Best VPN for Plex in 2021: Unchain Your Media Server

Since your Plex media server holds all of your favorite movies and shows, it makes sense to invest in a Plex VPN. The best VPN for Plex can help you access geo-restricted content from streaming sites, such as Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime.

Key Takeaways:

• Using a VPN for Plex will allow you to access more restricted streaming sites, and it provides additional online security.
• ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN provider for Plex, with a powerful ability to get through geoblocks.
• Windscribe is the best free VPN for Plex, and it also offers a “build a plan” option, where you can select your own preferred servers for just $1 each.

Most of the VPN providers on our list have also made it onto our best VPN guide, and for good reasons, too. Not only can you access more geo-restricted content, but you’ll also be protected from bandwidth throttling from your ISP, so you can stream with ease. ExpressVPN can do all that and more, which makes it the best VPN for Plex.

Getting a VPN for your Plex is a great idea overall, enhancing your viewing experience. Plus, it even offers an extra layer of online security, which is always a bonus. Read on to see the best VPNs for Plex and why we picked them.

• Should I Use a VPN When Using Plex?

  While it’s not a prerequisite, using a VPN with Plex allows you to have access to more restricted content and helps prevent bandwidth throttling. Plus, it offers added security and ensures that all of your sensitive data is kept away from prying eyes.

• What VPN Works Best With Plex?

  While all the VPNs on our list work well with Plex, ExpressVPN is our top choice. This is mainly due to its impressive speeds, ability to bypass geoblocks and its bulletproof security.

• Is a Plex Server Illegal?

  No, Plex is completely legal to download and use. However, you could get into hot water if you attempt to stream media you don’t have the rights to.

• How Do I Use Plex With NordVPN?

  There are two ways to set up NordVPN on Plex. The easiest way is to download the VPN app directly on your Plex, open it and connect to the desired server. Alternatively, you can install NordVPN on your home router, which will protect all of your connected devices.

ExpressVPN Review

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What Makes the Best VPN for Plex

When choosing the best VPN for Plex, the main thing to consider is the VPN’s ability to break through tough geoblocks and access your favorite streaming services. Additional considerations are speed, security and any extra features. Let’s see what each VPN service brings to the table.

1. ExpressVPN — Very fast speeds, secure and easy to use
2. NordVPN — Large server count and highly secure
3. Surfshark — Affordable and supports unlimited devices
4. CyberGhost — Cheap and has dedicated streaming servers
5. Windscribe — Generous free plan and custom “build a plan”

In addition to the ability to bypass geoblocks, streaming speed and quality are also vital. ExpressVPN offers incredible speeds with no data caps, which allows you to enjoy content without lag and connection breaks. A quality VPN provider should also offer plenty of servers spread around the world for a variety of regional content.

Lastly, we have security and privacy. A VPN provider should offer airtight encryption and a solid privacy policy to ensure your online activity remains private and that your data isn’t sold to any third parties.

The Top 5 Plex VPN Services

With all of that out of the way, let’s jump into our five best VPNs for Plex and see how they all compare against each other.

1. ExpressVPN

More details about ExpressVPN:

• Pricing: $8.32 per month, billed $99.95 annually
• Provider website: www.expressvpn.com

ExpressVPN is without a doubt the best VPN for streaming, and it rightfully earns the top spot as the best Plex VPN. Its impressive speeds will improve your viewing experience, and it comes with no data limits, meaning you can binge-watch on Plex media player as much as you want. To top it off, ExpressVPN can access all of the major streaming services.

This VPN service comes with over 3,000 servers across 94 countries — including Europe, South America, Africa and the Middle East — so you’ll always find one close to you. Having more servers means the best performance while you’re online, as the VPN users are more spread out.

Stream Media Content in HD Quality With ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN we’ve tested so far — and that’s across most locations. This means you can watch your favorite shows in HD or 4K quality, with no lagging or buffering. Plus, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for gaming, making it an even better VPN for Plex because of its gaming subscription service called “Plex Arcade.’’

ExpressVPN might be the most expensive VPN on our list, but its performance matches its price tag. Currently, ExpressVPN’s best deal is the annual plan, which comes with three extra months for free. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to try it out for yourself before committing.

ExpressVPN Plans

• Bandwidth: Unlimited GB
• Included Devices: 5
• Bitcoin

30-day money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$ 12.95/ month

6-months plan

$ 9.99/ month

$59.95 billed every 6 month

Save 23 %

15-months plan

$ 6.66/ month

$99.96 billed first 15 months
and 12 months thereafter

Save 49 %

Looking at the speeds and streaming performance alone, ExpressVPN remains the best VPN for Plex. Plus, it supports up to five device connections, it’s very secure and it’s super easy to use. Learn more in our ExpressVPN review.

2. NordVPN

More details about NordVPN:

• Pricing: $3.71 per month, billed $89.00 every two years
• Provider website: www.nordvpn.com

NordVPN and ExpressVPN go toe-to-toe across many fronts, but unfortunately speed isn’t one of them, which is the only thing holding NordVPN back. Don’t get us wrong, NordVPN still has great speeds and streaming capabilities, but sometimes you have to switch between the servers to find the best one.

Regardless, NordVPN comes with no data limits, and it could get into all of the major streaming platforms. Plus, it’s very secure, so your time spent browsing remains totally private. NordVPN is very user-friendly, as well. Purely for those reasons alone, it’s a great VPN for Plex, and if you plan on torrenting, it’s also our best VPN for torrenting.

Specialty Servers for an Even Better Performance

NordVPN offers an impressive 5,500 server locations spread across 59 countries, for a smoother viewing experience on Plex. Its specialty servers have something for everyone, too. NordVPN’s Double VPN servers route your traffic through two tunnels, for twice the encryption, doubling your online security.

Although NordVPN isn’t a cheap short-term option, its two-year plan is definitely more affordable. If you’re still unsure, NordVPN provides a tried-and-tested money-back guarantee to test it out.

NordVPN

• Bandwidth: Unlimited GB
• Included Devices: 6
• Bitcoin

30-day money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$ 11.95/ month

1-year plan

$ 4.92/ month

$59.00 billed every year

Save 59 %

2-year plan

$ 3.71/ month

$89.00 billed every 2 years

Save 69 %

NordVPN is highly secure with a solid privacy policy and pretty fast speeds. NordVPN could also bypass all the geoblocks surrounding popular streaming channels and can easily be set up on your router (check out the best VPN for routers). You can read more about it in our NordVPN review.

3. Surfshark

More details about Surfshark:

• Pricing: $2.49 per month for two years, billed $59.76
• Provider website: www.surfshark.com

With Surfshark, you won’t have any issues streaming content from Netflix, Hulu or BBC iPlayer from the Plex media server. However, during our speed tests, we found that the further you are from the server, the more it negatively impacts its overall performance.

Nevertheless, Surfshark still provided a pretty decent streaming experience after connecting to its most optimal server. Plus, it comes with unlimited bandwidth and prevents bandwidth throttling — which occurs when your ISP detects too much data usage from your device and tries to slow down your connection speeds. Check out our full Surfshark review for more details.

Access All Major Streaming Platforms, Minus the High Cost

Surfshark can access all the popular streaming platforms — like Netflix U.S., Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime and much more — on your Plex media server, without breaking the bank. It also offers unlimited simultaneous connections, so you can take your viewing experience to any device you want.

Despite its expensive monthly plan, Surfshark offers one of the most affordable VPN plans, with its two-year plan breaking down to $2.50 per month. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee to make sure you’re happy with Surfshark’s performance. If you’re looking for a VPN that’s more affordable than Surfshark, you’ll need to check out our best free VPN guide.

SurfShark Plans

• Unlimited GB bandwidth,Unlimited devices
• Bandwidth: Unlimited GB
• Included Devices: Unlimited
• Bitcoin

30-day money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$ 12.95/ month

6-months plan

$ 6.49/ month

$38.94 billed every 6 month

Save 50 %

2-year plan

$ 2.49/ month

$59.76 billed every 2 years

Save 81 %

Surfshark is a great VPN for Plex, mainly because it’s affordable and can bypass geoblocking on all the major platforms. It offers high-grade AES 256-bit encryption for added privacy. Plus, Surfshark is located in the British Virgin Islands, which has pretty strict data retention laws that offer strong privacy protection.

4. CyberGhost

More details about CyberGhost:

• Pricing: $2.25 per month on the three-year plan, plus three free months
• Provider website: www.cyberghost.com

CyberGhost comes fourth on our list. It can effectively unblock all the major streaming services and has no bandwidth limit, either. However, CyberGhost speeds weren’t very impressive over longer distances, as we experienced a few drops during our testing. You can read more about that in our CyberGhost review.

CyberGhost provides seven simultaneous connections, in case you want to share your subscription with your family. Plus, the VPN is quite user-friendly, but if you have any issues, the service offers excellent customer support. It also offers useful security features, such as the kill switch, which automatically cuts off the internet when the VPN connection is lost.

Access Optimized Streaming Servers With CyberGhost

CyberGhost’s optimized streaming servers guarantee access to all of the major streaming platforms by bypassing strict geo-restrictions. Choosing an optimized streaming server will ensure a better overall performance while binge-watching Netflix on your Plex, as well as more stability, with minimal lagging or connection breaks.

CyberGhost offers some pretty affordable plans, but its best deal is its three-year subscription. Moreover, CyberGhost comes with an impressive 45-day money-back guarantee and a free one-day trial to test out its features to the max before committing. You can read more about its features in our CyberGhost review.

CyberGhost Plans

• Bandwidth: Unlimited GB
• Included Devices: 7
• Bitcoin

45-day money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$ 12.99/ month

1-year plan

$ 3.99/ month

$47.88 billed every year

Save 69 %

2-year plan

$ 3.49/ month

$83.76 billed every 2 years

Save 73 %

3-year plan + 3 month

$ 2.25/ month

$87.75 billed every 3 years

Save 83 %

Even if its speeds are lacking, CyberGhost is a pretty good VPN provider with a ton to offer at an affordable price. CyberGhost is also pretty secure, has a zero-logs policy and works well across all of the main operating systems.

5. Windscribe

More details about Windscribe:

• Pricing: $4.08 per month, billed $49.00 every year.
• Provider website: www.windscribe.com

Windscribe may be the last on our list, but it’s the top free VPN out there, even beating TunnelBear (as you can see in our Windscribe vs TunnelBear comparison). The service’s Pro plan offers Windflix servers designed for streaming Netflix, and it can consistently access restricted content, like BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime and Hulu.

While Windscribe’s speed results weren’t very impressive, they were pretty consistent. Plus, we actually saw better performance after enabling the IKEv2 protocol. Windscribe is a pretty great VPN to use while streaming on Plex, but there’s one caveat: you’ll need to use a Windflix server to access Netflix consistently.

Best Free VPN For Plex

Free VPNs can be tricky and often unsafe. However, Windscribe is a very secure VPN that can access popular streaming sites. You’ll get 10GB every month on its free plan, but paid plans come with no data caps for uninterrupted entertainment on Plex. Check out more details in our full Windscribe review.

On Windscribe’s free plan, you’ll have access to specific server locations for streaming your free 10GB. However, its annual Pro version is both affordable and allows access to all of its locations, including the Windflix servers, with no limitations. You can even opt for a “build a plan” option by paying $1 per month for every location you want to add, including Windflix servers.

SurfShark Plans

• Unlimited GB bandwidth,Unlimited devices
• Bandwidth: Unlimited GB
• Included Devices: Unlimited
• Bitcoin

30-day money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$ 12.95/ month

6-months plan

$ 6.49/ month

$38.94 billed every 6 month

Save 50 %

2-year plan

$ 2.49/ month

$59.76 billed every 2 years

Save 81 %

Overall, Windscribe is a well-rounded and affordable VPN for Plex. It also offers extra features, such as the kill switch, and unlimited simultaneous connections, to boot. Plus, it even comes with a no-logs policy, as well as AES-256 encryption and an OpenVPN protocol, for added security while online. We especially like its “build a plan” option for the freedom to choose your own server list for cheap.

Final Thoughts

Using a VPN with your Plex media streaming service opens you up to more geo-restricted content across different countries. Plus, it’s an extra layer of security while you’re spending time online. While ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Plex overall, the other providers on our list have a lot to offer, too.

Have you used a VPN with Plex before? What did you think of our top five picks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below, and as always, thanks for reading.