Hulu is one of the best ways to watch high-quality shows right now. But like some of the best things in life, it's reserved for a select few – namely US residents. Venture outside the US and you'll find all that those hours and hours of programming are geo-restricted so you can't get access. Not ideal when on vacation then. But worry not, this is where downloading one of the best VPNs works wonders.
Already got a VPN and want to know what to do next to get at your Hulu content wherever you are? This guide to Hulu unblocking is what you need. Still not joined the VPN revolution and want to learn more? Read on.
A Hulu VPN uses international servers to make you appear as if you’re getting online from a different location. In this case that's where your Hulu subscription works, so you can watch shows even when overseas. In some cases these services can get you around ISP throttling, too, meaning you could actually get better performance.
Of course some people use a VPN to get access to Hulu content when they're not US residents in the first place – hence the geo-restrictions in place to stop that. We don't condone this but understand there are still those that need a US VPN to legitimately access Hulu while away from the country. And these are the best Hulu VPN options for doing just that.
- Check out the overall best VPN services available now
- Discover the best shows on Hulu
- Got Netflix, too? These are the best working Netflix VPNs
Best VPN for Hulu
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ExpressVPN offers a quality VPN with more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries which means you get above-average speeds that will allow you to stream high quality video easily, wherever you are. So ideal for Hulu subscribers wanting to watch from any corner of the globe.
This works across lots of clients that run on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. That means you can watch Hulu from your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Also, the MediaStreamer DNS feature unblocks Hulu on devices that don’t have native VPN support – yup, that means Apple TV, smart TVs and game consoles.
Security is tight with enterprise level 256-bit AES encryption, DNS/IPv6 leak protection, a kill switch, and split tunnelling. This extends to privacy where there's no activity logging or connection logs kept. There’s also 24/7 email and live chat support if you run into problems that genuinely works very well.
Pricing is a little more than the rivals and you are limited to five devices working at one time. Other than that this is as close to VPN perfection as you can get.
NordVPN is a superb example of a network that offers you deep levels of security, thanks to a double 2048-bit encryption, combine with high speeds. Despite that extra security, which should in theory slow you down, there is some serious performance on offer here that makes it ideal for Hulu streaming.
Yes, you get a kill switch, DNS leak protection and Bitcoin payment options to keep you secure, but you also get SmartPlay. This is a DNS-style feature that works specifically to get around geo-restrictions, just like those that Hulu has in place. The result should mean you get online easily, no matter where you are.
There was a reported security breach in 2018, but that's been cleared up since. The user experience can be fiddly at times but with a 30-day money-back guarantee it's well worth giving this a try as your go-to VPN for Hulu unblocking.
CyberGhost is a VPN that is built to help you work with your task at hand. So, in this case, to get Hulu access it will allow you to select geo-blocking as the reason you're using the service. It will then assign you the best servers to make sure you get around the geo-restriction while still getting the best speeds for streaming high quality video content.
That's fantastic news if you're not that computer savvy or simply want to get streaming as quickly as possible with the smallest amount of faff.
Over 5,000 servers worldwide mean you should be able to find a decent option that not only gets you online but also does so at speed. There's security too with encryption, auto HTTPS redirection, ad blocking, tracker and malicious website blocking too. It'll even compress data for a mobile connection allowing you to save your data allowance.
The 45-day money-back guarantee is one of the longest VPN free trials around, too.
IPVanish is a great all rounder for performance, security and apps. That last part is stand out as the IPVanish clients, for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and even Fire TV, are crammed full of options and features that make it a unique experience. That includes the ability to unblock streaming services like, you guessed it...Hulu.
Support is great with 24/7 live chat so should you be struggling with any of the minor usability issues, like a small number of servers we found not working, then you'll be back up and running in no time.
Speeds are superb, well above average, making this ideal for streaming Hulu video content.
Surfshark is a super speed performer when it comes to connection speeds, which makes it ideal for Hulu streaming. You'll be able to get access to high quality video even if you're travelling the world. You'll also be able to get it securely and anonymously thanks to the AES-256 encryption, private DNS, OpenVPN and a double VPN hop.
Surfshark is super simple to use and the pricing structure matches this, plus it's really cheap if you go for a longer term commitment. Of course simplicity might not be for everyone, especially those after more complex menus, but for the most part this covers off all you need, especially when it comes to watching Hulu.
How to choose the best Hulu VPN
For starters, you obviously want ample locations in the US in order to get a reliable connection there – Japan will likely be far less well-represented, but you can still keep an eye out for a provider with locations in that country.
Naturally, the VPN needs to be fast enough to stream top quality content, and ideally it should offer apps for multiple devices and platforms (particularly if you watch Hulu on many different devices). Customer support is also something that should be readily available to solve any potential issues that crop up.
And it's worth remembering that the assets that make the best Hulu VPN also apply to other TV streaming services. So if you're the kind of person that subscribes to Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, the WWE Network and more, then you may be well advised to check out our main guide to the best streaming VPNs, too.
- Read more: We’ve rounded up the best free VPNs
