Want to cut straight to the chase? The best VPNs for Hotstar right now are ExpressVPN and CyberGhost.
With over 38 million paid users for Hotstar as of July 2nd, 2021, it’s no news that this Indian online video streaming platform has grown rapidly over the years its roster of content. It now features content like movies, sports, television shows, and music.
What exactly is Hotstar about? In case you don’t already know, let’s begin by shedding some light on that first.
Brief Background About Hotstar
Hotstar is an online video streaming service owned by Star India Private Limited and operated by Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution.
As one of the most globally recognized versions of the Indian subscription video known for on-demand over-the-top (OTP) streaming service, Hotstar offers 100,000+ hours of drama and movies, live sports matches delivered in about 9 languages. The good thing is that all their videos are covered live using world-class video streaming technology and a top-notch viewing experience across all major video viewing platforms and devices.
Hotstar offers other amazing features such as seamless video playback, user-friendly interface, smart content search, hot content catalog, and more.
Why You Need a VPN For Hotstar
As exciting as streaming Hotstar sounds, the service has its own geo-blocks thereby limiting access to certain libraries of content depending on the country where you are trying to access the service. Unless you’re using an Indian IP address, you should be prepared to face restrictions as regards the number of the library you can access. In other words, the largest library is available for those living in Indian or using an Indian IP address.
So, to access Hotstar services outside India, you need a VPN to do so, otherwise, you’ll be restricted. However, you wouldn’t go far with a free or using just any available VPNs out there. You need a working VPN to bypass all the geo-blocks and to change your IP address to that of India.
Benefits of a VPN for Hotstar
VPNs offer so many benefits that you can’t dispense with if you’re concerned about your online security and privacy among other things.
When it comes to keeping your online activity private and anonymous, there is no better way to go about it than using a reliable and working VPN. Apart from being able to browse the net securely and anonymously, good VPNs will help you prevent your sensitive data and browsing activity from being tracked by hackers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and government agencies.
Furthermore, most advanced VPN providers use high-standard encryption. With this, they grant you more security leveraging their different layers of encryption. They ensure total protection for all your online transactions and activity.
If you’re the type who likes to binge-watch HD videos, you already know how frustrating buffering can be when streaming your favorite online video platforms. Using a good VPN will eliminate buffering and helps you watch HD videos without any lag or buffering. In addition, VPNs come in handy when connecting to unprotected public WiFi or local hotspots. It helps you secure your connection and prevent your sensitive data from being hacked or intercepted by hackers and other snoops.
Factors to Consider When Choosing The Best VPN For Hotstar
Although VPNs come in handy when surfing the internet not all VPN providers possess the right features you need to get most of the job done. If you’re planning to buy a VPN for streaming Hotstar, don’t forget to keep these factors sacrosanct:
- The speed of the server across different countries
- The security and privacy of the connection. Most Advanced VPNs use world-class encryption measures with other security features such as DNS protection, a kill-switch, etc.
- The unblocking potential of the VPN. You must choose a VPN with strong unblocking potential.
- The number of the server and availability of servers in India. The larger the better.
- The logging policy. A good VPN will not keep your information or share it with third parties or government agencies.
- The bandwidth limit. You should opt for a VPN with unlimited bandwidth as it’ll help you stream Hotstar to your satisfaction.
How to Setup a VPN For Hotstar
Although some VPNs can be hard to set up, most VPNs are easy to set up. By following the steps below, you can get your VPN up and running in no time.
- Sign up for the VPN
- Download the VPN software and install the app on your favorite app
- Select a server in India from the VPN
- Open your Hotstar and you’re good to go with streaming your favorite content
How Does a VPN Work?
Once you’re connected to a VPN following the steps highlighted above, a VPN grants you an encrypted tunnel through which all your data traffic is routed. The VPN software ensures there is a secure connection between you and the internet. A VPN helps you to disguise your IP address and makes it easy for you to browse using an IP address of any country of your choice.
Best VPNs For Hotstar
| Brand | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ExpressVPN | $12.95/month | Standard encryption |
| 2. CyberGhost | $4.49/month | Geographic restrictions |
| 3. IPVanish | $10.99/month | Lightning-speed connection |
1. ExpressVPN
Although ExpressVPN is a bit pricey when compared to some other VPN service providers it offers great value for the money. Apart from being one of the most reputable and popular VPNs you can trust for standard encryption and unblocking potential, this provider has a lot of so many amazing features it offers. With military-grade encryption standards and strong unblocking potential that can bypass most geo-blocked content, this service comes with one of the best speeds and security. ExpressVPN boasts 3,000 servers distributed in over 94 countries including 3 locations and 12 servers in India thereby making it easy for you to find the closest server to unblock Hotstar easily. And the good thing is you don’t have to worry about any network or service downtime when using this service.
One of the reasons why you want to use a VPN while surfing the internet is to keep your online activity secure and private. ExpressVPN promises they don’t keep or retain the traffic logs of their users. In other words, they maintain a strict no-logs policy. However, they keep some other metadata such as choice of VPN server location, date of connection, the total number of bandwidth you use, among others. ExpressVPN uses these data to improve the quality of its service delivery. But they don’t keep a record of your real IP address and other sensitive data. So you don’t have to panic about whether or not your data will be shared with third-party or government agencies.
Other ways by which ExpressVPN guarantees your online security is by using standard encryption protocols such as 256-bit AES-CBC encryption, perfect forward secrecy, HMAC authentication, and OpenVPN. The good thing about these features is that they come as part of their default encryption protocols. So you don’t have to worry should you forget to activate the feature as it’s already active by default. Moreover, the service comes with other features like a smart kill switch, otherwise known as network lock. The kill switch comes in handy in securing your internet traffic during connection drops. It freezes your internet and ensures your traffic data aren’t compromised or breached should your connection drops thanks to ExpressVPN for this wonderful feature.
Most interestingly, ExpressVPN has apps for Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux, Firestick, Playstation, and more. Plus, the service is capable of unblocking major streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, and BBC iPlayer, to mention but a few. And last but not least, the service offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which makes it easy for you to test out the software and decide whether or not it’s for you.
Pros
- Fast speed connections
- Strong unblocking ability
- Ease of setup
- Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- Allows multiple users (up to 5 users can use the service at the same time on a single subscription)
- Lots of automated functions
- Smart kill switch
- Availability of VPN service for WiFi Routers
- Strong security and privacy
- Excellent 24/7 customer support
Cons
- A bit pricey when compared to other providers
- Disconnection and streaming failure when using for Hotstar
Get started with ExpressVPN today.
2. CyberGhost
CyberGhost offers one of the VPN services that let you change your IP address information to unblock geographic restrictions and watch Hotstar premium content from abroad. The good thing about using this app is that they break down the whole process into 3 simple steps. You can get up and running with this VPN by simply following these steps which include signing up for the service, setting up the VPN, and starting to use the VPN to watch your favorite Hotstar content.
This service has over 6,900 networks of servers cutting across over 91 countries including 32 servers in India thereby making it easy for you to find a server closest to you to stream Hotstar. The good thing is they have servers with extreme speed connection that takes off your shoulder the worry about having any throttling, buffering, or lag.
CyberGhost offers you streaming preferences and, in that, you can choose to watch Hotstar on your favorite screen. There are apps for Windows, iOs, Mac, Android TV, Linux, Kodi, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire Stick. It doesn’t matter where you live in the world, you can access Hotstar premium content in the USA on any device of your choice.
Like most advanced VPNs, this service can unblock not only Hotstar but also other streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer. And you can connect up to 7 devices simultaneously on one subscription.
For users on a budget, CyberGhost offers relatively inexpensive billing plans depending on the one that suits your pocket. There are multiple payment options such as annual subscription, 3-year subscription, and monthly subscription.
If you’re the type who likes to binge-watch streaming content, CyberGhost offers unlimited bandwidth and traffic. These make it easy for you to stream Hotstar content for as long as you like without buffering, lag or throttling.
Also. there are other exciting features that this VPN has such as automatic kill switch, DNS and IP leak protection, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard protocols.
The good thing about this service is that you don’t have to take our word alone for it. You can take advantage of their 45-day money-back guarantee to test out the various features that the software offers. And if you don’t like what you get, you can simply ask for a full refund within the 45-day window.
Pros
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- A lot of security protocols
- Up to 7 devices simultaneous connections on a single plan
- Fast speed connection
- Easy-to-use app
- Strong security and privacy
- Pocket-friendly billing plans for people on a budget
- Strictly no-logging policy
Cons
- Has limited advanced features
Get started with CyberGhost today.
>>MORE: VPNs With Static IPs | Android TV VPNs | Private Internet Access vs. NordVPN | Kindle Fire VPNs
3. IPVanish
IPVanish offers a blend of lightning-speed connection, strong security, and indefatigable privacy for streaming any online video platform including Hotstar. The good thing we like most about this service is that it allows unlimited simultaneous connections of devices thereby eliminating the cost of paying extra to watch Hotstar content with your family and friends.
As far as online security is concerned, IPVanish doesn’t take things for granted and, in that, it uses world-class encryption protocols such as 256-bit AES and OpenVPN by default. It takes security further to the next level by offering other features such as SHA512 authentication, perfect forward secrecy, and a DHE-RSA 2,048-bit key exchange, which is meant to secure your past browsing sessions against the prying eyes of malware and hackers. In addition to this, this provider doesn’t keep your metadata. In other words, they maintain a complete no-logs policy.
IPVanish supports apps and devices such as Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux, Xbox, and more. You can also rely on this VPN for unblocking Hotstar and other major streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Amazon Prime Videos, among others.
Pros
- A strict no-logs policy
- Strong security encryption
- Strong unblocking ability
- Great app for Kodi and Firestick TV
- Fast speed for Hotstar
Cons
- Not the best option for countries with high-censored internet like China
Get started with IPVanish today.