EXPERT ADVICE: Free VPNs often fail to unblock British streaming services from outside the UK. NordVPN, a paid VPN with over 500 UK servers, works with most UK streaming platforms. Try NordVPN risk-free for 30 days.
The best VPNs for the United Kingdom operate many servers in the country. By connecting to these servers, you’ll get a UK IP address that unblock British TV services from anywhere in the world.
72% of VPN users choose to use a free VPN over a paid one, but most aren’t safe. Free VPNs often harvest and sell your data, and usually aren’t very good for streaming UK TV abroad.
After thousands of hours testing 65 VPNs, we’ve identified three safe and completely free ones with servers in the UK.
Summary: The Best Free VPNs for the UK
The three best free VPNs for connecting into the UK are:
- Windscribe: The best free VPN for the UK, optimized for British streaming.
- ZoogVPN: The safest free VPN for the UK, with one UK server and 10GB of free data.
- TunnelBear: A free VPN for beginners and casual users, limited by a 500MB data restriction.
The best free UK VPN is Windscribe Free. It offers free servers in two UK locations, a 10GB monthly data allowance, and reliable access to British streaming services including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and UK Netflix.
If you want to get a free UK IP address from outside the United Kingdom, the three VPNs above are the best we’ve tested. However, they are limited by data caps, slower speeds, and less consistent access to UK TV platforms.
If you want a VPN to change your IP address to a UK one, and watch British TV without buffering or running out of data, you’ll need a paid VPN.
Summary: The Overall Best UK VPNs
The overall best VPNs for getting a UK IP address are:
- NordVPN: The overall best UK VPN with 588 UK servers.
- ExpressVPN: The fastest VPN connecting into the UK.
- Surfshark: The best cheap UK VPN with 200 UK servers.
The overall best VPN for the UK is NordVPN. Its 588 UK VPN servers gave us London IP addresses that unblocked UK Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and Channel 4 in our tests. NordVPN’s UK servers keep delivering fast and stable speeds, with no limits on the amount of data you can use.
These excellent VPNs deliver fast and stable speeds across their large server parks in the UK, consistently unblocking BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, and ITVX from outside the country.
The Best UK VPNs Compared
The table below compares our recommended VPNs for UK-specific criteria, such as VPN speeds connecting into the UK, number of UK servers, and access to British streaming services.
Why Trust Top10VPN?
We’re completely independent and have spent 8 years reviewing VPNs for the UK using our unbiased testing process.
Our ratings are based on our own data, and are unaffected by financial incentives.
| UK VPNs Tested | 65 |
| Total Hours Testing UK VPNs | 30,000+ |
| UK Streaming Services Tested | 4 |
| Weekly US to UK Speed Tests | 5,772 |
| VPN Security Tests Conducted | 9,500+ |
| Money Spent on VPN Subscriptions | $25,000+ |
Are Free UK VPNs Safe?
People download free VPNs thinking they’re safe to use, but many are designed to collect, store, and sell your data. Some even contain malware.
The three free VPNs we recommend are certifiably safe. We’ve performed in-depth research into their effectiveness and performance. Windscribe, ZoogVPN, and TunnelBear have been developed by respected privacy companies.
There are other safe free VPNs like Hotspot Shield, Proton VPN, and Avira Phantom Free. However, we can’t recommend them for the UK due to excessive data restrictions or lack of free UK servers.
VPNs to Avoid for the UK
After reviewing 65 VPNs in detail, specifically for connecting into the UK, we’ve discovered a number that aren’t worth using.
The VPNs below are some of the most popular on the market that we don’t recommend you use to connect into the UK:
Avast Secureline VPN
Overall Ranking: #32 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed
Overall Rating: 6.2/10
What we don’t like: Avast VPN logs too much internet data, it’s slow connecting into the UK, and it doesn’t unblock UK Netflix.
Hola VPN
Overall Ranking: #40 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed
Overall Rating: 4.1/10
What we don’t like: Hola VPN is a terrible free VPN that endangers your internet privacy and security. It collects web activity logs. Streaming-wise, it doesn’t work any UK streaming platform.
Turbo VPN
Overall Ranking: #46 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed
Overall Rating: 2.2/10
What we don’t like: Turbo VPN can’t unblock any geo-restricted British content platforms. Furthermore, it’s riddled with intrusive ads, and it also suffers from DNS leaks.
Betternet VPN
Overall Ranking: #43 out of 65 VPNs Reviewed
Overall Rating: 3.0/10
What we don’t like: Betternet VPN is an inadequate VPN for the UK. It’s slow, leaks DNS requests, and it doesn’t work with any British streaming service.
How to Get a UK IP Address with a VPN
Getting a UK IP address is very simple when using one of our top-rated free or paid VPNs for the UK.
Follow the instructions in the video below to change your IP address location to the UK. We’ve used NordVPN to demonstrate:
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to get a UK IP Address:
- Download a VPN with UK IP addresses. Make sure it’s safe and comes with any additional features you need, such as British TV streaming support. We recommend NordVPN.
- Run the installer and install the VPN software onto your chosen device.
- Open the VPN application and sign in with your account details.
- Once logged in, select a UK server via its server list and connect to it.
- With a connection established, you can now confirm that your IP address really has changed using our IP address checker tool.
How to Watch UK TV from Abroad Using a VPN
Watching UK TV from abroad is one of the most popular reasons for getting a VPN. If you try and access BBC iPlayer or Channel 4 from outside the UK without a VPN, you’ll encounter the error message:
BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues.
A VPN bypasses this geo-block by masking your true IP location. It lets you use the internet as if you’re in the UK and unblock Channel 4, BBC iPlayer, UK Netflix, Channel 4, ITVX, and UK Disney+ (Star).
To watch UK TV online from abroad:
- Download a VPN with a UK IP address that hasn’t been blocked by your streaming service.
- Connect to a UK server. If there are any optimized servers for UK TV, select that.
- Visit the streaming website or open up the app.
- Start streaming your chosen show.
EXPERT TIP: Before you start streaming, clear your web browser cookies and cache first. To find out which VPNs work with iPlayer most reliably, read our list of the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer.
What Is the Best Free UK VPN for My Device?
Our top-rated free VPNs for the UK have native applications for Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS.
You can also use some of them on other devices, too. Below are our recommendations specifically for other devices, operating systems and platforms.
VPN Browser Extensions
VPN browser extensions are useful for changing IP address directly from your web browser.
However, most VPN extensions are proxies, which lack the encryption that VPN software provides.
Windscribe has a very popular browser extension, up there with the best VPN extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
It’s a free proxy and ad blocker with free London servers available. You’ll have to upgrade to access the Manchester and Edinburgh servers.
Windscribe Free includes a browser extension for Chrome.
TunnelBear has a Chrome and Firefox VPN extension for anonymous browsing, too, but you need an existing TunnelBear account and it uses the same free data.
Amazon Fire TV Stick
Windscribe has the best free VPN app for Fire TV Stick. It’s simple to use and it unblocks apps like BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX.
Given the free VPN’s 10GB monthly data cap, we recommend streaming in Standard Definition (SD) to use less bandwidth.
Competitors-wise, PrivadoVPN also has a functioning Fire TV Stick app with a UK server, but it’s been buggy to use in our tests.
Hide.me also has a user-friendly Firestick app. It’s free and delivers fast streaming speeds, but unfortunately there are no free UK servers available.
Both ZoogVPN and TunnelBear don’t have native Fire TV Stick apps at all.
Linux
Windscribe free is also one of the best VPNs for Linux. Like most VPNs, it doesn’t have a GUI. But it does have a straightforward terminal CLI that’s easy to download and run.
Windscribe Free is available on Linux.
TunnelBear and ZoogVPN only offer limited support for Linux, with manual installation required.
How We Test VPNs for the UK
If you want a UK IP address, you’ll need a safe VPN that lets you stream British streaming services such as Netflix UK, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and All 4.
To find the best UK VPN, we test for:
- VPN servers located in the UK.
- Fast long-distance connection speeds connecting into the UK.
- Works with UK Netflix, BBC iPlayer, All 4, ITVX and more.
- A 100% free VPN service with a generous or unlimited data allowance.
- AES-256 cipher, OpenVPN encryption, and no data leaks.
We’ve tested 150 VPNs by connecting into the UK and analyzing them in four different categories, rating each out of 10. We then combine these category ratings to calculate an overall ‘VPN for UK’ rating.
In the table below, we summarize how our recommended VPNs are rated in each category, as well as their overall rating for the UK:
VPNs with a data cap receive a reduction to their overall rating.
Below, we explain the science behind our rating system in more detail, and how each testing category contributes to our UK-specific VPN ratings.
1. UK Server Locations: 30%
Minimum Requirement: Some servers in the UK.
We Recommend: An expansive and diverse server list within the UK.
In order to unblock UK streaming services and deliver the fastest UK speeds, a VPN needs to offer servers that are based in the UK.
We analyze each VPNs server network and count how many UK-based servers they offer to free and paid subscribers. The best VPNs for the UK will offer a choice of British server locations.
2. UK Streaming: 30%
Minimum Requirement: Unblocks BBC iPlayer.
We Recommend: Works with BBC iPlayer, UK Netflix, ITVX, and All 4.
Many VPN users want to unblock streaming content that is restricted in their location.
For UK VPNs, we regularly test each VPN’s ability to watch British streaming libraries from overseas. The platforms we test are:
- All 4
- BBC iPlayer
- ITVX
- UK Disney+ (Star)
- UK Netflix
The more UK streaming services a VPN unblocks from outside the UK, and the more reliable streaming access is, the higher we score the VPN.
3. Speed: 20%
Minimum Requirement: Long-distance download speeds no less than 40Mbps.
We Recommend: International speeds of 60Mbps or higher.
We test every VPN’s speeds in the UK by connecting to a UK VPN server from New York.
We then calculate the average speed loss when compared to our internet connection without a VPN. The smaller the speed loss, the higher we rate the VPN’s international speeds.
The absolute best VPNs deliver speeds of over 90Mbps (on a 100Mbps test connection), which is faster than most VPN services on the market.
4. Privacy & Logging Policy: 20%
Minimum Requirement: Anonymized connection logs, no activity logs.
We Recommend: A strict, zero-logging policy and no data leaks.
Many VPNs fail to meet the basic standard for online privacy, either leaking data, logging your activity, or selling your information to advertisers.
We only recommend VPNs that are safe and private. We examine every VPN provider’s privacy policy in detail. We’re looking for policies that are as close to zero-logs as possible. That means no recording of activity logs..
We also investigate the company behind each free VPN. They should be transparent and trustworthy.
Data Cap Penalty: Up to 50% Reduction
Although every shortlisted free VPN performed well in our tests, data caps can limit their functionality.
If you use up your data cap, you won’t be able to connect to the UK VPN server anymore. Consequently, you will no longer be able to obtain a UK IP address or watch geo-restricted UK streaming services.
We apply a penalty to the VPN’s overall UK rating based on its data cap:
- Unlimited bandwidth: No deduction to the overall rating
- 10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
- 500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
- 5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
- 1GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
- 200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
- 500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating
FAQs
Are VPNs Legal in the UK?
It is legal to use a VPN in most countries, including the United Kindgom.
This doesn’t mean you’re exempt from local laws, though. Make sure everything you do online, whether you’re connected to a VPN or not, is legal.
Can I Use a Free VPN to Stream British TV?
There are very few free VPNs that bypass UK geo-restrictions and stream British TV. Windscribe, ZoogVPN, and TunnelBear all unblocked major UK streaming platforms in our tests.
The free version of Windscribe can access BBC iPlayer, BritBox, Channel 4, UK Netflix, and ITVX. However, you’ll only have 10GB of free data each month, which equates to roughly four hours of HD streaming.
Which UK VPNs Don’t Require Payment Details?
The less information a VPN requires from its users, the better – this also includes payment details.
The good thing is you don’t need to provide any payment information to use the free versions of Windscribe, TunnelBear, or ZoogVPN.
Not having to submit payment details means you don’t have to remember to cancel, and you won’t be accidentally upgraded to a paid plan.
