- Aside from unblocking internet censorship,
the most common use for a virtual private network,
or a VPN, is unlocking vast international libraries
of movies and shows on streaming services like Netflix.
But not every VPN service does this well.
So what features should you be looking for,
and which are considered the best VPNs
for Netflix streaming?
Let's find out.
(dinging sound)
In case you didn't already know,
there are literally thousands of movies and TV shows
that are locked behind licensing agreements.
This is what's known as geo-restricting,
and if you wanna understand how this works,
check out my video here.
It doesn't matter if you're in China,
where Netflix is entirely blocked,
in other countries where there are limited shows available,
or in the US wanting to expand your available content.
Anybody can benefit here.
In this video, I'm going to cover three specific topics.
First, we need to discuss whether using a VPN
for Netflix is even legal.
Second, we're going to look at my time-tested process
for finding content to watch on Netflix, and finally,
I'm going to share with you my recommended VPNs.
Feel free to jump ahead using these time markers,
or you can just read my description of this video
for more answers.
Okay, now let's start with the elephant in the room.
Is using a VPN to watch Netflix illegal?
The easy answer here is no,
although it's a little more complicated than that.
Here's what the Netflix terms of use has to say about it.
"You may view the Netflix content primarily
within the country in which you have established
your account and only in geographic locations
where we offer our service and have licensed such content."
Well, that's clear as a bell, right?
Yeah, I don't really get it either.
One thing I can say for sure is that by using a VPN
to watch Netflix, you're not breaking some national law
for which you could be fined or jailed.
At worst, Netflix might determine
that you're breaking their terms of use
and terminate your account, but so far this hasn't happened.
I admit it's a gray area, but remember,
you're a paying Netflix subscriber,
so this isn't the same as content piracy.
Now the next part is where I'm gonna show you
my favorite little secret about watching Netflix.
If you're anything like me,
I hate browsing the Netflix catalog, scrolling endlessly
to find something that I wanna watch.
I would much rather determine what I feel like watching
and then figure out how to watch it.
To this end, my process for watching Netflix goes like this.
First, I figure out the movie or TV series
I feel like watching.
Obviously, newer movies and shows are less likely
to be available, but you never know.
Second, I log into an index of the Netflix global library
and search for that movie or TV series.
There are a few indices out there,
but I currently use one called uNoGS,
or the Unofficial Netflix Online Global Search,
and the results will tell me exactly which countries
where Netflix streams that show.
Third, I open up my VPN or Smart DNS service
and connect to a server in that particular country.
Because speed is an important factor
in streaming content, you'll wanna make sure
you're using a faster protocol like IPsec or WireGuard.
Finally, I reboot Netflix.
If you're on a mobile or smart TV app,
you'll need to force-close the app.
This restart is critical to make sure that you're connecting
to the appropriate Netflix global library.
You then search for your desired movie or show
and watch away.
This process has served me well over the years
of living abroad and wanting to watch my favorite shows.
And over the past 10 years I've relied on a handful
of VPNs that've worked well for me streaming Netflix.
The key features here are that they have servers
in all the countries for which Netflix has a library,
they have physical servers, and not just virtual servers,
in those locations,
they have dedicated apps for popular TV streaming devices
like Amazon Fire TV, and they offer a number
of different fast connection protocols to choose from
if you run into problems.
Oh yeah, and each of my recommendations here
also has a 30-day money-back guarantee,
so you can get a full refund
if they don't work like you want them to.
Here are my three recommendations.
Lately, my VPN of choice has been Surfshark,
a relatively new VPN that works extremely well
because you can specifically choose
physical over virtual servers.
And they have great apps for Amazon Fire TV Stick
and mobile devices.
Additionally, they're one of the cheapest VPNs
on the market today, and you can find their latest deal
using my affiliate links in the description below.
Another great VPN for streaming Netflix is NordVPN.
You can watch my review here, but suffice to say,
they're considered one of the most popular consumer VPNs
on the market today and are used by millions of people
to stream Netflix globally.
The server speeds have been really fast for me
over the past seven years I've been using them,
and the ability to choose servers on a map within their app
makes it extremely easy to use.
Finally, I recommend the IPVanish VPN service
to stream Netflix if you're a US-based user
who doesn't consider themselves tech-savvy.
The reason I say this is because
not only does their software allow you to easily choose
the fastest available server in a country,
they also offer one thing
that practically no other VPN service has,
customer support via phone.
In other words, if you're having trouble setting up
your VPN on your device or on your TV,
you can literally call them up
and get a customer support rep who is in the United States,
not some calling center overseas, and that's a huge benefit
for some people.
Now, are there other great VPN services that allow you
to stream Netflix anywhere in the world?
Of course!
I can't list them all here,
but you're welcome to leave a comment
to tell me what your favorite is.
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