The best VPN for Pluto TV is NordVPN. It scores 5/5 on streaming in our database and has servers in 104 countries, so you can reach the Pluto TV lineup from home wherever you are. You need a VPN because Pluto TV, despite being free, decides what you can watch based on your IP address. Travel abroad and your usual channels change or disappear completely.
Why a free service still needs a VPN
Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported streaming service with hundreds of live “channels” and an on-demand library. There’s no subscription and you don’t even need an account. But its content licences are signed country by country, so the lineup depends on where Pluto TV thinks you are.
According to a June 2026 overview by Private Internet Access, the service is available in the US and Canada, in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and in 18 Latin American countries. In Australia it runs inside 10 Play. In most of Asia and Africa it isn’t available at all.
The libraries are very different. The US version is the biggest by far, with 250+ live channels. The UK has 150+, Canada around 100 with a few French-language channels, and other European versions mix global channels with local-language ones.
So if you’re a Pluto TV regular on a work trip to Singapore, or a German expat in Dubai, you’ll see nothing. And if you’re American and visiting Spain, you’ll get the Spanish lineup, not yours.
The best VPNs for Pluto TV
Pluto TV isn’t one of the platforms we score individually, so our picks are based on overall streaming results in our database, speed, and server coverage in Pluto TV’s countries.
| VPN | Overall | Streaming | Speed | Server countries | 1-year plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 4.63/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 104 | $68.85 (~$5.74/mo) |
| Surfshark | 4.08/5 | 4.5/5 | 5/5 | 65 | $59.76 (~$4.98/mo) |
| Proton VPN | 4.24/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 65 | $47.88 (~$3.99/mo) |
| Private Internet Access | 3.63/5 | 3.5/5 | 4/5 | 77 | $39.95 (~$3.33/mo) |
| CyberGhost | 3.58/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 90 | $47.88 (~$3.99/mo) |
1. NordVPN: most reliable for streaming
NordVPN rates Excellent on Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, HBO Max and Peacock in our tests, which is a good sign for any service that checks IP addresses. Speed is 5/5, so live channels load quickly and don’t drop to low resolution. It also works on smart TVs, Fire TV and Android TV, the devices most people use for Pluto TV.
2. Surfshark: best for many devices
Surfshark scores 4.5/5 on streaming, rating Very Good on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max and Peacock. It also scores 5/5 for device availability in our database, with apps for every platform including smart TVs.
3. Proton VPN: privacy plus streaming
Proton VPN scores 4.24/5 overall, second in our database. Its paid plan rates Very Good on Netflix, and it has servers in the US, Canada and most of Europe. A free plan exists too, though it isn’t designed for streaming; use it to test the app, not for hours of live TV.
4. Private Internet Access: cheapest yearly plan
If you only want a VPN for free TV, it feels silly to spend much on it. PIA’s 1-year plan is $39.95 in our pricing data, the lowest in this list, and it has 28,936 servers across 77 countries. Streaming is 3.5/5, so you may need to switch servers now and then.
5. CyberGhost: easiest setup
CyberGhost’s apps label servers by streaming service and it has a 45-day money-back guarantee. Streaming is 4/5 in our database.
Want to compare all VPNs side by side? Check our full VPN comparison table with scores across 18 criteria.
How to watch Pluto TV with a VPN
- Choose a VPN with strong streaming results and install it on your device.
- Connect to a server in the country whose lineup you want, usually your home country.
- Clear your browser cookies, or close and reopen the Pluto TV app.
- Open Pluto TV. The channel guide should now match the server’s country.
If the lineup doesn’t change, the app may be using your device’s location as well. Turn off location access for Pluto TV in your phone or TV settings and try again.
What changes between countries
Each Pluto TV country has its own channel guide. The US version leans on American network content and dedicated channels for long-running shows, and includes Spanish-language channels. The UK version has UK-only channels. Canada adds a few French-language channels but little sport. In Germany, France, Italy and Spain, you’ll find a mix of global channels and dubbed or local content. Latin America has its own large Spanish- and Portuguese-language lineup.
That’s why a VPN is mostly useful for people who have a favourite version, typically their home one. If you’re happy with whatever’s available where you are, you don’t need a VPN for Pluto TV at all.
Troubleshooting
The channel guide doesn’t change. Close the app completely, clear its cache, and reopen it after connecting. On phones, check that location access for Pluto TV is off.
Videos don’t start or keep buffering. Try a different server in the same country, or switch protocol. Live channels are sensitive to packet loss.
You get an error mentioning a proxy or VPN. Pick another server. Big providers rotate IP addresses, and a fresh one usually works.
Watching Pluto TV on a smart TV
Most people watch Pluto TV on a television, and smart TVs often can’t run VPN apps directly. Your options:
- Fire TV and Android TV / Google TV: install the VPN app from the app store.
- Samsung and LG TVs: these generally don’t support VPN apps. Use a VPN on your router, or share a VPN connection from a laptop.
- Apple TV: recent versions of tvOS support VPN apps from several providers.
Our guides to the best VPN for Fire Stick and the best VPN for Samsung and LG smart TVs cover the setup.
Pluto TV and other free streaming services
Pluto TV is one of several free, ad-supported services that work like traditional TV channels. They all license content country by country, so the same VPN logic applies. If you use Pluto TV abroad, you may also want your home versions of services like Tubi or your national broadcaster’s free player. One VPN subscription covers all of them; you just pick the right server country each time.
Free services are also where a VPN’s privacy side shows up. Ad-supported platforms make money from targeting, and your IP address is one of the signals used to build a profile. A VPN won’t stop the platform from tracking what you watch inside the app, but it does stop your real IP address and approximate location from being part of that profile.
Why we don’t recommend a free VPN for Pluto TV
It sounds logical: free TV, free VPN. In practice, free VPNs tend to cap your data, offer few countries and put thousands of users on the same servers. Live TV is the worst case for all three. Some free VPNs also make money from your data, which defeats the point. Our free vs paid VPN guide explains the trade-offs.
If you watch several free services, our guides to the best VPN for Tubi and budget streaming VPNs are worth a look too.
NordVPN is the best VPN for Pluto TV: 5/5 on streaming and speed, servers in 104 countries and apps for the TVs people actually watch on. Surfshark is a strong choice for multi-device homes, and PIA is the cheapest yearly option if Pluto TV is all you need. Skip free VPNs for live TV; the data caps and crowded servers make for a frustrating evening.