Best VPNs For Hulu

What Is Hulu?

Hulu is one of the top 3 most popular streaming services in the US right now, along with Netflix and Amazon Prime. It was founded in 2007 by a group of big players in the movie and television industry, including Walt Disney, 21st Century Fox, Comcast, and Time Warner.

While initially conceived as a simple solution for the largest television networks to expand their reach and move from TV to computer screens, Hulu has quickly outgrown the original concept. The service is now available on iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones and tablets, Roku, Fire TV, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and virtually all other streaming devices.

What makes Hulu similar to its main competitor Netflix is that it is a subscription-based service that allows you to watch the latest seasons of your favorite TV shows, hit movies, documentaries, kids shows, and much more, including Hulu originals. You can watch both live streams and on-demand content on any streaming device and choose from thousands upon thousands of movies and shows.

Now, there are 2 main differences between Hulu and Netflix. First, Hulu allows you to choose between ad-supported and ad-free streaming and it is currently the only streaming service that offers this option. On the other hand, unlike Netflix, which is available worldwide with a few exceptions, Hulu is only available in the US and Japan.

The fact that Hulu offers instant access to all the most popular TV content is the reason why it has over 20 million subscribers and counting. What bugs its numerous subscribers is that the streaming giant does not allow them to access its library outside the US and Japan in spite of having a valid subscription. Fortunately, there is a way around Hulu’s geo-restrictions.

How To Access Hulu Outside The US/Japan?

If you want to watch Hulu content while traveling abroad, you have 2 choices. You can either use a Smart DNS service or a VPN service. Both solutions are designed to mask your actual location and make it appear like you are connecting from a different spot by routing your traffic through their servers distributed around the globe. In other words, they can fool Hulu into thinking that you are still in the US or Japan, even though you may be sipping cocktails in Ibiza or resting in a hotel in Paris.

While this is indeed great news, things are not as simple as they seem. First of all, Hulu is not that easily fooled. The existence of Smart DNS and VPN services is well-known, which is why Hulu invests great efforts into preventing users of such services from accessing its library. It has specialized teams that come up with clever ways of identifying Smart DNS and VPN traffic and, consequently, denying access to those who use such tricks.

Thus, if a VPN or Smart DNS service wants to unblock Hulu for its users, it needs to invest a lot of money into coming up with equally clever ways of making Smart DNS or VPN traffic appear like regular traffic. That is why only a handful of services actually work with Hulu and most others just claim they can make it happen so they would gain new customers.

Furthermore, it is important to know that while they can serve the same purpose of unblocking Hulu, Smart DNS and VPN services employ different technologies and come with rather different sets of advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is not all the same whether you choose one or the other.

The takeaway here is that you do not only need to make sure that you have chosen the service that can indeed unlock Hulu, but you also need to be certain that you have picked the right kind of service for your needs.

Smart DNS Vs. VPN For Unblocking Hulu

Both Smart DNS and VPNs are subscription-based services that allow you to hide your true location in exchange for a couple of bucks per month. The main difference between the two is that a VPN encrypts your traffic and keeps your real IP invisible and a Smart DNS service does not. To help you understand why this distinction is so important, we will explain how both service types work and how they affect your Hulu streaming experience.

Smart DNS

With a Smart DNS service, you can access geo-restricted content because the service changes the DNS of your device. When you send a request for a certain website, Smart DNS intercepts the request and modifies it, replacing the information about your real location with information about the location of one of its servers.

For example, you may want to access content that is only available in the US while you are vacationing in Asia. Normally, you would not be able to view the content, but your Smart DNS can route your traffic through its dedicated servers in the US, making it appear like you are actually in the US and helping you access the desired content problem-free.

Since a Smart DNS does not encrypt your traffic, it does not negatively affect your connection speed. However, no encryption means that your connection is not secure and you are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Plus, you cannot access the content anonymously because your real IP is visible.

Thus, while the best Smart DNS services can unblock Hulu for you and let you stream without any annoying speed drops, they do not keep you safe and they leave your real IP address out in the open for everyone to see, without protecting your privacy and hiding your identity.

VPN

In contrast to Smart DNS services, the best VPNs do not only allow you to unblock Hulu from any spot on the globe but also make sure that no one can snoop on your online traffic and private data. They combine unrestricted access to your favorite content with high-level security and anonymity.

The best VPNs for Hulu encrypt your traffic so no third party can see what you are doing online, including your ISP, the government, trackers, and hackers. Your real IP address is never visible and there are no logs of your activity, which means there is nothing that could allow third parties to trace your traffic back to you. Your privacy is fully preserved as you watch your favorite Hulu content anywhere in the world.

As your traffic is encrypted, your connection speed may drop, but the best VPNs for Hulu on our list are known for great speeds, so there is no need worry. The difference in speed in comparison to your regular connection is usually insignificant, so you can stream HD content the same way you would without a VPN.

What Makes A Good VPN For Hulu?

We have already mentioned that there are not many VPN services that still work with Hulu, as it is not easy to compete with a media giant that can afford to spend a bunch of money on preventing users from breaking its rules. That is why the best VPNs for Hulu are usually giants in their own field that use innovative solutions to circumvent the imposed restrictions.

While the only way to know that you have chosen a good VPN for Hulu is to test it, there are a couple of general requirements that VPN services need to satisfy to even be considered as potential solutions. Here are the criteria we apply when choosing the VPNs that we want to test and potentially include on our list of the best VPNs for Hulu.

Vast Server Network

If a VPN service does not have a large server network, Hulu can quickly add all of its servers to its blacklist and prevent any future access attempted by users who connect via those servers. That is why it is important for a VPN to have a huge number of servers, preferably thousands, many of them located in the US and Japan. That way, the chance that all servers will be blacklisted is reduced and, consequently, users are still able to find a server that works, although it may take some time to identify the right one.

Great Speeds

Encryption inevitably results in a decrease in connection speed. In order to provide an enjoyable streaming experience, a VPN must operate high-speed servers that allow users to stream high-quality content without lags. Some VPNs can work with Hulu, but endless buffering can make it impossible to actually enjoy the content. Thus, high-speed servers constitute one of the key criteria in our selection process.

Strong Encryption & Zero Logs

The main reason why you should choose a VPN instead of a Smart DNS service is that a VPN should provide you with online security and privacy. Therefore, when choosing the best VPNs for Hulu, we do not only look at Hulu-specific characteristics but also choose VPNs that employ powerful encryption, preferably AES 256-bit, and keep absolutely no logs of their users’ activity.

Device Compatibility

One of the reasons why Hulu is so great is that it lets you watch the hottest TV shows and movies on basically any device you choose. If your VPN does not work with all the devices that support Hulu, then it does not allow you to enjoy the full range of perks Hulu offers. When assembling our list of the best VPNs for Hulu, we make sure our top picks work across a vast range of platforms and devices, so you can stream on anything from your computer and smartphone to smart TVs and gaming consoles.

Specialized Features

Unblocking Hulu and providing a flawless streaming experience requires extra effort. That is why the best VPNs for Hulu employ advanced solutions such as custom encryption protocols, dedicated streaming servers, and even dedicated streaming IPs. This is what differentiates them from other VPN services that may show potential but still fail to circumvent Hulu’s geo-restrictions and make streaming effortless.

Good Customer Support

Even if you pick the best VPN for Hulu, you may still encounter some issues that can prevent you from easily accessing the content you wish to view. A server that worked before may no longer work, you may need to clear your cache before streaming or you may need to tweak the settings.

If you are not particularly tech-savvy (and even if you are), you may need some help from the experts. A good VPN for Hulu should offer constant support and have knowledgeable staff that can assist you whenever you need help.

Best VPNs For Hulu

In addition to satisfying all the criteria described above, the VPNs on our top list also received the highest scores on our rigorous Hulu tests. Learn more about our top picks in the mini-reviews below, find out why they are currently the best VPNs for Hulu, and decide which one best meets your expectations.