If your VPN isn’t working with Hulu on your Firestick, don’t panic. Your Firestick isn’t faulty. Hulu has managed to block your VPN from accessing its content.
The good news is this can be easily fixed. All you need to do is follow the steps below to get Hulu working on your Firestick again.
Read on to the end of the article to find out why this has happened and how you can stop it from happening again in the future.
See also:
- How to watch Hulu on Firestick outside the US
- ExpressVPN not working with Hulu? Here’s why that’s happening and what to do next!
- How to watch Foxtel Go abroad: Watch Foxtel in NZ, UK, US & Canada
VPN not working with Hulu on your Firestick: Fixes
There are a few methods you can try to fix your VPN not working with Hulu on your Firestick. These are listed below. Try all of these steps in order and if a step doesn’t fix the problem, continue to the next one, and you’ll be able to watch Hulu on your Firestick with a VPN again.
Total Time: 3 minutes
Clean your Firestick cache/data
Cleaning your cache is essentially the “turn it off and turn it on again” solution for apps on Firestick. If your VPN has stopped working with Hulu, the app may have run into an error.
Cleaning your cache will restore your VPN to its factory settings. This could fix the error that’s causing the VPN to not work with Hulu. And the content will be available for you to watch again.
Change to a different US server on your VPN
If your VPN has suddenly stopped working with Hulu on your Firestick, Hulu may have blocked the IP address your VPN has provided.
Hulu constantly monitors for VPN connections and blocks them. However, it doesn’t have the capabilities to block a VPN completely.
Although Hulu may have blocked this IP address, it doesn’t mean all of your VPN’s IP addresses have been blacklisted.
Changing to a different US server will give you a different IP address which may not have been blocked by Hulu. If this is the case, then you’ll be able to stream Hulu on your Firestick again.Upgrade to a better VPN
If the first two steps don’t fix this issue, Hulu has been able to identify and blacklist all of the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
From here, you can do one of two things, you can either wait for your VPN to release IPs that Hulu hasn’t blacklisted. Or you can upgrade to a VPN that won’t run into these issues.
Providing more IP addresses isn’t easy for a VPN, and it can be expensive. This means it could take a long time for your VPN to get more.
The easiest and quickest way to fix this issue is to upgrade to a better VPN. I recommend using a high-end streaming VPN such as ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) as it has the best setup for unblocking major streaming services on Firestick.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has numerous servers and IP addresses for you to use, and it plays a game of Cat and Mouse with major streaming services, where they replace any blacklisted IP addresses with fresh, undetected IPs – therefore allowing users to stay one step ahead of streaming sites’ IP blocks.
There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee with ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) and it has an excellent support network so that you can be comfortable upgrading to their service.
Why has my VPN stopped working with Hulu on my Firestick?
Your Firestick isn’t the reason your VPN has stopped working. It’s all to do with Hulu.
Hulu is constantly trying to block VPNs from accessing its service. It does this to avoid potential copyright and licensing issues.
Hulu is a US-based streaming service that only has the rights to broadcast its content in the States. If Hulu’s content is broadcast internationally, it would breach its licensing agreements, and Hulu could face severe repercussions.
These repercussions are why Hulu blocks users from outside the US from viewing its content.
Because VPNs are a well-known way to watch Hulu outside of the US, Hulu tries to block VPNs.
Your VPN has stopped working with Hulu on your Firestick because Hulu has successfully blocked all of the IP addresses your VPN can currently provide.
How does Hulu block my VPN?
Hulu can’t block a VPN in its entirety, only the IP addresses it provides. It does this by monitoring for an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP address.
For a VPN to be successful as a business, it needs to have more customers than IP addresses. The problem with this model is it results in customers being forced to share IP addresses.
Normally, only a household of devices will share the same IP address (around 8-10 connections). When Hulu identifies an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP address, it knows that this is an IP that a VPN has provided, and it blocks it.
Over time, Hulu can identify and block all of the IP addresses your VPN can provide, and the VPN won’t work with Hulu at all.
Do VPNs still work with Hulu?
The VPNs that still work with Hulu are the ones that have measures in place to get around Hulu’s blocking techniques.
Your VPN currently doesn’t work with Hulu because all of the IPs it can provide, at this time, have been blocked. If it upgrades its service with more IP addresses, then it could potentially work with Hulu again. However, there’s no telling how long this upgrade could take, and you’ll more than likely rerun into these issues.
The best VPNs to watch Hulu on your Firestick are the ones that have measures to ensure that all of their IP addresses don’t get blocked by Hulu.
ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) are very good at this. When Hulu identifies an IP address that these VPNs have provided, the VPNs will close that IP and open a new one.
This not only keeps you ahead of Hulu’s blocking techniques allowing you to watch Hulu on your Firestick anywhere in the world reliably, but it also ensures that you never run into issues watching Hulu on your Firestick again.
How to fix VPN not working with Hulu on Firestick
The best way to fix these issues is to upgrade to a better VPN. The best VPNs, like ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month), have measures in place to prevent errors like this from occurring in the future.
They have servers all over the world, and they’re available on the Amazon Appstore.
Below is a list of VPNs that all work well with Hulu and have measures in place to stay one step ahead of Hulu’s VPN blocking techniques
The best VPNs to stream Hulu on Firestick
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).
Special Offer – Save 83%
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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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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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