The best Hulu VPNs
A VPN can unlock Hulu's huge library of films and TV shows. These are 2023's best VPNs for Hulu
Hulu is one of the world’s most popular video streaming services, with nearly 30 million users and a library to rival Netflix. Its huge trove of movies and shows includes many popular titles plus exclusive content, often in Ultra HD 4K resolution.
Officially, Hulu isn’t available in the UK: the Hulu servers won’t let you subscribe or log in if they detect that you’re located outside of the US. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the service – you simply need to connect via a VPN, using a server that’s located in the US to disguise your true location. Here’s our guide to getting started, along with our pick of the best VPNs for a smooth Hulu experience.
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Best Hulu VPNs: At a glance
- Best all-round streaming VPN: ExpressVPN
- Must user-friendly Hulu VPN: CyberGhost
- Best-value VPN for Hulu: Atlas VPN
Do I need to pay for Hulu?
Yes, you do. Once you’ve got your VPN set up you can sign up at hulu.com; subscriptions start at $7.99 a month, with your first month free. The standard service includes adverts, but there’s a mostly ad-free option for $14.99 a month.
You can also add extra channels: the US Disney+ service costs an additional $2 month (with advertisements), STARZ is $8.99, Cinemax is $9.99, Showtime is $10.99 and HBO Max is $15.99.
Alongside these streaming services, Hulu offers a live TV service with more than 60 live and on-demand TV channels, including ESPN+ sports broadcasts. This is much pricier, though, at $69.99 a month – and there’s no free trial.
READ NEXT: How to watch Hulu abroad
Do I need to pay for a VPN?
There are several free VPN services out there, but they’re not really suitable for video streaming. That’s because most of them come with a daily or monthly data cap, which will be quickly consumed by high-definition video. For example, Windscribe‘s free tier lets you transfer a generous 10GB of data a month, but that’s still only enough to watch two or three films on Hulu before your VPN connection is suspended.
Other free VPNs may simply block video streaming, to reduce the load on their servers – and if you do find a service that offers unlimited streaming for free, ask yourself how that service is being funded. The operator could be collecting your personal data, or reselling your bandwidth to other users. We recommend you avoid the risks by taking out a paid subscription to a trustworthy VPN; pick the right deal and it will only cost you a few pounds a month.
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Do all VPNs work with Hulu?
Not all of the VPNs we’ve tested can reliably get you into Hulu – some just show an error message even when you’re connected to a US server. However, all of the services recommended below have allowed us to stream Hulu video on a desktop web browser. Some may also work with the dedicated Hulu apps for Android and iOS – check individual reviews for more information.
Bear in mind that streaming services may update their geo-blocking technologies from time to time, so there’s no guarantee that Hulu will always work smoothly with any particular VPN. Watching Hulu from the UK technically violates the company’s terms of service, so if you do get cut off then you don’t have much of a leg to stand on: you just have to hope that your VPN provider will act quickly to restore access.
That’s another good reason to choose a trusted VPN with a good track record of responsiveness and customer service, rather than putting your faith in an unknown quantity. Most VPNs offer a free trial for a short period, so you can check for yourself that Hulu works through your chosen provider before you cough up for a subscription.
How we test VPNs for Hulu
Every VPN we review goes through an extensive series of real-world tests. We install the client software on both mobile and desktop platforms, connect to servers in a variety of locations around the world, check which sites we can access, and measure the upstream and downstream speed of the connection.
As we’ve noted above, this means we won’t say that a VPN is capable of getting you into Hulu from outside the US unless we’ve successfully accessed it ourselves. And our speed tests provide reassurance that you’ll be able to enjoy transatlantic streaming with no buffering or glitching.
Although your priority may be video streaming, a VPN can also play an important role in protecting your online security. With all VPNs, we try out the kill switch and auto-connect features, and consider the provider’s location and privacy policies, to determine whether there’s a risk of your activity being exposed.
Finally, of course, we factor in price. Many VPNs charge a premium for month-by-month subscription, but slash the prices for annual or multi-year subscriptions. Before recommending a VPN, we consider whether the pricing is competitive with the rest of the market. A free trial period is a big plus point too, as this allows you to check that a VPN suits your needs, and successfully unblocks the services you want to access.
The best VPNs for Hulu in 2023
1. ExpressVPN: The best VPN for unblocking Hulu and other streaming services
Price: From £6.86/month (12-month contract), up to five simultaneous connections
ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest VPN around – it’s £10.68 for a single month of service, while an annual subscription costs £82.32, with no multi-year option. Expert Reviews readers can take advantage of a special deal, however: click the link below to get 15 months for the price of 12, a massive saving of 49% compared to the monthly rate.
What you get for your money is one of the best VPNs around. We found it delivered excellent download speeds, regardless of whether we were using servers in the UK and the US – and it unblocked not just Hulu but every other streaming service we tried, including the US libraries of Netflix and Disney+, plus BBC iPlayer, BritBox and Now TV.
A handy speed-testing tool is also included to help you find the fastest servers in your chosen region – ideal if you have a slow connection and need to make the most of your bandwidth, or if you want to access websites in faraway regions, such as Australia or Japan.
ExpressVPN’s security credentials are strong, since it’s based in the British Virgin Islands, and if you ever hit a problem there’s a 24/7 customer support team on hand to help you get connected.
Read our full ExpressVPN review
2. CyberGhost: Most user-friendly VPN for unblocking Hulu
Price: From £1.71/month (40-month contract), up to seven simultaneous connections
If you don’t want to be hunting around for the best servers for video streaming, CyberGhost has you covered. Its interface includes a whole tab full of servers dedicated to unblocking specific video services – so when you want to watch Hulu, you simply need to click on the server that’s labelled “Optimised for Hulu”. Wait a moment for the connection to be established and you’re ready to stream.
Other server options make it just as easy to use BitTorrent safely and protect your online privacy, and there’s support for smart TVs and other devices. Up to seven connections are permitted at once, so it’s great for family use. Monthly pricing is quite steep at £9.99, but longer plans are much cheaper: the three-year package costs a very reasonable £68.25, and comes with four months free, slashing the effective cost to just £1.71 a month.
Read our full CyberGhost review
3. Atlas VPN: Cheapest VPN for unblocking Hulu
Price: From £1.46/month (three-year contract), unlimited simultaneous connections
The VPN market is highly competitive, but Atlas VPN takes the crown for value. Its three-year deal lets you connect from any number of devices for just £1.46 per month; if you don’t want to commit for that long then the annual plan is good value too, at £29.02.
The service is a little basic compared to premium VPNs. Atlas operates servers in 37 countries, and while those include the biggest video streaming markets, it’s a more limited selection than ExpressVPN or CyberGhost, which each offer more than 90 locations. The desktop software doesn’t currently support split tunnelling either, so if you want to watch Hulu on a computer, all your applications also have to connect through a US server.
Overall though it’s a fantastically affordable way to get into Hulu and other streaming services – we also had success using Atlas VPN to access the US libraries of Disney+ and Netflix – and there’s a dedicated client for Android and Amazon Fire TV devices, making it superbly convenient for big-screen entertainment.
Read our full Atlas VPN review
4. NordVPN: The best all-round VPN – and it unblocks Hulu too
Price: From £1.66/month (three-year contract), up to six simultaneous connections
NordVPN is one of our favourite VPNs, for several reasons. It unblocks not only Hulu but every geo-restricted streaming service we’ve tried, including Netflix in the US and other countries. And with native apps for Android and Fire TV, you can conveniently switch your virtual location on many smart TVs with just a few taps of the remote control.
NordVPN offers great performance, so you don’t have to worry about your video streams stuttering and buffering, and there’s unrestricted support for BitTorrent too. As for security, Nord’s credentials are among the best in the business: it’s based in Panama, where your online activity is protected by strong privacy laws, and the company has undergone two independent audits to confirm that its user protections are strictly observed.
While NordVPN isn’t quite the cheapest VPN out there, a three-year subscription works out to just £1.66 per month, and you can connect from up to six devices at once.
Read our full NordVPN review
5. IVPN: Best VPN for one-off Hulu binges
Price: £3.16/month (three-year contract), up to two simultaneous connections
If you just want to watch a specific film or show on Hulu – or try out the service’s month-long free trial – you’re probably not looking for a multi-year VPN commitment. IVPN offers a unique weekly subscription for just £1.62, or £4.87 for a full month. That’s a lot lower than most rival VPNs, making it a great short-term choice for streaming.
It’s worth noting that these subscriptions only cover two devices – although one of these can be an Amazon Fire TV Stick, or you can install the VPN on a compatible router to cover your whole home network. You can also upgrade to seven connections for £3.45 a week or £8.61 a month.
Another thing to be aware of is that IVPN didn’t work with all the streaming services we tested: although we were able to get into the US libraries of Hulu and Netflix, Disney+ remained blocked, and if we wanted to watch BBC iPlayer we had to use the Android app. For these reasons, IVPN might not be your first choice as a general-purpose VPN – but if you just want to unblock Hulu for a few weeks or months, it’s the most cost-effective option.
Read our full IVPN review
6. Hide.me VPN: Best advanced VPN for Hulu and more
Price: £4.17/month (two-year contract), up to 10 simultaneous connections
Hide.me offers a basic free VPN service, but for streaming you’ll need a full subscription. That’s reasonably priced, especially if you sign up for the maximum two-year term – it covers ten devices, with support for the Amazon Fire TV Stick and split tunnelling for desktop and mobile clients.
In our tests we found Hide.me effortlessly unblocked US content from Hulu, Disney+ and Netflix. And like CyberGhost, it offers a curated selection of servers for one-click access to other streaming services around the world, including selections in Australia, Germany, Japan and Turkey.
Hide.me also stands out from the VPN crowd with a good range of advanced features. You get control over protocol and DNS settings, split tunnelling, double VPN and versatile auto-connect options to ensure you don’t accidentally send sensitive data over an unsecured link. If you’re solely interested in video streaming then you’ll be just as happy with a simpler, cheaper option like Atlas VPN. But for more technical users wanting full control over their VPN configuration, Hide.me is a great do-it-all choice.
Read our full Hide.me VPN review
