How to change your country and unblock any Netflix library using a VPN

Looking for a VPN to access all of Netflix's international libraries? In this guide, we've tested five great VPNs that still work with Netflix and unblock everything from Netflix USA to Netflix Japan.

By: Flixboss March 16, 2023
VPNs that work with Netflix

Netflix has seen incredible growth lately and the streaming service is now available in over 190 countries. The library of movies and TV shows available has also been expanded and currently contains over 15 000 titles. All of this should be fantastic news for Netflix addicts such as ourselves but sadly, due to how licensing works, that's not the case - a majority of the content is still geo-restricted and can only be viewed in specific regions.

This means we're limited to watching only a small part of the full catalog, that is the titles that Netflix has licensed for our country.

However, there is a trick for getting around the geo-blocking of most streaming services, including Netflix. By using a VPN it is possible to change your region and access any country library, doubling or even tripling the number of movies and TV shows you can stream.

In this guide, we'll tell you more about how a VPN works, what makes a good VPN for Netflix, and show you the list of our 5 favorite VPNs that still unblock Netflix in 2023.

What's the best VPN for Netflix in 2023?

Don't have time to read the whole article? Here's the list of VPNs that we recommend for streaming Netflix.

What is a VPN and how does it unblock Netflix?

Before we get into the list of VPNs, let's quickly go over how a VPN works and what it does to get around the geo-blocking limitations put in place by most streaming services.

Simply put: a VPN service lets you surf the web by routing your data through one of the servers owned by the VPN company, located in another country. To the website you are trying to access it makes it look like you are connecting from a different location.

In the case of streaming services: rather than your data going straight from your computer to Netflix, it goes from your computer through the VPN server and only then on to the streaming service. Netflix sees the location of the VPN server and shows you the local library for that country instead of yours.

Of course, there's more to it, especially if we look deeper from a technical perspective, but this describes a VPN in broad strokes.

Can you use just any VPN for Netflix?

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is no. Most VPNs are in fact blocked by Netflix and other streaming services who aren't super keen on its users accessing content available on other markets.

You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again.

A common error when using a blocked VPN to watch Netflix

So what makes a VPN good for Netflix? Here at Flixboss, we're all about helping you get the maximum out of your Netflix subscription. For that reason, we're constantly testing VPNs to see which work, which don't and, what Netflix libraries they actually unblock. Here are the criteria that we use when evaluating a VPN:

First and foremost, the most important requirement for a good Netflix VPN is that the servers are not blocked by Netflix. It sounds obvious, but this requirement actually disqualifies the majority of all VPN providers. Only a few of them have the resources and the will to actively focus on circumventing the Netflix ban on VPNs. You can't just sign up for any VPN and expect to be able to access Netflix in other countries.

Additionally, the VPN provider should unblock at least the largest Netflix libraries: USA, UK, Japan, Germany and France. Unblocking more than this is a big plus and will give you access to additional local productions (Turkish soap operas anyone?) but these five are an absolute minimum.

Finally, the VPN should provide speeds that are high enough to be able to stream in Ultra HD quality (4K). According to Netflix the minimum speeds required are 3Mbps for SD, 5Mbps for HD and 25Mbps for Ultra HD.

The 5 best VPNs for Netflix that still work in 2023

There's a long list of VPN companies on the market but after testing most of them we've narrowed it down to five VPNs that we think are the main alternatives when it comes to streaming Netflix. There are others that work too, but in our opinion they are not as good as the ones on this shortlist, either due to price, number of Netflix catalogs unblocked or speed. Read on to see which one of the five is the best VPN for Netflix.

1. ExpressVPN - our top pick (visit site)

The Best VPN for Netflix, period. Highly reliable with over 3 000 available servers, unblocking almost all international Netflix libraries.

Unblocks Netflix: Most countries. ExpressVPN doesn't publish an official list but in our tests all of the largest Netflix countries were unblocked and most of the smaller ones.

ExpressVPN is a name that you often hear when the subject of unblocking Netflix with a VPN comes up. This is for a good reason - they are one of the largest and most well known VPN companies in the world with over 4 million subscribers, and they've been around since 2009, so they've had plenty of time to grow the number of supported locations and to perfect the technical side of things.

In most reviews that you'll find online, ExpressVPN is consistently mentioned as one of the top picks, as a great (if not the best) VPN for Netflix and for video streaming in general. This proved true for us as well. It was the most reliable VPN for streaming Netflix and where other VPN apps sometimes failed to unblock a certain library, ExpressVPN got the job done without any problems.

The main advantage that Express has over other VPNs is their large number of available servers. With over 3 000 servers to choose from in 94 countries, if one of them gets blocked by Netflix you can simply connect to a different server in the same location and continue streaming.

Apps are available for all platforms and they all work in the same, minimalistic way: select a server in a country of your liking, click connect, go to Netflix and start streaming. For devices that can't install a VPN, like some Smart TV platforms and consoles, they have something called MediaStreamer DNS. You set this up directly in your router and once done it lets you stream American Netflix on any type of device.

Minimalism, ExpressVPN style: just pick your country and click the large connect button.

ExpressVPN allows you to use the VPN on 5 devices simultaneously. This means that you can set it up on multiple devices and share the VPN easily with your spouse or kids.

In our opinion ExpressVPN is the premium option that you should use if you want to reliably have access to pretty much everything available on Netflix, and other streaming services. Their price is only a bit higher than the other VPN services, but they also have the most available server locations, with the highest speeds, and the best reliability when it comes to unblocking Netflix, which is what counts in the end.

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Price: from 6.67 USD per month (get 3 months free on a 12 month plan using this link)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Number of simultaneous devices: 5 devices
Platforms supported: iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Roku, Chromecast, Browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)
Also works with: HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, AppleTV+, ESPN+, ITV Player, Showtime, Sky Go, Discovery+

Editor's Choice - The Best VPN for Netflix Premium VPN that unblocks almost all Netflix international catalogs Highly reliable, hardly ever gets blocked Get 3 months extra free using our link
Visit ExpressVPN

2. Surfshark - great alternative (visit site)

Great, cheap VPN for Netflix - really good value for money. Surfshark unblocks over 30 Netflix libraries at a very competitive price.

Unblocks Netflix: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR China, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Surfshark is practically tailor-made for those that use their VPN primarily for streaming and one of the VPNs that we use here at Flixboss for Netflix.

The price starts at $2.49 per month if you go for a 2 year plan, putting Surfshark in the category of the cheapest VPNs for Netflix on the market. For that price Surfshark unblocks over 30 Netflix libraries, including all of the biggest catalogs and many of the smaller ones, giving you access to a huge amount of additional movies and TV shows. The number of Netflix catalogs you can access is the largest of any of the tested VPN providers, with the exception of the slightly more expensive alternative ExpressVPN.

When compared to its cheaper competitor PrivateVPN (which unblocks 25 Netflix countries) the main difference is that Surfshark includes the large European Netflix catalogs: Germany, France, Italy and Spain. This is a big plus for Surfshark since it's more likely that you'll want to watch, for example, something available on Netflix Germany (the largest Netflix library, worldwide) than on the Vietnamese version of Netflix.

During our tests a majority of the promised libraries were unblocked without any problems and the speeds were always good enough to let us stream in 4K quality without interruptions. The one country that we experienced occasional issues with was Canada - so to unblock Canadian Netflix, ExpressVPN would be a better option since their app and servers always worked for us there.

Native client apps are available to download for all operating systems and there is a browser extension available for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. The apps are comparable to the other VPN services in how easy they are to use - meaning: you log in, are presented with a list of servers, click the one you're interested in and the app will connect.

Surfshark Windows - Netflix Australia
The Surfshark app for Windows, ready to stream Netflix Australia.

If you want to use Surfshark on a platform where the app is not available (some Smart TVs, Apple TV or a console), you can either set up the VPN directly in your router or use a feature called "Smart DNS". The configuration with the latter is slightly more complicated since you need to change your DNS servers, but once it's done it lets you access American Netflix and a bunch of other US streaming services without using any apps at all. Other regions are unfortunately not supported at this time but we're hoping they will be added in the future.

One final thing that we really liked, and that makes Surfshark one of the best VPNs for Netflix, is that it allows you to use the VPN on an unlimited amount of simultaneous devices. Other companies usually limit this to between 5 and 10 screens. This is a really useful feature if you have a large family who all have multiple devices or if you want to share the VPN with friends.

All in all, Surfshark provides the best value for money when it comes to unblocking movies and TV shows online and that combined with the number of libraries it gives you access to makes it our top alternative to ExpressVPN for Netflix streaming.

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Price: from 2.49 USD per month (click here to see the current deal)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days. If you're not happy in that time you can request a refund, no questions asked.
Number of simultaneous devices: Unlimited
Platforms supported: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge, Linux
Also works with: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, DAZN, BBC iPlayer, ITV, Hotstar, YLE Areena and many others.

Great VPN for Netflix - Unblocks 30 international Netflix libraries Unlimited simultaneous devices 3 months free for Flixboss users
Visit Surfshark

3. NordVPN (visit site)

This well-known and trustworthy VPN company is a solid choice for streaming Netflix. Starting at 3.49 USD per month it unblocks 14 Netflix regions.

Unblocks Netflix: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, KO, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, United States

A giant in the VPN industry, NordVPN are one of the most well known VPN companies and one that you often see associated with unblocking Netflix. They have been building out their infrastructure since 2012 which means they have a large customer support team and thousands of servers available in 60 countries, providing great speeds and high reliability.

In our tests we found that 14 Netflix countries were supported with speeds high enough for 4k streaming. There was a good mix of unblocked regions, with most of the countries with large Netflix libraries covered, giving you access to a bit of everything in terms of content. As with Surfshark there were times when the server we had selected was blocked, but a quick change to a different server or country usually resolved this. NordVPN also proved quite good at unblocking smaller, local streaming services.

The price is just a bit more expensive than our top pick Surfshark, making it a great option if you stream Netflix but also have a need for a VPN for other purposes (work perhaps?) thanks to its speed, trustworthiness and capability in unblocking other streaming services.

Comes with a money-back guarantee that let's you try it out for 30 days and get a full refund if you're not satisfied. 

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Price: from 3.49 USD per month (click here to see the current deal)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Number of simultaneous devices: 6 devices
Platforms supported: Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)
Also works with: Hulu, Prime Video, Disney Plus, DAZN, BBC iPlayer

Unblocks 14 Netflix libraries Trustworthy with excellent customer support Save 67% on a 2 year plan using our link
Visit NordVPN

4. PrivateVPN (visit site)

The cheapest Netflix VPN. Unblocks 25 Netflix libraries.

Unblocks Netflix: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam

PrivateVPN is a Swedish company that offers a VPN with great speeds and a focus on high privacy and anonymity. Thanks to Swedish legislation they are not required to save any traffic logs which makes this an attractive option if you care about that sort of thing.

In terms of price they are the cheapest of the VPNs that we tested with Netflix, while at the same time giving you access to 25 supported Netflix regions. This number is great and it includes American Netflix, Japanese Netflix and UK Netflix, but it's important to note that none of the EU catalogs are included. If you want to watch German or French Netflix we would recommend ExpressVPN or Surfshark instead. If you're happy with the list of countries, you have here a VPN that unblocks a ton of titles for only a couple bucks per month. Thumbs up for that!

Similar to the other providers, PrivateVPN offer a 30 day money back guarantee (or 100GB transferred, whichever comes first).

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Price: from 2.00 USD per month (click here to see the current deal)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Number of simultaneous devices: 10 devices
Platforms supported: Windows, iOS, Android, MacOS, Amazon Fire TV
Also works with: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, DAZN, BBC, HBO, Fox, CBS, USTVNow, ESPN, NBC Sports

Unblocks 25 libraries Cheapest VPN that works with Netflix Save 85% on a 3 year plan
Visit PrivateVPN

5. CyberGhost (visit site)

Great budget option with a really good, user-friendly application. Unblocks the main Netflix libraries.

Unblocks Netflix: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States

And finally, CyberGhost. This VPN is mainly focused on high anonymity/privacy (hence the name) but it also works very well for streaming Netflix.

CyberGhost supports six Netflix regions: Netflix USA, UK, Germany, Italy, France and Japan, which might initially sound like a bad deal compared to the other options in this test, but remember: these six are the largest Netflix countries most likely to contain something you would be interested in watching. For most mortals this will be enough, but if you want to watch a more exotic flavor of Netflix you'll have to go with a different app.

The price for a monthly subscription is one of the lowest of the bunch starting at just over 2 USD and they offer subscription lengths of up to 3 years. This is nice if you're lazy like us and don't want to get reminded about renewing subscriptions each year.

Another reason that we like CyberGhost VPN and have included it on our list is because of its great application. The app comes with a tab called "For Streaming" where all of the streaming optimized servers are singled out. There it lets you filter the list directly by Netflix or other streaming services. This is an awesome feature that we wish other VPNs could also implement as it helps you find a working server faster and you also get inspired to check out other streaming services that you did not know existed.

"For streaming" lets you quickly find a server optimized for the streaming service you want to watch.

We think CyberGhost is an interesting VPN that will suit some people well. It's not our first choice when it comes to streaming Netflix (for that, check out ExpressVPN or Surfshark) but the low price and easy-to-use app makes it clinch the final spot on our list of the 5 best VPNs for Netflix.

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Price: from 2.15 USD per month (click here to see current deal)
Money-back guarantee: 45 days
Number of simultaneous devices: 7 devices
Platforms supported: iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux, Amazon Fire, Android TV, Browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox)
Also works with: HBO, BBC iPlayer, NBC, CBS, Channel 4, ZDF, FoX, RTL, Rai Play, Hulu, ESPN+, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video

Unblocks the main Netflix libraries Very user friendly application 45 days of money back guarantee
Visit CyberGhost

Other things to keep in mind when using Netflix with a VPN

The above list should give a pretty good overview of the best Netflix VPNs and where their main differences lie. There are, however, a couple of things that are good to know.

  • Not all of the content on Netflix will be available with the audio or subtitle tracks that you are used to from your local country version. Depending on your language skills this can be either no problem at all, a small nuisance or a massive headache. Try watching an anime on Japanese Netflix without subtitles for example, can you follow the plot?
  • At times when accessing Netflix with your VPN, you will find that you can't stream anything in the country library that you've chosen. Unfortunately this is inevitable due to how Netflix blocks IP ranges detected as owned by VPN companies. What you need to do when that happens is to either try another server in the same country or if that doesn't work, to get in touch with the customer support team at the VPN who can help you get it working.
  • It's pretty standard practice in the VPN industry to provide a trial period of at least 30 days, meaning you can test the service risk free and get a full refund if you're not happy during that time. If one VPN provider does not work for what you want to do, don't feel bad about canceling and trying another one.

How to use a VPN with Netflix

Using a VPN to browse the Netflix library of another country is not complicated. Here are some basic step-by-step instructions:

1) Start by signing up for a VPN service. Right now our top choice ExpressVPN has a great deal running where they give you 3 months extra for free if you sign up through our link (at the same time you help supporting this site, since we earn a small commission on each sale - thank you!).

2) Download and install the VPN app on your computer, phone or tablet.

3) Open the VPN app, log in and click the country that you wish to surf from (so if you want to watch American Netflix, you select USA). Your network connection will be changed and all of your traffic will now be routed through a server in the country you have selected.

4) Start Netflix. The selection of movies and TV shows should now match the the country that you selected in the VPN.

That's it! If you want to browse the library or see what's new on a different country version of Netflix you can keep using this site, just switch the country using the flags in the top menu bar. On each page with more details about a specific title we also write which countries it is available in.

Can I use a free VPN for Netflix?

There are many free VPNs available but unfortunately most of these do not let you stream Netflix. Netflix aggressively blocks servers and IP numbers belonging to VPNs and only some VPN providers have the will and the resources to keep up. Starting up new servers costs money and this means the companies have to charge for access.

Fortunately, it's possible to try a VPN free of charge for at least 30 days. All of the services we tested above provide a money-back guarantee that lets you use the service during the trial period and get a full refund, no questions asked, if you're not happy.

Click here to try ExpressVPN - the best VPN for Netflix - for free for 30 days.

Click here to try Surfshark for free for 30 days.

Click here to try NordVPN for free for 30 days.

Click here to try PrivateVPN for free for 30 days.

Click here to try CyberGhost for free for 45 days.

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Great to see that you got this far! We hope this guide can help you find a good VPN to unblock Netflix - it's a simple way to get more out of your Netflix subscription, after all. There's a monthly cost involved, but it really increases the number of movies and shows available, so if you watch a lot of Netflix it's a no-brainer.

Additionally, if you sign up for a VPN using any of the links in this article we'll get a small commission on the sale and you'll help support this site. Thanks!

Netflix VPN FAQ

  • Which is the best VPN for streaming Netflix?

    Based on reliability and the amount of Netflix content unlocked we would say that ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Netflix. The other Netflix VPN services tested here are all good options, but they are either more expensive or don't unblock as many libraries.

  • Why is the Netflix catalog different in different countries?

    The short answer is that it's because of copyright and licensing issues. Each title on the platform has a cost associated with it and it doesn't make financial sense for Netflix to pay for all titles to be available everywhere.

  • Which country has the largest Netflix library?

    Contrary to popular belief, Netflix US does not have the largest Netflix library. This used to be the case, but now that Netflix has added more and more local productions some of the other countries have taken over the top spots.

    According to our database Germany, The Netherlands and the UK are the Top 3 countries going by total titles (movies + tv shows). German Netflix takes the #1 position when it comes to only amount of movies, while Netflix Singapore is the #1 for TV shows.

  • Is it illegal to use a VPN?

    Of course not. Netflix are not super happy about people doing it and technically it's against their terms and conditions, but it's not something they actively enforce other than trying to block the VPN companies from accessing their content (the so called "Netflix VPN ban").

  • Can Netflix block my account if I use a VPN?

    Theoretically yes, although we have never heard of that happening to anyone. What's more likely is that Netflix will keep trying to block the VPN companies from allowing users to access other country libraries, and the VPN services will counter by starting up more servers.

  • What should I do if Netflix doesn't let me access using my VPN?

    This is normal and will happen at times, even with the services that we mention above. Netflix has detected that this particular IP number belongs to a VPN service and has blocked that server from connecting. What you need to do in that case is to try another server in the same country or look here on Flixboss to see if the title is available in another Netflix region. You can also reach out to the customer service team of the VPN provider - they almost always know exactly which servers that currently work and aren't blocked by Netflix.

  • Can a Netflix VPN unblock other streaming services?

    Sure! We use the term Netflix VPN simply because the services in our review belong to the small group of VPN services that manage to unblock Netflix, but they work perfectly fine also for other streaming services: Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, you name it.

What's the best VPN for Netflix in 2023?

Don't have time to read the whole article? Here's the list of VPNs that we recommend for streaming Netflix.

The Best VPNs for Netflix

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