The best VPNs for streaming Netflix abroad are NordVPN and Proton VPN. These are two of just three providers tested that could access Netflix US over 50 percent of the time. IPVanish is arguably the best value VPN for Netflix, with unblocking rates of 70 percent and some of the lowest prices in the cohort.
Best VPNs for Netflix | 2026-Q3 · tested Aug 2026
Editorial highlights from the full chart. Scores are a use-case-specific blend of 5 inputs — netflix us unblock rate, effective monthly price on best plan (usd), tier-1 streaming compatibility, us speed retention, and netflix us playback start time — weighted out of 10 (a use-case score, not each provider’s overall VPN rating).
NordVPN scores 7.2/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (86.21%) across 29 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 7.5/10.
Proton VPN scores 7.0/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (62.96%) across 27 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 7.9/10.
ExpressVPN scores 6.6/10 for this use case led by its price ($2.49). Its overall VPN score is 7.5/10.
IPVanish scores 6.2/10 for this use case led by how often it worked (70.59%) across 17 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 6.6/10.
Hotspot Shield scores 5.4/10 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.
Mullvad VPN scores 5.2/10 for this use case led by how fast playback started (7.3s) across 29 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 5.4/10.
Surfshark scores 5.0/10 for this use case led by its price ($2.49). Its overall VPN score is 7.5/10.
Total VPN scores 4.9/10 for this use case led by how much of the line speed it kept (80.18%) across 109 measurements. Its overall VPN score is 5.8/10.
PureVPN scores 4.1/10 for this use case led by its price ($1.99). Its overall VPN score is 7.2/10.
CyberGhost scores 3.4/10 for this use case led by its price ($2.19). Its overall VPN score is 6.1/10.
Lower-scoring providers from the full benchmark are left off this shortlist. Methodology · Full scorecard dataset · Streaming test drilldown
Why does Netflix change its content based on my location?
Netflix doesn’t have the rights to show most of its content globally (excluding Netflix Originals, which are available anywhere). That’s why international travelers lose access to their usual content when they go on vacation. Unfortunately, it’s not always a fair swap since every country has a different Netflix catalog and some are much smaller than others. You can regain access using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) but Netflix is remarkably good at blocking these.
It’s not feasible to block every VPN server, though. VPN providers are locked in a cat-and-mouse game with streaming services, quickly finding workarounds whenever access is restricted. After all, using a VPN doesn’t always mean you’re region-hopping. Even assuming you were, if you’re paying for a service, you should be able to use it no matter where you are.
How to access the US Netflix library from abroad
- Sign up for a VPN capable of accessing Netflix US abroad. Our data below shows unblocking success rates for various providers. Expected result: you’re able to download and log into the VPN app.
- Clear any saved cookies for netflix.com. This gets rid of old location data that could cause problems. Expected result: refreshing the page returns you to the login screen.
- Log into Netflix. It’s important to do this before connecting to the VPN, since Netflix may show a fake “incorrect login details” error if you don’t. Expected result: you see the local content library.
- Connect to one of your VPN’s US servers and refresh the page. You should now see headings like “Top 10 Series in the US today”. Expected result: You’re able to view the US content library.
- Try playing a video. If everything has worked as expected, you should be able to stream content as normal from abroad. Expected result: videos play immediately with no errors.
What our data shows
Even if your VPN can reliably access major streaming services like Disney+, there’s no guarantee it’ll work with Netflix. None of the 10 providers examined unblocked Netflix more than 80 percent of the time. In fact, a full 50 percent succeeded in less than a third of our tests.
Best VPN for Netflix
Scored on the Streaming rubric
- Netflix US unblock rate
- Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) — lower scores higher
- Tier-1 streaming compatibility
- US speed retention
- Netflix 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix 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 |
| Netflix US playback start time | 1.43 | piecewise: 0→1.43 pts, 6000→1.43 pts, 8000→1.22 pts, 10500→0.86 pts, 13000→0.50 pts, 16000→0.00 pts |
Raw values + per-criterion contributions
| Provider | Netflix US unblock rate | Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) | Tier-1 streaming compatibility | US speed retention | Netflix US playback start time | Composite | Our overall VPN score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 86.21 · n=29 → 2.5 pts | 3.49 → 1.6 pts | 75.40 → 1.3 pts | 87.69 · n=174 → 1.7 pts | 16593 · n=85 → 0.0 pts | 7.290% CI 6.3–8.0 | 7.7 |
| Proton VPN | 62.96 · n=27 → 1.8 pts | 2.99 → 1.7 pts | 74.20 → 1.3 pts | 80.71 · n=21 → 1.4 pts | 11110 · n=51 → 0.8 pts | 7.090% CI 5.8–8.2 | 7.6 |
| ExpressVPN | 34.48 · n=29 → 0.8 pts | 2.49 → 1.9 pts | 64.40 → 1.1 pts | 86.23 · n=79 → 1.7 pts | 8023.50 · n=30 → 1.2 pts | 6.690% CI 5.6–7.7 | 7.6 |
| IPVanish | 70.59 · n=17 → 2.0 pts | 2.49 → 1.9 pts | 73.30 → 1.3 pts | 66.74 · n=135 → 0.8 pts | 14461 · n=30 → 0.3 pts | 6.290% CI 5.1–7.3 | 6.8 |
| Hotspot Shield | 30.77 · n=13 → 0.7 pts | 2.41 → 1.9 pts | 60.50 · n=3 → 1.0 pts | 91.18 · n=39 → 1.8 pts | no data (excluded) | 5.4 / 8.6*90% CI 4.3–6.5 | 6.7 |
| Mullvad VPN | 31.25 · n=32 → 0.7 pts | 5.77 → 1.2 pts | 14.30 → 0.2 pts | 88.84 · n=109 → 1.8 pts | 7344 · n=29 → 1.3 pts | 5.290% CI 4.3–6.1 | 5.3 |
| Surfshark | 16.67 · n=18 → 0.2 pts | 2.49 → 1.9 pts | 71.80 → 1.2 pts | 86.12 · n=78 → 1.6 pts | no data (excluded) | 5.0 / 8.6*90% CI 3.8–6.1 | 7.8 |
| Total VPN | 50 · n=10 → 1.3 pts | 8.25 → 0.9 pts | 70.90 · n=3 → 1.2 pts | 80.18 · n=109 → 1.4 pts | no data (excluded) | 4.9 / 8.6*90% CI 3.7–6.1 | 5.7 |
| PureVPN | 16.67 · n=12 → 0.2 pts | 1.99 → 1.9 pts | 63.30 → 1.1 pts | 70.19 · n=33 → 1.0 pts | no data (excluded) | 4.1 / 8.6*90% CI 2.9–5.3 | 7.3 |
| CyberGhost | 10.14 · n=23 → 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 |
Score formula: Netflix 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) + Netflix 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.
Our data does reveal some interesting patterns though. VPNs that worked reliably with Netflix US (success rates of over 60 percent) were more likely to work with other regional libraries too. NordVPN performed best, unblocking Netflix US, Germany, Japan, Italy, Mexico, and Sweden.
The higher a VPN’s monthly price, the greater its chance of working with Netflix US. PureVPN and CyberGhost had the cheapest subscriptions but also the lowest success rates. This isn’t a linear trend, however. IPVanish only costs a few cents more than these, yet it succeeded more often than Total VPN, which charges three times more.
What to do if your VPN isn’t working with Netflix US
- Verify that the VPN is connected. It’s easy to overlook this because it’s so obvious but everyone makes this mistake sooner or later.
- Make sure you’re using a US server. Using other locations will change the available content and your VPN may not be able to access that specific catalog.
- Change to another server in the same country. It’s possible Netflix has previously-blocked the IP address of the server you’re using. If so, switching servers a few times should resolve your issue.
- Disable any ad or tracker-blocking features. Occasionally, these can interfere with streaming platforms, causing playback to fail.
Frequently asked questions
Will Netflix ban me for using a VPN?
Netflix’s terms of service don’t actually forbid the use of VPNs. Its support documentation mentions that if a VPN is detected, you may only see titles that are available worldwide. Regardless, it’s functionally impossible to detect every VPN so trying to ban people who use them is a fool’s errand. That’s why we’ve never heard a single credible case of a streaming service banning someone simply for using a VPN.
Is it legal to watch Netflix abroad with a VPN?
VPNs are legal in most countries except for Myanmar, China, Iraq, and a handful of others. Further, region-hopping using a VPN isn’t expressly forbidden in most places – it’s not even against Netflix’s terms of use.
Do any free VPNs work with Netflix US?
Free VPNs are usually the first to be blocked by major streaming platforms like Netflix. They’re easy to spot because they tend to have lots of traffic coming from very limited IP address ranges. While some free VPNs may work temporarily, they’re impractical due to their monthly bandwidth limits. They often request more permissions than necessary and may even sell details of your activities to advertisers, so free VPNs are usually best-avoided.
How we tested
We test consumer VPNs against Netflix from Windows machines on colocated bare-metal servers, driving each provider’s own desktop app rather than a command line. Tests are conducted every day, 7 days per week. Netflix is checked in eight regions and scored on four of them – the US, UK, Germany and France. Every test session is graded working, partial or blocked and averaged across all runs in a 90-day window. You can see the screenshots of each test and verdict here. No run is discarded, so a region that passed twice in fourteen attempts publishes as 14%. A region with fewer than five runs is pulled toward the wider field’s rate for that same service and region, so one lucky or unlucky session can’t produce a 0% or a 100%. We ran the same checks against the other Tier-1 services, including BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The second part measures how much of your connection survives the tunnel. Speed tests run continuously using the Ookla CLI, and every sample is divided by a direct, no-VPN baseline taken on the same machine the same day — so a fast ISP day doesn’t read as a fast VPN. Results are normalised, weighted across protocol families, smoothed on a 14-day half-life and capped at 100%.
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.
- Netflix US unblock rate29%
- US speed retention21%
- Tier-1 streaming compatibility17%
- Netflix 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%
My sincere apologies, I was mistaken about ProtonVPN. the US-CA#3 server does unblock US Netflix.
You can add Proton VPN to the VPNs and Smart DNS providers that DO NOT work with Netflix category.
Hi YHKC, search our site for Netflix in other countries, we’ve written up separate articles for Spain, UK, Brazil, Japan, and a couple others.