In a world where all of your favorite TV shows and movies are readily available for online streaming, hurdles like geo-restrictions can become a dreaded concern. Although the internet was meant to be open, i.e., free from any restrictions, country-specific restrictions have made it difficult for users to enjoy their favorite content.
But don’t lose heart. Luckily, you can still unblock geo-restricted online content with a VPN.
Here’s a List of 5 Best VPNs for Streaming Geo-Restricted Content
Although there are a number of VPNs available for streaming, security, and privacy out there, not all the services offer the same level of performance as they promise. For your convenience, we have tested a number of VPN services in terms of protocols selection, number of servers and streaming speed, and listed out the top 5 services that have met our standards.
Before we go into more details, let’s first answer, why do you need a VPN for streaming to begin with?
4 Reasons Why You Need a VPN for Streaming?
A VPN allows you to bypass geo-restrictions and access online content right on your device. Additionally, it provides you with online privacy and security that is much needed in today’s digital era. Here are more advantages of a VPN for streaming:
Unblock Movie and TV Shows Streaming Channels
The most popular streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, Pandora, Spotify, and Crackle are available in only certain regions and restricted for the rest of the world. If you like streaming TV shows or movies from, let’s say Netflix, you would require a VPN to stream that channel.
The most anticipated shows such as Mr. Robot, Game of Thrones, Narcos and Super Natural fans eagerly wait for torrenting seasons and episodes which become illegal due to privacy laws in various countries. With a VPN, you can watch any TV show as it airs (Live).
Sports fans can also use a VPN to bypass geo-restrictions and get unrestricted access to their sports channel online. Therefore, choosing a VPN with a global network coverage is not only recommended but highly needed so that you can route your internet traffic to various servers.
Watch Sports in Your Native Language from Anywhere
Let’s suppose, NBA or MLB is being broadcasted live and unfortunately you are away from your TV or on the go? Missing the game is not an option for you, right? This is where a VPN can help you stream your favorite channels on your smartphone or any other devices.
Apart from that, getting TV subscriptions can cost heavy on your pocket. If you want to watch sports on TV, you will have to pay for the entire subscription instead of just paying for one sports channel. If you’re living in USA or UK, you will be needing an English broadcast. But if you’re Spanish or Lebanese and want to watch the game in your native language, a VPN for streaming sports is your only option.
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Enjoy Buffer-Free Streaming
When you’re streaming online, speed is of immense importance. A slow and unsteady connection can be a nuisance. While using a VPN for sports, your internet connection might slow down a little but with a great performance comes a cost. Other factors such as the privacy and overall network speed make up for the lost speed.
The most important factor that affects your streaming speed is the distance between your location and the VPN server you’re connected to. The greater the distance, the more time it might take to connect and process your internet requests. Choose a Best VPN provider with a massive server network. After all, if you get servers nearest to your location, you can get fastest speeds.
Defeat ISP Throttling for Maximum Speed
ISPs have become smart in monitoring bandwidth and connection speeds of users who regularly utilize media streaming applications such as Netflix, Hulu, and Pandora amongst various others. With a best VPN, users can bypass throttling or congested servers and enjoy faster-streaming speeds, little or no buffering and an overall better streaming experience.
Now that we are clear about the main reasons why users need a VPN for streaming, let’s talk about the best VPN services that we have tested and approved for streaming.
PureVPN
Founded in 2007, it is one of the leading VPN providers in the industry. The biggest complaint most users have regarding a VPN is slow browsing and streaming speed. While this stands true for most VPNs, but PureVPN’s servers are optimized for fast and hassle free streaming.
You can enjoy streaming your favorite shows or movies seamlessly with PureVPN as it offers lighting fast connection speeds, so much so that you won’t even be able to tell that you’re connected to a VPN. For this reason, PureVPN is widely regarded as the best VPN service for online-streaming.
Moreover, what makes PureVPN stand out is its wide range of useful features. PureVPN offers robust data protection with AES 256 bit military grade encryption, 5 Multi-logins for a single account, 24/7 support and very reasonable pricing plans.
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When choosing the best VPN for streaming, you must look for the following features:
- Extensive Global Network
- Load Balancing Feature
- Updated Stealth VPN Servers
- Dedicated Streaming Features
- Compatibility with Other Devices
- Dedicated 24/7 Customer Support Team
After detailed tests and analysis of several VPN services, the results favor PureVPN as the best VPN for.
Vast Global VPN Network (10/10)
PureVPN secured the highest ranking for having the biggest VPN network. The reason why PureVPN has the edge over other VPN providers is due to their self-engineered VPN network which comprises of 750+ servers based in 140+ countries.
Load Balancing Feature (9/10)
PureVPN’s VPN apps are equipped with load balancing feature. What this means is that if you want to connect to the fastest available servers, you can just choose the country of your choice and the app will itself connect you with the fastest server available.
Optimized Stealth VPN Servers (9/10)
PureVPN has a self-engineered and self-managed VPN network which is optimized to give users the best VPN experience. PureVPN can dedicate any server for a global event such as FIFA World Cup. PureVPN has been widely recognized by Gizmodo and Lifehacker as one of the best options to watch sports live online from anywhere.
Dedicated Streaming Features (9/10)
If streaming users connect to a particular server and access Netflix, Hulu, etc. then it might affect the speed for rest of the users. With PureVPN, you have dedicated servers for streaming. The ‘Purpose Selection’ in the app allows you to choose your purpose (streaming channels in this case) and the app will automatically connect you to dedicated streaming servers. PureVPN is without any second thoughts is among best streaming vpn services out there in the market.
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Compatibility with All Devices (10/10)
PureVPN works on all smart devices such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Routers, Smart TVs and even your gaming consoles. You can use 5 devices simultaneously.
Dedicated 24/7 Customer Support (9/10)
PureVPN offers awesome customer support around the clock via live chat, support system, ticket system and website 24/7/365.
BONUS Feature: Unblock 5000+ Streaming Channels with PureVPN
With PureVPN, unblock more than 5000 channels from across 140+ countries and enjoy your favorite movies, TV shows, music, and sports anytime, anywhere, what else do you expect from best vpn for streaming?
Ivacy
When we talk about streaming and VPN providers, Ivacy is the second best VPN service that we tested. It ranks highest amongst top services because it delivers on its promises.
Dating back almost a decade as PureVPN, Ivacy is known as the pioneer when it comes to introducing the “Split Tunneling” feature that allows users to divide their traffic between the VPN tunnel and direct traffic. Apart from that, the service comes loaded with a plethora of powerful streaming and security features that rival top-tier VPN providers.
Some top features of Ivacy includes, unlimited server switching, 5 multi-logins capability, optimum peer-to-peer (P2P) servers, no bandwidth cap, Secure DNS, strongest encryption algorithms, and a fully-functional Internet Kill Switch (IKS) to name a few.
Let’s check out how the VPN service weighs against our standards for a best VPN for streaming.
Vast Global VPN Network (9/10)
Ivacy has a global coverage of 275+ VPN servers. Although the numbers of servers may not sound much as compared to PureVPN, the VPN service overcomes this weakness by placing its servers at all the key locations that are required by VPN users around the globe. The service has installed its VPN servers in over 100+ countries.
Load Balancing Feature (8/10)
When you install Ivacy’s application, you will notice that you have two different options for connecting the app. One option lets you choose the server of your choice, the other option control the server selection and intelligently connects you to a server that is nearest to your region and has less users connected to the server.
Optimized Stealth VPN Servers (9/10)
One of the best aspects of Ivacy, the best VPN for streaming, is that it not only has a global network of servers but also all of its servers are highly optimized for speed, performance, security and anonymity. When you are connected via Ivacy, you won’t have to worry about your privacy and security anymore.
Dedicated Streaming Features (8/10)
Ivacy offers unrestricted access to a great number of streaming channels that are ranked as the most popular channels in the world. With Ivacy, you can unblock, Hulu, SkyGo, BBC iPlayer, and more. Not only that but you can also unblock and watch your favorite sports channels from any corner of the world.
Compatibility with All Devices (10/10)
The best thing about Ivacy is that it is compatible with an extensive range of devices as well as Operating Systems. For instance, you can enjoy Ivacy on your Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Blackberry, SmartTV, Roku, Kodi, Raspberry Pi, and even your home router.
Dedicated 24/7 Customer Support (9/10)
Ivacy customer support service is also second to none. No matter what time of the day you contact the support staff, you are sure to get the response within a matter of minutes. Moreover, the staff is not only highly knowledgeable but also well-versed in the industry.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is another great VPN for streaming. It ranks amongst the top-tier VPN services because of its amazing features. Although the service is quite popular in the industry, it may not be suitable for average VPN users who want affordable services. In short, ExpressVPN ranks as the top most expensive VPN services in the industry.
Nonetheless, the service offers a ton of powerful features that make it a best VPN such as split-tunneling, multiple protocols selection, compatibility across a wide range of devices or OS, Zero-knowledge DNS, and more.
Apart from all that, there may be another thing that some VPN users might find it difficult to absorb for a VPN that costs high prices is that the service offers multi-login feature for up to 3 devices. The service should up their simultaneous login connections keeping in view other VPN providers who are offering more connections for a comparatively less cost.
One more thing, the service doesn’t offer any free or paid trial.
Let’s check out how the VPN service weighs against our standards for a best VPN for streaming.
Vast Global VPN Network (10/10)
We are giving 10 out of 10 for the global network of servers ExpressVPN offers. The VPN service has over 1700 VPN servers located around 148 countries in the world. You can find the servers in all the popular locations where there is a high demand such as the UK, the US, Canada, and more. Although the service does state that it offers 1700+ servers, its server locations page doesn’t show the number of servers each country or region has.
Load Balancing Feature (9/10)
Like many other VPN providers, ExpressVPN also offers smart connect feature on its VPN application. The application allows the VPN users to either leave the server connection work to the VPN as it would find and connect with an optimal server on its own. Or, the user can manually choose the server of his choice.
Optimized Stealth VPN Servers (8/10)
Although the provider does claim that it offers optimized stealth servers for streaming and some servers do live up to the claim, not all servers offer the speed. We have experienced some servers that have slow speed and high ping latency.
Dedicated Streaming Features (9/10)
ExpressVPN is a great service for streaming channels that are geo-restricted or blocked for instance Netflix, Hulu, etc. However, the service doesn’t openly claim that it offers unblocking feature for such streaming channels. In fact, when you use the Live Chat feature of the service, the staff would first make sure that you are a genuine VPN customer and not a Netflix agent.
Compatibility with All Devices (9/10)
ExpressVPN comes with compatibility for a wide range of Operating Systems such as Mac, iOS, Windows, Android and even Linux. It also has extensions for the popular Internet browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari. For devices, you can find applications for FireTV, Apple, Xbox and even Playstation. Unlike PureVPN, we don’t see any ExpressVPN application for Kodi on its page.
Dedicated 24/7 Customer Support (9/10)
ExpressVPN’s customer support service is although exceptionally great but the contact channels the service provide is not diverse. You can get in touch with the service only through its Live Chat feature.
IPVanish
IPVanish is another great contender in the list of top 5 VPNs for streaming. The service offers superb VPN features that are enough to win the heart of every VPN users around the globe. You can find all the basic functionalities of a VPN in IPVanish. Apart from that the service offers a vast number of VPN servers across several regions.
When it comes to pricing, IPVanish is slightly less expensive than the ExpressVPN. However, unlike ExpressVPN, IPVanish offers multi-login capability in up to 5 different devices. Moreover, the service offers unlimited access to blocked websites such as Netflix, etc. In fact, the server also openly offers P2P traffic.
Vast Global VPN Network (7/10)
IPVanish offers a huge network of servers consisting around 1000+ VPN servers installed in 60+ different locations. We have rated the service 7 out of 10 because it has lowest number of locations and lowest number of offered IPs, i.e., only 44,000+.
Load Balancing Feature (7/10)
Unlike the good load balancing feature offered by top 3 VPN services listed here, you won’t find any such feature in IPVanish. In other words, when you log into IPVanish, you will be asked to manually connect to the listed servers. Unlike other VPNs, you won’t find a smart connect feature that can connect you to an optimal server automatically.
Optimized Stealth VPN Servers (9/10)
IPVanish has an amazingly amazing performance rating on our scale because the service offers great streaming features and speeds.
Dedicated Streaming Features (9/10)
As mentioned earlier, IPVanish offers best streaming service and help users unblock a number of blocked websites.
Compatibility with All Devices (7/10)
Although IPVanish offers compatibility across different devices and OS but not as many as other VPN services listed here.
Dedicated 24/7 Customer Support (9/10)
IPVanish has a good customer support service that you can contact through their website.
VPNArea
Operating from Bulgaria, VPNArea is although not as amazing as many other VPN providers in our list, yet it definitely has some attractive features that compelled us to list the service here. Some of the out of the box features of VPNArea include Double VPN and Stunnel servers, adblocker, server load monitor, etc. Apart from that the service offers multi-login in up to 6 devices.
Vast Global VPN Network (5/10)
When it comes to global networks of VPN servers, VPNArea has the lowest number of servers to offer, i.e., 200+ VPN servers. Moreover, the servers are available only in 69 countries.
Load Balancing Feature (5/10)
Although there isn’t any notable load balancing feature offered by the service but it does offer a load monitoring feature. Through the feature you can know which server has the lowest load.
Optimized Stealth VPN Servers (8/10)
VPNArea offers some good stealth servers that are optimized for speed
Dedicated Streaming Features (9/10)
VPNArea has special streaming servers that come with Double VPN or Stunnel features
Compatibility with All Devices (6/10)
The service offers compatibility with all popular devices
Dedicated 24/7 Customer Support (9/10)
The service has a friendly customer support agents at its support service.
Conclusion
It’s no doubt that live streaming is an excellent way to enjoy movies and TV shows, but it can’t be done without the use of a VPN.
With the use of a VPN, it doesn’t matter where you’re traveling in the world as long as you have an internet connection. If you wish to stream online without compromising your security and privacy, get the best VPN for streaming which is undoubtedly PureVPN among top 5.
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