To access Netflix in countries where it’s unavailable, just connect to a Virtual Private Network (VPN), making sure to choose a server in a Netflix-supported region.
That said, Netflix has a robust VPN-detection system designed to prevent region-hopping. We continuously benchmark a wide range of commercial VPNs. As of June 2026, every provider on the list below unblocked the service across all five regions we currently test (US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan). Netflix region access has become far more reliable than it once was, so the providers worth comparing now separate on US speed retention, latency, and price.
Shortlist
Editorial highlights from the full chart. Scores are a Netflix-specific blend of five inputs — Netflix US unblock rate, US speed retention, Netflix UK unblock rate, US p50 latency, and best-plan intro price — weighted out of 10 (a use-case score, not each provider's overall VPN rating).
Tops the Netflix leaderboard with the best US speed retention (85%) and the lowest US latency in the group, plus a 100% unblock rate in both Netflix US and UK. Intro pricing $2.49/mo — and it is also our #1 by overall VPN score (8.1/10).
A close second: 82% US speed retention and a clean Netflix sweep across all five regions we test, at a sub-$3 intro price ($2.99/mo).
The value pick — $1.99/mo intro with unlimited connections, 80% US speed retention and a full Netflix unblock record.
The cheapest intro here at $1.59/mo, with solid 79% US speed retention and reliable Netflix access. It was blocked on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer in our latest tests, so treat it as a Netflix-first pick rather than an all-rounder.
Just behind the leading cluster on Netflix (8.2/10), and our #2 provider by overall VPN score (8.0). Dependable 78% US speed retention and a clean Netflix sweep across all five regions, at a $3.09/mo intro price.
It unblocked Netflix everywhere we tested and posts a high 82% US speed retention, but the $8.25/mo intro is by far the steepest here and its overall VPN rating (6.2/10) is the lowest in the group.
Unlimited connections at $2.19/mo intro and a full Netflix unblock record, though its 71% US speed retention is the weakest of the seven.
Why Netflix is blocked
Netflix uses public geofeeds (RFC 8805) to determine your approximate location by checking the first few digits of your IP address. This allows it to apply region-specific pricing and control which content, if any, you may view.
However, once connected to a VPN, websites can only see the IP address of your chosen server. Pick an American server, and you’ll get a US IP address, granting access to the US Netflix library from anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, Netflix has an ever-expanding list of known VPN IP addresses, which is why so many providers struggle to access this service.
How to fix it (step by step)
- Clear cookies for netflix.com. This deletes old login, session, and timezone information that Netflix could use to verify your current location. Expected result: Netflix logs you out and returns you to the homepage when the page is refreshed.
- Connect to a VPN server in a country where Netflix is available. Choosing Russia, China, or any other unsupported location will result in the Netflix website displaying an error saying “Not available”. Expected result: VPN connects in under five seconds.
- Log in to Netflix. Expected result: full access to the regional library of the country where your VPN server is located.
What to try if the fix fails
- Swap protocol. Netflix analyzes user traffic for indications of VPN usage. If one protocol doesn’t work, you may have better results with another.
- Try a server in a different city. Most people use servers in major cities, making them easier to detect and block.
- Disable obfuscation and ad/tracker-blocking. These tools can cause problems by interfering with Netflix’s expected order of operations or creating a location data mismatch.
- Enable IPv6 leak protection. Without this, your real IP address and location could be made visible. It’s also possible to disable IPv6 entirely in most operating systems.
- Try accessing a different Netflix catalog. It may be that your VPN simply can’t access the Netflix library you’re interested in.
What our data shows
Every provider shown on this leaderboard unblocked Netflix in all five regions we currently test (US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan). (Per-region results: Netflix regional test drilldown.) Netflix detection has eased considerably compared with previous years; the providers on our leaderboard now separate themselves by US speed retention, latency, and price rather than by raw catalog access. Results can still fluctuate from day to day, so if a library fails on your first attempt, it is worth retrying or switching to another server in the same country.
How can I unblock Netflix with a VPN
Scored on the Streaming rubric
- Netflix US unblock rate
- US speed retention
- Netflix UK unblock rate
- US latency (p50)
- Effective monthly price on best plan (USD)
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.
| Criterion | Weight | Scoring curve |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix US unblock rate | 2.14 | piecewise: 0→0.00 pts, 60→0.00 pts, 80→1.28 pts, 90→1.93 pts, 100→2.14 pts |
| US speed retention | 3.57 | piecewise: 0→0.00 pts, 50→0.36 pts, 60→0.89 pts, 70→1.61 pts, 80→2.32 pts, 90→3.03 pts, 100→3.57 pts |
| Netflix UK unblock rate | 1.43 | piecewise: 0→0.00 pts, 60→0.00 pts, 80→0.86 pts, 90→1.29 pts, 100→1.43 pts |
| US latency (p50) | 1.43 | piecewise: 0→1.43 pts, 50→1.29 pts, 100→0.93 pts, 200→0.43 pts, 500→0.00 pts |
| Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) | 1.43 | piecewise: 0→1.43 pts, 2.5→1.43 pts, 5→1.00 pts, 10→0.57 pts, 30→0.00 pts |
Raw values + per-criterion contributions
| Provider | Netflix US unblock rate | US speed retention | Netflix UK unblock rate | US latency (p50) | Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | 100 · n=5 → 2.1 pts | 85.43 · n=30 → 2.7 pts | 100 · n=4 → 1.4 pts | 62.24 · n=161 → 1.2 pts | 2.49 → 1.4 pts | 8.9 |
| Proton VPN | 100 · n=1 → 2.1 pts | 82.05 · n=77 → 2.5 pts | 100 · n=1 → 1.4 pts | 64.90 · n=128 → 1.2 pts | 2.99 → 1.3 pts | 8.6 |
| Surfshark | 100 · n=4 → 2.1 pts | 79.61 · n=60 → 2.3 pts | 100 · n=4 → 1.4 pts | 66.22 · n=143 → 1.2 pts | 1.99 → 1.4 pts | 8.5 |
| CyberGhost | 100 · n=4 → 2.1 pts | 79.00 · n=50 → 2.2 pts | 100 · n=4 → 1.4 pts | 63.38 · n=125 → 1.2 pts | 1.59 → 1.4 pts | 8.4 |
| NordVPN | 100 · n=13 → 2.1 pts | 77.87 · n=79 → 2.2 pts | 100 · n=10 → 1.4 pts | 65.74 · n=143 → 1.2 pts | 3.09 → 1.3 pts | 8.2 |
| Total VPN | 100 · n=2 → 2.1 pts | 81.82 · n=53 → 2.5 pts | 100 · n=2 → 1.4 pts | 64.49 · n=74 → 1.2 pts | 8.25 → 0.7 pts | 7.9 |
| IPVanish | 100 · n=6 → 2.1 pts | 71.02 · n=72 → 1.7 pts | 100 · n=4 → 1.4 pts | 64.93 · n=141 → 1.2 pts | 2.19 → 1.4 pts | 7.9 |
Score formula: Netflix US unblock rate (max 2.1) + US speed retention (max 3.6) + Netflix UK unblock rate (max 1.4) + US latency (p50) (max 1.4) + Effective monthly price on best plan (USD) (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, and a provider missing a criterion is scored against the achievable maximum (shown “/ N”, marked *), never penalised as a zero. Read the complete methodology at comparitech.com/vpn.
The leaderboard above is scored on a Netflix-specific composite — Netflix US and UK unblock rate, US speed retention, US p50 latency, and the best-plan intro price — so it ranks providers for this use case, not by their overall VPN rating (which is slightly different). We benchmark 8 VPNs for this use case and show the 7 with complete, recent data; Hotspot Shield is held out for now because we don’t yet have its Netflix unblock, US speed-retention and latency measurements.
Netflix is now the easy part – every provider on our leaderboard unblocks it. The real spread shows up across other services: ExpressVPN, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, Surfshark, and IPVanish cleared every other streaming service in this test window, while CyberGhost unblocked Netflix everywhere yet was blocked on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer (Total VPN’s Disney+ checks didn’t return a clean result). If you stream beyond Netflix, that wider compatibility is what separates the field
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Netflix account overseas?
Yes, Netflix will just ask you to confirm that you’re traveling and ask you to enter a verification code sent to the account owner. EU subscribers can continue accessing their home country’s catalog for up to 30 days, with everyone else being shown the local catalog immediately.
Is there a way to change Netflix regions on my Smart TV?
Some Smart TVs support native VPN apps but if yours doesn’t, the easiest way to access a different Netflix catalog is to use a Smart DNS service. There’s no installation needed; just change the DNS addresses in your TV’s network settings. The downsides are that Smart DNS tools provide no security benefits and often only provide access to the US content library.
Why does Netflix say I’m using a VPN when I’m not?
In most cases, this means one of your browser extensions is triggering Netflix’s VPN-detection system. To confirm, you can disable them one-by-one until you find the culprit (or just use a different browser for Netflix). Alternatively, clear your cookies and reboot your router to eliminate two other potential causes (old geolocation data and a previously-flagged IP address).
How we tested
Our streaming checks run on a 24/7 cadence, and the Streaming score is a rolling pass-rate over every service tested in the previous 14 days. The figures in this guide are current as of 15 June 2026.
We test Netflix across five regional libraries (US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan), logging each as working, partial, or blocked according to whether the Netflix watch page actually loads and plays through the VPN. For scoring, those five regional results collapse into a single Netflix outcome per provider (the latest result across all regions) with the per-region detail preserved in the Netflix regional test drilldown.
Tests run from Windows machines on a colocated Hetzner bare-metal server, each connecting to the provider’s own server in the target country. We measure access rather than catalog size: a region whose library is smaller than the native version still counts as “working,” because we are checking whether the VPN gets you in, not comparing how many titles each catalog holds.
Scores recompute every two hours, and any test older than 14 days drops out, so a provider is judged only on recent results. Netflix sits in Tier 1 of our Streaming category, alongside Disney+. Full methodology.
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.