How to unblock Netflix? – Proven Methods

What’s the Best Way to Unblock Netflix US?

Netflix US is without a doubt the best content library. It ranks right up there with the most titles (almost 6,000), and it has some of the best exclusive shows – The Office, Dexter, Shameless (U.S.),The Tudors, Parks and Recreation.

Don’t believe us? Try this Netflix library tool from ProPrivacy. Look up any of the shows we mentioned (or others you heard are exclusive to the US library), and the tool will tell you which country they’re available in.

That’s not really fair, is it?

You’re paying the same price as everyone else, so why should you settle for less content? Also, if you already live in the US, you’ll lose access to your country’s library the moment you go abroad. Netflix redirects you to different region libraries based on your IP address, after all.

Don’t worry – we’ll show you how to easily bypass the platform’s annoying geo-restrictions, and unblock the Netflix US library anywhere in the world.

How to Unblock Netflix US (3 Options)

No, you won’t have to actually travel to the US, so you can relax.

Instead, you can try one of the following unblocking methods:

1. VPNs

A VPN is an online service that hides your geo-location by preventing websites from seeing your real IP address. It does that by routing your traffic through a VPN server that sits between your device and Netflix.

Basically, your connection requests (which contain your IP address) go to Netflix through the VPN. Because of that, Netflix thinks they’re coming from the VPN server, not your device. So, the site will only see the server’s IP address (meaning it only sees geo-location associated with it).

If you’re having trouble picturing how that connection would look like, here’s an image that should help you better understand the process:

All you need to do is make sure you connect to a US VPN server to get a US IP address. If you connect to a server in a different country, Netflix will redirect you to that region’s content library.

Finding a good Netflix VPN is pretty hard, though. The site can actually detect VPN IP addresses, and redirect VPN users to the Netflix proxy error landing page. The only way to prevent that from happening is to make sure you’re using a VPN that can bypass Netflix’s detection algorithms (so one that regularly refreshes their server IPs).

To quickly find such a service, try the Netflix library tool from ProPrivacy. Yes, its main purpose is to check which countries a show or movie is available in. However, it also recommends the best three Netflix VPNs based on ProPrivacy’s data (one of the leading VPN review sites on the web).

2. Smart DNS Services

These are online services that hide your geo-location by doing the following:

• They change your DNS settings to make sure no geo-data is leaked.
• They route your traffic through different proxy servers in the US.
• And finally, they intercept your DNS queries, remove any data that leaks your geo-location, and replace it with information that points to a whitelisted location (the US in this case).

It sounds like a complicated process, but it all happens instantly in the background. On your end, you just use an app to enable and disable the Smart DNS.

There are stand-alone Smart DNS providers, but most of the top VPNs offer built-in Smart DNS functionality alongside the main VPN service. In our opinion, getting a VPN + Smart DNS combo is the better deal because if one unblocking method stops working, you have another one to rely on.

3. Proxy Servers

A proxy is pretty similar to a VPN. It’s also a server that acts as a middleman between your device and Netflix. Basically, it intercepts and forwards your connection requests. So Netflix thinks the proxy is the source of your connection, meaning it only sees its IP address.

Another cool thing about proxies is that they can save requested content (like a Netflix web page) on their local cache. If you then request it, the proxy can retrieve it without forwarding your requests to Netflix. Translated, that means you get faster load times.

Obviously, you’ll need to use a US proxy server to unblock Netflix US.

So What’s the Best Unblocking Method?

That’s up to you to decide. We personally prefer VPNs because they’re so versatile – besides unblocking Netflix, they also prevent bandwidth throttling (so no slowdowns during long Netflix binges).

Wait – What about Tor? Can You Unblock Netflix US with It?

It’s a privacy tool that hides your IP address like VPNs and proxies (somewhat), so it should be able to unblock Netflix US too, right?

In theory, yes. But in practice, not so much since Netflix can actually detect and block Tor traffic. Our tests back that up since we weren’t able to unblock the site with Tor.

We have seen people on Reddit say they managed to do it, so you can give Tor a try. But keep in mind that even if you’re able to unblock Netflix US, you won’t manage to enjoy it to its fullest.

Why?

Because Tor is very, very slow. When we ran tests with it, our speeds averaged around 1-2 Mbps. For comparison, our VPN speeds averaged around 70-80 Mbps. And to stream Netflix in ultra HD, you need at least 25 Mbps.

Why is Tor so slow, though?

It’s simple – the server network is way too small. There are around 6,000 servers, and over two million people use Tor. So there’s definitely not enough bandwidth to go around.

Overall, you’re much better off using a VPN, proxy, or Smart DNS. Tor isn’t built for streaming, but for privacy (since it encrypts your traffic at least three times). So only use it when you need a high level of online security (and, even then, use it over a VPN).

What’s Your Favorite Way to Unblock Netflix US?

Do you use a VPN, or are proxies more your thing? Please let us know in the comments. Also, if you know other ways to unblock Netflix US or other shows and movies that are exclusive to it, please tell us about them.