Disney+ is shaping up to be one of the most popular streaming platforms, offering some of the most popular content in the world at a reasonable price. This includes movies and TV shows with characters from the vast Disney universe — think: Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and Disney’s own fairy tales.
Unsurprisingly, ever since Disney+ has been launched, people started asking us – how can we join the party? Or – how can we keep our access to the service when traveling abroad?
Like that’s the case with Netflix and other such services, a VPN can help, presenting the Disney+ service with a local IP address so that it can make all content available to the user.
But you don’t want to use just about any VPN to access Disney+ — you want the one that will get you the true buffer-free experience, and also the one that will let you do other things online.
So we’ve tested a bunch of different VPN services to come up with those we find the best. And here they are:
Pros
Cons
- 5,000+ servers in the network
- Easy to use - install it and forget it
- One license is good for up to 6 devices
- Strict zero-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Chrome extension is just a proxy
- You can't pay with PayPal
Summary
In addition, NordVPN will have you covered in all other scenarios. Whether you want to keep a low profile on the web, bypass ridiculous content bans and censorship, download and upload files via BitTorrent — this is a VPN that you can rely on. And we love it for that.
We highly recommend NordVPN to anyone looking for reliable service.
Pros
Cons
- Feature-rich yet easy to use
- One of the best VPNs around
- Strong no-logging policy
- Reliable support you can reach 24/7
- Limited number of servers in Africa and the Middle East
- Kinda pricey
Summary
Add other ExpressVPN features to the mix and you get a service that is hard to beat and is, therefore, one of our favorites. Whether you need a VPN for bypassing censorship, torrenting, accessing other streaming services or anonymously browsing the web - you won't regret signing-up for ExpressVPN.
Pros
Cons
- It's super fast!
- Works with Netflix, BBC and others
- Easy to use apps, browser extensions
- You can try it for free!
- Some advanced features are not configurable
- Not the best for high-censorship countries
Summary
In addition, you can also rely on Hotspot Shield for torrenting, where too you can expect fast download and upload speeds. Also, you'll get a fancy experience on your mobile devices with Hotspot Shield apps boasting a fancy, yet easy-to-grasp user interface.
As that's typically the case with most VPN services out there, the longer you commit - the better deal you get. However, what makes Hotspot Shield even better is the fact that it offers a 7-day free trial of its service. A few other top VPN providers do the same. Plus, its money-back guarantee lasts for 45 days, making for a risk-free purchase. Cause, you can always get your money back. Sweet and just the way we like it.
Pros
Cons
- Reliable download and upload speeds
- Works with Netflix and BBC iPlayer
- Strict zero-logs policy
- Lets you use it on unlimited number of devices
- Low number of servers in Africa and Australia
Summary
You can rely on it for streaming and torrenting, with included extra features like CleanWeb and MultiHop, delivering a that much better — and more secure — experience. Also, it will work great with Disney+.
Surfshark, the company, is based in the British Virgin Islands and with its zero-logs policy makes for a powerful combo to anyone looking to keep its web whereabouts under the radar.
The service is easy to use and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros
Cons
- One the best VPNs for torrenting
- Works well with Netflix
- Simple setup on all popular devices
- Strict zero-logs policy
- Doesn't work with BBC iPlayer
- Doesn't work in China
Summary
Its desktop apps are not among the prettiest ones, but they get the job done. The important thing is that installation is easy and straightforward, and that no logs are kept by the company.
When it comes to pricing, IPVanish is somewhere in the middle — it's not the most affordable option but also not the most expensive one. As noted, it will be most appreciated by heavy BitTorrent users, and — related — Kodi fans.
Disney+ 101
Disney+, or Disney Plus, is a subscription video on-demand streaming service that primarily distributes films and television series produced by The Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Television; this includes content from its Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic brands. Original films and television series are also distributed on Disney+.
The service debuted on November 12, 2019, in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands. On March 24, 2020 – it was expanded to Australia, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico a week later, and expanded to select European countries. It became available in India in April through Disney’s Hotstar streaming service which was rebranded as Disney+ Hotstar. In mid-2020, Disney+ was further expanded in Europe and Latin America.
Ten million users subscribed to Disney+ within its first day of operation. The service had 60.5 million subscribers as of August 4, 2020.
Like other streaming services, Disney+ is available across devices and platforms.
The road to Disney+
Here are some key details that are interesting to know:
- In late 2015, Disney launched a streaming service in the United Kingdom called DisneyLife to test the streaming market. That service was replaced by Disney+ on March 24, 2020.
- In August 2016, Disney acquired a minority stake in BAMTech — a spin-off of MLB Advanced Media’s streaming technology business — for $1 billion, with an option to acquire a majority stake in the future.
- On August 8, 2017, Disney invoked its option to acquire a controlling stake in BAMTech for $1.58 billion, increasing its stake to 75%.
- In December 2017, Disney announced its intent to acquire key entertainment assets from 21st Century Fox; the acquisition was completed on March 20, 2019.
- In March 2018, Disney’s top-level segment division was reorganized with the formation of Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, which then included BAMTech that contains “all consumer-facing tech and products”.
- On November 8, 2018, the name (Disney+) for the forthcoming video streaming service was announced by the company’s CEO Bob Iger.
- In August 2019, Iger announced that it will offer a streaming bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and the ad-supported version of Hulu for $12.99 per month available at launch. Also at that time, Disney opened subscriptions to Disney+ at a discounted rate for three years.
- Disney+ launched on November 12, 2019 Midnight Pacific Time in the announced initial three launch countries.
The launch was not without its flaws with users reporting problems with logging in Disney+, accessing specific content, and setting up profiles and watch lists. Some of the issues were due to third party devices, though.
What can you watch on Disney+
As we have mentioned above — and it’s kinda obvious — the service is built around content from Disney’s main entertainment studios and film and television library — including Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Disneynature, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, National Geographic, and select films from 20th Century Studios, Hollywood Pictures, Searchlight Pictures, and Touchstone Pictures.
It is suggested that Disney+ has approximately 7,000 television episodes and 500 films, including original television series and films from Disney Channel and Freeform, and select titles from 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. The service also includes select acquired programming from outside production companies that are not directly made by Disney or any of its subsidiaries (such as eOne’s PJ Masks and BBC Studios’ Bluey, though they both air on Disney Junior). Captain Marvel, Dumbo (2019), and Avengers: Endgame became the first theatrically-released Disney films to stream exclusively on Disney+ within the pay-cable window.
The company’s CEO said that Disney+ will eventually host the entire Disney film library, including films currently in the “Disney Vault“.
Original series based on Marvel properties are being produced, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, an animated What If series, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. The Star Wars franchise got the same treatment with The Mandalorian, and a few other series that are in development as we speak — such as a seventh season of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and an untitled spin-off series with Ewan McGregor reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi from the prequel trilogy.
In January 2019, it was reported that Disney will spend up to $500 million in original content for the service. As part of that, some of the popular movies — including Home Alone, Night at the Museum, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Cheaper by the Dozen — will be “‘reimagined for a new generation” exclusively for Disney+ by Fox Family.
Why do you need a VPN to access Disney+?
As that’s the case with pretty much all video streaming services, they limit access to users from certain countries. For instance, if you’re an American – you can’t access Disney+ while traveling overseas. Except if you use a VPN to first connect to a US-based server and then fire-up the Disney+ app or visit their website. And the same goes for other countries.
The situation is even more complicated in countries where Disney+ is still not available. For people living there, they will first have to start their VPN to sign-up for the service (pay for it) and then be able to access it.
So one way or another, people are using VPNs to access Disney+. Or at very least to keep their access to the service.
Look beyond Disney+
You need a VPN for many things, not just for accessing Disney+. A good VPN will:
- Protect your privacy from the government and big corporations
- Bypass restrictions imposed by the government or various organizations
- Change your IP address so you get unrestricted access to Netflix, Disney+, iPlayer, HULU, and other video streaming services
- Encrypt and protect private data from cybercriminals
- Download files with BitTorrent anonymously
The top contenders that check all these boxes — while also let you access Disney+ from anywhere — include the following:
