Streaming support
When you’re selecting a VPN to stream Netflix, you’ll want to consider how many international content libraries it unlocks. Generally, we found that most servers in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Romania and South Africa worked flawlessly. Servers in other countries, such as Egypt, occasionally didn’t show geo-specific movies and shows — while I was usually able to access Netflix, on some VPNs, it simply continued showing the US version. Aside from Netflix, think about the other streaming services you want to unblock with a VPN, such as Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, Hulu, Sling, YouTube TV and other providers.
Server network
The more individual country servers a VPN provider offers, the greater potential it provides to unblock Netflix international content libraries. At the high end, VPN companies, including ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN and Surfshark, sport 100 or more nations. We recommend at least 60-plus countries, which gives you plenty of options. Notably, you may not be able to access global Netflix content on all servers. But if a VPN offers multiple servers in a particular country — such as several choices in the UK — you can try changing servers within that region to see if one successfully unblocks Netflix. The best way to see if a provider unblocks the content you want to watch is to take advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll know for sure if a provider can actually give you access to Netflix in the region you want when you test it for yourself. If not, you can issue a request for a refund.
Aside from the total number of servers available and a diverse set of countries, think about specialty servers for other purposes. Some VPN providers, including ExpressVPN, let you torrent on any server, while others, like Proton VPN and NordVPN, have P2P-optimized servers for file-sharing.
Device compatibility
Think about the devices you want to stream Netflix on using a VPN. Most VPNs offer Windows, MacOS and Linux applications for desktops or laptops. Likewise, you’ll find Android and iOS/iPadOS apps for mobile devices, including phones and tablets. Many VPNs feature Android TV and Amazon Fire TV apps that run on streaming boxes, like the NVIDIA Shield TV, Amazon Fire TV 4K Max or smart TVs. A growing number of VPN companies, including ExpressVPN, NordVPN, PIA, IPVanish, Proton VPN and Surfshark boast Apple TV apps, which are great for Apple aficionados. (Disclosure: IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)
Speed
All VPNs slow down your internet connection somewhat, with the fastest VPNs dropping your speed by an average of 25% or less. A reliable connection is a must, especially for streaming in 1080p high-definition or 4K ultra-high-definition. Look for a VPN with a minimal internet speed loss for buffer- and lag-free streaming. Netflix recommends a minimum 15Mbps or higher internet connection for a single 4K UHD video stream, but faster is better. Generally, if your internet service provider delivers 50Mbps or greater download speeds, you should be fine streaming in 4K or 1080p while using a fast VPN. But if you’re using a slower, higher-latency ISP, like a satellite internet provider, you’ll want the fastest VPN available so as to retain as much of your base internet speed as possible.
Privacy
Aside from entertainment such as streaming video and gaming, many people use VPNs for additional privacy. When connected to a VPN, apps, websites and your internet service provider view your traffic as coming from a different location — such as another state or even country. At a minimum, I recommend a VPN service with AES 256-bit encryption (with the OpenVPN and IKEv2 VPN protocols) or ChaCha20 with WireGuard.
If you need obfuscation, which tries to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN, look for a provider that offers proprietary obfuscation-focused VPN protocols, like NordVPN’s NordWhisper or Proton VPN’s Stealth. I also suggest getting a VPN that has a kill switch (which cuts off your internet connection in case your VPN unexpectedly disconnects) and split tunneling (which lets you use a VPN with some apps and websites but not others).
Additionally, make sure your VPN provider maintains a strict no-logs policy and undergoes annual third-party audits to verify its zero-log claims. While audits don’t paint a full privacy picture, they’re helpful trust signals that can verify that your VPN provider isn’t logging VPN session data. However, more privacy-conscious users, such as investigative journalists or political activists, may want advanced privacy features such as a double VPN or multihop, which uses two VPN connections rather than one or Tor over VPN, The Onion Router and a VPN simultaneously. Onion over VPN servers and double VPN servers both make it even harder to trace your web traffic back to your device than with a standard VPN connection. Likewise, privacy buffs may want RAM-only servers, which theoretically don’t log any VPN session data.
Price
You can sign up for a monthly, bi-annual, yearly or multi-year VPN subscription. VPN plans run you anywhere from $40 to $100 per year. Typically, the more you commit to the more you save, so an annual plan breaks down to a lower price per month than a monthly plan (but you’re paying upfront). We recommend sticking to an annual plan for the maximum savings with the lowest risk. A lot can change in a year: Your fast, private VPN might suffer a data breach or get acquired by a shady company during a 12-month span. Notably, many VPN providers hit you with price hikes, so you might pay $60 for your first year of service, then get slapped with an auto-renewal of $100. Pay attention to the checkout page when purchasing a VPN, and take advantage of any early renewal discounts you get to avoid a costly subscription renewal. I never pay full price for my VPN subscription, and you shouldn’t either.
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