Hulu is a popular American streaming service that is currently only available in the USA and Japan. The platform is home to vast amounts of high-quality content, including Hulu originals. Due to geo-restrictions, anybody who leaves the US on vacation – or traveling for work – must use a Hulu VPN to regain access to their account.

Sadly, not all VPNs work because Hulu is extremely good at blocking them. In addition, not all VPNs are fast enough to stream Hulu without buffering. Luckily, some VPNs still manage to get around its blocks.

In this guide, we will explain how to use a Hulu VPN to get an IP address in America. And we will recommend the best VPN to stream Hulu from France – or anywhere else outside of the United States.

The best VPNs to watch Hulu in France:

  • NordVPN: The best VPN for watching Hulu from France. Excellent apps for all platforms. A choice of US servers to access Hulu, Netflix, and other popular services. Strong on privacy and extremely versatile.
  • Surfshark: Best Budget VPN to stream Hulu in France. Highly reliable. No logs VPN with solid encryption. Works to stream Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and many more. Connect as many devices as you like.
  • ExpressVPN: Consistently provides access to Hulu from abroad. Superfast thanks to its Lightway protocol. Lots of advanced privacy and security features. 30-day money-back guarantee.
  • CyberGhost: The best option for beginners. Very easy to use. Massive amount of servers in 89 countries. Works well with Hulu.
  • PrivateVPN: Impressive VPN from Sweden. Fast speeds for streaming and torrenting. Works well with Hulu. Plenty of advanced security features.
  • VyprVPN: Fully audited service. Servers in 70+ countries. No logs policy. Works with Hulu and many other streaming services.
  • Hotspot Shield: A US-based provider that is perfect for streaming. Works with Hulu and Netflix US. Fast, proprietary VPN protocol. Easy to use.

How to access Hulu with a VPN – Step by Step

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to get an IP address in the US is easy. You can easily log into your account to stream Hulu while traveling to France, as long as you get the right VPN.

There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide NordVPN isn’t right for you and you’ll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.

If you have yet to take out a Hulu account but are a US citizen spending an extended period in France, you may decide to take out a brand new Hulu subscription with your VPN.

Follow the steps below to get a VPN subscription with a provider that works to stream Hulu.

Here’s how to watch Hulu online in France:

  • Select a VPN for Hulu. We recommend NordVPN because it has super-fast servers in the USA that work to stream Hulu. Alternatively, if you want something a little cheaper you can try Surfshark. Or ExpressVPN if you want a veteran service that is a great all-rounder.
  • Follow our link to get a VPN subscription as cheaply as possible using our exclusive discount.
  • Subscribe to the VPN and download the app onto your streaming device.
  • Install the VPN app and log in using your credentials.
  • Choose a location in the US from the list of servers (check with your VPN provider to see which server is optimized for Hulu).
  • Open Hulu in a web browser or the Hulu app and either log in or subscribe.

We recommend NordVPN for streaming Hulu. It is fast, easy to use, and has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plus, NordVPN lets you connect to servers in 59 different countries to let you unblock tons of international services. NordVPN is fast enough to live stream HD TV shows and movies on Hulu without buffering.

VPN for Hulu – testing methodology

There are hundreds of VPNs on the market and they are not all suitable for streaming Hulu in France. Many VPNs have slow apps and servers, that make it impossible to stream Hulu without buffering. In addition, most VPNs have now been blocked by Hulu, which means they won’t work at all.

In this guide, we have recommended the best VPNs to unblock Hulu from France. Our experts found suitable services  by using the following criteria:

  • as servers that work to access Hulu from outside the USA.
  • Has fast enough servers to stream in HD.
  • It has no-logs US servers that provide complete privacy.
  • Reliable customer support via 24/7 live chat.
  • A secure connection with robust encryption and plenty of privacy features.

In addition to using the criteria above to find reliable VPNs, we thoroughly tested each VPN to ensure it is secure. We checked them for IP and DNS leaks that would cause the VPN to divulge your online habits to your ISP. We also looked under the hood to check that the privacy policy and security features – including the encryption – are all up to standard.

To find out more details about how we test VPN check out our methodology article.

IP addresses on free VPN servers are used by hundreds of users at once, which makes it obvious to Hulu that those consumers are connecting via a VPN. As a result, trying to watch Hulu with a free VPN (and many paid VPNs), results in this message:

“Based on your IP address, we noticed you are trying to access Hulu through an anonymous proxy tool. Hulu is not currently available outside the US. If you’re in the US,  you’ll need to disable your anonymizer to access videos on Hulu.”

In addition, free VPNs are extremely slow, which means that even if they did unblock Hulu (which they don’t) they would constantly suffer from buffering and make streaming impossible. With this in mind, the only way to stream Hulu from France is to use a recommended VPN from this guide.

The good news is that you can try a Hulu VPN for free because our recommendations have a money-back guarantee to let you trial their service. This means that you can compare each of our recommendations yourself to access your Hulu account before settling on an option long term.

Hulu would probably like to branch out to other regions to make more money, and it is possible that in the future Hulu will decide to cater to other markets.

For the time being, however, Hulu has decided to license its content for just one region. As a result, it must keep using geo-restrictions to prevent anybody outside of the USA from streaming on Hulu.

I am a paying Hulu subscriber – why am I being blocked?

Unfortunately, it makes no difference whether you are a legitimate Hulu subscriber. When you leave the United States on vacation or traveling for business, your IP address no longer registers as being a valid US residency. This allows Hulu’s servers to automatically block you.

The easiest way to regain a valid IP address in the US is to use a VPN. When you connect to a VPN server in the USA, your foreign IP is concealed, and you appear to be back in America. As a result, you can use any online services that are geo-restricted.

A subscription to Hulu also provides access to content from other networks including Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, FX, SyFy, PBS, Style, and Cartoon Network. This gives you an endless amount of content to watch, and Hulu constantly adds new content to its streaming platform as soon as it has aired on TV.

We have listed some of the most popular shows on Hulu below:

  • Solar Opposites
  • Normal People
  • Killing Eve
  • Devs
  • Community
  • Veronica Mars
  • 30 Rock
  • Archer
  • Bob’s Burgers

Hulu doesn’t just require that your IP address is in the United States. Payment for an account must also originate in America. If you live outside of the country and don’t have a local card or PayPal account, you will need to overcome this obstacle.

There are a few solutions that many consumers claim work. However, it is worth noting that we have not actually tested these ourselves. Of the options below, a pre-paid gift card that is delivered by email seems to be the best option.

  • A prepaid gift card from this website costs about $30. Please remember that we have never tried the service that is linked, and you may decide to use some other website that sells Hulu gift cards via email – so do some research.

  • StatesPay is a virtual credit card provider that costs $3.95 per month. In theory, you should be able to pay for the first month to set up the account and then use Hulu gift cards to make subsequent payments.

  • Prepaid cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover that are linked to a US address.

  • Change your PayPal account country or create a new PayPal that is based in the US

  • Change the location associated with your app store account

  • Create a US app store account

  • Download the Hulu APK from a third party app repository (Android only)

We’ll show you how to download the Hulu app from outside the US on iOS and Android:

On iOS (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV)

  • Open your VPN and connect to a server located in the USA
  • We recommend making a new account rather than changing your existing one, as doing so will not affect your existing apps and purchases. Log out of your Apple ID and create a new one in the US.
  • Or, if you insist on changing an existing account to the US: On your device, go to Settings > iTunes & App Store > View Apple ID > Country/Region > Change Country or Region
  • Choose the US as your country
  • For payment method, choose None (you will still need a US payment method to pay for Hulu)
  • Agree to the terms and conditions

On Android

  • Open your VPN and connect to a server located in the USA
  • Go to payments.google.com
  • Go to Settings > Edit
  • Change your address to a US one. Make sure the zip code matches.
  • Accept changes
  • On your device, close the Play Store
  • In Apps, find the Google Play Store
  • Select Force Stop and Clear All Data
  • Open the Play Store again and you should be able to download and install Hulu

As a last resort, you can opt to download the Hulu APK file from a third-party app repository. This will require you to allow apps from unknown sources, which could expose you to malware infections. For this reason, it is imperative that you stick to third-party APK sites that have a good reputation and are known to carefully curate their apps carefully.

That said, using a VPN or any other proxy to bypass Hulu’s location restrictions may technically violate the service’s terms of use. Thus you should check the ToS to be sure of what you’re doing.

Hulu could theoretically suspend or terminate a VPN user’s account, but to our knowledge, this has never happened thus far. Instead, Hulu tries to block VPNs themselves, which is why it can be hard to find a service that works (like the one recommended in this guide).

If you have connected to your VPN but are still encountering an error message, you may need to tweak some settings on your device. IPv6 leaks are a common issue, so we have included instructions on how to disable IPv6 on Mac and Windows below.

You should also try clearing your browser cookies and cache as they can allow Hulu to detect where you really are. Finally, be sure to check with your VPN provider to ensure you are connecting to a US server that is optimized for streaming Hulu (not all US servers necessarily work, so be sure to use the right one).

Why can’t Login to Hulu?

If you’ve signed up for Hulu but can’t log in while connected to your VPN, check the following:

  • Your email address and password combination are correct

  • Your subscription is still active

  • You are accessing Hulu from the US or using one of the VPNs recommended above to connect through a US server

  • Your payment method is still valid, e.g., your credit card has not expired

  • If you’re accessing Hulu through another streaming service or bundle, you might need to take extra steps to complete the activation process

  • If you’re on a Live TV plan, you must set your Home network on living room devices and check in at least once every 30 days. You can only stream on living room devices from your home network. Hulu only lets you change your home network four times per year.

  • Your Hulu app is updated.

  • Location services are enabled on your device and/or browser.

  • Clear your cookies and web cache.

  • Zenmate

  • PureVPN

  • Hotspot Shield

  • Hola

  • IPVanish

  • Tunnelbear

  • CactusVPN

  • Private Internet Access (PIA)

  • IronSocket

  • Unotelly

  • CactusVPN

  • Buffered

Alternatively, you can set up a Windows or Mac computer as a VPN-enabled wifi hotspot and connect your Smart TV to this VPN-enabled shared connection.

The good news is that the VPN we have recommended provides super-fast speeds with enough bandwidth to stream Hulu in HD. As a result, most internet users should not experience any issues.

Just remember that unreliable, low-quality, and free VPNs are unable to give you the throughput and speeds needed for HD streaming. This is why you must stick to a high-quality VPN for Hulu.

See also: What to do if your laptop is slow

For example, a Firestick or game console might only be able to stream Hulu on your home network. If you share your password with a family member or friend on the network of a different home, they won’t be able to stream on certain devices (such as a games console or Firestick).

Instead, they might get an error message like this:

“Your Hulu subscription allows you to use this type of device only on your home network. If you have moved or your internet service provider has changed, please update your Home Location in your Hulu Account settings on a computer.”

Or …

Video not available in this location.

These errors may be served for other reasons as well, such as Hulu not being able to identify your current network, using a shared wi-fi network, not checking in on your smartphone, or using a non-compatible VPN.

To fix this issue, you should update your home network. If you’re on a VPN, this can be tricky, as your IP address probably changes every time you connect to the VPN. If your VPN has the option to use a dedicated or static IP address, this can be a useful workaround.

Once you’re on the network or VPN server that you want to use to watch Hulu:

  • Log out of Hulu
  • Log back in on a streaming device like a Firestick, Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, smart TV, or game console.
  • Open your Hulu account page on the smartphone app or desktop website
  • Click Privacy and Settings
  • Click Set or Change Home and set your new network

If you’re trying to watch Hulu on the go, you might also encounter an error. If this occurs, you may need to check in to show Hulu you live where the home network is registered.  You can check into Hulu by signing into the app while connected to your home network.

Note that you can only change your home network four times per year, and Hulu + Live TV is a single-home service, so you can’t use it outside of your home.

A VPN can route your traffic via its own DNS servers and mask your IPv4 address, but IPv6 addresses may still be tracked. Below, we have provided instructions for avoiding this issue by reverting back to IPv4 manually.

How to disable IPv6 on a Windows PC (Windows 10):

  • Disconnect and close the VPN app
  • Tap Windows Key+R to open the Run prompt
  • Type ncpa.cpl and hit Enter to open your Network Connections
  • Find the connection you are using, right click it, and select Properties
  • On the Networking or General tab, uncheck the box that says “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)”
  • Click OK to save changes and close the Window
  • Tap Windows Key+R and select Command Prompt (Admin), then hit Yes when asked if it’s okay for the program to make changes to your computer
  • In the command prompt (black window), type ipconfig /flushdns and hit Enter.
  • Reconnect to the VPN, refresh the Hulu page, and enjoy the video!

How to disable IPv6 on Mac OSX:

  • Disconnect and close the VPN app
  • Open the Apple menu.
  • Choose System Preferences > Network > AirPort > Advanced
  • Click TCP/IP.
  • Click on the Configure IPv6 pop-up menu and select Off.
  • Click OK and Apply (to apply the change).
  • Reconnect to the VPN, refresh the Hulu page, and enjoy the video!