While it was active, Unblock-Us users enjoyed cheap, effective VPN functionality. However, since. However, many former users have reported that the service is no longer active. As a result, you’ll need to find an effective Unblock-Us alternative that offers the same, or more, functionality.
Thankfully, Unblock-us was fairly limited, even while it was fully active. Most users turned to Unblock-Us specifically for what the name suggests: unblocking content. Users specifically turned to Unblock-Us to help bypass geographic content restrictions in order to access American Netflix or other Netflix regions. However, there are a large number of other VPN services that Unblock-Us users will likely find valuable.
[toc]
The Best Alternatives to Unblock-Us
Here are several quality alternatives to Unblock-Us that you should consider. Each offers a much better set of features and functionality than Unblock-Us, with much more trust that these services will last in the long run.
ExpressVPN
Many users turn to ExpressVPN when they’re looking to unblock geographically-restricted content from websites such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and others. ExpressVPN has been in service since 2009 and shows no signs of going out of business or closing down any time soon.
Those looking into an Unlock-Us alternative will find that ExpressVPN more than expands on the functionality that was available through Unblock-Us, and it has a variety of notable safety features and apps.
What we like
For ExpressVPN, the main thing we like is just how well this service works to unblock geographically-locked content. ExpressVPN unblocks almost any site and service you can think of. In fact, after Netflix started working hard to ban Smart DNS services and VPN services, ExpressVPN was one of the few that not only kept up the fight but still worked even after Netflix employed stronger methods to detect VPN connections.
Additionally, ExpressVPN offers a very expansive service compared to most of its competitors. There are over 148 server locations in 94 countries, meaning you can unblock content almost anywhere in the world.
The service also has very fast servers compared to many other competitors and especially compared to Unblock-Us. ExpressVPN regularly updates its servers to ensure quality speeds and little speed loss. Thankfully, the service works well with most devices you might be using as well. There are applications for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS/Android, and even many smart TV devices, such as the Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.
ExpressVPN pulls of this together with extremely secure servers and a strict no-logs policy intended to protect user privacy. As ExpressVPN is located in the British Virgin Islands, it maintains good autonomy against governments, ISPs, and services seeking to obtain user information.
What we don’t like
Unfortunately, ExpressVPN is one of the more expensive services you’ll find. This is partially due to its popularity and just how many features it offers, but it’s something to consider for anyone looking into the service. You’ll pay the equivalent of $8.32 per month if you sign up a year, but you’ll pay $12.95 per month if you choose to go month-to-month with the service.
And while ExpressVPN works well to unblock content, sometimes you will need to seek out customer service to get find out which server actually works. Especially for Netflix, ExpressVPN regularly rotates which servers work to bypass geographic content restrictions. If you find the server you’re using doesn’t work to bypass Netflix, you will need to use the company’s live chat system to quickly track down the right one. On a positive note, customer service is fast and extremely helpful.
ExpressVPN doesn’t offer an official free trial period, but the service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, just in case you don’t find it’s working as intended.
[callout id=”15845″ placeholder=unblockusalts]
NordVPN
A service with a lot to offer, NordVPN is among the biggest VPN options around. Although all VPN services are technically competing against each other, some are in more direct competition with one another. For its part, NordVPN is a more direct competitor to the above mentioned ExpressVPN, given the way it structures its service and the number of features that it offers.
For those looking to replace Unblock-Us, NordVPN offers everything you’ll need to unblock popular services like Netflix. It also has a unique array of VPN servers that you won’t find in any other service.
What we like
One of the biggest draws to NordVPN is in its interesting take on VPN servers. While you’ll find the standard VPN server available through NordVPN, the service also offers a handful of uniquely designed servers for very specific purposes.
Through NordVPN, you’ll get access to: Double VPN, Dedicated IP, P2P, AntiDDoS, Obfuscated, and Onion Over VPN. All of these servers are designed to offer different types of privacy, security, and content unblocking features that are wholly unique to NordVPN. The Obfuscated servers, in particular, are those designed to evade the kind of VPN-detecting technology that Netflix and other services use root out VPN connections.
Meanwhile, NordVPN also has an extremely large number of servers and countries in operation. The company offers over 4300 servers in 62 countries. NordVPN is also rapidly expanding, so while most of those servers are in the Americas and Europe, the company is expanding further into other popular VPN regions, such as Asia and South America.
What we don’t like
As much as we like NordVPN, it indeed shares one issue that we found with ExpressVPN: price. NordVPN is among the more expensive services, coming in at $11.95 per month. That said, NordVPN offers far better discounts for purchasing your service plan in bulk than ExpressVPN. If you purchase a 2-year plan, you’ll get NordVPN for the equivalent of $3.29 per month, while a year-long service is the equivalent of $5.75 per month.
NordVPN is also a bit more limited in device functionality. There are apps for all of the major operating systems (Windows, macOS, Android/iOS, Linux), and a number of smaller systems. However, if you’re trying to use NordVPN with a smart TV or a TV streaming device like the Amazon Fire TV or Roku, you’ll be out of luck. There’s the option to run NordVPN on a server or router to cover your whole house, but that’s a bit of a complicated way to get coverage for uncovered devices, and it’s more limited.
Thankfully, you can try out NordVPN for 30 days with their generous money-back guarantee.
StrongVPN
StrongVPN is a streamlined alternative for people who might be a bit overwhelmed by the size and breadth provided by ExpressVPN and NordVPN. A smaller size, however, does not indicate a lack of functionality in this case, as it did with Unblock-Us.
Instead, StrongVPN provides a very complete package for anyone who wants to bypass geographic content restrictions and access popular networks and services. Additionally, if your needs extend to simply getting past ISP or state-level content blocking, StrongVPN provides a good option for those traveling to or living in places like China or Russia.
What we like
StrongVPN lives up to its name rather effectively. The “Strong” in this case is in how the company provides protective measures for its users. StrongVPN employs extremely effective security tools to help it obfuscate the VPN connections and bypass content blocking efforts employed by both services and countries.
The service utilizes L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN, IPSec, and IKEv2 protocols to help provide users with security features needed to maintain anonymity while on the web. Depending on your needs, you can easily switch between different protocols, although it’s important to note that not every protocol will work with every server.
StrongVPN also accepts alternative forms of payment, including Bitcoin, PayPal, and Alipay. This helps reduce your exposure to sharing your private information. Finally, StrongVPN does not keep logs, ensuring that you’ll have maximum privacy while using their service.
What we don’t like
As stated earlier, the biggest drawback to StrongVPN is the number of servers that it has on offer. While it’s not as limited as Unblock-Us was, it’s also not nearly as expansive as ExpressVPN or NordVPN.
StrongVPN offers over 650 servers in just over 20 countries, making it a far cry from the larger services. By consequence, that means you’ll be able to access content in fewer countries than with NordVPN or ExpressVPN. The smaller size also means that you’re far more likely to run into a packed server and experience more reductions to your bandwidth due to server load.
And as you might expect with a smaller service, device functionality is limited. The major operating systems are all covered, but if you’re looking to use StrongVPN on a smart TV, TV streaming device, or video game console, you’ll be out of luck.
As with NordVPN and ExpressVPN, however, you can try StrongVPN for 30 days and get your money back during that time period if you don’t approve of the service.
VyprVPN
A surprising and interesting option, VyprVPN sits somewhere between the ExpressVPN/NordVPN options and StrongVPN. Specifically, VyprVPN is smaller than the first two but larger than StrongVPN.
VyprVPN from Golden Frog is also a bit of unique service to consider. VyprVPN provides a proprietary obfuscation method called Chameleon that you won’t find available anywhere else. Their obfuscation method allows them to easily bypass geographic content restrictions that would have stumped Unblock-Us and that still trouble many other VPN services.
What we like
The most important feature we like from VyprVPN is their proprietary Chameleon obfuscation method. The company was specifically created in response to NSA spying on U.S. citizens and the rest of the world, and its privacy features emerged as a result of that.
VyprVPN’s Chameleon is a modified version of the highly-used and highly-respected OpenVPN 256-bit protocol. The key to this technology (the functionality of which VyprVPN keeps very secret) is in the tech’s ability to evade detection by VPN-sniffers. Data sent through Chameleon has the metadata scrambled so that Deep Packet Inspection doesn’t work. No DPI means no VPN blocking from popular services like Netflix, and no speed throttling through your ISP.
Outside of this unique tech, VyprVPN provides the standard features we look for in a quality VPN. There is a strict no-logs policy in place to protect user anonymity and privacy, and a fair number of servers and server locations for users to choose from. VyprVPN has over 700 servers in 70 countries, making it a good option for those who need some choice in the countries where they want to access content.
What we don’t like
While VyprVPN is a growing service with a lot to offer, it also does have some notable limitations. There are fewer VPN protocols available through this service. The company relies more specifically on its Chameleon technology. Still, you should find the OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, PPTP and Chameleon protocols highly useful.
Perhaps the biggest issue with VyprVPN is that it doesn’t have its own dedicated app. Instead, the service relies on third-party programs to operate its VPN services. There are some inherent issues with this, including the fact that you’ll have a different experience with features and functionality across different devices because of the fact that not every device has the same third-party app to control the VyprVPN technology.
VyprVPN also has a painfully short trial period. Whereas the other options listed technically give you 30 days to try the service, VyprVPN has a 3-day trial period. That may not be enough time for many users to effectively test out the product.
And while you can subscribe to VyprVPN for a comparatively low equivalent of $5.00 per month (based on a 1-year subscription), the service is $9.99 if you go month-to-month. That’s also only for the standard subscription that does not include the must-have Chameleon protocol. If you want Chameleon, you’ll need to sign up to VyprVPN Premium, which costs $6.67 per month if you sign up for a year-long subscription, or $12.95 if you go month-to-month.
Why Switch From Unblock-Us?
Although the service was active as recently as 2016, there are many indications that Unblock-Us is no longer working. First, there’s the company’s website. If you visit the service’s website, you’ll notice that there is very little on the page. Unlike other VPN services, which have expansive web pages filled with helpful content, guides, information breakdowns, and more, Unblock-Us has only a handful of pages with very little information on them.
The complete lack of information about the service is a big warning flag that you should not attempt to sign up to it at this time. Alongside that, several VPN ranking sites have noted that Unblock-Us is no longer working. VPN ranking sites typically have inside information on various services, meaning that notifications of Unblock-Us’ demise are a safe bet if they’re coming from official VPN review sites.
Finally, even if Unblock-Us were still working, it would offer very little value for anyone hoping to use a VPN. The service offered only 7 countries, a far cry from the 50+ countries covered by most other VPN providers. For example, ExpressVPN, a well-known VPN provider often used for bypassing the Netflix proxy ban, offers over service in 90+ countries.
Sam Cook is a full-time content strategist by day, a part-time freelance content writer since 2015. In another life, he was a high school English teacher for nearly a decade. Based in sunny New Orleans, he writes long-form educational content on technology, including Insurtech, Fintech, HRtech, and content streaming. He loves whittling down complex ideas within these areas that make decisions easier for buyers. When he’s not reading books with his son Miles and playing video games with the family, you can find him immersed in his growing collection of Euro-style board games.
