How to Watch US Netflix in Mexico (or Anywhere Else)

Streaming services like Netflix span the globe, but their content is not the same for everyone. If you plan to experience the cynical rollercoaster of House or laugh with Parks and Recreation in Mexico, you’re in for a nasty surprise. To watch your favorite show while resting in your cozy hotel room in sunny Acapulco with a tequila in hand, you’ll need to know how to watch U.S. Netflix in Mexico.

The thing is, your favorite shows available in the U.S. won’t even show up. That happens because of geoblocking. Netflix locks content depending on the country you’re in, meaning you won’t have access to everything the streaming platform can serve.

That’s where a VPN comes in. If you’re anxious to continue your binge, you can jump straight to our best VPN for Netflix article. Otherwise, read on to make sure Netflix can’t ruin your vacation vibes with their VPN ban (read our piece on the Netflix proxy error).

What is a VPN?

A virtual private network is a network that doesn’t allow anyone to know who you are or where you’re located. Essentially, you’re accessing a remote network as if you were physically there (in this case, in another country) whenever you sign in.

Think of it as a local network that’s overlayed on top of the global network (the internet). The technology was originally developed to allow remote users to safely gain access to corporate applications and resources.

Using a VPN, you create a secure tunnel between your computer and the VPN server. You’ll access the internet exclusively through this tunnel. One (or more) levels of encryption protect it, so no one can see what you’re doing, including the VPN provider in most cases, as many keep no logs of your traffic.

No one can tell where you’re coming from, including your ISP and Netflix. Additionally, these providers won’t be able to tell that you’re connected to the VPN network in the first place, enabling you to bypass geoblocks while remaining private and secure.

As it pertains to Netflix, a VPN functions solely as a geoblock bypass, but it also protects you from any government spying programs or questionable online downloads (read our best VPN for torrenting for that).

If you want to know more about the mechanics of a VPN, check out our in-depth what is a VPN article.

How to Watch US Netflix in Mexico

At the top of our best VPN providers list is ExpressVPN. Other services come close, but never quite top it. It has its drawbacks, including a hefty price tag and clunky server switching, but they’re easy to overlook, considering how much it brings to the table.

ExpressVPN uses 256-bit AES encryption which would take 50 supercomputers a billion years to crack. You can even enable 4096-bit security to make sure you’re undetectable when you bypass the Great Firewall. We’ve used third-party DNS, webRTC and IP leak tests to verify that ExpressVPN is safe to use.

It doesn’t keep any logs of your usage so it can’t show what you’ve been doing to any organization that might come asking.

Many services leave it out, but ExpressVPN has a killswitch, which severs your connection when your VPN server stops working for any reason. This is especially important for torrenters and people who want to avoid the gaze of the regime (read our best VPN for China, if that’s your concern).

The service offers another rare feature, split tunneling, that gives you the ability to pick which programs and apps make use of the VPN and which steer clear of it.

ExpressVPN is easy to use, so we’ll use it as an example of how to watch American Netflix outside of the continental 48. Once you download and install ExpressVPN, its setup is straightforward.

• Hit the “choose location” button. You’ll see a list of servers that you can choose from.

• Click on the “United States” and pick the server that’s closest to you.
• Hit the big “power” button in the main window

• Wait for it to connect

There you have it. It’s that easy. If you want to know more, make sure to read our ExpressVPN review.

VPNs encrypt your connection and send your signal to a remote location. Unfortunately, that results in a slower connection. ExpressVPN doesn’t see a massive hit (about 10 percent or so) as the service has over 2,000 servers spanning the globe. You’re bound to find one that’s close to you. In fact, ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN we’ve tested.

Netflix might be blocking some of those servers, so if the VPN is not working for you, try using a different server. Even the best VPNs have problems getting through these blocks, so you’ll need to spend some time moving from server to server until you find the right one.

The only downside to ExpressVPN is the price tag (though you can get an extra 3 months free on the annual plan with our ExpressVPN coupon). There are free alternatives, but we don’t recommend most. Some may not encrypt your traffic or, if they do, they sell your data to marketers. Some exceptions exist and you can read more about them in our best free VPN article. Otherwise, read on to see what other VPN services we recommend.

Recommended VPNs for Watching Netflix from Mexico

If you’re looking for more VPN providers, there are lots to choose from. Not all are suitable for Netflix or streaming, but some make it easier than others. We want the service to be able to switch between servers easily with a large server network and fast speeds to boot.

Besides the excellent ExpressVPN, there’s NordVPN. It features a host of servers located in the U.S., which will grant access to Netflix. It has a massive list of 4,514 servers in 62 countries, so you’re likely to find a quick server, no matter where you’re located or what you’re trying to access. Read our full NordVPN review, if you want to learn more, and use our NordVPN coupon to save yourself some money.

VyprVPN is also a good choice since it has a large number of servers in over 70 countries, 10 of them located in the States. If you use its premium service, you’ll get up to five simultaneous connections, strong security, decent speeds and excellent value. Its interface is easy to use, as well, and it’s available on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. Check out our VyprVPN review to learn more.

CyberGhost easily gets you into U.S. Netflix. What makes it easy is the special “profiles” it has, one of which is fine-tuned for streaming. Using it, you should be able to play whatever you want, wherever you want. The service has one serious drawback: speed. Once you cross any serious distance, you don’t have any speed guarantee, which may mean headaches when getting too far out of the U.S.

Read our CyberGhost review for more details.

Final Thoughts

Netflix is always expanding its collection of TV shows, movies and original programming. U.S. Netflix has the cream of the crop and, in order to watch it from another country, you’ll need to bypass the geoblock. Make sure to check our our best VPN for streaming, if you need a few more choices.

Outside of Netflix, using a VPN is a best practice while accessing the internet. Your ISP and government organizations will not be able to spy on you and, if you live in countries that censor the internet, you’ll be able to bypass the smoke-and-mirrors to access the real content.

Have you tried watching U.S. Netflix in Mexico? Let us know how it went in the comments below.