Netflix VPN ban goes so hard that there are not many providers left in the market to help us watch Netflix US abroad. On one hand, Netflix keeps on blocking thousands of IP addresses and make its service unavailable to VPN users, on the other hand, knowing the importance of the streaming market, VPN providers invest a great deal of money to bypass this restriction.
We have reviewed top players in the streaming market and picked up the three best VPNs to watch Netflix US abroad!
How I evaluated the list
Before moving forward to the VPN providers, there are a few important criteria to consider. No matter how hard Netflix goes on the VPN providers, there are still great options you can choose from. However, we have to make sure that they comply with our checkpoints first!
- Dedicated streaming servers
- Easy to use software
- Stable and fast servers for “Full HD, Ultra HD” streaming
- Reasonable bandwidth
- Further investment
1. CyberGhost
In the streaming fight, CyberGhost is the one, true winner. Unlike many other VPN services, CyberGhost is one of the first provider introducing the “dedicated streaming servers” with the latest software updates. Besides, Netflix US, you can use the service to bypass BBC iPlayer, Netflix Germany, Netflix UK, etc…
At one point, having a dedicated server is great. However, if you cannot find it easily via VPN software, trial and error bring about a hell of a pain in the ass. CyberGhost has a solution for that. The latest version of the service (v7) not only offers minimal design but also helps you reach out to the US server with two simple clicks. Just jump to the main menu, find “For streaming” submenu, and connect to “United States – Optimized for Netflix” server. All set!
Now that we are connected to the dedicated VPN server, it is very time to stream our favorite shows/movies right? In order to have a smooth experience, we do need stable servers with pretty good server speed. According to our torrent test, you can see the proof of this stability. Moreover, you can see the streaming quality below.
So…
CyberGhost passed all of the tests so far. Yet, there is a tiny bit of limitation you have to consider. Your online activities including both uploads and downloads are limited to 80GB/Month by fair usage term. Currently, the company does not measure traffic volume. However, they have the right to do so.
Doing the math under this scenario, 80GB/Month will help you enjoy around 50 Ultra HD movie per month.
Dedicated Netflix US servers, easy to use software and Ultra HD quality streaming performance are some of the opportunities CyberGhost offer to its users. The company keeps on updating its servers by covering other streaming platforms as well. Keeping this mind, you can rely on CyberGhost as they take the streaming servers so serious.
With 45 different streaming servers, CyberGhost is likely to keep the streaming leadership in the market.
To learn more about our experience, please check the CyberGhost review.
2. NordVPN
Panama based VPN provider NordVPN has struggled a lot with its beta software during 2017-2018. Right after NordVPN software is out of beta, the company deployed a dedicated streaming server and made Netflix US available abroad.
Contrary to other other providers, NordVPN does not show off the dedicated streaming service in the software. At this point, you may think that the software is not user-friendly. However, any US server you connect will bypass the Netflix ban. Therefore, NordVPN is a rare option in the market managing to bypass the restriction with more than hundreds of servers!
Speaking of servers, like any other VPN services, we ran plenty of tests with NordVPN. Similar to CyberGhost, NordVPN offers quite well download speed performance. This is enough to help us stream Netflix US with Ultra HD quality.
Streaming Ultra HD videos online burden the server load drastically. Many VPN providers may limit you by certain fair usage terms. However, NordVPN is not one of them. The company clearly states that: “NordVPN does not apply any speed or bandwidth limits to its users.” Yet, also adds up, your connection will be slower by around 30 percent because of the OpenVPN encryption. Thus, you do not need to worry about limitations or account termination. You are free to stream as much as possible!
NordVPN takes the server expansion investment super serious that within two years, they doubled their server capacity along with world coverage map.
After I rewrite the review, I came across drastic changes with the server performance capacity. Going just a few years ago back, the Netflix US streaming quality was a disaster. The current status of the less crowded servers and their Ultra HD streaming capacity makes NordVPN a notable provider in the market.
To learn more about our experience, please check the NordVPN review.
3. ExpressVPN
Another reliable, no-log VPN provider ExpressVPN also offers dedicated streaming servers for Netflix US. Even if the server is not depicted as a streaming one, Washington DC will help you bypass the Netflix ban abroad. For the last 3 years, I tend to check the functionality of this server, and it has not been blocked! Thanks to the obfuscated server technology, you can easily overcome the restriction.
Like many other VPN services (Hidemyass, CyberGhost, SaferVPN) ExpressVPN adopted minimalist design as well. Now, it is super easier to find servers and access your favorite ones with a single click. While I appreciate this neat design, still, ExpressVPN does not categorize its servers for each different purposes. This reflects as a minus point for ExpressVPN…
As the number of the servers to bypass Netflix ban is limited with this provider, you might not also like the streaming quality. I have never been able to watch the shows with Ultra HD quality. It usually sticks around 720p or 1080p.
There is a reason for that! The company claims that they are the fastest VPN in the market. Yet, it is not true, according to our speed test, ExpressVPN offers an average download speed performance when compared to its competitors above.
Anything below 1MB/Sec is not enough for ultra HD streaming. On the other hand, ExpressVPN’s stable servers will help you forget about the buffering problems. P2P Popcorn time is a good example of this.
Just like NordVPN, ExpressVPN does not limit its users with any kinds of fair bandwidth usage terms. You are free to use as much bandwidth as you like.
Last but not least, further investments! At one point, ExpressVPN can be your top-notch VPN provider for streaming Netflix US abroad. However, because of the least improvements on the software and lacks of categorized servers, ExpressVPN falls behinds its competitors. Furthermore, I have never seen server -other than Washington DC, working properly for Netflix. This is another minus point for ExpressVPN.
To learn more about our experience, please check the ExpressVPN review.
Problems you might face
A few years back, there was not a single issue accessing Netflix US from abroad. Netflix hit so hard on the VPN providers that around 90% of the service providers are now helpless and they are unable to bypass the restriction. Only the ones deploying brand new servers constantly stands up. There is no guarantee that they will not be blocked in the future or Netflix brings about a new filter to wipe out working VPN providers.
Besides Netflix side, you might also experience some problems from the VPN end. If you have a bad internet connection, or VPN servers are crowded, or maybe you are located super away from the US, then there is a chance your streaming experience will not be as satisfying as seen above.
Note: We are located in Europe with a good fiber connection. Please keep that in mind.
Summing up
In this article, I lead you through the best VPN services to bypass the Netflix ban. With the given providers, you can watch your favorite Netflix US shows/movies abroad. Surely, there are some other providers giving us the same opportunity as well. However, I paid a great deal of attention to some crucial checkpoint and gave you the top 3 choices accordingly. Otherwise, this article would be filled with plenty of mediocre VPN providers.
Speaking of checkpoints, I tested the VPNs if they have dedicated streaming servers, easy to use software, stable and fast servers for “Full HD, Ultra HD” streaming, reasonable bandwidth for high intensitive streaming as well as investment criteria.
CyberGhost, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN: Each of these providers meets at least 3/5 of these criteria and help us bypass Netflix ban today.
I’m a part-time traveler on a mission: to explore the world and uncover the intricate demands of VPN usage. Fueled by curiosity, I meticulously navigate the realms of privacy, streaming, and unblocking needs in every destination I visit. With a keen eye, I analyze the local and global VPN demands of each country, translating my findings into informative articles about VPN-related topics.