If you think Netflix is the most popular streaming site in the world you would be wrong. YouTube is unchallenged when it comes to streaming video content. You can easily find countless videos on just about any subject you are interested in on YouTube. Unfortunately the site is blocked or censored in some countries. You might also be limited by network restrictions from watching YouTube at work or school. A good VPN will help you enjoy everything YouTube has to offer from anywhere in the world.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 95 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 110 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 73 | |
You can use any of the VPN services listed above to unblock access to YouTube from anywhere in the world. I suggest you connect to a server in the United States for most viewing. However, if you want to watch videos for a channel that is geo-restricted to another region like the UK or France simply connect to a VPN server in that country. The same solution will work for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Not to mention other popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, Showtime, Apple Music, and Spotify. A VPN will help you avoid geo-blocking for hundreds of channels around the world.
How to Access YouTube from Work or School
For the purpose of this conversation we are assuming that your work or school is blocking access to YouTube. They would rather have you working or studying than checking out YouTube videos I suppose. Blah. You can use a VPN to get around their network restrictions. Simply connect to a VPN server and browse the web without restrictions. You traffic will be encrypted so the powers that be won’t be able to monitor your online activities.
Countries that Block Access to YouTube
You will find that several countries either censor or block YouTube all together. You might expect some of the countries on the list but you’ll likely also be surprised by some of the nations censoring YouTube. Let’s take a look at the countries that censor access to YouTube. In many cases the same culprits censor access to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as well.
Afghanistan – the Afghan government blocked access to YouTube for a few months in 2012 in response to the controversial film, Muhammad, Innocence of Muslims.
Armenia – officials from Armenia blocked YouTube for about a month in 2008 in response to videos showing police brutality against anti-government protestors.
Bangladesh – the powers that be in Bangladesh have blocked YouTube multiple times over the years. Once when a recording of the Prime Minister speaking with military leaders who were unhappy with him was posted. Then again when the Innocence of Muslims video became available on the site.
China – as you might guess YouTube is blocked by China’s great firewall. They also block popular social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter. A VPN will unblock all the sites.
Germany – you might not expect to see Germany on the list. Unfortunately Germany blocks a lot of content from YouTube. Google and GEMA (a German performers rights organization) can not come to an agreement. The German courts decided that YouTube could be sued for hosting copyright videos or even background music. In response there are a lot of videos blocked.
Indonesia – YouTube was briefly blocked in Indonesia when Google failed to remove a film that was controversial. The site ban was lifted days later.
Iran – YouTube is currently blocked in Iran. The country considers sites like YouTube immoral and bans access to them. Iranians can still use VPNs to access blocked content.
Libya – YouTube was blocked in Libya from January, 2010 until November, 2011 due to the governments disapproval of videos of a demonstration by families of those killed in Abu Salim prison.
Malaysia – while the Malaysian government hasn’t blocked YouTube at the site level they have tried to restrict access to content through a filtering system in years past.
North Korea – you likely already know this one. North Koreans do not have access to YouTube. In fact most users find themselves without any access to the Internet. There are some government officials with access but I doubt China would look kindly on them using the connection to watch videos on YouTube.
Pakistan – what day of the week is it today? That might tell you whether or not YouTube is currently blocked in Pakistan. We’re kidding but the Pakistani government has blocked and banned YouTube on multiple occasions through the years. We expect the same to occur in the future. If you want to access popular streaming sites from Pakistan use a VPN.
Russia – the Russian government does not block YouTube but they have been known to pressure Google into removing (censoring) videos from the site.
Syria – YouTube is blocked in Syria.
Sudan – the Sudanese authorities have blocked YouTube on multiple occasions. The site is currently blocked. The government says that YouTube will remain inaccessible until they pull the Innocence of Muslims video off the site.
Tajikistan – the government of Tajikistan blocks YouTube at will. Their officials have been quick to block the site anytime they disagree with a video.
Thailand – yet another country that likes to censor content. They will block YouTube over videos they find offensive unless Google agrees to pull them from the site.
Turkey – Turkish officials have been blocking and censoring users access to the Internet for years. They have blocked YouTube several times along with other sites including Facebook and Twitter. Turkish users are very familiar with using VPN to avoid surveillance and censorship.
United Arab Emirates – we were surprised to learn that the UAE is not blocking YouTube. They take a very strict stand against anything that would go against their religious, cultural, political and moral beliefs. Given the strict laws in the UAE I would suggest using a VPN to access the Internet there.
United States – the US government has never blocked YouTube. However, Congressmen asked Google to remove videos containing Anwar al-Awlaki sermons as they considered them hate speech. That sounds like a a similar argument made by other countries over the Innocence of Muslims video.
How Does a VPN Unblock YouTube?
By connecting to a VPN you will change your public IP address to an IP in the server location of your choosing. Once connected your public IP is hidden and your data is secured through encryption. That means connecting to a VPN server in the United States will give you the same access to sites you would have if sitting at a Starbucks in the USA. This is true for YouTube and popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. A VPN will also help you access streaming media services like Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Now from anywhere in the world.
1. ExpressVPN
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Because protecting your security and accounts are essential while gaming, connecting to a VPN server with ExpressVPN is crucial. If you are a gamer, you will spend many hours playing. No matter what the game is, there are achievements, money, and account information that you should be able to protect. To do so, all you need to do is connect to the server of your choice. That way, you will create a layer of encryption that will keep all of your personal gaming information and accounts safe.
2. NordVPN
No matter what you like to stream online, NordVPN can help stop some of the interruptions you will face. If you are not aware, some internet service providers (ISPs) monitor customer’s traffic to look for streaming patterns. While some say they do not, it is not uncommon for companies to throttle speeds, especially during peak times. Connecting to a VPN, however, will mask the traffic so that episode 12 of your binge fest doesn’t include the spinning wheel of death. No one wants to deal with buffering issues.
3. Private Internet Access
If you are going to visit a country or you live in a region that censors content, Private Internet Access is an excellent option to use. With the various safeguards and features that the company has, you will be able to defeat this type of censorship. Whether you are trying to access social networks, political discourse websites, or any other kind of banned content, you can be sure that Private Internet Access will help you access all the content you want to see.
4. CyberGhost
If you are familiar with the Amazon Firestick, Roku, or other streaming devices that you plug into your TV, you know they are great. What you may not know, however, is that a vast amount of the content is only available in the US. If you are traveling abroad or outside the country, connecting to a CyberGhost VPN server located in the US is crucial. When you do so, you will be able to gain access to your favorite shows and movies, all at your fingers.
CyberGhost will unblock YouTube in the US. You will want to open the VPN app and go to the “For streaming” tab. There you will find the US server that you need to connect to in order to access YouTube.
5. IPVanish
If you like to travel abroad, you may quickly notice that your favorite streaming service is not available. For those that want to watch international services like Netflix, you may see that you are not able to access some of your favorite content. Of course, that is why you would want to connect to IPVanish. When you do, you can connect to a server in your home region or find another one to watch in. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong with IPVanish.
