3 Best VPNs for Hotstar outside India 2023

Hotstar is an OTT streaming service that offers famous Indian TV shows, dramas, and films. It brings you popular Sports like IPL Opening ceremony on Hotstar outside India, Indian Premier League (IPL) on Hotstar India  and many more. Moreover, an extensive lineup of blockbuster English movies and superhit shows is also available on the streaming platform.

While Disney+ Hotstar was once available outside India, it has now been discontinued. But you can access the streaming channel with the best VPN for Hotstar outside India.

This brings us to the following question: “Does Hotstar allow VPN outside India?” Yes, with the help of a VPN, you can access Hotstar in the US to fulfill your Indian content cravings.

We tested 40+ VPN apps to find out the best VPN services that work with Hotstar and discovered ExpressVPN  to be the clear winner! Want more deets on the best Hotstar VPNs? Continue reading below.

Why Do I Need a VPN for Hotstar outside India?

Due to licensing agreements made with the content creators in the light of copyright laws, Hotstar is available only in a few countries, with the Indian library offering the best content. That is why you need a VPN for Hotstar outside India, or else you will be debarred from accessing the content catalog of this streaming platform even with a valid subscription.

If you access Hotstar outside India without connecting to a VPN, the following error will be displayed on your screen as soon as you click on the site:

This is the geo-restriction error we received when accessing Hotstar outside India.

This error can easily be brushed off using a VPN app as it conceals your identity and location by masking your real IP address. It then replaces the IP address of your device with a new one in your desired location.

For instance, getting an Indian IP address outside India  will reroute your web traffic through Indian servers. It will translate your location accordingly, making Hotstar think that you’re in a licensed region for Hotstar.

It’s possible that Hotstar has blocked the server’s IP address you’re connected to. That’s why it’s helpful to get a VPN that equips multiple servers in India which can reliably access Hotstar. If it doesn’t help, you can try disabling IPv6.

Best VPNs to Watch Hotstar outside India(2023) – In-Depth Analysis

Not all VPNs work with Hotstar, and to save you from the hassle of digging every app, we present you with a list of the best VPNs to stream Hotstar outside India 2023. After thoroughly testing over 40+ apps based on privacy, security, unblocking features, speed, and price, we have found these VPNs to be the best.

Let’s start our in-depth analysis of the best Hotstar VPNs outside India:

1. ExpressVPN – Overall Best VPN for Hotstar outside India to Access it Without Lag

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Hotstar outside India. It provides ultra-fast connections, lag-free streaming, and ultimate security features to watch your favorite online content.

It offers a massive network of more than 3000 servers throughout the world in 94 countries. Although ExpressVPN pulled out of India due to privacy reasons, it still offers Indian IP addresses through two virtual servers via the UK and Singapore. We tested its India (via UK) servers and immediately unblocked Hotstar outside India.

This server let us stream all our favorite Hotstar shows and movies in HD quality.

There were no lags on our connection while streaming Hotstar. So, we decided to conduct a speed test of ExpressVPN outside India to see what speeds we were getting on our 100 Mbps connection. As per our tests, the VPN delivered a lightning-fast download speed of 89.38 Mbps and an upload speed of 84.66 Mbps. This speed is more than enough to unblock Miley Cyrus-Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions) outside India, Pop Kaun outside India, Anupama outside India, on Disney+ Hotstar.

With these speeds, VPN usage was barely noticeable outside India.

Using these servers, you can easily access Hotstar as well as Star Sports, Colors TV, Voot, and SonyLIV outside India. You can also use the VPN’s extensive server network and unblock multiple platforms, such as Lost Ark, BT Sport, CraveTV, CBC, Channel 5 outside India, ORF, and BBC iPlayer outside India. Moreover, ExpressVPN was found to be one of the Best VPNs For CITV in India and  Virgin Media outside India.

ExpressVPN’s bypassing technology is so efficient that we did not face any Hotstar VPN Detection errors outside India.

As for compatibility, ExpressVPN offers dedicated apps for various OSes, like Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. It further goes a step ahead and offers a MediaStreamer – a SmartDNS feature that helps you watch the geo-restricted content of Hotstar on devices that don’t support VPN connections. This way, you can install ExpressVPN on Samsung Smart TV outside India, Roku, Kodi, PS4, and Xbox and enjoy a secure connection easily on 5 devices at a time.

When it comes to security, ExpressVPN is quite feature-rich. The VPN offers AES 256-bit encryption, no-logs, TrustedServer technology, split tunneling, and DNS leak protection. ExpressVPN’s kill switch outside India is also quite robust as it disconnects you from the internet if the VPN connection drops.

Priced at INR 550.5/mo (US$ 6.67/mo) (Get 49% Off + 3 Months FREE on its 12-Month Plan), ExpressVPN is really the best VPN for Hotstar without any doubt. Moreover, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 7-day free trial for mobile phones. Its live chat support is available 24 hours a day to help you address your queries. Want more details? Just go through our detailed ExpressVPN review outside India.

2. Surfshark – Budget-friendly VPN to Unblock Hotstar in HD

Surfshark is the best VPN for Hotstar in terms of affordability. This amazing VPN offers advanced functionality and handy features for just INR 189.83/mo (US$ 2.30/mo) (Get 84% + 2 Months FREE on 2-Year Plan) along with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

This VPN lets you utilize an expansive range of 3200+ servers present in 100 countries. Just like ExpressVPN, Surfshark also ended its physical servers in India. However, it still provides a virtual Indian server location for its users. We connected to this Indian server and accessed Hotstar within a few seconds.

Our Indian colleagues had the best time streaming Hotstar outside India with Surfshark.

With Surfshark, there was no traffic overload or stutters on the server. In fact, the VPN was quite fast. When conducted a speed test of Surfshark outside India on our 100 Mbps connection, the VPN delivered a download speed of 81.32 Mbps and an upload speed of 76.12 Mbps.

Even though it offers a single server location, the speeds were fast outside India.

With its virtual server, you will get a hassle-free unblocking of Hotstar and other popular streaming Indian channels like Colors TV, Star Network, Sony LIV, and Voot outside India. With its network of servers, you can also access Sky Sports outside India, Channel4, Italian Rai TV, Jadoo TV outside India, Canal Plus, and CBC outside India.

Surfshark’s unlimited simultaneous connections are quite beneficial for enjoying Hotstar on any device you like. In fact, while it offers native apps for all popular operating systems, like Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and FireOS, you can also get Surfshark on Roku outside India, Kodi, Xbox, routers, PS4, Smart TVs, and more.

Surfshark equips your devices with a slew of state-of-the-art features. These include Whitelister, Bypasser, AES 256-bit encryption, and CleanWeb. Moreover, its Camouflage Mode masks the user’s VPN traffic and makes it look like actual traffic so you do not get caught by any chance.

Finally, with this VPN, you can contact its live customer support available round-the-clock. Want more details? Just go through our detailed Surfshark review outside India.

3. CyberGhost – Streaming-Optimized Servers to Easily Stream Hotstar outside India

CyberGhostis committed to securing your digital journey while giving you access to a massive network of optimized servers. Using its streaming-optimized servers, you can choose the one that’s perfect for Hotstar and unblock the platform easily.

This VPN has presence in 91 countries with more than 9700 servers. Among these servers, 29 are virtually located in Mumbai, India. Using one of these servers, we accessed Hotstar within a few minutes.

All our favorite Indian content was one click away from bufferless streaming with CyberGhost outside India.

While streaming with CyberGhost, there were barely any lags on our connection. When conducted a speed test of CyberGhost outside India, the VPN delivered a download speed of 75.47 Mbps and an upload speed of 69.34 Mbps on a 100 Mbps connection.

We faced a speed drop of 25% only, which was not bad outside India.

With its Indian servers, CyberGhost is an ideal choice to bypass the geo-restrictions of Hotstar and other Indian streaming channels, such as SonyLiv, Yupp TV outside India, Voot, Colors TV, and Zee Network. Also, with its massive network of servers across the globe, you can unblock Hayu outside India, DStv, SBS on Demand, and Channel 4 outside India. I could also stream geo-restricted TRT 1 outside India content using the NordVPN Turkey server (NordVPN Recommended Servers: Istanbul).

This VPN comes with standalone apps for all major operating systems, including Linux, Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS. Web browser extensions are also available that make it convenient to use. CyberGhost can be used simultaneously on 7 different devices with a single subscription. You can extend this range by configuring it on Wi-Fi routers and use it on Roku, Kodi, FireStick, Xbox, and Smart TV.

CyberGhost is a complete package in terms of features. AES 256 Encryption, No-logging Policy, No Spy Servers, and Kill Switch are a few. It also offers one of the best split tunneling outside India a feature that separates your VPN connection and regular internet traffic so you can use both together.

This VPN is available at a cost of INR 174.15/mo (US$ 2.11/mo) . It also comes with a 45-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat assistance to users.

How to Choose the Right VPN For Hotstar outside India– Methodology 

Choosing a VPN that is suitable for all your needs is tricky. Especially when you are looking for a VPN for a specific streaming platform, you must go through the nitty-gritty of each app. We took into consideration the following key factors and came up with our best VPN for Hotstar list above:

1. Speed and reliability of service:

Online streaming requires fast speed and an uninterrupted flow of videos. A VPN must be reliable in terms of speed and other factors that provide a lag-free streaming experience.

2. Servers in India:

To unblock Hotstar, you need an IP address from India, and that’s possible when there are ample Indian servers. Although several VPNs pulled out of India recently due to changes in government policy, our recommended VPNs still offer virtual Indian servers.

3. Robust encryption standards to prevent data leakage:

One of the main utilities of a VPN is to equip yourself with water-tight security and privacy features. Ordinary VPN apps are prone to leaking your data and identity, so you must choose a VPN that offers robust encryption standards such as AES-256 Encryption and multiple security protocols.

4. Value for money:

Understandably, when spending your precious bucks on a VPN subscription, you must get the most out of it. Therefore, select a VPN that perfectly fits your bill and offers maximum value for money by fulfilling all your needs.

5. Apps for Android and iOS:

In the era of handheld smart devices, the digital world is shifting to smart devices. Keeping this in view, users want cross-platform compatibility, and a VPN must provide dedicated apps for two major mobile operating systems, iOS and Android.

6. Works with Hotstar (obviously!):

Unblocking Hotstar isn’t a piece of cake for every VPN. So, your first and foremost priority should be going after a VPN with a proven record of unblocking Hotstar outside India.

7. Works with other popular Indian and international streaming services:

You wouldn’t want to pay for a VPN subscription just for Hotstar. It would be a bargain if the VPN could also bypass geo-restrictions of other popular Indian streaming platforms such as Sony LIV, Voot, and Colors TV, as well as international streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, etc.

Is Free VPN for Hotstar a good option outside India?

Various free VPNs claim to be the best for Hotstar outside India. Unfortunately, although they may seem tempting, they’re not an excellent option for the streaming platform.

The primary reason to pay for a VPN service is to get an adequate amount of servers optimized for security, speed, and reliability. Free VPNs skimp on this and offer you just a server location or two that are too subjected to data caps and bandwidth throttling.

You also get poor standards of encryption that are unable to keep you protected online. Sometimes, you’re at significant risk of storing and selling your data to third-party advertisers.

This is why we do not recommend using a free VPN for Hotstar because it doesn’t offer even half of the features that a premium VPN like ExpressVPN offers.

Hotstar Not Working with VPN outside India?

There might be several reasons for facing problems while accessing Hotstar outside Indiathrough a VPN app. If Hotstar is not working even with a VPN, consider doing the following things:

1. Change to a different server:

If you’re facing issues trying to stream Hotstar with your VPN, then try switching to another server. Changing your server will offer you a different IP address, and if that hasn’t been blocked by Hotstar, then you’ll be able to enjoy the streaming platform again.

2. Delete Cookies:

Cookies stored in your web browser can be another reason if Hotstar is not working with a VPN. These files store user data, including the location. So, if your cookies reveal your real location, it’s impossible to access Hotstar even with a VPN. Make sure that you delete your cookies before unblocking Hotstar with a VPN.

3. Upgrade to a better VPN:

Hotstar has a sturdy firewall and the latest anti-VPN technology. It might be possible that your VPN has been blocked by Hotstar, and if that is the case, we recommend upgrading to a better VPN, especially if you have been using a free VPN app.

If you ask us, then we’d recommend ExpressVPN  as the best VPN for Hotstar. This VPN refreshes its IP address list from time to time, so you never get blocked permanently by the streaming platform.

VPNs to Avoid while Accessing Hotstar outside India?

Only a reliable VPN can unblock Hotstar outside India. While many claim to be the best for Hotstar, we only recommend using the best VPNs for Hotstar mentioned above. While testing, we came across a few VPNs that were not a good option at all. These VPNs are as follows:

1. Hola VPN

With Hola VPN, we could not unblock Hotstar despite multiple tries. Moreover, as per its user agreement, it stores its users’ data, including IP address, browsing history, location, and personal credentials. Your data will likely be shared with third-party entities, and you must never use this VPN app.

2. Hoxx VPN:

This VPN is another app that can jeopardize your security and privacy. Hoxx VPN is far from being a trustworthy VPN app and lacks basic features of security, privacy, and anonymity. Avoid using Hoxx VPN, or else your personal data will be in the grasp of unwanted entities.

3. HideMyAss:

HideMyAss might have started to build a positive reputation, but there’s still a long way to go for this VPN. There’s no confirmation about its Indian servers and the ability to unblock Hotstar. So, you better not spend your bucks on this VPN.

FAQs – Best VPN For Hotstar outside India

Conclusion

Hotstar is a treasure trove of popular Indian TV shows and films like The Night Manager outside India, J-Hope in the box outside India, Run baby Run outside India etc. It also offers an extensive catalog of English content, including Marvel titles, National Geographic documentaries, and fan-favorite TV series.

However, this streaming platform is officially available in a few countries, and you can’t access it outside India due to geo-restrictions. Fortunately, thanks to technology, you can use a VPN with Indian servers to bypass these geographical blocks of Hotstar.

But, which VPN is best for Hotstar? Among all the VPNs we have tested, ExpressVPN stands out as the best VPN for Hotstar outside India. This VPN offers quick and hassle-free connectivity, and with the help of its advanced features, you will never run into any problem while watching your favorite content on Hotstar outside India.

Liked our best VPN for Hotstar outside India 2023 guide? Feel free to ask any questions!