Due to complicated licensing restrictions, not all Netflix accounts are equal. Even though all Netflix customers pay about the same amount for service, American Netflix account holders have access to more far shows and movies compared to Netflix customers living in India.
In order to unlock Netflix’s full potential in India, you need to make it seem as if you are logging into the internet from a United States computer. The best way to do that is to use a Virtual Private Network to “geo-hop” into America.
Read on to find out which VPN service you should use to get American Netflix in India 2018.
The very best VPN for geo-hopping
You have to be wise about the VPN service you choose if you want to get to Netflix content from India. Some VPN services don’t care about helping geo-hoppers, but others do.
ExpressVPN is an excellent VPN choice for anyone looking to geo-hop into America because the ExpressVPN team always reacts to geo-blocks quickly. When Netflix updates their block list, we’ve found that ExpressVPN tends to react as soon as they know that there is a problem. Additionally, ExpressVPN has advanced technology that lets you blend in with non-VPN Netflix users.
Another reason why ExpressVPN is a great choice for accessing American Netflix is the fact that its customer support team is trained to help out geo-blockers like you. All you have to do is open up a chat with them and then tell them which American streaming service you want to access. They’ll then show you how to connect to the server that’s right for your needs.
5-Minute Video Summary
If you’d like to watch a 5-minute video summary of this article, you can do so below.
Try it yourself and see
ExpressVPN’s long free trial period allows you to login and verify for yourself that you can get to everything that Netflix offers Americans. If there are any problems, you can always cancel.
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How to get Hulu in Canada with ExpressVPN
Step 1: Sign Up for ExpressVPN
Visit the ExpresssVPN website to get three free months of VPN service. The site looks like this:
Step 2: Download and Install the ExpressVPN Client
- ExpressVPN’s client is super easy to install. Just log into ExpressVPN, then download the installer to your hard drive.
Source: Flixed.io - Select the installer file and double click to begin the installation process.
- After installation has completed, you’ll be prompted to run the ExpressVPN client on your PC or Mac computer. Once loaded up, your client should look like the following:
Step 3: Login to ExpressVPN and connect to the San Francisco server
- Before you can use ExpressVPN, you’ll need to login with your credentials. Once logged in, ExpressVPN will keep your client logged in automatically as long as it has an internet connection
- To log into San Francisco, select Change Location on the lower left-hand side of the window.
- A window will pop up providing you a list of countries to choose from. Find and select the United States, or use the search bar at the top and type in “United States”:
- Now, select San Francisco. (The San Francisco server is ideal for logging into restricted streaming services outside of the US.)
- After making your choice, double click the location name. ExpressVPN will automatically begin to connect:
- Once connected, your ExpressVPN client will tell you that the VPN is “On”:
Congratulations! Setup is complete.
What are other publications saying about ExpressVPN?
Here are just a few positive comments from other web publications that have reviewed Strong VPN.
“ExpressVPN is one of those companies that’s going to battle with Netflix.” – PCWorld
“ExpressVPN offers a premium service, with well-crafted clients, an ample choice of locations and reliable performance.” – Techradar
“ExpressVPN has a wide distribution of servers and a slick interface, and it allows BitTorrent and other P2P services.” – PCMag
The best ExpressVPN features
- Dedicated Netflix servers. ExpressVPN’s team is always on the ball when it comes to helping their customers get to Netflix. Their San Francisco server is set up specifically to help Express VPN users access American streaming services.
- It always works. Because ExpressVPN uses advanced VPN technology, it is much harder for Hulu and other streaming services to block.
- Express speeds. In my experience, ExpressVPN has lived up to its name. It provides better speed and performance compared to other VPN providers.
- Top notch customer support. Most VPN services give you a knowledge base of vaguely worded frequently asked questions and leave you to figure out how to use the service on your own. ExpressVPN is different because their support team will walk you through each step of whatever you’re trying to do.
One of ExpressVPN’s best features is the fact that this service has excellent customer support. After you sign up, just open up a chat and a representative will walk you through the setup process if you need help getting started. ExpressVPN’s support team responded immediately each time I reached out to them with a question.
Here’s why Netflix customers outside the US get less
The main reason why Netflix won’t let you access their full content catalog boils down to money. Established media outlets want everyone to watch TV advertisements and sign up for cable subscriptions. They are worried that if you can get all your entertainment via Netflix, you might stop watching TV.
Even though reducing the amount of content available on Netflix accounts is anything but a “customer first” policy, Netflix has been pressured to agree to restrict content anyway. Fortunately, the system that Netflix uses to determine your location is easy to beat.
How Netflix gets your location
Netflix uses IP addresses to determine where its customers are located. If you change your IP address to an American one, it’ll seem to Netflix as though you’re located in the United States instead of India.
If you sign into Netflix from a computer that has a Indian IP address, you’re not going to be able to get full access to Netflix’s films and movies. But if you sign in with a computer that has an American IP address, you can watch all the films and movies that American Netflix subscribers enjoy.
IP Addresses in a nutshell
IP addresses help identify individual computers on the web. Every machine on the internet has a unique one. Without IP addresses, computers wouldn’t be able to communicate. They help information flow from point A to point B.
Fortunately, it’s very easy to change your IP address and make it look as though you’re located in the United States instead of India. The process of changing your IP address to access geo-restricted content on Netflix and other sites is called “geo-hopping”/
Hopping over digital walls
The easiest way to swap your computer’s Indian IP address for an American one is to login to an American VPN server. For all intents and purposes it’ll look like you’re located in the United States when you go online once your in. From an American VPN, you’ll be able to access not only Netflix’s restricted shows and movies but also all the other exclusive web content that’s only available in the United States.
Hundreds of shows and movies are blocked
In order to see how much content is actually being hidden from Indian Netflix subscribers, we checked three different Netflix databases. According to Finder, only 7 percent of Netflix titles that are available to Americans are also available to Indians. Flixsearch also agrees with the 7 percent figure. However, according to Allflix, Indians have access to 13 percent of the full Netflix catalog.
Either way you slice it, one thing is true: you can get access to a world of new Netflix content if you geo-hop your way into American Netflix.
Some VPNs won’t help geo-hoppers
VPN servers are computers on the internet, just like yours. They have IP addresses, too. And they can also be geo-blocked.
In order to keep geo-hoppers out, Netflix has launched a campaign to block out all the most popular VPN systems. However, these types of “brute force” blocks against VPN servers are primitive and easy to overcome.
There are many things that a VPN service can do to help their users get to geo-blocked content. As long as your VPN service provider is proactive and “geo-hopper friendly,”you can use your VPN to overcome any type of geo-block attempt.
What to watch once you’ve got American Netflix
As mentioned above, if you login to the American version of Netflix you will instantly gain access to hundreds of geo-blocked shows and movies. Here are a few ideas for what to watch once you get American Netflix.
Star Trek, Star Wars and sci-fi galore
According to one Netflix subscriber living in India, there are currently only 32 science fiction titles listed in the Indian version of Netflix. Compare that number to the American version of Netflix, which has over 200 sci-fi titles. In particular, fans of Star Trek will find a whole lot of great content. There is a ton of Star Trek TV shows and movies available on American Netflix. And now that Netflix has made a deal with Disney, more Star Wars titles will soon become available as well.
Family Guy
Family Guy follows in the footsteps of the long running American comedy show The Simpsons, in that it’s also a satirical cartoon series that revolves around the misadventures of a wacky family. However, Family Guy is even more sarcastic, twisted and politically incorrect. Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane’s other animated comedy hits include American Dad and The Cleveland Show.
10 different LEGO movies
If you’re looking for something entertaining for your kids to watch, you really can’t go wrong with LEGO movies. LEGO flicks are fun for kids, but they are also surprisingly well-written and contain many jokes and references for adults.
Though the smash summer blockbuster The LEGO Movie hasn’t made its way to Netflix yet, several other LEGO movies have. Here’s the full list of LEGO films that are available via American Netflix:
- LEGO DC Comics: Batman Be-Leaguered
- LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
- LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: King of Shadows
- LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: Way of the Ninja
- LEGO: City
- LEGO: Elves
- LEGO: Friends
- LEGO: Legends of Chima
- LEGO: Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload
- LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers
Lion
Lion is a true story about an orphan named Saroo. After boarding the wrong train as a child, he attempts to use technology to repair his memory and find his birth mother. It’s an uplifting story with a talented cast that includes strong performances from many new faces, like lead actor Sunny Pawar. Lion will be available on American Netflix on the 9th of July.
Conclusion
If you want to use get American Netflix in India, get ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN is inexpensive and easy to set up. Plus, you have three full months to try out the service before you have to pay anything.
Alex Munkachy is a freelance writer, game developer and hobby robotics enthusiast. You can find his blog about robotics news and reviews at robotfanatics.com.
