An introduction to VPN for HBO Go
Unless you’re in a country supported by HBO GO and/or HBO Now, you’re out of luck on accessing the content they have to offer. This is a sad fact, as HBO offers some of the best shows on TV today – like Westworld and Game of Thrones. Unfortunately, due to copyright and licensing restrictions, HBO couldn’t give you access to the shows even if they wanted to.
Luckily, VPN Analysis has a solution. After all, wouldn’t it be cool if you could watch HBO live outside of the US? With a HBO VPN you could pretend to be in the US, enjoy HBO’s content, and they would be none the wiser. You can accomplish this feat by using a VPN. With a VPN for HBO, you can access all of the service’s content by pretending to be in a country they support.
Better yet, you can also use your HBO VPN to access hundreds of services filled with geo-restricted content. And that’s not all – VPNs can be used for a variety of other things, like unblocking websites and defeating government/ISP surveillance.
What are the top 5 VPNs for HBO GO & HBO Now?
With over 800+ VPNs on the market, finding the perfect HBO VPN might seem like a difficult challenge. Under normal circumstances, it would be a difficult challenge.
Fortunately, these are not normal circumstances. Our team of VPN experts took the time to research and analyze the different VPNs out there. During that process, the top five VPNs for HBO were selected. Let’s take a look at them:
ExpressVPN
Subscription Fee
- Plan length -1 month – $12.95 per month (billed $12.95 every month)
- Plan length -6 months – $9.99 per month (billed $59.95 every 6 months)
- Plan length -12 months (3 months free) – $6.67 per month (billed $99.95 every year)
ExpressVPN is a VPN provider based in the British Virgin Islands that offers an excellent service to its users. To start, ExpressVPN provides users with excellent military-grade OpenVPN encryption, a strict privacy and no logs policy and DNS/WebRTC leak protection. Additionally, ExpressVPN offers 90+ server locations with fast speeds to go along with them – excellent for HBO GO/Now users – and “stealth servers” located in Hong Kong for additional privacy.
ExpressVPN also includes a free Smart DNS service in their package. If you have any issues with your service, ExpressVPN’s dedicated 24/7 customer support will be there to help you in a very timely manner. Finally, ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for unsatisfied users.
Pros
- Military-grade OpenVPN encryption
- Strict privacy & no logs policy
- 3 simultaneous connections
- Free Smart DNS service
- 24/7 customer support
- Fast server speeds
- 90+ server locations
Cons
- A bit costly (but worth it)
Features in our fastest VPN list
Cyberghost
Subscription Fee
- Plan length – 1 month – $11.99 per month (billed $11.99 every month)
- Plan length – 6 month – $4.99 per month (billed $29.94 first 6 months then $59.95 every 6 months)
- Plan length – 1 year – $2.75 per month (billed $33.00 first year then $66.00 every year)
CyberGhost is a VPN service based in Romania – excellent for maintaining your digital privacy while enjoying HBO access. The CyberGhost VPN app is user-friendly and the 24/7 customer support is easy to reach if any issues come about. CyberGhost offers five simultaneous connections, an airtight privacy policy and no logs policy and 60+ server locations.
Additionally, CyberGhost provides excellent speeds on most servers, a kill switch, P2P allowance on select servers, Bitcoin payment options and free browser add-ons. If you’re still iffy on trying CyberGhost, you can always use their 7-day free trial or their 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros
- 5 simultaneous connections
- Based in Romania
- Affordable
- 60+ server locations
- Airtight privacy & no logs policy
- P2P permitted
- DNS leak/WebRTC protection
- Works with Netflix and BBC iPlayer (+more)
Cons
- Some servers are slower than others
Features in our fastest VPN list
NordVPN
Subscription Fee
- Plan length – 1 month plan – $11.95 per month (billed $11.95 every month)
- Plan length – 1 year plan – $5.75 per month (billed $69.00 every year)
- Plan length – 2 year plan – $3.29 per month (billed $79.00 every 2 years)
NordVPN is a VPN service with providers based in Panama – another excellent location for digital privacy. NordVPN provides users with excellent military-grade OpenVPN encryption, an airtight privacy policy and no logs policy, 6 simultaneous connections and 70+ server locations.
Additionally, NordVPN allows P2P activities and offers excellent server speeds. NordVPN also provides CyberSec anti-malware protection, a Smart DNS service, dedicated IPs (at an extra cost), a double VPN and a system kill switch. If you’re still hesitant to try NordVPN, you can rest easy knowing they not only offer a free trial – but a 30-day money-back guarantee as well.
Pros
- No logs
- Airtight privacy policy
- 60+ server locations
- P2P permitted
- Kill switch
- DNS leak protection
- Dedicated IP purchase options
- Double VPN
Cons
- Tor over VPN (could be more secure)
Features in our Best VPN Services list
PrivateVPN
Subscription Fee
- Plan length – 1 month plan – $7.12 per month (billed $7.12 every month)
- Plan length – 3 month plan – $4.50 per month (billed $13.50 every 3 months)
- Plan length – 19 month plan (7 months free) – $2.73 per month (billed $51.84 every year)
PrivateVPN is a Sweden-based VPN service that is ideal for users searching for a cheap service that still provides amazing capabilities, like unblocking websites and accessing geo-restricted content on a variety of services (and not just HBO GO/Now!) For example, PrivateVPN supports 16 different Netflix regions – including the US. Moving on, PrivateVPN also offers military-grade OpenVPN encryption, a strict no logs/privacy policy and six simultaneous connections.
In addition to their accessing blocked content capabilities, PrivateVPN also offers amazing speeds for streaming that blocked content. PrivateVPN also offers an easy-to-use app for the less tech-savvy users. A downside to PrivateVPN – you have to manually configure the DNS via the provided guide. Fortunately, the guide isn’t hard to follow at all. PrivateVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for unsatisfied users.
Pros
- Affordable/cheap
- 50+ server locations
- Unlocks 16 different Netflix regions
- Great customer support
- Fast server speeds
- simultaneous connections
- Military-grade OpenVPN encryption
- Airtight privacy policy
- No logs
Cons
- DNS manually configured w/ guide
Features in our Best VPN Services list
IPVanish
Subscription Fee
- Plan length – 1 Month – $10.00 – (Billed every month)
- Plan length – 3 Months – $8.99 – (Billed $26.99 every 3 months)
- Plan length – 12 Months – $$6.49 – (Billed $77.99 every year)
IPVanish is a VPN service that is based in the US – but makes up for it by exercising a strict no logs policy and an airtight privacy policy. IPVanish offers 60+ server locations (including the US!), excellent military-grade OpenVPN encryption, 24/7 customer support and five simultaneous connections. Additionally, IPVanish allows P2P activities and provides users with a killswitch.
IPVanish also offers an easy-to-use cross-platform VPN app. Although IPVanish cannot get into Netflix US and (sometimes) BBC iPlayer, it can get into other streaming services like HBO Now and HBO GO. Finally, IPVanish offers a 7-day money-back guarantee for unsatisfied users.
Pros
- 60+ server locations
- Military-grade OpenVPN encryption
- Five simultaneous connections
- Killswitch
- No logs policy
- 7-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 customer support
- Fast speed
- Can’t get into Netflix
- BBC iPlayer is so/so
- Based in US
Features in our fastest VPN list
Unblock HBO for free
If you want a free alternative to unblock HBO go then we suggest you use proton VPN. There are some drawbacks, such as slow speeds and limited servers, but you get what you pay for.
ProtonVPN
Key Info
5 Free server Locations | No Data Limit
ProtonVPN is a free VPN service offered by the creators of ProtonMail, with 5 server locations and no data cap (although you will face some throttling). As such, ProtonVPN speeds come in at around 15 Mbit/s. This means if you’re looking for a VPN that excels in streaming HD content, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
ProtonVPN does offer a premium service with additional features and higher speeds. With the premium speeds, you can reach up to 104 Mbit/s. Ideally, ProtonVPN is perfect for unblocking websites or everyday online browsing.
Pros
- Minimal logs
- Excellent encryption
- Additional features available
Cons
- Throttling
- Slow speeds
- Limited server locations
VPN for HBO: FAQs
Below is a section filled with frequently asked questions involving HBO and VPNs, along with in-depth answers to those questions.
What is a VPN?
A VPN or Virtual Private Network is a technology that provides you with security and privacy via encryption. A VPN at work will redirect your network traffic to the encrypted VPN server. When you’re connected to a VPN, your information is secure. You can’t be spied on and you can appear to be in a different country, hence why you can use a VPN to unblock HBO.
Essentially, VPNs can be used to:
- Hide your internet activity from third parties
- Access geo-restricted content like HBO, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon etc.
- Avoid website blocks and other types of censorship.
- Download and Torrent safely online environment.
- Secure your connection on public WiFi hotspots.
Additionally, VPNs are also commonly used by businesses to secure data and offer overseas employees a sense of security/privacy during their travels. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why VPNs are necessary in today’s digital world.
What is HBO GO?
HBO GO is a streaming service available online for users with a cable subscription. This cable subscription can include Smart TVs, Roku devices, gaming consoles, Apple TV, Chromecast and more. However, if you’re outside of the US, you’re out of luck unless you use a VPN for HBO. With a VPN with HBO GO, you can access titles such as Westworld, Game of Thrones, True Detective and Oz from anywhere in the world.
What is HBO Now?
HBO Now is similar to HBO GO, excerpt that it doesn’t require a cable subscription. HBO Now is ideal for cord-cutters that want a standalone service. Of course, HBO Now is also only available in the US unless you use a VPN.
Do All VPNs Unblock HBO GO & HBO Now?
No, not all VPNs will unblock HBO GO and/or HBO Now. In fact, it’s a rare occurrence when a VPN service will constantly keep up with the VPN blocks put in place by services like HBO GO & Now, Netflix, Hulu, etc. Fortunately, all of the VPNs on this list were chosen specifically for their dedication to keeping services like the ones mentioned above available on a regular basis.
How Do I Choose a Good HBO VPN?
There are several factors you’ll want to keep in mind when selecting an HBO VPN. For starters, a VPN that provides lightning fast speeds is necessary. Without fast server speeds, you’ll be left with constant buffering and low quality streaming.
As a general rule of thumb, a good VPN for HBO will include:
- Military-grade OpenVPN encryption
- Watertight privacy & no logs policies
- Lightning fast server speeds
- Decent amount of servers & server locations
- A killswitch
- 24/7 customer support
- Additional security features like DNS leak & WiFi protection
All of the VPNs listed in this article offer most (if not all) of the features mentioned above. If you want to make the journey to finding the perfect HBO VPN as easy as possible, you’ll stick to our recommendation. If price is one of the main things you are looking for, then take a look at our favorite cheap VPN services list.
Conclusion
What are you waiting for? Sign up for an HBO VPN now and you’ll gain access to all of your favorite TV shows and movies! Even better – you’ll have access to hundreds of titles on dozens of different TV streaming services that you wouldn’t normally have access to. If one thing is certain, it’s that VPNs are necessary in today’s digital age for a variety of reasons. In this case, you’ll be able to access geo-restricted content in a safe, secure and private online environment.