Whether the Netflix France catalog is too limited for you and you are not afraid to watch your programs in English, using a VPN can be an interesting alternative to access certain content that is unavailable in France.
There are completely free VPNs on the market, but they are usually full of invasive ads and sometimes even malware. In addition, they will not guarantee you a stable enough speed to allow you to use the streaming services smoothly. It may therefore be interesting to use a paid VPN which will deliver a much higher level of quality. Especially since they all offer a free trial period. So, if you are not convinced after 30 days of use, you can always turn back without paying anything.
Still, it is difficult to sort through the dozens of paid VPN subscriptions available. If they always boast about being able to unlock content that is geographically unavailable on streaming services, not all are perfectly equal in the offers they offer. Which ones work best? Which are the cheapest? We tell you everything.
The best deal of the moment is at NordVPN. To start the year off right, you can take advantage of 63% off the ultimate offer (2 years of subscription) and three months free. Thanks to this promotion, it will cost you only €5.99/month. Along with the password manager, you’ll also get 1TB of encrypted cloud storage. Additionally, NordVPN now comes with Threat Protection. With this new tool, you won’t have to worry about landing on a dubious website, downloading malware, or being confronted with surveillance and pop-up ads.
What is the best VPN for watching Netflix in 2023?
There are dozens of paid VPNs. If all offer more or less the same thing, there are however some differences: interface that varies, number of devices connected simultaneously, connection speed, VPN protocols, etc.
Of the ten paid VPNs we tested, the five selected below are those that worked best with streaming services strangers. It wasn’t always perfect, and keep in mind it probably never will be, but these five services delivered decent streaming quality without (too much) hassle.
If we have chosen them, it is also because they offer an interface translated into Frenchof the dedicated streaming servers and they don’t have no bandwidth limit. The fact that they have servers spread over dozens of countries (this leaves some choice for catalogs) and their multi-device compatibility also weighed in our choice.
This selection is however not limited. There are other paid VPNs on the market. IPVanish, StrongVPN or VyprVPN, there are plenty of examples. You are free to try them out and find the one that suits you best. However, when choosing a VPN to watch Netflix, be sure to check:
- That it offers, if possible, servers dedicated to streaming.
- That it has no bandwidth limit.
- That it offers a maximum of servers (that it has solid backs, in short).
- That it is compatible with your devices (all are, or almost).
Our selection of the best VPNs for watching Netflix:
- NordVPN
- SurfShark VPN
- CyberGhost VPN
- ExpressVPN
- PureVPN
WE love
- An easy-to-understand French interface
- The NordLynx VPN protocol, fast
- Lots of features and presets
We don’t like
- Some difficulties in streaming and P2P
- Only 6 devices simultaneously
Verdict:
NordVPN offers solid value for money. If we regret the absence of a category of servers dedicated to streaming, we do not have much to add on the simplicity of the software, its connection speeds and its throughput.
WE love
- Simple and pleasant to use
- Rather efficient dedicated streaming servers
- No limits on the number of devices connected simultaneously
- MultiHop Servers
- Privacy policy less opaque than others
- Easy to set up on Apple TV
We don’t like
- Poor P2P speeds
Verdict:
Other than significant P2P throughput drops (up to almost 90% less bandwidth at times), we love Surfshark VPN. If it is the only one to offer an unlimited number of connections with a single subscription, it also offers a very affordable price, logically competitive with respect to its competitors, especially if you have a lot of devices.
WE love
- A clear and concise interface
- Good streaming performance
- An overall satisfactory experience on all devices
We don’t like
- Correct speeds in P2P, but nothing more
- Unexpected crashes
- Some doubts and suspicions about the VPN’s privacy policy
Verdict:
We liked CyberGhost VPN for the overall VPN experience. The interface is in French, the software is reactive, the connection and disconnection take place quickly, the quality-price ratio is one of the best. But on the other hand, we have some doubts about the privacy policy of the VPN. Before being renamed Kape Technologies, the company that develops CyberGhost was none other than CrossRider, a company that developed malware.
WE love
- The Lightway VPN protocol, fast and efficient
- Lots of servers available
- Little loss of throughput in streaming
We don’t like
- A little more expensive than the others
- Privacy policy doubts (now belongs to Kape Technologies)
Verdict:
ExpressVPN offers a good compromise compared to the others already mentioned. If it is a little more expensive, we managed to unlock a good number of foreign streaming catalogs (Netflix, Hulu and Disney+) without too much trouble, with videos that launch quickly, without buffering. So we liked it a lot for that reason. On the other hand, we have some doubts about its latest audit and its privacy policy since the VPN now belongs to Kape Technologies.
WE love
- The price (sometimes huge discounts on 5-year subscription)
- 10 devices for a single subscription
We don’t like
- Do you want some Google Translation, here it is (on the site as well as on the applications)
- Lots of slowdowns and servers not connecting
- Average flows
Verdict:
Above all, we appreciate PureVPN for its low price (the 5-year subscription is regularly offered at the equivalent of €1 including tax per month). However, we regret the intrinsic quality of the software. While we’ve managed to get excellent streaming speeds on Netflix, a lot of the servers just don’t work.
To read > How to install a VPN? To do what ?
Why use a VPN to watch Netflix?
netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world and can be accessed from almost any country. However, your geographical location (your IP address) determines the series and films you can watch ; and in some countries the selection is very limited.
Using a paid VPN to access foreign streaming catalogs is therefore both logic and possible, since globally, a VPN allows you to transfer your connection data to an external VPN server, located in another country, using an encrypted connection (usually 256-bit AES). This server then forwards your data to their destination server, tricking it into believing that you are located elsewhere.
To read: Comparison of streaming sites: Netflix, Amazon, Disney, etc. what are the best deals of 2022?
Why are some films and series unavailable in France, but not elsewhere?
In addition to the law on the chronology of the media in France – which determines what content is found in SVOD and when – the firm of Reed Hastings (and the others) signs local license agreements. These agreements vary from country to country, but also from month to month. This is why certain content is accessible in the United States and not in France, in Japan and not in Australia, why content ends up on Netflix and disappears a few months later, etc.
This is also why it is impossible to give you an accurate list of available or unavailable content on this or that streaming catalog, since it changes all the time.
As such, beware therefore VPNs that highlight the fact that such and such content is unavailable in France, but available on other catalogs, to sell you a VPN subscription. This is not necessarily the case. Instead, check this information yourself, by typing the name of the film or series accompanied by “Netflix US” on Google for example, and check that the content is indeed offered there.
Using a VPN to access foreign Netflix catalogs, does it really work?
Yes and no. If you locate your IP in the United States and go to Netflix.com, you come across the American catalog of the streaming site. The problem is that in our tests, we noticed that movies and series are far from always available in French, including the US catalog of Netflix. Often we just don’t have access to it, with Netflix spotting the use of a VPN.
Occasionally, French subtitles are also not available. We tried a good ten series unavailable in the French catalog and accessible on the US catalog and each time, there were no French subtitles (see below with NCIS). However, you can try add your own subtitles with the Super Netflix extension, but it won’t work every time.
Finally, keep in mind that the result will vary from one VPN to another, depending on its connection speed and the quality of its servers. Privilege a VPN with dedicated streaming servers and check before purchase that it offers servers based in the country that offers a streaming catalog that interests you. Most offer a 30- or 31-day money-back guarantee, so take advantage of it, and don’t hesitate to read the fine lines of their T&Cs.
Is it legal to bypass Netflix’s geo-filter with a VPN?
It is completely legal to use a VPN in France. Netflix, in its TOS, does not prevent you from doing so either. Be careful if you travel, however, because VPNs are prohibited in certain countries: notably in China, Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Iraq, Turkey, UAE and Oman.
