5 Best VPNs for YouTube in 2024: Unblocked & Fast Streaming (2024)

NordVPN’s 5500+ servers across 60 countries might be in fewer locations than Surfshark, but that doesn’t stop it from unblocking YouTube TV seamlessly.

I connected to NordVPN’s Los Angeles server, one of its 1970+ US servers, to access YouTube TV in Canada and elsewhere outside the USA.

Even in the US, NordVPN’s spread to 15+ cities means you can get local content in different places. For example, I could watch CBS Los Angeles, FOX11, and the KCAL Los Angeles local networks by staying on NordVPN’s Los Angeles server. Switching to the New York server granted me access to Unimas Nueva York, my9, and CNBC 4 New York channels, which aren’t available anywhere else.

On top of that, NordVPN managed 33Mbps on my 100Mbps connection over its New York server, enough to ensure 4K streaming quality on any YouTube video or TV channel. I recommend its fast NordLynx protocol for the best speed and YouTube streaming performance.

I’m also impressed with NordVPN’s seamless YouTube unblocking on mobile devices (I tested this on my iOS), desktops (I used my Windows PC), and even smart TVs. And if you have a smart TV without native VPN app support, NordVPN’s SmartDNS is all you need to bypass YouTube’s geo-blocking attempts.

Best of all, NordVPN packs an ad-blocker (dubbed “Threat Protection“) that can help you eliminate those pesky little YouTube pop-up ads.

However, it doesn’t work as well for the embedded video ads, which is understandable since those are served within the video.

Finally, NordVPN isn’t expensive, even though it costs more than Surfshark and PureVPN.

Surfshark is the best VPN for a household/large user group that wants to access YouTube on unlimited devices. Besides being highly affordable, Surfshark provides unlimited simultaneous device connections without bandwidth throttling.

On each connected device, you get 600+ US servers in 25 cities.

This might be lesser US servers than NordVPN carries, but more cities allowed me to unblock diverse local content on YouTube TV!

The best part is that Surfshark’s Camouflage Mode obfuscation is faster than NordVPN’s obfuscated servers. So, you get better performance in Iran, Turkmenistan, North Korea, and other YouTube-censored regions.

Likewise, I tested some of Surfshark’s 3200+ servers in 100 countries on different YouTube videos without a hiccup. That could be because the VPN scored 39Mbps on a 45Mbps test, better than NordVPN managed on a faster 100Mbps network.

However, some YouTube channels (like Formula 1) caught onto my Surfshark VPN usage and refused to play any videos, an issue I didn’t get with ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

Moving on, you can set up Surfshark’s “Auto-connect” on PC and mobile for better YouTube streaming privacy, especially on public Wi-Fi networks.

I tried this, and the VPN automatically encrypted my connection whenever my devices picked up a strange Wi-Fi network!

While Surfshark also has an adblocker, dubbed CleanWeb, it didn’t perform as well as NordVPN’s in my tests since some ads slipped through.

But that’s better than ExpressVPN, which doesn’t have a dedicated ad-blocking tool.

ExpressVPN is the best YouTube VPN to use when:

• Your work/school internet service providers have restricted YouTube access behind a firewall.
• You want to access YouTube without setting off VPN alarm bells.
• You want to bypass YouTube censorship in Iran, China, Turkmenistan, or elsewhere without letting the government know you’re using a VPN.

ExpressVPN does this by offering secure, fast, and automatic obfuscation on all servers and protocols. Conversely, NordVPN, Surfshark, and PureVPN can only offer obfuscation on their OpenVPN protocols, and they take a tremendous speed hit to do so.

While ExpressVPN only promised 24 US servers in 17 unique cities, I never experienced server overcrowding issues. In fact, its 33Mbps speeds translated into crystal clear YouTube images on my iOS device, Windows PC, and smart TV!

Likewise, I found that ExpressVPN’s exclusive Lightway – UDP protocol works best for watching YouTube videos anywhere.

If the video you want isn’t available in the USA, ExpressVPN’s 3000+ servers reach 94 countries, only behind Surfshark, get the job done.

However, it lacks a dedicated ad blocker, so you might have to put up with some ads. Considering the other VPNs only do a little to block in-video ads anyway, this isn’t much of a dealbreaker.

What might be a dealbreaker is ExpressVPN’s price, considering it’s the costliest of the bunch. But when you factor in its fast obfuscation, the ability to unblock premium channels like Formula 1, and robust Lightway protocol, the price is worth it.

PureVPN is your best bet to stream live YouTube content from anywhere.

So, watch your favorite seminars, Oscars, or the next Apple WWDC by connecting to any of its 6500+ servers in 70+ countries.

But what makes PureVPN ideal for live streaming YouTube, among other things?

It scored 87Mbps in my 100Mbps connection test, the fastest VPN here. Thus, it’ll handle the stress of real-time streaming without buckling under pressure. Using PureVPN’s US – Washington DC server, I’ve also tested this theory to grab some live news off FOX without buffering or lag.

And if you want to access YouTube videos available anywhere else, PureVPN’s reach to 70+ countries makes that possible.

Its fast speeds also make it ideal for live content on YouTube TV.

But it only has servers in 9 US cities, so you might get less local content than with the preceding VPNs.

Furthermore, like Surfshark, PureVPN failed to unblock the videos on the Formula 1 channel in most of my tests. So, it’s not your best solution on channels that employ advanced VPN-blocking methods on YouTube.

For that, ExpressVPN remains my top pick.

Barring that, the highly-affordable PureVPN supports ten simultaneous device connections, only behind Surfshark and AtlasVPN.

Thus, many members of your household can stream unlimited YouTube videos from their PCs, mobile devices, gaming consoles, and smart TVs on the same VPN plan.

While I’m not a fan of free VPNs, AtlasVPN stands out for its YouTube unblocking, streaming ability, and security.

In fact, it offers two free USA server locations for streaming YouTube TV abroad.

However, the freemium plan is limited to three servers, making blocking access to those IP addresses easier for YouTube (and other YouTube channels).

Thus, it was little wonder when I couldn’t access Formula 1’s videos with this VPN, and I could only wonder which other channels would be blocked from me.

Still, AtlasVPN performed well with other channels. And given the impressive 37Mbps speeds it returned with its WireGuard protocol, buffering would be the least of your worries.

But then, a serious concern is a 5GB monthly bandwidth limit.

Halfway through the third YouTube video I tested AtlasVPN with, I was already down to 4.3GB. Depending on how much you stream YouTube and YouTube TV, the free VPN plan might not get you to the end of two weeks.

If you’re willing to live with that (I’m not), you can install AtlasVPN on your phone and PC to stream YouTube. However, there’s no support for smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other streaming devices.