Hulu is region-locked due to licensing agreements. This means you can only officially stream it from within the US. If you go on vacation or travel for work, you will be left high and dry with no way to stream your Hulu account while away from home.
Thankfully, you can get a valid US IP address by connecting to a VPN. This will make it seem like you are in the US so you can watch Hulu abroad. The only caveat is that not all VPNs work to watch Hulu abroad, so you must pick carefully.
The good news is that PrivateVPN has various servers in the US that are optimized for streaming US TV platforms. This means anybody can use PrivateVPN to watch Hulu.
If you’re struggling to watch Hulu with PrivateVPN, follow the troubleshooting tips below to fix it.
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Does PrivateVPN work with Hulu?
Yes. PrivateVPN has a choice of servers in 12 cities across the US. This gives you plenty of options for watching Hulu outside of America. In our experience, the New York and LA PrivateVPN servers work best to watch Hulu – so try these first.
In our tests, PrivateVPN always worked to watch Hulu. However, please bear in mind that VPNs are locked in a battle of wills with streaming providers like Hulu. Hulu actively attempts to block VPNs, so it is possible that a server could temporarily lose access.
Remember that although it works excellently, PrivateVPN is not considered the best VPN for accessing Hulu abroad. It is currently only the 6th best VPN for Hulu. Thus, if you have not yet paid for a subscription – or are still within your trial period – you may want to consider a higher-rated VPN.
That said, PrivateVPN is one of the only services that still works to stream Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, and many other popular streaming platforms. This makes PrivateVPN one of the best VPNs for watching TV streams and VoD services, so you are already in very good hands!
Why isn’t Hulu working with PrivateVPN?
There are various possible reasons why PrivateVPN app is having trouble unblocking Hulu on vacation. Thankfully, these problems are usually easy to fix.
Firstly, you could be struggling because your PrivateVPN app is out-of-date. If you’re a long-time subscriber, you may want to reinstall the VPN app or update it to the latest version. This will ensure that the servers are all up-to-date and the VPN is working at 100%.
Another possibility is that Hulu is tracking your physical location using cookies left in your browser. No matter what the root cause of the problem is, we have provided troubleshooting tips below.
Don’t forget that PrivateVPN has excellent live chat support with agents that can provide remote help if necessary. This means you can go ahead and ask questions about the fixes in this guide. So if anything confuses you, or you need additional help implementing, head over to the PrivateVPN website.
PrivateVPN Hulu troubleshooting tips
If your PrivateVPN app is failing to unblock your Hulu account outside the US, and you aren’t interested in subscribing to a VPN that is better equipped to watch Hulu abroad, work through the steps below to get PrivateVPN working:
- Try streaming Hulu in your browser rather than in the dedicated Hulu app.
- Test watching Hulu on a laptop or desktop computer instead of a mobile device to see if this helps.
- Restart your computer and relaunch your browser. You may have problems if you have left your computer on for a long time without restarting your browser.
- Clear the cookies, cache, and history in your Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browser.
- If you are accustomed to using a different browser, try Firefox or Chrome to see if they offer better compatibility with PrivateVPN.
- Try a different US server location. We recommend the US NY and US LA servers to watch Hulu abroad.
- Try updating or reinstalling PrivateVPN. If you are using an older version, it might be suffering from issues that have been fixed in the more recent version.
- It is worth noting that it is not possible to cast Hulu to a smart TV or Chromecast device while using PrivateVPN. To watch Hulu on a Smart TV, please set up a Windows or Mac computer as a VPN-protected virtual wifi hotspot.
- Check that DNS leak protection is enabled in the app.
- If your problem is related to connection speeds, lag, poor quality video, or buffering issues, try using a different VPN protocol (we recommend OpenVPN UDP or IKEv2, but you can try all the options to see if one performs better). Also, consider whether a server on the East or West coast of the US is closer to where you are.
- Contact PrivateVPN’s live chat support to find out which US server it recommends.
What are the best VPNs for Hulu?
The tips above offer everything you need to know to get PrivateVPN working with Hulu. These tips should work to get the VPN working 99% of the time. If you still have issues with PrivateVPN, you can try the VPNs below instead:
- NordVPN: Top pick to unblock Hulu. Provides lightning-fast speeds, top-notch security features, and a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Also works with Netflix US, DirecTV, Sling, HBO Max, DAZN, and more.
- Surfshark: A reliable, inexpensive VPN that works perfectly with Hulu and many other US streaming services. Lets you connect with an unlimited number of devices.
- ExpressVPN: Consistently unblocks Hulu from abroad. Provides idyllic streaming speeds and apps for all devices that come with advanced privacy features.
- CyberGhost: Fast speeds and easy-to-use apps for beginners. Works with Hulu, Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, and more.
- Private Internet Access: Solid US-based provider with secure apps and access to Hulu and Netflix.
- PrivateVPN: Fast for gaming, torrenting, and streaming Hulu. A secure all-rounder.
- AtlasVPN: A fast US-based VPN that is excellent for streaming Netflix, Hulu, and more.
- VyprVPN: Can unblock Hulu and many other streaming services on its US servers.
Can I use a free VPN to watch Hulu abroad?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is no. Although there are free VPNs on the market, these are not suitable for streaming. Free VPNs have very few servers that are oversubscribed. This makes them highly congested which leads to slow speeds, lag, and a lot of buffering.
This lack of servers also causes free VPNs to be blocked by services like Hulu. As a result, we currently know of no free VPNs with US servers that work to watch Hulu abroad.
Furthermore, we advise against using free VPNs on security grounds Free VPNs lack encryption, suffer from DNS and IP leaks, and have invasive privacy policies that allow them to monitor your online habits and sell your data to third parties such as marketing companies. They even have spyware and tracking libraries hidden in their apps.
If you are low on cash and don’t want to gamble the security of your devices and data, you can try any of the secure VPNs in this guide risk-free. Our recommendations have a money-back guarantee to let you test their service and watch Hulu on vacation.
