How to Use IPTV to Watch Anything Anywhere in 2023

On a recent trip abroad, I found myself blocked from my IPTV providers (and the live TV channels I watch everyday). Since I was still paying subscription fees, I was annoyed that I kept getting error messages when I tried to log in. That is, until I used a VPN.

Many VPNs claim to work with IPTV platforms, but only a few do. After testing more than 40 providers, I compiled this list of the best VPNs for accessing IPTV from anywhere.

Of them all, ExpressVPN is the fastest, most reliable VPN for IPTV. Its high-speed servers consistently support UHD picture quality and guaranteed access to your streams. Best of all, you can test ExpressVPN with IPTV risk-free. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can get a refund if you’re not happy.

Watch IPTV with ExpressVPN

Quick Guide: 3 Steps to Watch IPTV From Anywhere

The Best VPNs to Watch IPTV Streams in 2023

1. ExpressVPN — Fastest Streaming Speeds That Prevent Interruptions as You Watch IPTV

 

Key Features:

ExpressVPN’s super-fast speeds make it stand out among competitors and guarantee lag-less HD streaming from anywhere. I found this to be true after running multiple speed tests: ExpressVPN’s speeds stayed between 200-300 Mbps, just around a 9% decrease from the base connection of 330-340 Mbps. Connecting to an ExpressVPN server makes for a bufferless streaming experience. I had no issues watching YouTube videos and streaming content from platforms like PlutoTV in HD.

ExpressVPN delivers high-quality live streams on PlutoTV

My teammates and I tested various ExpressVPN servers and found that they worked reliably on most IPTV and on-demand platforms, including the following:

Sling TV	fuboTV	Peacock	XUMO	Pluto TV	The Roku Channel
USTVNow	Philo	DirecTV	BBC iPlayer	Hulu + Live TV	Amazon Prime Video
DAZN	Sky Go	CBC Gem	SBS On Demand	France TV	RTE Player
TVNZ	ITV Hub	Channel 4	Netflix	Disney+	HBO Max

You can get even faster speeds with ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol. When I switched to Lightway, my speeds were boosted by 15% — perfect for watching live streams of sporting events such as Wimbledon or F1.  You can switch protocols with just one click under “Settings.”

 

ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol boosted my speeds and let me comfortably watch IPTV with no buffering

While ExpressVPN is slightly more expensive than other VPNs, my seamless streaming experience was unmatched. Not many VPNs I tried gave me such crisp video resolution from start to finish of any show, so I think it’s definitely worth the price. Plus, when you get a 1-year + 3 months-year plan, ExpressVPN gives you a 49% discount, and you pay just $6.67/month.

You can try ExpressVPN with IPTV for yourself. If you’re not happy with it, you can get a refund — it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. When I asked for a refund via live chat, the agent didn’t ask why I was canceling or try to get me to change my mind. The money was back in my account after 4 days.

Watch IPTV with ExpressVPN

 

2. CyberGhost — Optimized Servers Guarantee Access to Popular IPTV Platforms

 

Key Features:

CyberGhost has optimized servers that provide guaranteed access to IPTV platforms, including Hulu, Sling TV, ESPN+, ITV, and Fox. The optimized servers reduce the time you spend looking for the right server; all you have to do is click the “For Streaming” tab, and you can start streaming in less than 20 seconds.

After double-clicking on my desired server, CyberGhost set up my connection in 8 seconds

Moreover, CyberGhost’s optimized servers are designed to achieve optimal speeds for streaming. Throughout testing, CyberGhost’s optimized servers gave me great download speeds of about 220 Mbps, enabling me to stream shows without lagging. This result is pretty good, considering that even some of the best VPNs can oftentimes impact your speeds by over 50%.

These optimized servers handle the user load so well that my speeds didn’t drop once during peak times on the weekends and evenings. You’ll be able to enjoy live TV from the following platforms without annoying pixelation or buffering:

Sling TV	fuboTV	Peacock	XUMO	Pluto TV
USTVNow	Philo	DirecTV	BBC iPlayer	Hulu + Live TV
DAZN	Sky Go	CBC Gem	SBS On Demand	France TV
TVNZ	ITV Hub	The Roku Channel	Amazon Prime Video	RTE Player

I was annoyed when I noticed the optimized servers could sometimes become overcrowded, which meant I couldn’t connect to them. Luckily, I found that CyberGhost’s standard US servers also helped me watch anything on IPTV without any issues.

Even though CyberGhost proved to be an excellent choice for streaming, I’d still advise you to test CyberGhost’s features for yourself with its 45-day money-back guarantee. That way, you’ll be able to see if you want to keep your subscription and get a refund if you decide not to. I used the 24/7 live chat to request my money back. A rep approved my request within a couple of minutes, and I had the full fee in my bank account only 6 business days later.

Try IPTV with CyberGhost

 

3. Private Internet Access (PIA) — The Biggest Server Network to Avoid Slowdowns As You Stream IPTV

 

Key Features:

Using PIA allows you to enjoy the largest server network on the market today: 35000+ servers in 84 countries. This means you won’t have to deal with overcrowded servers in any country. I tested over 40 US servers and found that each PIA location provided stable traffic without any drops in connection.

PIA allows you to keep up with the news via IPTV, no matter where you might be

PIA recommends the best server from the get-go, saving time I would have had to spend running speed tests. I didn’t have to guess which server to connect to, and I could stream in HD whenever I felt like it. PIA worked well on various IPTV platforms, including:

Sling TV	fuboTV	Peacock	XUMO	Pluto TV
USTVNow	Philo	DirecTV Stream	BBC iPlayer	Hulu + Live TV
DAZN	Sky Go	CBC Gem	The Roku Channel	Amazon Prime Video

When I tested it, PIA’s speeds were very fast on nearby servers but dropped significantly on distant servers. On average, PIA servers gave me speeds of around 50-55 Mbps, which is a pretty significant drop from my base speed of 330-340 Mbps.  There was some buffering during streams when connected to a US East server from the West Coast, but my colleague from Washington reported excellent video resolution with no lags as his VPN speeds didn’t differ from his base traffic.

Before committing to a long-term plan, I recommend you try PIA completely free with its 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not fully satisfied, simply request a refund through the VPN’s customer service. I used the 24/7 live chat — the whole process took less than a few minutes. My money was back in my bank account a week later.

Access IPTV with PIA

 

4. NordVPN — Premium VPN With Cheap Prices on Long-Term Plans

 

Key Features:

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market — and you can get super cheap prices when you sign up for a long-term subscription. One thing to note, however, is that when it’s time to renew your subscription, prices do increase quite significantly.

I was particularly impressed with the high performance of every server I tested. Just because a VPN has thousands of servers doesn’t mean they all work. Servers can still struggle to unblock local sites — and some can even fail to connect completely. However, I easily unblocked Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max on multiple servers in the US and UK.

I did, however, have issues with using NordVPN’s native Fire TV app. Although it worked and unblocked some streaming services, it sometimes had issues unblocking Netflix US and kept crashing. I also found that NordVPN’s user interface for desktop devices was less user-friendly than ExpressVPN and CyberGhost.

NordVPN has the following security and privacy features:

• AES 256-bit encryption
• kill switch that cuts your internet access if your connection to a VPN server drops suddenly
• built-in ad and malware blocker, so you don’t need a third-party ad blocker
• fully audited no-logs policy (audited by PwC) – NordVPN doesn’t store any personal or identifying data while you’re connected to the VPN

In addition, NordVPN includes Threat Protection that protects you from viruses, infected websites, and trackers – and it works whenever you have the NordVPN app open, even if you’re not connected to a VPN server.

 

NordVPN protects you from online threats 24/7

With plans that cost as little as $3.29 per month, it’s easy to find a NordVPN subscription plan that suits your needs. You can also stream, torrent, and browse for free for up to 30 days with its money-back guarantee. I tested this to ensure that you’ll really get your money back. At first, the support team tried to give me an extended trial period — but they initiated my refund right away after I told them I wasn’t interested in the extension. I got my money back in 6 business days.

Get NordVPN today

5. Surfshark — Best Value for Money with Unlimited Device Connections and Fast Speeds

 

Key Features:

Surfshark offers the best value for money out of every premium VPN on the market. You can connect an unlimited number of devices with a single subscription, which means you can use Surfshark on all your devices without getting logged out.

I tested Surfshark’s simultaneous connections on 2 PCs, 2 phones, a Fire Stick 4K, and an iPad. My connection remained reliable on all 6 devices. Even while I was actively streaming on all my devices, my average speed was 112 Mbps — fast enough for UHD quality.

When I saw the price of this service, I thought it couldn’t possibly have top-grade security features for such a low price, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Surfshark has the following security and privacy features:

• AES 256-bit encryption on all devices, with ChaCha encryption available for Android users
• Wireguard VPN protocol enabled by default
• diskless, RAM-only servers to protect your privacy (no data can be physically extracted from any servers)
• kill switch (although this isn’t enabled by default)
• IP and DNS leak protection

Surfshark offers two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account. This feature requires you to enter an extra code before you can log in to ensure that only you can access your account.

While Surfshark does have slightly fewer global servers than rivals such as CyberGhost and PIA, I didn’t experience any issues during my tests. I easily connected fast working servers every time, and I had excellent speeds for streaming Netflix in UHD, downloading torrents, and browsing the internet.

You can try Surfshark for yourself with the 30-day money-back guarantee. It has plans that cost as little as $2.49. Requesting a refund is easy with Surfshark’s live chat feature. Although the support team asked why I wanted to cancel my subscription, I had no problem getting my money back (and it only took 4 days!).

Get Surfshark today

6. PrivateVPN — Most Affordable Plans to Enjoy IPTV From Anywhere

 

Key Features:

At $2.00 a month for a 3-year plan, PrivateVPN is definitely one of the cheapest VPNs to use with IPTV. You can choose from 3 subscription plans: 1 year, 3 months, and 1 month. If you purchase PrivateVPN’s yearly plan, you’ll be getting a 85% discount.

 

PrivateVPN’s speeds were fast enough for bufferless streaming

You can enjoy both live TV shows and on-demand streaming services undetected, thanks to PrivateVPN’s Stealth VPN feature. This feature uses obfuscation to make your traffic look like normal, non-VPN traffic.

It may not have as many server options as other VPNs on this list, but PrivateVPN’s small network of servers works reliably with most IPTV and streaming platforms, including (but not limited to):

Sling TV	fuboTV	BBC iPlayer	Hulu + Live TV	DAZN	CBC
France TV	RTE Player	TVNZ	ITV Hub	Netflix	Disney+
Hulu	Amazon Prime Video	HBO Max

If you need a VPN with more servers, I suggest getting PIA for its large network of 200 servers in 63 countries that includes a large selection of servers in the US — at least one server per state.

PrivateVPN is one of the most budget-friendly options for watching IPTV shows from anywhere. You can even try PrivateVPN for free for 30 days, thanks to a reliable 30-day money-back guarantee. The refund process was quick — after giving the agent a reason for canceling, my request was approved, and the money was returned in 5 days.

Watch IPTV with PrivateVPN

7. IPVanish — Stream Live IPTV Shows on All Your Devices

 

Key Features:

You can connect all your personal devices to IPVanish at the same time, thanks to its unmetered device connections. IPVanish is also compatible with routers, so it’s easier to automatically connect all your devices to your chosen server. You can enjoy the following IPTV platforms on all your personal devices:

Sling TV	fuboTV	Peacock	XUMO	Pluto TV	The Roku Channel
USTVNow	Philo	DirecTV	BBC iPlayer	Hulu + Live TV	Amazon Prime Video

Testing IPVanish servers showed great speeds: I got an average of around 280-300 Mbps, which is pretty close to my default. Connecting to IPVanish servers ensures bufferless streaming in HD, even during peak hours.

 

IPVanish has a native app for most IPTV-compatible devices, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Roku, and Fire OS. I appreciated the step-by-step installation guides on the IPVanish website, especially for compatible routers, because setting up a VPN on a router can be complicated.

At $2.96 per month for a 2-year-year plan, IPVanish is a reasonably-priced monthly VPN that you can use with most IPTV platforms.

You can test IPVanish for free and see if it suits your needs, and request a refund if it doesn’t. I requested a refund through my account dashboard, and the money was back in my account within the same day.