How to watch British TV in Spain and stream UK TV in 2024

Popular UK streaming services like BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, ITVX, and Channel 4 don’t work in Spain. This is because these services block access when a non-UK IP address is detected. The good news for expats and holidaymakers is that this problem is easily solvable; you just need a VPN to gain a British IP address.

By using VPN software, your internet traffic will be routed through an intermediary server, and your original IP address will be replaced with a British one. This clever workaround tricks the streaming sites into thinking you’re accessing them from within the UK, granting you unrestricted access to your favorite British TV content.

Additionally, a reputable VPN ensures your online activities remain secure and private through encryption, safeguarding you from prying eyes and potential interference.

In this article, we’ll guide you through choosing — and using — the best VPNs to watch UK TV in Spain. If you’re short on time and/ or patience, here’s a summary of our findings.

Best VPNs for watching British TV in Spain:

1. NordVPN: #1 VPN for UK TV in Spain. Very fast UK servers and plenty of extra features. Works seamlessly with BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, Sky TV, BT Sport, and more. Also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
   TIP In our testing we found that the cheapest NordVPN plan (Standard) works perfectly for British TV.
2. Surfshark: Best budget VPN for watching British TV. Unlimited device connections, fast speeds, and an ID-generation tool. Works with all UK TV networks in Spain.
3. IPVanish: Excellent for streaming UK TV as well as international platforms. Provides access to a wide variety of UK servers and has no connection limits. Comes with access to a free SOCKS5 proxy.
4. ExpressVPN: A solid all-rounder for UK TV in Spain. A little pricey but private, secure, and works with iPlayer, ITV, Sky TV, and more.
5. CyberGhost: Fantastic for beginners. Makes it easy to find servers that work to stream British TV. Fast speeds and offers public wi-fi protection.
6. PureVPN: Low-cost VPN with consistent access to BBC iPlayer and other British TV platforms. Robust no-logs policy and strong AES-256 encryption. Obfuscation is enabled by default.
7. ProtonVPN: Advanced features for techy and privacy-conscious users. Perfect for bypassing restrictions to watch iPlayer and other UK TV services abroad.
8. PrivateVPN: A privacy-focused Swedish VPN that is excellent for torrenting, gaming, and streaming. Servers in the UK work well for streaming UK TV in Spain.

How to watch UK TV in Spain

If you want to stream UK TV online from Spain, simply follow these 5 simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN from the list below. We recommend NordVPN.
2. Install the appropriate app for your device.
3. Open the app, select a UK VPN server, and connect.
4. Go to a UK video streaming site in your browser, choose your video, and enjoy!
5. If your chosen video won’t play, clearing your cookies and cache before reloading the page solves most problems. Alternatively, try a different UK server or contact your VPN provider’s customer support team for further assistance.

Our criteria for the best VPNs for watching UK TV in Spain

There are a multitude of VPNs on offer, though relatively few of them are suitable for watching UK TV in Spain. Some are too slow, some lack adequate security, and some – most, in fact- just don’t work with UK streaming services. To make sure we cover all bases before making our recommendations, we test providers against a range of criteria. We’ve summarized these here but you can find a thorough exploration of our testing data later in the article.

• Speed: To find out how fast each VPN provider’s UK servers were, we carried out three speed tests over the course of a day. We used a home broadband connection to simulate the average user’s experience. Note that we carry out regular lab-based testing too, though this is more about finding out providers’ maximum possible speeds.
• Streaming ability: All of our recommended VPNs work with the following UK streaming platforms: BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, ITVX, My5, and Channel 4. We also tested them with other platforms — such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. To gauge each provider’s server availability, we assessed the number of UK server locations available.
• Security & privacy: We scored providers against 15 different security and privacy criteria. These included the level of encryption and authentication, whether they log customer activity data, and which VPN protocols they support.
• Ease of use: To calculate how easy VPNs were to use, we scored them on 10 different metrics. These included the user-friendliness of their apps and how difficult it is to sign up for — or cancel — subscriptions.
• Value for money: We used eight different criteria for assessing whether a provider offered good value for money. These included the number of connections permitted, the availability of discounts, and the lowest monthly price.

Best VPNs to access British TV from Spain: a snapshot of features

We’ve compared the most important features of the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice for British TV.

Best VPNs for watching UK TV from Spain: detailed reviews

Here are our in-depth reviews of the best VPNs for watching British TV from Spain or anywhere. 

1. NordVPN

Nov 2024

NordVPN is our top choice for watching British TV in Spain. It has a large network of RAM-only servers which, combined with an audited no-logs policy and strong encryption, means your privacy is secured.

Moreover, it works seamlessly with every UK streaming platform available. This includes Sky Go, ITVX, My5, Channel 4 and the notoriously difficult to access BBC iPlayer,

NordVPN apps don’t require any previous VPN experience to use. The design of the interface makes it easy to locate UK servers and connect to one of them.

In addition to the UK, the provider has servers in 110+ other countries. This makes it a great option if you want to access different content libraries when using international streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney Plus.

We didn’t experience any buffering or lag while using NordVPN — even when streaming 4K video. This is because NordVPN is one of the faster providers available. In fact, it was the fastest in our tests.

NordVPN was consistently fast through the day. Overall, it’s average speed was only 1.59 Mbps slower than our download speed without a VPN 44.59 Mbps. Since all VPNs cause some drop in download speeds, 1.59 Mbps is about as little as you could hope for.

Of course, a VPN needs to be good for more than just streaming. NordVPN comes with a variety of security features, some of which are available via its specialty servers.

These include obfuscated servers that mask VPN traffic, enabling it to evade detection in restrictive countries such as China. Double VPN servers route traffic through an additional server in one of nine countries for an extra layer of encryption. There’s also easy access to the Tor network via the Onion Over VPN server.

Other features include split tunneling, which can be useful for streaming while abroad. Users in Spain can, for example, specify that a BBC iPlayer app uses the VPN tunnel through the UK, while other apps connect using a Spanish IP address.

Apps can be installed on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. These come with options for a system-wide kill switch or app-based kill switch. If you’re using split tunneling, the app-based kill switch is the best option.

Users traveling in Spain can enable automatic wi-fi protection, so that they don’t inadvertently connect to rogue wi-fi hotspots while on the go.

NordVPN says that leak protection is built into its apps. Rather than take its word for it, we carried out a series of IP, DNS and WebRTC leak tests ourselves. As promised, the provider passed all three.

NordVPN subscriptions are competitively priced and allow up to 10 simultaneous device connections. If you need more than this, you can manually configure a connection on a compatible home router. This has the added bonus of enabling you to stream British TV on connected VPN-incompatible devices.

BEST FOR BRITISH TV:NordVPN is our #1 choice. It boasts fast speeds, excellent security features, and exceptional unblocking capabilities. NordVPN gives a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee on all subscriptions.

Read our full NordVPN review.

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2. Surfshark

Surfshark is one of the cheaper VPNs available, and also one of the most powerful — particularly in terms of streaming. Impressively, it worked with all of the platforms we tested it with. This included popular UK services such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX, as well as international services like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney Plus.

The company has a solid network of RAM-only servers, with a presence in 100+ countries. This includes the UK, where it has servers in four cities. These are easy to find — just use the search bar above the Locations list in the app’s dashboard. You can scroll through the countries but, given the UK’s place in the alphabet, it’s easier to use the search bar.

We tested Surfshark’s speeds while connected to its London server. You can see the results below.

Speeds were fast throughout the day — plenty fast enough for streaming 4K video (provided your base download speed is fast enough). Overall, this VPN caused our base download speed to slow by just 2 Mbps from 44.59 Mbps, which isn’t really noticeable while watching UK TV.

Unlike most other VPNs (which typically limit users to around ten connections), Surfshark has no connection limit. This means you can connect as many devices as you like.

Surfshark apps are all easy to use — even its Linux offering has a full GUI. Apps come with a kill switch; app-based and IP-based split tunneling; and an ad, tracker and malware blocker.

There’s a NoBorders mode that obfuscates VPN traffic so that it evade detection. This works in China, which demonstrates its effectiveness. There’s also a Rotating IP feature, that will change your IP address without users needing to disconnect and reconnect. If you’d prefer an IP address that doesn’t change, static IPs are available in Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK, and the US..

Other features include an Alternative ID tool that lets you create fake personas, complete with name, address and date of birth. It’s useful for setting up online accounts where you don’t necessarily want to use your real name and address. Alternative ID isn’t currently available for UK addresses, but it does work for the US, Australia, Germany, Portugal, Denmark, and Brazil.

Surfshark has a no-logs policy that’s been verified via third-party audit. It uses strong 256-bit encryption and offers protection against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks. We confirmed that this protection was effective by carrying out our own IP, DNS and WebRTC leak tests.

Surfshark subscriptions are relatively cheap — which is great considering what you get in return. The cheapest two-year plans cost the equivalent of $2.19 a month, though you’ll have to pay more for things like antivirus and to use the company’s data removal service.

BEST BUDGET VPN:Surfshark has no connection limit, powerful unblocking ability, and a wide array of security features. As such, you’re free to watch whatever you want, wherever you want. Better still, this service comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of Surfshark here.

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3. IPVanish

IPVanish has been around long enough to know what users want. It’s fast, secure and great for streaming. We tested it with all the UK streaming services we could think of, and it worked with all of them. It’s also a good option for big-name platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Max.

IPVanish is one of the few providers that owns its network hardware. This reduces the possibility of third-party interference, which is good for security. It’s also one of the few providers that reveals how many servers it has in each location. In the UK, for example, it has a total of 197. These are spread across four cities, with the majority in London.

Users can choose between servers within each location. The load and ping time is listed next to each, so it’s easy to find the best option at any given time.

We carried out three speed tests while connected to a server in London. IPVanish’s speeds were super fast in the morning, then slowed a little in the afternoon, but were still more than fast enough for uninterrupted streaming of UK TV. Overall, the provider averaged 41.9 Mbps, which is just 2.69 Mbps slower than our download speed without a VPN.

The IPVanish interface isn’t as minimalist as some. Instead, users get lots of connection information. This includes a map showing which server they’re connected to, a graph showing how much data is being uploaded and downloaded, the protocol being used, and the public IP address.

If you want to customize your connection, IPVanish has various options available via the Settings menu. Users can choose between the WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. Opting for OpenVPN provides access to the Scramble feature. This obfuscates user-generated traffic and can help it navigate some VPN blocks.

Other features include a kill switch; app-based and domain-based split tunneling; and an ad, tracker and malware blocker. DNS and IP leak protection can be runed on or off, through it’s sensibly defaulted to on. We tested it out, together with a WebRTC leak test. It passed all three, which means your Spanish location won’t be revealed while streaming UK TV.

IPVanish apps run on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, and Amazon Fire Stick. You can also configure a connection with some home routers routers and set-top boxes with manual setup.

Subscriptions cost the equivalent of $2.19 a month for a two-year plan, which puts IPVanish at the cheaper end of the market. Subscriptions include access to a SOCKS5 proxy, which can be useful if you want to change your IP address but don’t mind connecting without encryption.

Unlike many providers, IPVanish places no limits on the number of devices that users can connect simultaneously. This makes it a good option for those in large households.

GRANULAR SERVER CHOICE:IPVanish has plenty of UK servers that are fast and secure. Great value subscriptions and no connection limit. IPVanish offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full IPVanish review

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4. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is another solid VPN for accessing British TV in Spain. The provider has thousands of RAM-only servers spread across 105 countries. This includes the UK, where it has servers in five locations (only one of which isn’t London-based).

Connections to your server of choice are incredibly quick to establish — this is important if you’re someone who flits between countries or servers within a particular country.

We used a server in the Docklands to watch BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, My5 and ITVX without issue. ExpressVPN has a good reputation for streaming, so this isn’t altogether surprising.

As well as unblocking the regular British TV platforms, ExpressVPN can get you into the UK content libraries of subscription services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and NowTV (as long as you have accounts with them).

It’s also worth mentioning ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer service. This enables you to spoof your location when using device’s that don’t natively support VPN software. Important caveats here are that there’s no encryption and you’ll only be able to change your virtual location to the US.

If you do want to use a VPN-incompatible device to stream British TV, ExpressVPN has its own router firmware that you can install on your home router. This enables you to change the virtual location of every device on your home network to the UK (or any of the other countries in which ExpressVPN has servers).

To find out how fast ExpressVPN’s UK servers were, we carried out three speed tests over the course of a day.

ExpressVPN performed great — it was both consistent and fast. Overall, it was the third-fastest provider we tested. If you want to stream in UHD and have a fast base connection, then ExpressVPN will do the trick.

The provider is also a good option if you’ve never used a VPN before. It’s easy to find and connect to a server, and the available options are clearly — if a little boringly — laid out. Most are activated or deactivated with a tick-box. The example below shows the options for blocking trackers, malware, ads and access to adult sites.

Other features include app-based split tunneling, a kill switch, and a choice of connection protocols — including ExpressVPN’s home-grown Lightway protocol. ExpressVPN automatically obfuscates user-generated traffic, which helps ensure that VPN blocks don’t restrict your online activity. ExpressVPN doesn’t reveal exactly how it obfuscates traffic, but it worked in China when we last tested it, so it must be doing something right.

Apps run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Stick, and Fire tablets. They all come with built-in leak protection — which we tested out ourselves. The provider passed IP, DNS and WebRTC, which means you won’t be unwittingly revealing your true location while connected.

ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest provider on our list — in fact, it’s the most expensive. This is partly down to the company’s behind-the-scenes work at ensuring its network is secure. For example, it reinstalls the operating systems of every server on a  weekly basis to ensure that they’re all running the same software. ExpressVPN has also invested in multiple third-party audits of its software and hardware.

UNBLOCK ALMOST ANYTHING:ExpressVPN is a strong choice for watching British TV from Spain. You get fast speeds, strong privacy, and access to all UK channels, including premium video streaming services. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full ExpressVPN review

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5. CyberGhost

CyberGhost offers sleek-looking apps that give access to VPN locations in 100+ countries across over 11,500 servers. In the UK, it has servers in three locations: London, Berkshire and Manchester.

However, users interested in streaming UK TV from Spain will be more interested in CyberGhost’s streaming servers. These are optimized for specific UK streaming services. There’s one BBC iPlayer, one for Channel 4, one for ITV, and… you get the picture.

We tried several of them out, and they all worked as promised.

Out of interest, we tried some of the streaming-optimized servers in other countries. These, too, worked as promised — even with traditionally stubborn services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

We next tested CyberGhost’s download speeds while connected to one of its UK servers. We used a home broadband connection to simulate the average user’s experience.

CyberGhost’s speeds increased throughout the day of testing, but only by a few Mbps. Overall, it was fast — and certainly fast enough for streaming British TV in HD from Spain.

Users can further streamline their streaming experience using the Smart Rules tool. This allows users to link British streaming apps (or any other app) to their associated servers. When users open the app, CyberGhost automatically launches and connects to the specified server. This removes the need for interacting with CyberGhost every time you fancy a bit of Eastenders or Coronation Street.

If you’re travelling within Spain, CyberGhost’s automatic wi-fi protection can help protect you against accidentally connecting to a rogue wi-fi hotspot. Other features include app-based split tunneling; a kill switch; an ad and tracker blocker; and a system that prevents malicious websites from loading in your browser.

CyberGhost apps are well-designed and easy to use. Supported platforms include Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, and Amazon Fire Stick. We verified that these are leak-free by carrying out a series of IP, DNS, and WebRTC leak tests.

The company doesn’t keep any identifying information on users, neither does it keep any activity logs. This no-logs policy has been independently audited.

CyberGhost subscriptions are great value, with the two-year plan costing the equivalent of $2.19 a month. One downside is that the provider only allows seven simultaneous connections, which is below the market average. Manual router configuration is possible, which would only use one of the allocated connections while protecting every device on a home network.

GREAT FOR NOVICES:Take advantage of CyberGhost’s clever privacy features to disappear on the internet. Works with many streaming services including Netflix UK. CyberGhost gives all new customers a fuss-free 45-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full CyberGhost review

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6. PureVPN

PureVPN stands out as a prime choice for British internet users who want to enjoy UK TV services while abroad or on a restricted network — such as at work or on campus. The VPN has powerful obfuscation enabled by default and plentiful UK servers that work to watch BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITVX, and Netflix UK.

You can also use PureVPN’s British servers to tap into a variety of UK-based online services, including internet banking, government portals, and British Google search results. This makes it a fantastic option for Brits who need to travel for work or on holiday.

We tested PureVPN’s speeds while connected to its London server. We used a home broadband connection with an average download speed of 44.59 Mbps to approximate the average user’s experience.

PureVPN was marginally faster in the morning, though its speeds at noon and in the afternoon were more than good enough for HD streaming. The provider has a reputation for being fast so you needn’t worry about connecting to servers further afield.

PureVPN’s apps aren’t the most exciting in terms of design. There’s a fair amount of dead space, though this does stop the interface from feeling intimidating. In terms of features, apps come with a kill switch, split tunneling, and a tracker-blocker.

One feature that’ll be of particular interest to anyone trying to stream British TV from Spain is PureVPN’s Shortcuts menu. This is a list of streaming-optimized servers that automatically opens the website of the service they’re optimized for. So, for example, clicking on the BBC server connects you to said server and then opens the BBC website.

There are also shortcuts available for Channel 5, ITV, Channel 4, Netflix GB, Amazon Prime GB, and Disney Plus GB. Creating your own shortcut is easy if there isn’t already one set-up.

PureVPN uses strong 256-bit encryption to protect user-generated traffic and has an independently audited no-logs policy. These features ensure a secure online experience, particularly for users who require safe access to UK internet resources or wish to safeguard their data on public wi-fi networks.

The company’s apps were leak-free when we tested them, so you don’t have to worry about your true location being exposed while connected.

Most VPNs provide introductory offers — typically for a maximum of two years. PureVPN bucks this trend with a five-year plan. Signing up for this means users only need to pay the equivalent of $2.16 a month for the first five years. Payments in Bitcoin are permitted and you can try the service out risk-free using its 31-day money-back guarantee.

SUPERB VALUE:PureVPN makes it easy and low-cost to access BBC iPlayer and other British TV platforms abroad. Easy to use on all devices. Robust no-logs policy and reliable AES-256 encryption. Includes a 31-day money-back guarantee to try the VPN.

Find out more in our PureVPN review.

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7. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is a highly reputable and advanced VPN based in Switzerland—a nation renowned for robust privacy laws and the absence of mandatory data retention laws for VPNs.

The provider has 8,150+ servers in 112+ countries overall. This includes the UK, were users can choose between hundreds of individual servers in London and Manchester.

These servers are all suitable for streaming. We successfully used them to access British streaming platforms such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITVX, and My5. They also work with the UK content libraries of Disney Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video — though you will have to switch between servers to find those that work with a particular platform.

We tested our speeds while connected to one of ProtonVPN’s UK servers. You can see the results below.

ProtonVPN performed consistently through the day, which is great. Speeds were a little slower than most of our other providers, but still fast enough for streaming HD and UHD with a fast enough base connection speed.

If you need to connect to more far-flung servers, ProtonVPN’s built-in VPN accelerator helps ensure fast global connection speeds.

ProtonVPN apps are designed to look technical, but this doesn’t make them difficult to use. A list of locations on the app’s dashboard (together with a map) makes it easy to find UK (or any other) servers. Alternatively, there’s a Quick Connect button that’ll connect you to the best available server (normally the nearest).

Once connected, ProtonVPN shows the location of the server in use on a map and provides a real-time display of the data being uploaded and downloaded.

Port forwarding is allowed, which is great news for any torrenters out there. Other features include app-based and IP-based split tunneling, a kill switch, and a Stealth mode.

Users with additional privacy or security concerns can make use of ProtonVPN’s Secure Core servers. Housed in company-owned-and-operated data centers — which are themselves location in privacy-friendly countries like Iceland — these servers add an additional stop that makes it harder for attackers to exploit a compromised VPN server elsewhere.

Unlike the majority of its competitors, ProtonVPN’s apps are all open-source. This means their code is available for inspection and error-checking by anyone. All major platforms are supported and all have a full GUI — even the Linux app.

FULLY FEATURED:ProtonVPN is perfect for techy users who want an excellent all-rounder. With servers available in over 112+ countries, including the UK, it’s perfect for bypassing restrictions to watch iPlayer and other UK TV services abroad. Port forwarding also makes it suitable for torrenting. 24/7 live chat support in the member’s area. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Find out more in our ProtonVPN review.

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8. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is a Sweden-based provider with a dedicated customer support team and privacy-focused ethos. The company was created by a team of privacy activists wanted to give the public identity protection while torrenting.

Servers are available in 63+ countries, though there aren’t that many in each. For example, there are two servers in the UK: one in London and one in Manchester.

The good news is that both of them work great with British TV services, including BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITVX, and My5.

The provider has a good reputation for streaming platforms from a range of other countries too. This includes Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Paramount Plus. If you have any difficult connecting, we’ve found that enabling the Stealth VPN feature can help bypass the more stubborn blocks.

As you might expect from a service created for torrenting, Private VPN allows port forwarding. Other features include a kill switch and what it calls an Application Guard. This terminates any specified apps if the VPN unexpectedly disconnects. You can, for example, ensure that your BBC iPlayer app doesn’t detect a Spanish IP address if they VPN connection drops out.

To find out what speeds users in Spain might expect while connected to PrivateVPN’s UK servers, we carried out several speed tests over the course of a day. You can see the results below.

PrivateVPN performed consistently, albeit more slowly, than our other recommended providers. That said, it’s average download speed of 38.9 Mbps is fast enough for streaming HD content. Note that our average download speed when not connected to PrivateVPN was 44.59 Mbps.

The provider uses 256-bit encryption by default, though users can switch to 128-bit if they want a speed boost. We tried connecting to a server in Canada while using 256-bit encryption, which gave us a download speed of 22.37 Mbps. We then switched to 128-bit encryption, which gave us a download speed of 25.44 Mbps — which is an improvement of 3.07 Mbps. Given that 128-bit is adequate for the majority of users, it makes sense to eke out what extra speed you can for streaming purposes.

PrivateVPN apps are available for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. These come with optional leak protection that’s enabled by default. We tested it out and it works as expected, keeping your location hidden from the wider internet.

The VPN can also be set up on Linux, routers, and set-top boxes. Instructions are available on the PrivateVPN website. If you get really stuck, the customer support team is able to offer remote control assistance — which isn’t something you get with other VPN providers.

Subscriptions are excellent value — particularly the three-year plan. This costs the equivalent of $2 a month, which is lowest in this list. You can sign up with just an email address and pay in cryptocurrency if preferred.

PRIVACY VPN:PrivateVPN offers very strong privacy protection and will help you access British TV from Spain. You get a 30-day no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.

Read our full PrivateVPN review

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Our methodology: finding the best VPNs for UK TV in Spain

Finding VPNs that are able to access British TV from Spain is just the first step in our comprehensive testing process. We also evaluate providers on a whole host of other criteria, which we’ll explore below.

Speed

If you’re going to watch UK TV from Spain, you’re going to need to connect to a UK server that’s fast enough for streaming. To find out which VPN providers have the fastest UK connections, we carried out three tests during the course of a day. We used a home broadband connection with an average speed of 44.59 Mbps. Tests were carried out using the desktop version of the Ookla app.

From the chart above, you can see that NordVPN had the fastest average speeds while Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and IPVanish were not far behind. Private VPN was the slowest overall, but with an average speed of 38.9 Mbps, it’s still more than fast enough for uninterrupted streaming.

To directly compare providers, we took these average speeds and converted the results to a score out of ten.

NordVPN is the fastest provider overall, closely followed by Surfshark. Both of these are excellent choices for streaming UK TV from Spain as they will affect your base connection speed the least.

Streaming ability

Most providers don’t give server counts for each country. A good second-best approximation is to score them on how many server locations they have within a particular country; in this case, the UK. A high score means lots of availability and less likelihood of slow streaming speeds due to congestion.

We also scored providers on how well they performed with a range of streaming platforms beyond those in the UK. After all, most people use several these days.

We combined the results to give us an overall streaming ability score. You can see how the providers compare below.

IPVanish is the best VPN for streaming overall, closely followed by NordVPN, Surfshark and Express VPN. All three VPNs work with a huge range of streaming platforms and have enough UK servers to ensure congestion isn’t a problem.

Security & privacy

In the rush to access British TV platforms, it’s easy to overlook how much security and privacy a particular VPN can offer. Some VPN providers are incredibly lax, and the last thing you want is to be lulled into a false sense of security while online. With this in mind, we evaluate providers against 15 key security and privacy criteria. You can see a summary of them below.

We then assign a score to each of the criteria so that we’re left with an overall score out of ten. This makes it easier to compare providers.

As you’ll notice from the chart, all the VPNs perform well. However, if you’re particularly concerned about security and privacy — perhaps you travel to restrictive countries or handle sensitive documents — then NordVPN, Surfshark, ProtonVPN, and ExpressVPN are all good options.

Ease of use

To gauge which providers make life easiest for their subscribers, we score them against 10 different metrics. You can see what these are in the table below.

Each of these ten criteria is given a score, which we combine to create an overall score out of ten. We can then use this to meaningfully compare providers.

If you’re keen to stream British TV from Spain with a minimum of fuss, then NordVPN and IPVanish are your best options.

Value for money

The UK has great content available for free via the likes of Channel 4 and ITVX. Paying for a VPN can, therefore, be a bit of an unwanted expense. Unfortunately, free VPNs aren’t an option (we explain why in the next section), so the next best thing is to find the best value service. We use eight different criteria to judge this — which you can see below.

Scores for each metric are combined to produce a total score out of ten, which we can use to conveniently compare providers.

Surfshark is the best-value provider overall. This is largely thanks to its low-cost subscriptions and lack of connection limit. IPVanish is the next best option for the same reasons, and then NordVPN and CyberGhost are tied in third place.

Using a free VPN to get British TV in Spain

Although these recommended VPNs are very easy to use, the work that goes into them is very complicated and incurs costs. Yet, there are free VPNs around. So, how do these VPNs get away with charging when others give the service for free? The answer is that free VPNs just don’t give the same level of service.

Most of them are cripplingly slow and make it difficult to stream video without lag or buffering. In any case, most of them are unable to bypass geo-restriction measures, so they can’t provide access to British TV video streaming services.

In addition, free VPNs still need to make money and they come up with a lot of sneaky ways to profit without giving a proper service. Many of them don’t include encryption, which means your traffic is completely exposed. Others force you to watch adverts before they connect you, and some track your data for sale to third parties.

VPNs can protect you when using public wi-fi too

When you travel, you tend to rely on the free wi-fi services offered by hotels, bars, and transport hubs. This is often convenient but means you can’t really trust the security provided for your connections.

An increasingly prevalent hacker trick these days is to set up fake wi-fi hotspots. Any laptop can be turned into a wireless access point. All the hacker has to do is change the wi-fi name (SSID) of his computer from the name assigned by the manufacturer to something that sounds like it belongs to the location. For example, if you are in Bar Tropicale in Torremolinos, the hacker wi-fi computer might be called “Bar Tropicale Free WIFI” or “Free Torremolinos Wifi.”

When you connect to one of these seemingly genuine hotspots, you are actually connecting to the hacker’s computer. The hacker connects his computer to the real wi-fi hotspot and passes through all of your traffic, so you will actually get online. However, while all of your data passes from your device to the internet, the hacker gets access to it. This could allow the hacker to capture things like your bank details and your username and password for a whole range of online services, including your email and your Netflix account.

A VPN can prevent this by ensuring your connection is entirely protected by strong encryption, so no one intercepting the transmissions can tell what sites you are connecting to or what content is returning to your computer. The hacker isn’t able to perform the “man-in-the-middle attack” described above because the process requires both the VPN app and server to prove their identities, which the hacker can’t fake.

So, for peace of mind and to keep your data safe, always connect your VPN when using public wi-fi.

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