What makes a good VPN is a combination of factors including speed, price, device support, features and more.
But if you’re picking a VPN specifically for the UK, then it’s worth choosing one with plenty of UK servers. This should mean quick connection times and fast connection speeds.
However, the best service will depend upon your priorities. Do you want a VPN specifically for unblocking iPlayer or are you after a fast VPN for general web browsing?
Is your budget very limited or is cost no object?
Whatever your requirements, you’ll find a suitable VPN service right here.
Over 500 UK servers Unblocks iPlayer Excellent speeds
Steep renewal pricing There are cheaper alternatives
It unblocks BBC iPlayer reliably, and also works with ITV, Sky Go and other UK-based TV services.
NordVPN won’t slow down your internet connection, and has 24/7 live chat support if you do run into any problems.
If you can afford more than the absolute cheapest VPN service, NordVPN is the one to go for.
Unblocks iPlayer and others Inexpensive
No independent audit No split-tunnelling on Mac
It offers easy-to-use apps for many devices, and unblocks iPlayer. In the app is a Streaming section which makes it easy to pick the right server that works with the service you want to watch.
If streaming isn’t the reason you want a VPN for the UK, that’s fine. Cyberghost says it has over 700 servers located in the UK, and we’ve seen great speeds from them.
Perhaps best of all, Cyberghost is affordable, undercutting the likes of NordVPN and Surfshark – so long as you don’t mind subscribing for two or three years.
UK servers in London, Maidenhead and Manchester Unblocks iPlayer, ITV Hub and All4
Interface and feature differences across apps
From a privacy perspective, it’s great that PureVPN has been audited by a third party, which confirmed that it sticks by its no-logs policy.
But for those simply wanting a VPN to unblock UK streaming services, PureVPN let us watch shows from iPlayer, ITV and All4 when we last checked.
Subscriptions aren’t expensive, either, which makes PureVPN yet another good choice.
Great track record for unblocking iPlayer MediaStreamer works on smart TVs Good tech support
Expensive Limits you to 5 devices
As well as servers in the UK (three London-based locations), the company runs over 3,000 other servers in 94 countries around the world and works with other streaming services including Netflix.
If you need to use ExpressVPN on a games console or smart TV that doesn’t support VPNs, you can use its MediaStreamer DNS service instead, which can also unblock UK streaming services.
Its proprietary Lightway protocol is pretty speedy but you can have only five devices connected to ExpressVPN at the same time. Other VPNs are more generous, but not many people need to use even five devices at the same time.
Great all-round VPN service Unlimited connections Multi-Hop servers
Expensive after discounted period No split-tunnelling on Mac or iOS No independent audit
One reason for this is that it lets you connect as many devices as you like, with no limit.
Like NordVPN it offers servers in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and it’s also very fast thanks to its support for the WireGuard protocol.
Surfshark hasn’t unblocked BBC iPlayer every time we’ve checked, but it is generally good and unblocking streaming services and offers good live chat support.
Renewal pricing is the sting in Surfshark’s tail (if you’ll allow the metaphor) and was – when we checked – three times more expensive than the discounted initial subscription, so watch out.
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
