If you’re trying to watch ESPN+ outside the US, you won’t be able to access the platform. This is because ESPN+ is a US-based streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US.
ESPN+ doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content worldwide, which can be frustrating. Even if you’re a paying ESPN+ subscriber, it still won’t work if you are overseas on vacation or holiday. This means you won’t be able to watch something you’re paying for.
The reason ESPN+ doesn’t work outside the US is because it blocks anyone outside the country from accessing the platform. It does this to protect itself from potential issues that may arise if someone was able to watch it in a location where it doesn’t have the rights to broadcast its content.
The good news is there’s an easy way to get around this issue and watch ESPN+ outside the US. All you need to do is make ESPN+ think you’re in the US when accessing the platform. The easiest way to do that is with a VPN.
VPNs are very effective at allowing you to watch ESPN+ anywhere in the world. However, there are a number of VPNs that won’t work with ESPN+. This is because ESPN+ tries to block VPNs from accessing its platform as well.
Fortunately, there are some VPNs out there that will allow you to watch ESPN+ reliably. We’ve tried and tested a number of VPNs and have come up with a list of what we think are the best VPNs for ESPN+.
With these VPNs, you’ll be able to watch ESPN+ anywhere in the world.
See also:
How do we test VPNs?
We test the best VPNs for ESPN+ over multiple criteria:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Devices: VPNs are usually compatible with more than one device simultaneously. Obviously, the more, the better.
What makes a good VPN for ESPN+?
The best VPNs for ESPN+ need to meet a number of criteria that make them work reliably with the streaming service. These are speed, security, number of servers and the ability to ensure they can get around ESPN+’s VPN-blocking techniques.
Not all VPNs can meet these criteria because they require a significant amount of infrastructure and financial backing. Lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, struggle to work with ESPN+ because they are lacking in one or many of these criteria.
The best VPNs for ESPN+ need to be fast. More specifically, they need to be able to quickly reroute your online data via their own server and through to ESPN+’s servers. If a VPN is slow, your connection with ESPN+ will be laggy, and you’ll come across buffering. Fast VPNs have reduced latency which means you’ll achieve a more stable connection when watching ESPN+ with a VPN.
Security is also incredibly important when considering a VPN for ESPN+. A lot of VPNs claim they offer a 100% secure connection, meaning you can surf the web anonymously without being tracked; however, this is not the case. Only a handful of VPNs can offer a 100% secure connection. This means ESPN+ won’t be able to tell you’re outside the US when you access its service and will allow you to watch it anywhere in the world.
VPNs are reliant on their network of servers. Some VPNs only have a handful of servers that you can use; however, the best VPNs for ESPN+ have servers all over the world. More specifically, they have numerous servers based in the US, so there’s always one for you to connect to. This gives you more options. If one server isn’t working, you can try another one. Again, helping to allow you to watch ESPN+ reliably outside the US.
The most important criteria the best VPNs for ESPN+ have that lesser VPNs don’t is they have measures to get around ESPN+’s VPN blocking techniques. Because ESPN+ blocks VPNs from accessing its service, a lot of lesser VPNs struggle to work with the streaming service. The best VPNs have measures in place to ensure that even if ESPN+ is able to block an IP address provided by that VPN, you’ll still be able to use it to watch ESPN+ outside the US reliably.
The best VPNs for ESPN+
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
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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
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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
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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
- $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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Does ESPN+ block VPNs?
Yes, ESPN+ blocks VPNs. It does this because a customer using a VPN to watch ESPN+ outside the US could be a reason for ESPN+ to be found guilty of breaching the copyright and licensing agreements it has with its content partners. These sorts of breaches are often met with substantial fines, so to avoid that, ESPN+ constantly monitors for and tries to block VPN IP addresses.
ESPN+ 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 IP addresses; this means that customers are forced to share the same IP addresses. Usually, only a household with a few devices uses the same IP address. When ESPN+ 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.
- ESPN+ monitors for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks that can tip the service off if you are using a VPN.
- ESPN+ teams up with GeoIP databases like Maxmind to identify IP addresses. If the IP address your VPN provides is on one of these databases, ESPN+ will be able to find out where in the world you are connecting to the internet from, and it will block you.
These blocking techniques can be very difficult for VPNs to get around, and often lesser VPNs fall victim to these blocks and won’t work with ESPN+.
Which VPNs work with ESPN+?
The VPNs that work with ESPN+ are the ones that are fast, secure, have numerous US-based servers and have measures in place to get around ESPN+’s VPN-blocking techniques.
We’ve tested numerous VPNs with ESPN+ and have found that free options often struggle with watching ESPN+ outside the US.
The reason for this is because free VPNs have thousands of customers, yet they cannot provide an individual IP address for each one. To accommodate, the VPN will force customers to share IP addresses. This makes it significantly easier for ESPN+ to figure out you’re using a VPN and block the connection.
The best VPNs for ESPN+ are ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month). They can get around ESPN+s blocks, and we’ve been using them to watch ESPN+ reliably in NZ for years.
Can I watch ESPN+ outside the US?
Officially, no, you can’t. ESPN+ is only available in the US. But with a VPN, you can watch ESPN+ anywhere in the world.
The best VPNs for ESPN+ ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month) allow you to select a server in the US.
Once selected, you’ll be given a US IP address which will make it look like you’re connecting to the internet from within the States.
To watch ESPN+ outside the US, simply download ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) or NordVPN ($3.19/month). Click on a server in the US, and you’ll be able to watch ESPN+ anywhere in the world.
You can even create an ESPN+ account outside the US following this guide.
ESPN+ not working with VPN?
If you’re using a VPN to watch ESPN+ and it’s not working, there’s two things you can do:
You can wait for your VPN to fix the issue. However, there’s no guaranteeing that it will, and chances are you’ll run into the same issues in the future unless the VPN adopts some measures to ensure it works reliably with ESPN+
Or you fix the issue yourself. To fix ESPN+ not working with VPN, you can try a number of fixes like deleting your Cookies, changing to a different US server, changing protocol or updating your VPN.
For a more comprehensive guide on how to fix ESPN+ not working with VPN, you can follow our guide here.
