4 Free VPNs That Work With Netflix (2018).
Looking for a free VPN that works with Netflix? Well, in January 2016, Netflix announced that it would start blocking a VPN, also known as a virtual private network, which allows customers outside of the US to watch American Netflix. Fast forward one year; most paid VPNs no longer work on Netflix, let alone free ones.
While Netflix doesn’t disclose exactly how to block VPNs, in general they block IP addresses associated with hosting providers, which are typically used by VPN providers. This means that even if you set up a VPN on Digital Ocean and try to access Netflix through it, you still won’t be able to bypass Netflix’s geographic restrictions.
There are a few blogs out there that recommend using Chrome extensions like Hola, Tor browser, etc., but after testing them, I found they don’t, so you don’t have to waste time on them.
Don’t worry, there are several free VPNs and proxy services that still work for Netflix. Don’t hope from them though. Remember, you get what you pay for, no free service can be better than a paid one. But in general, he copes with his task. So let’s take a look at them.
None of the following free VPNs are reliable, sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. However, at least one of the following seems to always work.
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1. HomebrewVPN – Free VPN that works with Netflix
HomeBrewVPN is a little-known free VPN that works with Netflix and lets you watch major video and audio streaming websites only available to US viewers. This means that with HomebrewVPN, you can get American Netflix and music streaming service like Spotify or Pandora no matter where in the world you live.
Unlike other VPNs, homebrew doesn’t have a dedicated app, which means you’ll have to manually set up VPNs on your devices.
How do I set up HomebrewVPN?
First, you need to manually set up a VPN on your device. Each device has its own way of setting up a VPN, you can google it. But in short, it is like logging into a server, that is – provide the server url and enter your username and password. You can find more information here.
Create a VPN Server and enter the following details.
Server type: PPTP, L2TP or OpenVPN
Server address: server1.homebrewvpn.com
Username: homebrewvpn-us
Password: homebrewvpn
PPTP users: Encryption, 40-bit or 128-bit encryption not supported.
L2TP users: Additional Shared Key (required for iOS devices): 12345678
Verdict
The free version of Homebrew works fine, although its speed is limited to 512 kbps; means that’s enough for streaming Netflix from 244p to 480p. During testing for several days ( last checked July 2018 Related: How to Add IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes Ratings on Netflix
2. Ultrasurf – Free VPN that works with Netflix
Ultrasurf is a popular tool for bypassing blocked sites. Unlike other VPNs on this list, Ultrasurf is a proxy, a proxy in most cases similar to a VPN, but without encryption.
How do I set up Ultrasurf?
The setup is simple. Just download the Ultrasurf Chrome extension and enable it. No login or software installation required. Once installed, go to Netflix and search for “Office (US)”, if you are not from the US and can still watch this show, you have successfully bypassed the country restrictions on Netflix.
Verdict:
It was designed to bypass the so-called Great Firewall of China. However, some people doubt its authenticity since the server is located in the US. Ultrasurf is definitely unreliable, but for the most part it works great with Netflix on the desktop. The video quality was poor and it didn’t work on Android devices.
3. Nord VPN – Free Trial
NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that still works with Netflix. And while it’s a paid service, they do offer a 3 free trial that doesn’t require a credit card. However, this requires a valid email address (temporary email does not work). After a three-day trial, that’s $ 12 per month if you’re using the monthly plan, or $ 5 per month if you’re paying for a full year.
The free version does slow down your connection, although for example I got 2 Mbps and 0.8 Mbps on my normal 8 Mbps connection and 8 Mbps down.
How do I set up NordVPN?
I tried the free version of NordVPN on macOS and Android and it worked great. Setting up is pretty straightforward: create a free trial account, download and install the client, and switch to a specific country. This is it. Now you can bypass the country restrictions for Netflix. Surprisingly, they also support torrents.
Verdict:
After several unsuccessful attempts, NordVPN finally worked on my macOS. Also, the video quality was too low. I’m not sure if it’s a free account or just like that. It didn’t work on Android even after a few tests. I mean, it was able to detect the US directory, but when you click on the title, it didn’t play the video. Even after restarting the device or trying to use another device.
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4. Smart DNS Proxy – Free trial version
Another better alternative is to use SmartDNS like Smart DNS Proxy.
Smart DNS, unlike VPN, does not change your IP address or encrypt your traffic, which means that video streaming will be much faster. And the best part is, if you can set up Smart DNS Proxy on your router, every device connected to your router will automatically bypass geo restrictions. There is no need to configure manually on every device.
How do I set up NordVPN?
Setting up Smart DNS Proxy is a little more complicated compared to VPN. To use their service, you need to change the DNS server of your computer, smartphone or router to Smart DNS Proxy DNS servers. You can find a video tutorial on how to set up each operating system on YouTube.
Verdict:
Smart DNS Proxy is not exactly a free VPN that works with Netflix, it is a paid service. However, we are still listing because it is a 14-day free trial. No credit card is required either. So, if you want to watch the new Netflix original for a week or two, you can try Smart DNS proxy for free for 2 weeks. After a free trial, that’s $ 5 per month.
Free VPN that works with Netflix
So these were free VPNs to bypass Netflix’s geographic restrictions. If you’re on a mobile phone, you can use Homebrew, Ultrasurf works reliably on the desktop browser, and if you’re planning a vacation and want to save Netflix shows for offline use, get a Nord VPN trial.
Although, of course, none of these free methods are reliable. The best long-term solution is to get a paid VPN like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, which seems to work great for Netflix, but at the same time is quite expensive (around $ 15 per month). Smart DNS proxies are another good option.
On the subject: SmartDNS vs VPN – What’s the Difference?