must have the infrastructure and financial backing to stay one step ahead of the streaming service. Most VPNs simply don’t have this kind of support. This could mean you spend money on a VPN that isn’t going to work with Netflix. 

So, to avoid that, you need to use a VPN that can beat Netflix’s blocks. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month)

Both ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month) have fast servers worldwide, they each use a proprietary protocol specially designed for speed and security and most importantly, they have measures in place to ensure they remain compatible with Netflix. 

How does Netflix block VPNs?

The good news is Netflix cannot block a VPN in its entirety. However it can block the IP addresses a VPN provides.

It does this using three main techniques:

1. Online services check for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks. This is a basic test that good VPNs don’t fail. However, if you’re using a cheap VPN, there’s a chance your connection might not be fully watertight. Making it insecure. And detectable.

2. GeoIP databases, such as MaxMind, also verify the IP address you’re connecting from. If your VPN is using an IP address that’s on one of these lists, you won’t be able to use Netflix.

3. Netflix also performs its own IP checks. If Netflix detects an abnormal number of simultaneous connections or internet traffic coming from the same IP, it will blacklist that address too.

Does Netflix still work with a VPN?

Yes, Netflix works with a VPN, however, you need to use a VPN that has measures in place to get around Netflix’s VPN-blocking techniques.

ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month) are very good at this.

This is because Both ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and NordVPN ($3.19/month) play a game of cat and mouse with Netflix. 

Netflix is getting pretty good at identifying and blocking IP addresses provided by VPNs. If an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) gets blocked by Netflix, these VPNs will close that IP address and open a new unblocked one.

This simple measure will allow you to watch Netflix reliably with a VPN.

Is watching Netflix with a VPN legal?

In most countries, using a VPN is legal. There are only a handful of countries (spot the authoritarianism link) where using a VPN is illegal; these are China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.

If you’re outside these countries and are using a VPN, you’re legally allowed to do so. However, it’s important to know that using a VPN with some streaming services may breach that service’s terms of use.

If you subscribe to a streaming service, you automatically accept its terms of use. If we look at Netflix’s terms of use, it states, “You may access 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.” And “You also agree not to circumvent, remove, alter, deactivate, degrade or thwart any of the content protections in the Netflix service; use any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means to access the Netflix service… We may terminate or restrict your use of our service if you violate these Terms of Use or are engaged in illegal or fraudulent use of the service.”

This means, Netflix can stop your subscription and ban you from the streaming service if you try to access its content with a VPN turned on.

However, given the wide-spread use of VPNs, plus the many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, it’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for Netflix (and other streaming services) to enforce.

If you’re trying to watch Netflix in a region where it does not traditionally operate or you’re trying to change the location of the Netflix library, you risk having your account banned. In theory. However, as the best VPNs for Netflix use military-grade encryption, it is impossible for Netflix to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.

There’s one final thing to note on the subject: Netflix has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.

Will a free VPN work with Netflix?

Free VPNs are attractive choices when trying to secure your online connection or watch Netflix in a different location. However, there are a number of reasons why we don’t recommend using a free VPN with Netflix.

1. Limited Security: Free VPNs often aren’t as secure as other VPNs. They don’t usually have strong encryption protocols, and some free VPNs have even been found logging user data. This means the VPN is collecting your online data and, in some cases, selling it to third parties. This compromises your online privacy and goes against the main reason for using a VPN in the first place.
2. Feature restrictions: If you’re using a free VPN, you’ll probably come across limitations in regard to the features. There may be a limit on the number of servers you can access, there are often limits on the amount of data you can use with the VPN, and there have even been examples of reductions in speed. This can hamper the online experience and make streaming content or downloading files with the VPN difficult.
3. Lack of customer support: VPNs can sometimes be tricky to navigate, and the best VPNs often have customer support to assist you when you’re having trouble. Free VPNs very rarely have customer support options.
4. Limited server locations: If you’re using a VPN to watch a streaming service, it’s better to have more servers worldwide. Free VPNs often have severe limitations in regard to how many servers they have available. This can make it more difficult to access specific content.

But if you can’t afford a premium VPN, you can take a look at what we consider the best free VPNs for Netflix. However, it’s important to know that you’ll still probably run into the same issues even with these VPNs.