Choosing the Best VPN for Netflix

There was a time when Netflix subscribers could easily access geo-blocked content with the help of just about any VPN. But since the streaming giant’s global expansion in 2019, Netflix cracked down hard on VPN use to protect its agreements with numerous content providers around the world.

A lot of VPNs were affected, which left many Netflix subscribers understandably fuming. Sadly, many VPN providers today are still unable to circumvent the VPN blocks implemented by the streaming giant. Luckily, some VPNs had the foresight to prepare contingency plans.

In other words—yes—you can still binge-watch your favorite non-local Netflix content! But take note that while some VPNs may be able to unblock geo-restricted content, not all are fast or reliable. That’s why it’s important to learn what to look out for when choosing the right VPN to go with.

Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, this article can help you. Read on!

VPN Features to Look out for and Why

It goes without saying that one of the most important features for accessing geo-restricted content on Netflix is…well, the ability to do just that! However, it’s important to note that there are other factors at play as well, such as:

Servers and Server Locations

Regardless of what you’re hoping to get out of a VPN service, servers play a key role in the process. The more servers and server locations a VPN provider offers, the better it is for the end consumer—which holds true especially for Netflix viewing.

Netflix is present in more than 190 countries, so if you want to access certain country-specific content, a VPN with a healthy server geo-diversity is a must. Want to access Netflix’s US catalog? Better make sure the VPN has lots of servers in America! Need to find a server with better speeds? VPNs with hundreds, or even thousands, of servers can help you do just that!

The cherry on top is if a VPN allows you to hop between servers unrestricted. That way you can keep changing Netflix regions without incurring any penalties.

Performance

If you want to have a smooth viewing experience, don’t settle for VPNs with less-than-impressive speeds! Speed and reliability are both crucial if you want to watch your content in glorious HD, uninterrupted. You wouldn’t want videos to keep buffering, or your VPN connection to suddenly drop in the middle of an Orange is the New Black marathon, would you? Only consider the fastest and most reliable VPNs.

Bandwidth

For the uninitiated, bandwidth refers to the amount of consumable data allocated to you by your VPN service provider. While a lot of VPNs are generous enough to offer unlimited bandwidth, cheap or free VPNs usually impose bandwidth capping.

Netflix consumes a lot of bandwidth, especially when streaming in HD (or 4K, for that matter). With unlimited bandwidth, you should be able to stream movies or TV shows to your heart’s content. However, if your bandwidth is capped, forget about using Netflix at all. You’ll burn through your monthly bandwidth allocation in no time!

Security

Regardless of what you’re trying to accomplish with a VPN, tight security should be a non-negotiable. The whole point of connecting to a VPN is not just to access geo-restricted content, but also to enhance online privacy.

With that said, the most ideal VPNs should at least offer military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, DNS leak protection, and a kill switch. Plus points if a VPN provider offers more security features beyond that.

Being able to access geo-restricted content on Netflix is a good start but being able to do so without fear of your personal information being leaked is even better.

Ease of Use

VPN apps should be accessible to all, especially since not everyone is a power user. An app that doesn’t get in your way is ideal. All the better if it offers the best of both worlds—easy enough for anyone to use, but has powerful features under the hood, too. Download, install, and, with a few clicks, start watching Netflix!

Value

With Netflix ranging from $8-14 a month, you have to make sure you’re comfortable with adding yet another subscription to your monthly expenses. A lot of quality VPNs aren’t exactly cheap, so take price into consideration when choosing the best VPN for you.

Some have pricey month-to-month plans, but give discounts if you choose longer subscription terms, while others offer free months for successfully referring people to their service.

Sometimes it’s not all about the numbers though. Also consider the overall value being offered by the service. A lot of VPN providers offer dirt cheap price tags but suffer from subpar speeds or shady privacy policies.

If you can stretch your budget by just a bit, a $9-11/month VPN service may offer more bang for your buck than a $2-5/month one.

Money-back Guarantee

Just because some VPNs still work with Netflix doesn’t mean they will continue to do so in the future. With that in mind, it’s wise to go with a VPN provider that offers a money-back guarantee. You never know when Netflix will strike, so it’s better to have a safety net in place. And of course, the longer the guarantee period, the better.

These Are The Best VPNs for Netflix:

Now that you’re up to speed on what VPN features can help give you an enjoyable Netflix experience, here are three of the very best providers to watch out for:

ExpressVPN

What Makes ExpressVPN Ideal for Netflix?

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN service providers around. With a vast network of more than 2,000 servers spread out across 94 countries, accessing different Netflix regions becomes easy. The VPN currently works with US, UK and Canada Netflix, but customer support says that other regions should work, too.

Even better, ExpressVPN offers some of the fastest VPN connections around. You can comfortably stream movies or TV shows in HD, and because of unlimited bandwidth, you can binge-watch all you want.

Thanks to excellent multi-platform compatibility, you can watch Netflix however you want, too. ExpressVPN works with the following platforms:

The best part about ExpressVPN is the fact that you can enjoy Netflix without having to worry about your private information getting leaked—thanks to 256-bit AES encryption and DNS leak protection. The VPN provider also offers several connection protocols, such as: L2TP/IPsec, PPTP, and OpenVPN with TCP/UDP.

What’s the Catch?

ExpressVPN is, unfortunately, one of the more expensive VPN service providers around. Their 1 Month plan is the priciest of the 3 subscription tiers they offer, going for a hefty $12.95/month. The 6 Months plan, on the other hand, is bit more affordable, but at $9.99/month (or $59.95 every 6 months), it’s still on the pricier end of the spectrum.

The 12 Months plan offers the best savings of the 3 though. It will set you back $8.32/month (or $99.95 every year). The silver lining here is that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have a whole month to decide whether it’s worth keeping ExpressVPN around just for Netflix.

Another thing to keep in mind: ExpressVPN only allows up to 3 devices to be simultaneously connected to the VPN per account. If you want to connect more devices at the same time, you’ll have to purchase another subscription. The good news is that, if you have a supported Linksys router, installing ExpressVPN on it will allow you to connect as many devices as you want.

Read the full ExpressVPN review here!

NordVPN

What Makes NordVPN Ideal for Netflix?

NordVPN is one of the few VPNs around that can give industry heavyweight ExpressVPN a serious run for their money. It’s easy to see why—especially when you’re thinking of getting a VPN specifically for Netflix.

NordVPN not only hosts 4,350 servers in over 62 locations across the globe, they also offer servers that are optimized for video streaming. What this basically means is that when you connect to these servers, you’re going to get the best experience out of streaming apps like Netflix.

And it works! Speeds are consistently excellent, streaming is never interrupted, and video quality stays in HD. And thanks to unlimited bandwidth, you can peruse Netflix’s entire catalog without having to micromanage your data usage.

If you’re subscribed to Netflix’s Premium plan, which allows 4 devices to simultaneously stream content, you’ll be glad to know that NordVPN allows a total of 6 devices to connect to the VPN at the same time. This is great news for people who share their Netflix account with family or friends. Even better, you can circumvent that limit by installing NordVPN on a router.

Best of all, you can enjoy all the Netflix content you want securely, thanks to the 256-bit AES encryption used by NordVPN. They offer two VPN connection protocols as well, such as: OpenVPN with TCP/UDP and IKEv2/IPsec. Plus, NordVPN also offers CyberSec, an additional security feature that blocks ads and harmful websites and prevents your device from being pulled into a botnet army.

NordVPN works with a variety of platforms, making it an excellent choice for users that use Netflix on different devices. Support platforms include:

What’s the Catch?

At $11.95/month, NordVPN’s month-to-month plan isn’t exactly the most affordable out there. In fact, it’s just 1 dollar cheaper than ExpressVPN’s most expensive plan. The good news is that committing to an annual or biennial subscription, the monthly costs significantly get reduced. Plus, if you can find the link on their website, you can get a free 3-day trial. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing!

Check out the prices below:

If you’re lucky, you can catch NordVPN’s special promo that gives you 3 years of excellent VPN service, for only $2.75/month! However, that may be too long of a commitment, especially when NordVPN’s Netflix access could cease at any time. They do have a 30-day money-back guarantee that you can fall back on, just in case Netflix does stop working during your first month of service.

A small caveat: NordVPN isn’t exactly known for speedy refunds. In fact, several sources online indicate that refunds can take as long as 30 days to clear. It’s not a huge deal breaker, but it could become annoying if you were planning on using that money on another VPN provider.

Another small caveat: while you can connect a total of 6 devices, NordVPN states that only 3 devices can be connected to one server. Plus, each device would have to use a different VPN protocol to connect. It’s not a huge issue, but if you and 5 of your family/friends want to watch Canadian Netflix, 3 of them would have to find another server to connect to.

Read the full NordVPN review here!

PrivateVPN

What Makes PrivateVPN Ideal for Netflix?

PrivateVPN offers consistently excellent speeds and stable connections, which makes it great for watching on Netflix. Connections rarely dropped, and video content remained in HD. And thanks to unlimited bandwidth, you don’t have to worry about exhausting your monthly data allowance.

With servers located in 56 countries worldwide, you can easily access various geo-restricted content. Even better, with support for 16 Netflix regions, PrivateVPN gives you the freedom to consume as much content as you want!

Plus, if you have friends or family that share in your Netflix account, you will also be glad to know that PrivateVPN lets you connect up to 6 devices simultaneously. And because of AES 256-bit encryption, IPv6 leak protection, and a kill switch feature, you can rest assured that you’re getting best-of-class security. PrivateVPN also offers a variety of connection protocols, such as: OpenVPN, PPTP, IKEv2, and IPsec.

Best of all, PrivateVPN is competitively priced! Check out how much it will set you back below:

PrivateVPN also offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if it doesn’t pan out.

You can use PrivateVPN on the following platforms:

What’s the Catch?

The most glaring issue with PrivateVPN is that they only operate a little over a hundred servers. When compared with ExpressVPN and NordVPN, it’s definitely an unimpressive server count. As mentioned earlier, they do have servers in 56 countries. While geo-diversity is always a plus, with only 100+ servers to work with, you’re only getting at least 2 server choices per location. That’s a bummer.

Another thing that might not fly with users is PrivateVPN’s lack of round-the-clock support. If you encounter a problem in the middle of your midnight movie marathon, you might have to wait a while to get a reply from their support.

Read the full PrivateVPN review here!

The Bottomline

ExpressVPN currently provides the best experience for Netflix users. Not only are the servers lightning-fast and reliable, their excellent geo-diversity means that you can switch Netflix regions easily. And because of unlimited server switches, you can keep doing so to your heart’s content!

More importantly, industry-leading security features like 256-bit AES encryption, split tunneling, and zero-knowledge DNS, means that your online privacy is under heavy lock and key. They may be one of the more expensive VPNs around, but you are getting what you pay for—excellent service.