If you’ve been using Stremio with a VPN or are trying to use Stremio with a VPN, and it’s not working, your VPN is being blocked by the addons you have installed.
This can be annoying if you were using a VPN to watch shows and movies on Stremio and all of a sudden it’s not working.
Don’t panic though, there’s a few fixes you can try to resolve this issue.
Bellow we’ll explain how you can fix Stremio not working with VPN.
See also:
- How to watch Harry Potter on Netflix: The EASY way! (November 2022)
- Vudu not working with VPN? Try these EASY fixes! (November 2022)
Stremio not working with VPN: Fixes
Follow these fixes in order until you’ve fixed Stremio not working with VPN. If one doesn’t work move onto the next one.
Delete Cookies
A good place to start when trying to fix Stremio not working with VPN is deleting your Cookies.
Cookies are small files used to streamline your online experience. For example Stremio uses them so you don’t have to login every time you access the service.
The problem here is Cookies often store information about your location.
The Stremio addons you’re using can potentially access this information and if it finds you’re based outside of the location you’re connecting to via your VPN, they will block your connection.
A good place to start is deleting your Cookies.
Clear local storage
If you’re running into issues connecting to your addons with a VPN on. Try clearing your local storage on the Stremio app.
If you’ve unintentionally downloaded any faults or bugs that may be interfering with your VPN, clearing your local storage will remove these issues and potentially allow you to use Stremio with a VPN again.
Change to a different server on your VPN
If your VPN has suddenly stopped working, chances are the addon you’re using has identified the IP address your VPN has given you and blocked it.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address. If that one hasn’t been blocked your VPN will work with Stremio again.
Upgrade to a better VPN
If the above fixes haven’t worked, unfortunately your VPN isn’t good enough to stay ahead of the VPN blocking techniques certain Stremio addons use.
Stremio addons like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and others, are official apps. That means you’re connecting to official versions of these streaming services albeit via Stremio.
These streaming services try and block VPNs from accessing their content. If you’ve made it this far, your VPN isn’t good enough to get around these blocks.
To fix the problem you have two choices, you can wait for your VPN to improve and fix these issues, or you can download a VPN that has a good track record with Stremio and has the infrastructure in place to ensure you don’t run into these problems again.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has measures in place to ensure you never run into issues using a VPN with Stremio.
Does Stremio block VPNs?
The Stremio service doesn’t block VPNs however there are addons that do.
If you’re using a VPN to access Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu or other streaming services, in a country where they’re not available, these services will try and block your connection regardless of whether you’re using Stremio or not.
They do this because they have strict copyright and licensing agreements in regards to where they can broadcast their content. Using a VPN to access these streaming services outside they’re broadcast zones, could potentially breach these agreements and this could result in these services facing massive financial repercussions.
To prevent this from happening Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and other streaming services try to block VPNs from accessing their content.
How do Stremio addons block my VPN?
Stremio is simply a portal that allows you to connect to other streaming services. For example, if you use Netflix via Stremio, you aren’t connecting to Stremio, you’re connecting to Netflix.
Streaming services like Netflix, block 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 streaming services see hundreds or even thousands of connections coming through on the same IP address, it knows that it is a VPN, and it blocks it.
- Streaming services monitor for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off you are using a VPN.
- Streaming services team up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, streaming services 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. This is probably what’s happened to your VPN.
Can I still use a VPN with Stremio?
You can use any VPN with Stremio, however if you want to be able to access official streaming addons with a VPN reliably, you need a good VPN.
VPNs like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) work well with most streaming services. This is because these VPNs play a game and cat and mouse with streaming services.
Inevitably an IP address provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will get identified, however, when these IP addresses are blocked, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP and open a new unblocked one.
This means there will always be an IP address for you to connect to, allowing you to stream streaming services on Stremio from anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs for Stremio
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2022
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. 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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3. 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.
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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.
Special Offer – 7-day FREE trial!
(30-day money-back guarantee)
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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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.
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(30-day money-back guarantee)
