If you’ve been watching Pluto TV with a VPN and it’s no longer working, then unfortunately Pluto TV has managed to block the IP address your VPN has given you.
This has happened because your VPN is no longer able to stay one step ahead of Pluto TV’s VPN blocking techniques.
Fortunately, there’s no need to panic, there’s a number of fixes you can try to resolve this problem.
This article will explain how you can fix Pluto TV not working with VPN and how you can prevent these issues from happening again in the future.
See also:
- How to watch Pluto TV outside the US: The EASY way! (2023)
- Google Play Store not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (2023)
Pluto TV not working with VPN: Fixes
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Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix Pluto TV not working with VPN is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used to streamline your online experience. Pluto TV uses them to save information like your account details so you can login quicker.
The problem with these files is they contain information about your physical location.
If the information stored on your Cookies, differs from the location selected on your VPN, Pluto TV knows your using a VPN and blocks the connection.
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Change to a different server
If your VPN is no longer working with Pluto TV, try changing to a different server.
The reason you’re suddenly running into errors watching Pluto TV with your VPN is because Pluto TV is constantly monitoring and trying to block VPN IP addresses. In this case, the streaming service has been successful in doing so.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address and if this one hasn’t been blocked by Pluto TV, you’ll be able to watch the streaming service again.
Just make sure it’s a server in a country where Pluto TV is available: USA, UK, Austria, Canada, Germany or Switzerland.
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Reinstall your VPN
If your VPN has suddenly stopped working with Pluto TV, you may have inadvertently downloaded an error that’s interrupting the software.
A good way to get rid of these issues is to reinstall your VPN.
This ensures you have the latest version of your VPN, including any bug-fixing updates. It also means you’ll have a fresh installation of the software, so any errors or bugs you may have picked up will be erased.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
If the above fixes didn’t resolve the problem, then Pluto TV has managed to block all of your VPNs IP addresses.
This has happened because your VPN can no longer get around Pluto TV’s VPN blocking techniques.
The best way to fix Pluto TV not working with VPN is to upgrade to a VPN that has effective measures in place to stay ahead of these VPN blocks.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) works well with Pluto TV. This is because it plays a game of cat and mouse with the streaming service.
When Pluto TV identifies an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month), ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) will close that IP address and open a new one that hasn’t been blocked.
This will prevent you from running into the issues you’ve come across with your current VPN and it will allow you to watch Pluto TV reliably anywhere in the world.
Why am I running into errors when trying to watch Pluto TV?
If you’re running into errors when trying to watch Pluto TV with your VPN, it’s a sign that the streaming service has managed to identify and block the IP address your VPN has given you.
Pluto TV blocks VPNs because it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content internationally. VPNs are a well-known way of watching Pluto TV anywhere in the world and using a VPN could result in Pluto TV breaching the copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners.
These sort of breaches can often result in streaming services facing massive financial repercussions. It goes without saying, Pluto TV doesn’t want this to happen, so to prevent these breaches, Pluto TV blocks VPNs.
These blocks are why your VPN is no longer working.
How does Pluto TV block VPNs?
Pluto TV blocks VPNs using three main techniques:
- The most common technique is to do with the IP addresses that your VPN can provide. VPN providers have more customers than the number of IP addresses they can provide; this means that customers can use the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When Pluto TV sees hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN, and it blocks it.
- Pluto TV monitors for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Pluto TV teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, Pluto TV will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from, and it will block you.
Lesser VPN struggle to get around these blocks, and subsequently, all of their IP addresses get blacklisted by Pluto TV. This is what has most likely happened to your VPN.
Does Pluto TV still work with VPNs?
Pluto TV still works with VPNs. However, you need to use a VPN that can stay ahead of Pluto TV’s VPN blocks.
VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) are very good at this. These VPNs work reliably with Pluto TV because they play a game and cat and mouse with the streaming service.
Inevitably Pluto TV will sometimes identify an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month); however, when these IP addresses are blocked, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close them and open a new unblocked one.
This means there will always be an IP address for you to connect to, allowing you to stream Pluto TV from anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs to watch Pluto TV
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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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.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. 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).
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4. 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.
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5. 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
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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.
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Is watching Pluto TV with a VPN legal?
Yes, streaming Pluto TV with a VPN is legal, so long as you aren’t in a country where using a VPN is prohibited. Currently, China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan are the countries that heavily restrict or outright prohibit VPNs.
So long as you aren’t in one of these countries, using a VPN with Pluto TV is legal, however you should know that using a VPN does go against the streaming services’ terms of use.
When you sign up to Pluto TV you automatically agree to the terms and conditions. This is a contractual agreement that outlines the conditions and rights you have when using Pluto TV. In here it says “You are also prohibited from using the Services (or attempting to use the Services, or allowing, enabling or condoning others to use the Services) in a manner that: violates or infringes upon any copyright or other intellectual property rights, rights of publicity or privacy or any other rights of ours or of any other person, firm or enterprise;”
What this means is, if you’re using a VPN to watch Pluto TV outside the countries where it is available, you’re going against the terms of service and Pluto TV is within its rights to ban your account for doing so.
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 an extremely costly policy for Pluto TV to enforce.
In theory, if you’re trying to watch Pluto TV in a place where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content, you risk having your account banned. However, as the best VPNs use military-grade encryption, it’s impossible for Pluto TV to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.
There’s also one final thing to note on the subject: Pluto TV has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?
