The Best iPlayer VPNs
With so many streaming services available, it’s a bit unusual that the BBC’s on-demand service offers access to thousands of TV shows and movies for free. However, if you’re traveling outside of the UK, you’ll need a VPN to bypass the geographic restrictions imposed on the content library. ..
BBC iPlayer is the perfect place to watch British television shows like Peaky Blinds and Doctor Who. You can also watch US imports like the Gossip Girl reboot, as well as Strictly Come Dancing and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
A VPN can help you access the internet from anywhere in the world. It can make it look like you’re in the UK, even if you’re abroad. Additionally, a VPN can protect your online security and unlock other streaming services like Netflix.
Here is the list of the best iPlayer VPNs
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming from iPlayer. It has a great selection of servers, is perfect for streaming from iPlayer, and has excellent customer service. If something goes wrong while streaming from iPlayer, you can start a live support chat right away as agents are available 24/7.
ExpressVPN offers a diverse set of client apps for devices like the Fire TV Stick and game consoles. With other VPNs, you would have to spend hours tinkering with your Wi-Fi router to connect these devices – not so here, as you’ll have a dedicated app right in the store, ready to download.
Some devices feature Express’s MediaStreamer technology, which allows you to access blocked content through the use of Smart DNS instead of VPN servers. This means that you can use ExpressVPN to unblock content on many devices, such as Samsung Tizen TVs, which do not support true VPN connections. However, it does not provide the security benefits of a real VPN on these devices.
ExpressVPN had a hiccup with iPlayer on final 2020, but access to iPlayer has been steady and reliable for a few months now. Thanks to the rapid response from developers and the fact that it’s an excellent and versatile service, it’s back to number one in our guide. ..
NordVPN
NordVPN and ExpressVPN are both great VPNs, but if you’re looking for something a little more affordable, NordVPN is a fantastic option. ..
NordVPN is one of the most secure and fast VPNs on the market. It offers dedicated kill switch, DNS leak protection, and 2048-bit encryption. NordVPN also performed amazingly in our tests with averages of 340 Mbps. This makes it a great choice for watching iPlayer. ..
iPlayer is a great streaming service, but it can be difficult to use at times. That said, it comes with a lot of features and performance stats that make it one of our top three VPNs. ..
surfshark
Our analysis of Surfshark demonstrates that there’s no need to break the bank to access a high-quality iPlayer VPN. As long as you are willing to sign a lengthy contract, this is easily the best cheap VPN service provider on the market today. Fortunately, while it’s affordable, Surfshark doesn’t lack any important VPNs. features. Your browsing data will be safe thanks to 256-bit AES encryption and protocols like IKEv2, OpenVPN and WireGuard – and the apps are incredibly easy to use no matter what platform you’re on, making accessing iPlayer extremely simple.
Surfshark is a great iPlayer option that offers an unlimited number of connections and a low price.
Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield is a great choice for anyone who loves watching TV shows and movies on BBC iPlayer. What the Hotspot Shield really impresses is its performance. In our tests, it returned speeds of over 410 Mbps, which also earned it number one on our fast VPN guide. That’s more than enough power to stream content on BBC’s iPlayer without your experience being disrupted by buffering.
Hotspot Shield is a free VPN service that offers easy-to-use apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux and many other devices. It has a strong privacy record and is popular among true privacy devotees.
VyprVPN
VyprVPN is a popular and trusted VPN provider that you should consider. It offers speeds of up to 180 Mbps over a UK connection, and its WireGuard protocol allows for better speeds when connecting to servers in the UK. However, using the OpenVPN protocol results in poor speeds.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is not as fast as ExpressVPN and suffers from the same long-haul speed drops as NordVPN. However, its VPN servers are fast enough to offer the best experience when watching BBC iPlayer content and UK TV channels. However, there are no bandwidth limits to worry about and it has an easy-to-use interface. ..
CyberGhost is a VPN service with a large number of servers located in three different countries. This makes it an ideal choice for streaming BBC programs without buffering or video delay.
CyberGhost is a great service for budget-minded BBC fans. It offers great security and all UK servers are optimized for streaming to all devices, although it’s not as fast as ExpressVPN or NordVPN. However, you rarely experience any video lag when accessing BBC iPlayer from Europe with CyberGhost. ..
windscrib
Windscribe is fifth on our list, but it is arguably the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer. You have access to UK servers with the free plan, so you can play around a bit if you run into any problems. While the UK’s free servers aren’t the fastest, in our tests for the Windscribe review, we found that it unlocks the BBC’s iPlayer with ease. ..
The best free VPN is generous, but it doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles. If you decide to go for the paid plan, the monthly price is not the best option. Longer plans save money on final and offer a unique “build a plan” option that costs $1 per additional server.
ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is another good BBC iPlayer VPN, thanks to its ease of use and unlimited bandwidth. It also has more than 35 servers in the UK that allow you to unlock BBC iPlayer without any problems. However, while testing our ProtonVPN review, we found that BBC iPlayer took a long time to load on some servers, so you should try different servers to find one that works well. ..
ProtonVPN is a great VPN service with a lot of features, but its Plus servers in the UK are optimized for streaming. If you want to watch streaming content, you’ll need to sign up for a higher level plan.
ProtonVPN misses the mark on several fronts that matter most when it comes to streaming BBC iPlayer shows and movies. Its servers are not slow, but they are not very fast either. While their free and basic plans are wallet-friendly, they don’t allow you to access UK streaming servers, so they’re not an option for BBC iPlayer. Additionally, ProtonVPN allows you to stream only on Windows and macOS devices.
Final note
Best iPlayer VPNs: A Comprehensive List
