Are you trying to watch US Netflix with your VPN and constantly running into buffering issues and slowdowns? Don’t worry. There are some simple fixes you can try to resolve this issue.
There’s a number of reasons why Netflix may be running slow with your VPN. In this article, I’ll show you how to fix this issue so you can watch US Netflix without issues.
See also:
US Netflix running slow with VPN: Fixes
Before you start going through the fixes, it’s essential to determine if your VPN is causing the issue.
The reason you’re running into buffering and slowdowns with US Netflix may not have anything to do with your VPN. It could be due to your internet speed.
To stream Netflix, you need a minimum internet speed of 3Mbps for SD content and 7Mbps for HD content.
To test your internet speed, turn off your VPN and visit Speedtest by Ookla – The Global Broadband Speed Test. This will provide you with your current internet speed. If it’s below the Netflix average, call your internet service provider.
If there aren’t any issues with your internet speed, all you need to do is follow these steps in order. If the first fix doesn’t work, move onto the next one, and you’ll be able to watch US Netflix without interruptions again.
Total Time: 3 minutes
Change to a different US server
The location of your VPN server can affect the speed of your connection.
The further a VPN server is from your location, the higher the latency. Latency is the delay between a user’s action and a web application’s response to that action. It’s the amount of time it takes for your data to travel from your device, through the VPN server, to US Netflix, and back to your device.
If the VPN server is closer to your location, the latency will be lower, speeding up the connection.
Connecting to a different server on your VPN could give you a faster connection, and it could fix the US Netflix buffering issues.
Switch between TCP/UDP
If your VPN has the option, try switching between TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or UDP (User Datagram Protocol).
A VPN protocol is a set of rules used when your VPN is communicating with its server.
TCP and UDP have different ways of moving your data packets. Generally, UDP is a faster protocol. However, it cannot retransmit lost data packets like TCP can.
Either way, both TCP and UDP could be responsible for the buffering on US Netflix, and changing to a different protocol could fix the issue.
Restart your device
This isn’t the most glamourous solution, but if it works, who cares, right?
VPNs use complex encryption algorithms to make sure you have an anonymous internet connection. This could possibly conflict with your operating system or device, which could cause interference.
Restarting your device could potentially resolve that conflict, so US Netflix runs smoothly.
Restart your router
This one isn’t possible if you’re away from home, but if you have access to your router, try restarting it.
Similar to restarting your device, the VPN could be in conflict with your router. Restarting allows your VPN to continue with a new set of data, which could resolve that conflict.
Upgrade to a better VPN
If the above fixes don’t work, your VPN doesn’t have a protocol fast enough to stream US Netflix without issues.
You need to upgrade to a VPN that has a fast, secure protocol that works well with US Netflix. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month).
This VPN uses its own Lightway protocol that’s fast, secure, and lightweight, meaning you won’t run into buffering issues with US Netflix.
Are all VPNs the same speed?
No, not all VPNs are the same speed. It’s all dependent on the VPN protocol they use.
A VPN protocol is a set of rules used to communicate between the VPN client and the VPN server.
These protocols are designed for different functions. For example, some of them prioritise security, while others prioritise speed.
The most common protocols are OpenVPN, IKEv2, and Wireguard. The first two prioritise security over speed, while Wireguard prioritises speed but isn’t as secure as the other two.
What VPNs prevent buffering with US Netflix?
The VPNs that work the best with US Netflix use a protocol that prioritises both speed and security. ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) works very well with US Netflix.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) uses its own protocol, that it developed to be super fast and also super secure. It’s called Lightway.
Lightway is designed to be super fast and incredibly secure, and this protocol makes it a very good VPN for Netflix.
Not only is Lightway a light weight protocol (with 2,000 less lines of code than other protocols) it’s also incredibly secure.
Lightway is open-source software meaning it’s available for anyone to view and critique. This means there’s no hiding, experts are able to test how effective Lightway really is.
And from these tests, experts have found it’s incredibly secure, and the fastest protocol currently available on a VPN, perfect for use with Netflix.
Below is a list of VPNs that all use fast and secure protocols. All of these VPNs work well with US Netflix and won’t cause buffering when watching the streaming service.
The best VPNs to watch US Netflix without slowdowns
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
Special Offer for you!
Get 3 extra months free when you sign up for a 12-month ExpressVPN plan. That’s 15 months in total for the price of 12.
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
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)
