The best UK VPN

Whether you’re from the UK but travelling abroad or are from anywhere else in the world and want to get your hands on films and TV only available in the UK, using one of the best UK VPNs is the easiest way to do so.

By using one of the best VPNs for the UK, you’ll not only be able to access all the best film and TV the UK has to offer, from BBC iPlayer to Netflix’s UK catalog, but you’ll also keep your data safe from prying eyes when you’re online.

At Tom’s Guide, we’ve tested dozens of VPNs to see how fast they are, how good their streaming support is, how secure they are and how easy they are to use. Once these tests are complete, we rank them based on specific categories (like which one is the best VPN for the UK) to bring you the best recommendations for your VPN needs.

Below, we’ll get into why these are the best VPNs for the UK in a little more depth, but if you’re in a hurry you can check out our top 3 below – NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN.

The 3 best UK VPNs at a glance

NordVPN: the best UK VPN
NordVPN takes the #1 spot in our list of the best VPN services, and it’s our best UK VPN, too. This is down to its excellent mix of streaming support, speed and security paired with easy to use apps. Plus, with prices starting from £2.39 ($3.09) per month (plus tax) for a two year subscription plus three months extra free (£64.73 all-in), it’s not bad value for money either. All subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee as well, so you can test it out without risking a penny.

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Surfshark: the cheapest UK VPN
One of the big draws for Surfshark is its price. With prices starting at £1.49 ($1.99) per month (plus tax) for a two-year subscription plus three months extra free (£40.23 all-in), it’s undoubtedly one of the best value for money VPNs on the market. This low price doesn’t mean it’s not powerful, either, with speeds and unblocking abilities that rival NordVPN’s. It also has handy cybersecurity extras, like ad and malware blocking, to keep your extra safe online. On top of this, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out, risk-free.

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ExpressVPN: the best UK VPN for ease of use
ExpressVPN is built with ease of use in mind, and it definitely shows. With an unmissable quick-connect button on startup and simple, streamlined apps it’s super easy to get started. Plus, it does have more advanced settings for those more familiar with VPNs who want to customize their experience. With that being said, ExpressVPN is also one of the most expensive VPNs on the market, with prices starting at £4.04 ($4.99) per month for a two-year subscription, plus four months extra free (£112.88 all-in). But, it does come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out and decide if it’s worth it.

View DealHow we chose the best UK VPNs

Why you can trust Tom’s Guide

Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what’s best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

For this guide to the best UK VPNs, I’ve firstly taken a look at how many servers these VPNs have in the UK. I also checked how easily they are able to unblock streaming content within the UK, including on global streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as streaming platforms based in the UK itself like BBC iPlayer, ITVX and All4.

To test their unblocking abilities, I used each of the VPNs while trying to access content from Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITVX and All4. If at any point I was unable to access content while using the VPN, I switched to a different UK-based server to see if this would resolve the issue. If I still could not access content on the streaming service, I counted this as the VPN being unable to access the service.

I’ve also tested all the VPNs to see how easy they are to use, as well as drawing on our testing for our in-depth VPN reviews to evaluate their privacy and security, and checking any other added features they offer. This involves installing and running all the VPNs on this list on both a Windows laptop and an iPhone to see how easy they are to set up and use on both desktop and a phone.

In speed tests, we check the VPNs maximum speed on a 1 Gbps line. While this is just a snapshot of the VPN’s speeds, it does give us an idea of what they’re capable of.

To learn more about how we test VPNs, check out the linked page.