Despite having a Chinese name, Hulu is a US-owned and operated TV subscription service. Ironically, you can’t access it from China. The only place outside the US where the service is available is in Japan. So, if you signed up for Hulu, and then find your job takes you abroad a lot, you are in for a big surprise. When you log into the service while you are in another country, you won’t be allowed to watch any shows.
How does Hulu know you are not in the United States? If you are paying for content, then why does it care where you access the site from? The answer is that TV broadcasters have to pay a license fee to the governments of the countries they operate in, and they also have to submit all of their programming to the board of censors in those countries. Rather than get into trouble with the censors or revenue departments of every nation on earth, TV broadcasters simply block access from outside their designated countries of operation.
The rules on censorship and operating permits also apply to internet-based TV services. That is why you can’t access US stations from wherever you want, even if you’ve paid a subscription.
Well, you couldn’t, until virtual private networks were invented. VPNs fool the access procedures of TV websites to make them think you are in the right country. In the case of Hulu, that means the United States or Japan. The way this trick works will be explained later in this article, but first, let’s look at five of the best VPNs for accessing Hulu.
When considering a VPN for Hulu, you need to consider the following attributes:
• Reputation – you don’t want to pay a subscription and then find out it’s just to a website that takes money and doesn’t actually provide any service!
• Longevity – look for a VPN that has been operating for a while, so you know they can keep up with any changes in blocking technology
• Accessibility – you need to be able to access Hulu no matter which country you go to
• Speed – a VPN service is no good if it slows the connection down to the point where you can’t watch anything
• Usability – you shouldn’t have to be a technical genius in order to make the service work properly
• Value for money – you are already paying for Hulu, the VPN is an extra expense
If you search for VPNs, you will get back pages and pages of results. You probably don’t have the time to check out all of the VPNs out there, so will find this review really useful. Read about the five best VPNs for Hulu below to save yourself some time.
Best VPNs for Hulu
| # | Provider | Rating | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 35% Off | $8.32PER MONTH | Visit SiteRead Review |
| 2 |  | 52% Off | $5.75PER MONTH | Visit SiteRead Review |
| 3 |  | Save $7 | $8.25PER MONTH | Visit SiteRead Review |
| 4 |  | 46% Off | $6.49PER MONTH | Visit SiteRead Review |
| 5 |  | 49% Discount | $4.92PER MONTH | Visit SiteRead Review |
ExpressVPN is designed for the non-expert. When you subscribe, you just have to make a few clicks to get the software on your device, and the user-interface is really straightforward. Whether your computer is a Mac, runs Windows, or Linux, the correct, tailored software is available. Their smartphone versions cover Android, Windows, and iOS. The company is well-known for its excellent customer support, so you don’t have to worry about getting stuck.
Advantages:
- Extensive server network
- Fast speeds
- Servers in 94+ countries
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Great customer support
Drawbacks:
- A little on the pricey side
NordVPN is a great option for families because it allows six simultaneous connections. That feature also means you could share your subscription with a friend and halve the cost. NordVPN is a winner in the price race, because their two-year subscription option brings the monthly cost down to half the price of the next cheapest service in this list. The more expensive VPNs cost almost three times as much as the NordVPN discounted rate. You still get top quality service from this company, despite the bargain price.
Advantages:
- Very strong encryption
- Supports all major platforms
- Six simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Accepts Bitcoin
Drawbacks:
- Not the fastest provider
Buffered hasn’t been around for as long as the other VPN services on this list. However, it is reputable and delivers a good service. The company has plenty of servers in the USA, which makes it suitable for accessing Hulu. The throughput of the service is fast enough to make streaming video enjoyable, and there are no data usage limits with a Buffered subscription. An added bonus for travelers is a feature that bypasses the paywall of hotel and airport internet access systems.
Advantages:
- Optimized for streaming
- No data usage limits
- Good customer support
- 5 simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Drawbacks:
- Smaller server network
IPVanish owns and runs all of its infrastructure, so there isn’t any danger of some provider letting them down and knocking the service out for a time. The company’s location in the USA means they understand about streaming video and they have made sure their service is optimized for subscription TV networks. The user interface is attractive and you don’t have to be a technician to understand it. The mobile version of the app is easy to use.
Advantages:
- Supports P2P
- High speed service
- Servers in 59+ countries
- Seven-day money-back guarantee
- Accepts Bitcoin
Drawbacks:
- No live chat support
VPNArea is a solidly reputable company that has been in operation since 2012. The company has good speeds, although it is not the fastest VPN on this list. Unlimited bandwidth and the facility for six simultaneous connections mean that a subscription to this service can be shared out among several friends. The company also offers a private VPN service, where you get software resident on your home router and then connect through that wherever you are in the world.
Advantages:
- Servers in 60+ countries
- Easy to use
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Six simultaneous connections
- Available on all major platforms
Drawbacks:
- Other servers are faster
VPN for Hulu: Considerations
TV content systems such as Hulu are obliged to block access from outside their licensed areas of operation. They don’t have to invest in too much technology in order to do this.
Every internet connection is made up of a series of data packets, which travel by any number of routes. The packets all end up in the same place because each has the destination address tacked on to the front of it. The origin of that packet is also written on the front of each message, so the receiving computer knows where to send the reply. Internet addresses, known as IP addresses, all begin with a country code. So all Hulu servers do is refuse to send video content to non-US addresses for American accounts, and non-Japanese addresses for accounts in that country.
The answer to the problem that this simple technology creates is to make sure that the packets of your connection arrive at the Hulu server with a US return address on them. Obviously, just putting any US IP address as the origin would mean that the Hulu server would then send the video to someone else’s computer. Thus you need to establish an agreement with an intermediary, so that they will pass on packets from your connection, but with their address as the source, and forward to all packets received back from Hulu. This is what a VPN does.
VPN for Hulu: Conclusion
When you sign up for a subscription service, even if it is only for a month, you are risking your money. What if that website is a con? What if some kid set up this service in his bedroom and will turn it off when he gets too involved in playing a game? What if the people running the service are actually criminals?
Signing up for a service that you don’t really understand, provided by people you have never met, and don’t even have an address for, is a risk. You remove the doubt and risk by looking for recommendations. That is what this review provides. All of the VPNs presented on this list check out. They have track records of being reputable, legal organizations that consistently deliver good services to their customers.