Surfshark and NordVPN are the best options for streaming Disney+. These VPNs unblocked Disney Plus in 100 percent of our tests and boast US speed retention of over 80 percent. PureVPN is a strong budget choice, costing just $1.99 monthly, but is slightly less reliable for accessing Disney+ US.
Best VPNs for Disney Plus | 2026-Q3 · tested Aug 2026
Editorial highlights from the full chart. Scores are a use-case-specific blend of 5 inputs — disney+ us unblock rate, effective monthly price on best plan (usd), tier-1 streaming compatibility, us speed retention, and disney+ us playback start time — weighted out of 10 (a use-case score, not each provider’s overall VPN rating).
Surfshark scores 8.6/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (100%) across 24 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 7.5/10.
NordVPN scores 8.1/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (100%) across 28 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 7.5/10.
ExpressVPN scores 8.1/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (93.18%) across 22 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 7.5/10.
Proton VPN scores 7.6/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (95.45%) across 22 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 7.9/10.
IPVanish scores 7.1/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (100%) across 22 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 6.6/10.
Total VPN scores 6.4/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (100%) across 9 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 5.8/10.
PureVPN scores 6.2/10 for this use case led by its price ($1.99). Its overall VPN score is 7.2/10.
Hotspot Shield scores 6.2/10 for this use case led by how much of the line speed it kept (91.18%) across 39 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 6.4/10.
CyberGhost scores 3.4/10 for this use case led by its price ($2.19). Its overall VPN score is 6.2/10.
Mullvad VPN scores 3.2/10 for this use case led by how much of the line speed it kept (88.84%) across 109 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 5.5/10.
Lower-scoring providers from the full benchmark are left off this shortlist. Methodology · Full scorecard dataset · Streaming test drilldown
Quick answer card
Why does Disney+ regionally restrict its content?
Streaming services very rarely purchase global broadcast rights for their content. This would be extremely expensive and risk cluttering up users’ feeds with content in languages they may not even speak. Instead, Disney+ agrees to only show titles in specific countries, with each country having its own separate content library.
Attempting to continue watching a regionally-exclusive title while traveling abroad usually results in an error saying it’s not currently available. It is possible to spoof your location using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and regain access to your usual library. However, Disney+ is fairly good at detecting signs of VPN usage, so not every service will work.
How to unblock Disney Plus from abroad using a VPN
- Register with one of the VPNs below and install the app. Expected result: you can log into the VPN.
- Connect to a server in the United States. This will make it seem like you’re still in the US, allowing you to access the American Disney+ library. Expected result: VPN connects within a few seconds.
- Clear saved data for disneyplus.com and refresh the page. This deletes any cookies that may have your old location and IP address stored. Expected result: you are returned to Disney Plus’ login screen.
- Log into Disney+. Expected result: you’re shown the US content library.
- Try watching something. If everything has gone to plan, you should be able to stream US-only content from anywhere. Expected result: content plays with no errors or issues.
What our data shows
Disney+ appears to be easier to access than similar services like Netflix. Six of the 10 VPNs tested achieved an unblocking success rate of over 90 percent. Just two (CyberGhost and Mullvad VPN) were able to unblock Disney+ US less than 50 percent of the time.
Best VPN for Disney Plus
Scored on the Streaming rubric
- Disney+ US unblock rate
- Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) — lower scores higher
- Tier-1 streaming compatibility
- US speed retention
- Disney+ US playback start time — lower scores higher
- No data (excluded)
* Provider lacks measurement for one or more criteria — total is scored out of the achievable maximum, not 10.
View scoring rules + raw values
Scoring rules
Each criterion has an editorial scoring curve (published in the methodology). The provider's raw measurement is mapped through the curve to a fraction of the criterion's weight; the row of contributions sums to the composite score, and providers are ranked by that score. Each also carries a 90% confidence interval showing how firmly it is established — wider means more variation between test runs. The interval is published as evidence and decides the order only between providers whose scores are equal.
| Criterion | Weight | Scoring curve |
|---|---|---|
| Disney+ US unblock rate | 2.88 | piecewise: 0→0.00 pts, 10→0.00 pts, 40→1.01 pts, 70→2.02 pts, 90→2.65 pts, 100→2.88 pts |
| Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) | 1.85 | piecewise: 0→1.85 pts, 2.5→1.85 pts, 5→1.29 pts, 10→0.74 pts, 30→0.00 pts |
| Tier-1 streaming compatibility | 1.71 | linear: raw 0 → 0 pts, raw 100 → 1.71 pts |
| US speed retention | 2.13 | piecewise: 0→0.00 pts, 50→0.21 pts, 60→0.53 pts, 70→0.96 pts, 80→1.38 pts, 90→1.81 pts, 100→2.13 pts |
| Disney+ US playback start time | 1.43 | piecewise: 0→1.43 pts, 17500→1.43 pts, 21000→1.22 pts, 25500→0.86 pts, 29500→0.50 pts, 35000→0.00 pts |
Raw values + per-criterion contributions
| Provider | Disney+ US unblock rate | Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) | Tier-1 streaming compatibility | US speed retention | Disney+ US playback start time | Composite | Our overall VPN score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | 100 · n=24 → 2.9 pts | 2.49 → 1.9 pts | 71.80 → 1.2 pts | 86.12 · n=78 → 1.6 pts | 24219 · n=51 → 1.0 pts | 8.690% CI 7.5–9.6 | 7.8 |
| NordVPN | 100 · n=28 → 2.9 pts | 3.49 → 1.6 pts | 75.40 → 1.3 pts | 87.69 · n=174 → 1.7 pts | 28554.50 · n=54 → 0.6 pts | 8.190% CI 7.0–9.2 | 7.7 |
| ExpressVPN | 93.18 · n=22 → 2.7 pts | 2.49 → 1.9 pts | 64.40 → 1.1 pts | 86.23 · n=79 → 1.7 pts | 26999.50 · n=40 → 0.7 pts | 8.190% CI 6.9–9.2 | 7.6 |
| Proton VPN | 95.45 · n=22 → 2.8 pts | 2.99 → 1.7 pts | 74.20 → 1.3 pts | 80.71 · n=21 → 1.4 pts | 30421 · n=41 → 0.4 pts | 7.690% CI 6.5–8.7 | 7.6 |
| IPVanish | 100 · n=22 → 2.9 pts | 2.49 → 1.9 pts | 73.30 → 1.3 pts | 66.74 · n=135 → 0.8 pts | 31327 · n=39 → 0.3 pts | 7.190% CI 6.1–8.2 | 6.8 |
| Total VPN | 100 · n=9 → 2.9 pts | 8.25 → 0.9 pts | 70.90 · n=3 → 1.2 pts | 80.18 · n=109 → 1.4 pts | no data (excluded) | 6.4 / 8.6*90% CI 5.4–7.4 | 5.7 |
| PureVPN | 79.17 · n=12 → 2.3 pts | 1.99 → 1.9 pts | 63.30 → 1.1 pts | 70.19 · n=33 → 1.0 pts | 38234 · n=21 → 0.0 pts | 6.290% CI 5.2–7.2 | 7.3 |
| Hotspot Shield | 54.26 · n=4 → 1.5 pts | 2.41 → 1.9 pts | 60.50 · n=3 → 1.0 pts | 91.18 · n=39 → 1.8 pts | no data (excluded) | 6.2 / 8.6*90% CI 4.8–7.6 | 6.7 |
| CyberGhost | 8 · n=25 → 0.0 pts | 2.19 → 1.9 pts | 17.40 → 0.3 pts | 76.46 · n=241 → 1.2 pts | no data (excluded) | 3.4 / 8.6*90% CI 2.4–4.4 | 6.5 |
| Mullvad VPN | 3.70 · n=27 → 0.0 pts | 5.77 → 1.2 pts | 14.30 → 0.2 pts | 88.84 · n=109 → 1.8 pts | no data (excluded) | 3.2 / 8.6*90% CI 2.2–4.2 | 5.3 |
Score formula: Disney+ US unblock rate (max 2.9) + Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) (max 1.9) + Tier-1 streaming compatibility (max 1.7) + US speed retention (max 2.1) + Disney+ US playback start time (max 1.4) (out of 10)
How this is scored. Criteria are measured data points chosen for this specific use case from a fixed scoring template, so the same use case always scores on the same criteria. Each raw measurement is mapped through a published editorial curve to a share of its weight, and the contributions sum to a score out of 10. Capabilities that merely enable a result we already measure are left out to avoid double-counting. A provider that lacks a required criterion for this use case is excluded from the ranking rather than scored; where a non-required criterion is unavailable, the score is taken over the achievable maximum (shown “/ N”, marked *) rather than counting the gap as a zero. Read the complete methodology at vpn.comparitech.com/methodology.
Examining our test results reveals a couple of interesting facts. First, services with high Tier-1 unblocking scores tended to have higher success rates with Disney+ US. The inverse is true as well: Hotspot Shield, CyberGhost, and Mullvad VPN had the three lowest Disney+ and Tier-1 success rates.
Second, price is not an accurate way to determine a VPN’s ability to unblock Disney+ US. While the most-expensive service (Total VPN) worked every time, the least-expensive provider tested (PureVPN) worked in 79.17 percent of our tests. Meanwhile, Mullvad VPN, a mid-budget provider, succeeded less than five percent of the time.
VPN not working with Disney+? Follow these steps
- Make sure the VPN is actually active. Whenever your VPN isn’t working as expected, this should be the first thing you check.
- Check that your chosen server is in the US. VPNs may not be able to access other regional libraries as consistently.
- Change servers a few times. Most of the VPNs tested could access Disney+ US more than half of the time. As such, switching servers once or twice should fix your issue.
- Change to a different protocol. Disney+ may be able to detect certain protocols more easily than others. Try WireGuard if you’ve previously used OpenVPN (or vice-versa). You may also want to enable obfuscation if your VPN supports it.
- Disable ad-blocking/tracker-blocking features. I’ve seen a VPN’s built-in ad and tracker-blocking tools cause problems with some streaming platforms. Disable these (as well as any similar browser extensions) to see if this helps.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free VPN that works with Disney Plus?
Even if you find a free VPN that unblocks Disney+, you probably won’t be able to watch for long. These services often impose low monthly bandwidth caps to get you to upgrade to a paid plan. Further, because so much traffic comes from such a small network, free VPN servers are often the first blocked. I’d suggest using a reputable paid VPN instead – they’re higher-quality, more privacy-conscious, and better for accessing geo-restricted content.
Does Disney+ ban VPN users?
Using a VPN goes against section 1.2.(e) of Disney’s subscriber agreement. Despite this, we’ve tested dozens of servers that Disney+ identified as belonging to VPNs, with absolutely no repercussions. Given there’s no reliable way to detect every VPN and no credible reports of bans, you’ll likely be alright.
Why does Disney+ say I’m using a VPN when I’m not?
If Disney+ thinks you’re using a VPN when you aren’t, it’s possible it’s accessing data from a previous session. Clearing your cookies and reloading the page should fix the issue. If not, it’s possible your current IP address was previously used by a VPN. Just change your IP address and you should be able to use the platform again.
How we tested
We made multiple attempts to access the American Disney+ catalog from abroad using 10 consumer VPNs. When successful, we recorded how long it took for content to begin playing. Next, our team tried to unblock other Tier-1 streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix US, and Hulu. We also manually researched each VPN’s lowest-possible price.
To measure speed retention, we ran automated speed tests on a regular cadence using US servers. Our process involved normalizing results against the ISP’s daily performance, averaging results based on protocol family, and valuing recent results more heavily than historical data. While more complicated, this approach is far more accurate than simply relying on typical speed tests. Full methodology.
5 criteria decide this ranking, and 82% of the scoring weight comes from measurements we ran ourselves.
Produced by our own test machines running against real VPN endpoints.
- Disney+ US unblock rate29%
- US speed retention21%
- Tier-1 streaming compatibility17%
- Disney+ US playback start time14%
None on this scorecard — nothing here rests on a provider's own claim.
Researched by our team from published sources and re-checked each quarter.
- Effective monthly price on best plan (USD)19%
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