As a completely free streaming service, BBC iPlayer is overly popular around the planet. It offers access to many top-notch series and movies, while also letting you watch numerous sports live streams. However, as the platform is geo-restricted, people are looking for a free VPN that works on BBC iPlayer.
The platform is based in the United Kingdom, which means it can broadcast only to the residents of this country. The problem lies in the fact that many people abroad want to access it. And while the site will work, when trying to watch something, people are met with a geo-restriction message.
It’s a popular practice to use a VPN to unblock this platform anywhere. However, pretty much no one talks about the best free VPNs for BBC iPlayer. Will they really work or are they just a gimmick? In today’s article, we’ll answer this question thoroughly and provide you with several choices.
In short, the answer is YES but there are quite a few caveats you should be aware of.
Problems With Free VPNs for BBC iPlayer
When comparing free and premium VPNs, you’ll see stark differences. It’s no wonder people often use premium providers to unblock streaming platforms, especially when talking about BBC iPlayer or Netflix. That’s no coincidence.
Now, when it comes to BBC iPlayer, this platform is pretty advanced in terms of detecting VPNs. For instance, in our recent PrivateVPN review – which is a PAID service, we had problems accessing this platform, as you can see below.
The same applies to many free providers that are frequently detected by this platform. This is, by the way, the main issue with free VPNs for BBC iPlayer. They don’t have enough “firepower” to pass the BBC iPlayer’s firewall and unblock it abroad.
Another glaring issue is the lack of UK servers. Very few free VPNs for BBC iPlayer offer servers in the United Kingdom. Without them, you can’t access the platform. This immediately sets you up for failure, as you can’t get the required IP address.
Furthermore, there are many performance issues. Free providers with unlimited traffic have no UK servers and they don’t work. On the other hand, those that do offer limited monthly bandwidth, so streaming – even if it works – won’t last for more than an hour or two.
This is further worsened by very slow speeds and poor performance due to server overload. Of course, more issues are here, such as decreased security/privacy, lack of simultaneous connections, and below-average app compatibility.
But for BBC iPlayer, this isn’t a major deal. The point is that the best free VPNs for BBC iPlayer will work but not entirely, as we’ll soon explain.
Free BBC iPlayer VPNs That Work (To An Extent)
To back up our claims, we decided to conduct the tests ourselves. Paid VPNs for BBC iPlayer provide an amazing experience with this platform, while the providers we presented below are far inferior. During our tests, they could unblock this service, which was impressive.
However, as explained, bandwidth limits and connection instabilities are expected. Therefore, if you’re expecting full-on, limitless streaming, you’ll be better off with another group of VPNs which we presented in the next section of our guide.
1. PrivadoVPN
The first free VPN for BBC iPlayer is PrivadoVPN. This provider is premium but it comes with a free plan with 10 GB a month and free UK servers.
Needless to say, this provider works with BBC iPlayer with no special tweaks. You just connect to the server, go to the platform, and enjoy.
However, the provider comes with a boatload of downsides that make it far from our favorite choice. For one, the aforementioned 10 GB bandwidth cap is pretty annoying. In terms of streaming, it won’t let you enjoy more than a few episodes of a particular show.
Once that is out of the picture, you’re left with the rest of the month without a VPN. While PrivadoVPN is fast (for a free provider), it offers just 12 server locations. Compared to premium services, this number is extremely small. Furthermore, the service has no support for Linux.
Therefore, if you’re on Ubuntu or Linux Mint, installing the VPN isn’t possible. PrivadoVPN has no simultaneous connections either. As a result, you can watch BBC iPlayer only on one device at a time. This isn’t particularly exciting for families who want to share a VPN subscription.
PrivadoVPN, on the other hand, has a no-logs policy and comes with solid security. AES-256 encryption is here and while it has no third-party audits, the VPN is still safe and secure. Still, with limited bandwdith and frequently overcrowded servers, you’ll go only as far as unblocking the service.
For more serious streaming with unlimited traffic, this one won’t suffice. But, as we promised, it’s 100% free and requires just a free account to be used. Once you create one, PrivadoVPN will assign you 10 GB of bandwidth, which you can distribute however you want during the month.
For more information about the provider, read our in-depth PrivadoVPN review.
Pros
- Fast speeds
- Servers in the UK
- Bank-grade encryption
Cons
- Only 10 GB of traffic a month
- It lacks an ad blocker
- No simultaneous connections
- Limited torrenting
- No third-party audits
2. Windscribe
Windscribe is the second and last best free VPN for BBC iPlayer. Much like its rival, it works with the platform and its free UK server can unblock it easily. Unfortunately, this provider suffers from the same shortcomings as PrivadoVPN, one of which is a 10 GB monthly bandwidth cap.
Regardless, this amount of bandwidth isn’t enough for streaming, even when talking about SD resolution. Moreover, Windscribe is actually slower than PrivadoVPN, and due to its popularity, server overload is a typical occurrence. Therefore, Windscribe tends to show some instabilities.
Our Windscribe VPN review also highlighted its excellent security. And whilst this is great for privacy enthusiasts, a problem might be its Canadian jurisdiction. Windscribe also has a paid version, which ends up giving you more servers and unlimited traffic.
But from our experience, this provider isn’t worth the asking price. We like its features like ROBERT (an ad blocker) plus Private DNS for handling your DNS requests. This all falls into oblivion when we take into account its limited traffic.
Spending 10 GB of bandwidth a month isn’t hard – and you can do it in a day or two. For the rest of the month, you’ll have to switch to another provider or simply wait for the next month to use it again. In terms of unblocking BBC iPlayer for free, Windscribe is incredibly reliable.
But if you expect a large number of simultaneous connections, quality support, and advanced security features, you’ll need to look elsewhere. We recommend checking our premium VPNs usable for free which will give you significantly more features at a cheap price.
Pros
- Excellent security
- Easy to use
- Solid performance
Cons
- Limited to 10 GB a month
- Small server fleet
- Expensive premium plan
- Based in Canada (5 Eyes)
- No 24/7 live chat support (only chatbot)
Which Free VPNs Don’t Work With BBC iPlayer?
Let’s be clear – the majority of free VPNs for BBC iPlayer won’t work. During our testing procedure, we encountered dozens of them if we exclude Hola VPN, for example. Hola VPN will work but we didn’t recommend it because it’s very unsafe and isn’t a VPN in the “real” sense of the word.
If you’re thinking about it – or worse – you’re using it already, we advise reading our Hola VPN test. There, we explained why it’s one of the worst free providers you can use. For now, let us clarify a few providers we tested without positive results.
TunnelBear
TunnelBear is a provider with 500+ servers. It does offer UK servers, which provide stellar performance. However, during our tests, we tried to watch BBC iPlayer with it, only to receive a well-known geo-restriction message.
This provider, either way, offers 2 GB of monthly traffic, with limited speed and only basic security functions. In addition, it has apps only for Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS, so installing it on Smart TV or Fire TV is impossible.
Beware that it won’t work with a single popular streaming platform – including Netflix – making it a choice we’d not recommend for streaming.
Hide.me
Hide.me is a premium provider with an awesome free plan with a bandwidth limit. Although it has around a dozen or so locations (the UK included), its British server isn’t working with BBC iPlayer. After all, the provider openly states that its free servers aren’t streaming optimized.
On the flip side, its premium version is actually quite decent. But then, it’s not particularly affordable, so we can’t recommend it in favor of ExpressVPN or CyberGhost. Hide.me is also slower and limits you to one simultaneous connection, having the same annoying shortcomings as all free VPNs.
Urban VPN
Urban VPN offers unlimited bandwidth with plenty of servers in the United Kingdom. Sadly, this isn’t the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer because it’s not working. Urban VPN is like Hola VPN in terms of logging, plus, it has literally no security features in the app.
As a result, it’s prone to IP/DNS leaks which will compromise your security. Privacy-wise, as said, it stores logs and sells them to third parties. Thereby, by using it, you’ll expose yourself to greedy advertisers and basically pay for the VPN with your privacy.
Premium VPNs for BBC iPlayer (Free for Up to 45 Days)
For the best possible experience when watching BBC iPlayer outside of the UK, it’s best that you use premium services. Now, as their name implies, they’re not free, and therefore, not suitable at first. The good thing is that we have a trick that’ll allow you to use them for free for a limited period.
ExpressVPN: Free for 30 Days
ExpresssVPN is the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer for 30 days. It’s not free but it offers a 30-day refund policy for all plans. We recommend its annual plan with a 49% discount and 3 free months, which drops the price significantly and makes this provider so much more affordable.
Watch BBC iPlayer With ExpressVPN for Free
Alternatively, even its monthly plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you can pay its monthly price, which is around $13, enjoy it, and be refunded in the first 30 days. In other words, once you get your money back, you’ll be at zero, not losing a single dollar.
Sure, this allows you to use it for a limited period but at least it’ll REALLY work with BBC iPlayer. You can then unblock it while you’re outside of the UK on a vacation and get your money back once you’re home, all while enjoying unlimited monthly bandwidth.
Why Use ExpressVPN for BBC iPlayer?
Unlike premium service where you’re constrained by constant limits, ExpressVPN uncaps your bandwidth and gives you 3,000 fast servers. It even offers several server locations in the UK, all of which work effortlessly with BBC iPlayer.
We tested this provider at least a hundred times with great success. On top of that, ExpressVPN is capable of streaming on a myriad of other platforms. Netflix and Hotstar are only one of them but the VPN also unblocks US TV channels even in Europe or Asia.
Unlike the best free VPNs for BBC iPlayer, this one allows for simultaneous connections. As we speak, it offers 5, which should be plenty even for families. Security-wise, ExpressVPN is impeccable. You’ll enjoy AES-256-bit encryption with DNS/IP leak protection and a kill switch.
To make things better, ExpressVPN stores no logs and has security audits to prove that. Its easy-to-use apps are working on all devices, making even beginners quickly accustomed to its interface. The Lightway VPN protocol ensures that its 10+ Gbps servers are working properly.
For streaming on BBC iPlayer and other services, it’s a dream come true. ExpressVPN has many other benefits as well, such as anonymous torrenting, Onion over VPN support, and 24/7 support through live chat. As you can see, it’s quite a step up from the free BBC iPlayer VPNs we mentioned.
Not only it works 100% of the time but it’s also unlimited, so you can watch your favorite shows and entertainment programs day and night. It can be used as the top free VPN for BBC iPlayer but if you don’t want a refund, you can keep your subscription and enjoy it for 15 months with a big discount.
CyberGhost: Free for 45 Days
We can say the same about CyberGhost. This time, the provider offers a 45-day refund policy for all plans longer than a month. The monthly plan, in particular, gives you a 14-day money-back guarantee, which isn’t small either.
CyberGhost is one of the cheapest services with unlimited bandwidth and lots of servers. Thanks to the refund policy, this can be your preferred free VPN for BBC iPlayer for 45 days if you get its mind-boggling discount through the button below.
Unblock BBC iPlayer With CyberGhost
Namely, its longest plan drops the price to just around $2 a month and gives you a couple of free months on top of that. This ensures CyberGhost remains incredibly valuable, all while not skimping on any quality and reliable features.
Of course, if you want to use it for free, the key is to get a refund in the first 45 days of the purchase. This way, you’ll get a full amount of money back, not losing a penny in the process. But what does CyberGhost have to offer?
Why Use CyberGhost?
Well, it has 9,500+ servers in nearly 100 countries, with hundreds of servers in the UK. Not only that but it has special servers for BBC iPlayer! You just need to select the server from the list, connect to it, visit the site, and stream shows and sports events anywhere.
People often use it to stream Wimbledon or French Open live on BBC iPlayer, for instance. Then, there are torrenting servers if you’re into P2P, but also NoSpy servers for added privacy. These servers are based in Romania and controlled by CyberGhost, with no third-party interference.
Additionally, the service offers an ad blocker, backed by WireGuard, IP leak protection, and split tunneling. CyberGhost is a privacy powerhouse, packing a no-logs policy with an audit from Deloitte and even transparency reports published four times a year.
Like ExpressVPN, the provider is pretty fast, so 4K streaming is a breeze. To that, we should add an awesome mobile app that also offers OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. CyberGhost’s 7 simultaneous connections are nothing short of impressive.
This allows you to protect multiple devices without needing another subscription. Compared to PrivadoVPN which offers 1 connection per account, this free VPN for BBC iPlayer is much better. And there’s 24/7 live chat support in English, French, and German – something you won’t get anywhere.
Needless to say, we think you’ll be impressed with what CyberGhost offers. If you’re looking for a free BBC iPlayer VPN just for this purpose, even better. You know you’ll have a provider ready to tackle your needs and unblock the platform at any time – splendid!
Summary
It’s clear as day that really free BBC iPlayer VPNs won’t work with this platform in the majority of cases. PrivadoVPN and Windscribe are exceptions to this rule but due to their limited bandwidth and slow speeds, unblocking the service is as far as you’ll go.
Because of that, our strong recommendation is to focus on the premium providers instead. ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, in particular, showed impressive performance with BBC iPlayer. They’ll not only unblock it but also provide you with unlimited monthly bandwidth.
As a result, mere unblocking isn’t the only benefit – you can watch it day and night without limits! Luckily, they can be used for free for 30 or 45 days, so if you’re keen on accessing this platform, you can do so by not losing any money.
In the long run, however, the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer in 2024 doesn’t exist. You’ll have to save some money and pay for ExpressVPN or CyberGhost. Or you can try NordVPN which also works with BBC iPlayer properly – it’s your choice.
