BBC iPlayer, and its massive library of excellent TV shows, is only available to watch in the UK. But, by using a VPN for iPlayer, you can spoof your location and tune in to your favorite UK TV series, soaps, and live sports even if you're away overseas.
Not every VPN on the market can get around BBC iPlayer's geo-fence and VPN detection, though, so we’ve put together a list of our top five picks. We’ve tested each of these VPNs to ensure that they work reliably, no matter where you are in the world, that they’re not currently blocked by iPlayer, and that they deliver a good quality, smooth streaming experience.
If you want to cut to the chase, then go for NordVPN. It’s our top-rated iPlayer VPN. It allowed access to iPlayer every time, first time, and has four different UK server locations to choose from.
Surfshark is the next best alternative and today’s best cheap VPN. It’s a speedy service that didn’t cause content to buffer, and its easy-to-use apps make finding UK servers straightforward.
5 best BBC iPlayer VPNs: quick overview
VPN comparison
Connecting seamlessly to BBC iPlayer isn't possible without a good spread of UK-based servers. So, here's a quick overview of how our top iPlayer VPNs compare for UK coverage – though read on to discover more about what makes each provider unique.
VPN | UK servers | UK server locations |
NordVPN | 440 | 4 (Manchester, London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow) |
Surfshark | 212 | 4 (Manchester, London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow) |
ExpressVPN | Unknown | 3 (London Docklands, London Wembley, East London, and Midlands) |
PIA | Unknown | 3 (Manchester, London, and Southampton) |
Proton VPN | 36 | 2 (Manchester and London) |
The most recent update sees Surfshark overtake ExpressVPN as a better choice for an iPlayer VPN. Why? Surfshark does the unblocking job just as well, it's super-fast, much cheaper and offers unlimited simultaneous connections on a single account. Do take a look at our latest VPN test results for more details.
The best BBC iPlayer VPNs in 2025: in-depth reviews
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The best iPlayer VPN overall
NordVPN has 440 UK-based VPN servers, and no other provider in our rankings comes close to matching this selection. These servers are spread across 4 cities: Manchester, London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, giving folks in the UK (or users overseas who want to spoof their virtual location and appear as though they’re in the UK) plenty of local connection points.
The large pool of UK servers means NordVPN has more capacity than our other shortlisted iPlayer VPNs. This helps to reduce congestion, as users eager to unblock iPlayer aren't restricted to a handful of British servers that could quickly become overloaded.
Read more about NordVPN ▼
This vast pool ensures that you don’t have to route your traffic through a far-flung server to enjoy NordVPN’s unblocking power and potentially introduce performance issues to your iPlayer streams as a result. Plus, if the server you select can’t unblock iPlayer or other UK-based content, just switch to another server in the same city.
We had no trouble when testing NordVPN with BBC iPlayer. We connected to the nearest server in Manchester and accessed the platform without our VPN usage being detected. Then, we tuned into The Traitors for a few episodes (and almost forgot to continue our testing). We’re happy to report that we didn’t encounter a single dip in picture quality, and none of our episodes ground to a halt to buffer. This positive experience is why NordVPN is also the best streaming VPN.
This is thanks, in large part, to NordVPN’s stellar speeds. The NordLynx protocol clocked in at 950+ Mbps during testing – making it NordVPN’s fastest available protocol and the best choice for streaming without VPN use being detected by iPlayer. If you’re having trouble with this, it might be worth switching to the UDP OpenVPN protocol, as it’ll disguise your VPN connection, making it look like regular internet traffic, meaning it’s less likely to trigger BBC iPlayer’s VPN ban. However, we didn't need to switch protocols at any point during our testing.
Regardless of which device you use to tune in to BBC iPlayer, NordVPN has you covered with some of the best apps on the market, including the best Apple TV app on the market, and Fire TV Stick support. Finding the UK servers is as easy as scrolling through the server list, or punching “United Kingdom” into the search bar, though there’s also an interactive map you can use to scroll over to the British Isles and manually select a connection point.
NordVPN's SmartDNS tool allows you to access streaming platforms and apps that might not be natively available on your smart TV – although it won't encrypt your traffic like a regular VPN connection.
To round things off, NordVPN gives users 10 simultaneous connections to play with, which is pretty much the industry standard (though Surfshark and PIA are more generous, with unlimited connections on offer).
The best cheap iPlayer VPN
Surfshark offers 212 UK-based servers. That’s a generous selection, and more than Proton VPN’s offering of 36, but it still lags behind the 440 British servers that NordVPN has to offer. This means that Surfshark doesn't have as much capacity, comparatively, but the server pool is still large enough to offset congestion.
However, it’s great to see that Surfshark’s coverage spans 4 cities, just like NordVPN, including: London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.
Read more about Surfshark ▼
Our streaming experience with Surfshark was flawless. After joining a Manchester server, we loaded up iPlayer and were able to tune into The Great British Sewing Bee instantly on the first time of asking, without having to reload or find a new server. After getting our fill of feel-good reality TV, we went on to check Surfshark’s access to UK Netflix and Prime Video and, happily, the VPN aced those tests, too.
Surfshark is the quickest VPN in our rankings, achieving speeds of 950+ Mbps using its fastest protocol: WireGuard. So, if you’re on holiday and want to check in on your favorite football team with some Match of the Day action, or just need to keep the kids entertained with CBeebies, Surfshark ensures that the picture quality stays clear.
Generally, Surfshark’s apps take a less-is-more approach to UI. They’re clean and clutter-free, and scrolling through the server list to find the UK options is straightforward. Alternatively, you can type the name of the city you’d like to connect to in the search bar, or favorite specific servers for easy access in the future.
In terms of sheer value for money, Surfshark is hard to beat, offering unlimited simultaneous connections. This means that, with one plan, you can cover all of the gadgets in your home and share your login with friends and family, so they can rest assured that they’ll always have reliable access to iPlayer content, too.
The best VPN for beginners
ExpressVPN doesn’t disclose how many UK servers it has, but its coverage extends across 4 locations. Three of these are in London (Docklands, Wembley, and East London), with the fourth in the Midlands, making ExpressVPN the only provider in our list not to offer a connection point in North England or Scotland. It’s not a major red flag, especially if you’ll be connecting from overseas and just need a British IP address to access iPlayer, but it’s something to be aware of if you’re looking for a server that’s as close to your hometown as possible.
Read more about ExpressVPN ▼
To see how ExpressVPN works with BBC iPlayer, we connected to the Midlands server, our closest option, and loaded up the app. We selected Call the Midwife and managed to get through about three episodes before getting misty-eyed – but we’re happy to report that content loaded right away, the first time, every time. This awesome performance extends to other platforms, too, and we were able to check out UK Netflix without any hiccups and without being served a dreaded “turn off your VPN” notice.
We used the fastest ExpressVPN protocol to check out BBC iPlayer: Lightway. Lightway is a WireGuard-based protocol that came in at 898 Mbps in our testing, and while it’s not as quick as NordVPN, Surfshark, or Proton VPN (which all recorded speeds of 950+ Mbps), it’s still more than fast enough to enjoy HD and 4K iPlayer content, and even live sports, without picture quality issues.
ExpressVPN’s apps are some of our favorites, including options for iPads and tablets, Apple TV, and Fire TV Stick. They’re friendly and stylish, and make connecting to a local UK server as simple as tapping the big Smart Location button. If you’re abroad, or prefer to be more choosy, manually selecting a UK server is a slightly longer process, as the ExpressVPN app is compact by default. Tap the connect button to expand the server list, and either scroll through the options or make use of the search bar.
ExpressVPN is compatible with all platforms, and the MediaStreamer tool makes sure you can cast BBC iPlayer shows and movies to devices that you can’t install ExpressVPN on natively. On that note, we’d also like to see ExpressVPN up its simultaneous connection limit from 8 to 10 – most folks live in multi-person households, after all, where 8 connections might not be enough to cover everyone's army of gadgets.
The best secure BBC iPlayer VPN
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a great option for iPlayer, especially if you’re on the hunt for a budget-friendly service that can keep up with HD and 4K streaming. Like ExpressVPN, PIA doesn’t share how many UK servers it has, but we can see that they cover 3 major cities: London, Manchester, and Southampton. NordVPN and Surfshark give users more choice, with coverage in 4 locations, total, but PIA’s spread is more evenly distributed than ExpressVPN, which concentrates its attention on London. This is good news for users looking to maximize the performance of their VPN by connecting to a server that’s as close to their physical location as possible.
Read more about PIA ▼
To see how well PIA works with BBC iPlayer, we joined the server nearest to us, in Manchester, and opened the BBC iPlayer site. We chose Gladiators, this time, for a dose of nostalgia, and actually ran into the first hiccup of our testing process when the episode wouldn’t load.
This isn’t quite as bad as BBC iPlayer detecting our VPN usage outright and blocking us, but it’s still an obstacle between us and the content. Luckily, connecting to another UK-based server in Southampton solved the issue, and we had a great time distracting ourselves from work by watching grown adults hit one another with foam blocks.
PIA’s WireGuard performance isn’t quite as impressive as its competitors. We saw speeds of 436 Mbps, which is by no means a crawl, but NordVPN and Surfshark are over twice as quick. Still, in real-world terms, we don’t notice a massive difference when streaming with PIA. Our picture quality remained clear and crisp throughout, though content loaded somewhat slower than it did when testing NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN.
We find PIA’s apps pretty easy to use and navigate. Like ExpressVPN, the UI is compact, expanding out into sub-menus as you click around, and you’ll need to expand the server list to choose a UK city. Scrolling through the options gets a little tedious on mobile, which is why we recommend pinning your favorite UK servers to the “Quick Connect” widget on the home panel.
PIA is compatible with virtually every device you can think of, including consoles, tablets, and smart TVs, which means that you can enjoy BBC iPlayer content with the whole family if your hotel has the right setup. Finally, we’re glad to see that PIA gives its users real value for money, too, with unlimited simultaneous connections.
The best free BBC iPlayer VPN
Proton VPN offers 36 UK servers in 2 cities: Manchester and London. This pales in comparison to the 440 British servers NordVPN has, and the 212 offered by Surfshark, but it’s still a good pool to choose from. After all, if you encounter issues accessing iPlayer with one of these servers, having 35 more to try means that you’ll probably find one that works before exhausting all your options.
Read more about Proton VPN ▼
BBC iPlayer didn’t detect our VPN usage when we connected to the closest Proton VPN server in Manchester. We watched the first few episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 2 (unarguably the best UK season) and noticed that, for the first five minutes or so, the picture quality was rather grainy.
To solve this, we disabled the VPN and reloaded BBC iPlayer, then reconnected to a different Manchester server. The issue resolved itself before the first queen sashayed away and didn’t recur. In fact, the rest of our streaming session was smooth – comparable with NordVPN and Surfshark.
Proton VPN’s speediest protocol is WireGuard, clocking in at 950+ Mbps. This puts it on par with our two top iPlayer VPNs, NordVPN and Surfshark, and means that, despite the minor setback we encountered during testing, Proton VPN is well-equipped to handle HD, 4K, and live streaming content.
Finding Proton VPN’s UK servers is a piece of cake; scroll through the server list (and pick out the Union Jack) or type a city into the search bar. There’s also an interactive map (that reminds us of NordVPN). It’s a nice novelty, and users can pan over to the UK and tap on a connection point, but we find that the server list gets the job done in a fraction of the time.
If you’ve got a growing army of gadgets, or live with family and friends with collections of their own, you’ll be glad to learn that Proton VPN is compatible with practically every platform - and that includes support for Fire TV Sticks and Android TV, as well as tablets and consoles. 10 simultaneous connections is the industry standard, though Surfshark and PIA get brownie points for offering unlimited connections.
How we test
The most important part of the testing process for our BBC iPlayer rankings is, of course, determining whether a VPN can access the iPlayer site without the VPN usage being detected.
To do this, we used both a Lenovo laptop and an iPhone 13. We connected to the closest UK server, opened the BBC iPlayer site, and attempted to stream a show or movie. If it worked the first time, great; if not, we disconnected from the server and chose a new one. Usually, this resolved any issues, but if not, we made a note and questioned the VPN's place in our rankings.
We also weigh up a few other key considerations:
- Speed: An iPlayer VPN needs to be able to keep up with HD and 4k streams, so we test each VPN on a 1 Gbps line to record the average speed, and discuss what this means in terms of real-world streaming experience.
- Servers: Servers in the UK are a must for any BBC iPlayer, as British folks abroad will need access to points back home to enjoy their favorite shows, movies, and sports. We’ll also investigate the rest of the VPN’s coverage to determine if any regions are lacking representation.
- Apps: Whether you do your streaming on a desktop PC, laptop, mobile, or smart TV, the best VPNs have natively compatible apps. We take a look at the ease of use and UI design.
Read more about our VPN testing methodology here.
iPlayer VPN FAQs
Can I use a free VPN with BBC iPlayer?
We don’t recommend using a free VPN for BBC iPlayer. Most free VPNs are saddled with limitations, like monthly data caps, a reduced pool of available servers, and restricted bandwidth. This means that they’re not well-equipped to handle streaming – and they’re often detected by platforms like BBC iPlayer. Instead, we suggest sticking to the premium picks on our shortlist.
Why do I need a VPN for BBC iPlayer?
BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK. So, if you're a British national on holiday overseas, you won't be able to tune in to your favorite soaps, shows, and movies like you would from home – unless you have an iPlayer VPN. A VPN tricks the sites and services you visit into thinking you're somewhere else, based on the server you join, so connecting to a UK-based server means you can browse the web and enjoy streaming as though you were still at home in the Isles.
What else can I do with a BBC iPlayer VPN?
VPNs are more than just geo-spoofing tools. They're designed to protect your online privacy with rock-solid encryption that'll keep snoopers and cybercriminals at bay – so even if they do intercept your data, encryption means they won't be able to read it and exploit it. A VPN also disguises your original IP address, improving your online anonymity and making it much harder to trace your activity across the web.
Do I need an account to watch BBC iPlayer?
Yes, you'll need to sign up for a BBC account before you begin streaming iPlayer content. You'll be asked to provide some basic information, including an email and a valid UK postal code. If you'd rather not share your postcode, it's possible to register your account using the postcode associated with the BBC headquarters - W1A 1AA.
Do I need a TV license to watch BBC iPlayer?
Legally, yes. The BBC states that anyone tuning in to BBC iPlayer content (whether it's live or on demand) should be covered by an active TV license - though you won't be asked to supply any identifying data to confirm that your license is valid. Instead, when you sign up for a BBC account and begin streaming, all you need to do is confirm that, yes, you do have a license.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
