In this tutorial, I'll show you exactly how to watch Hulu in Canada (in 3 simple steps 👍), the best VPNs that actually unblock Hulu (after 20+ hours of research & testing 🔬), and how to stream Hulu in full 1080p (hint: 99% of us are doing it wrong 🤦♀️).
Have you reached the end of Netflix? Cancelled Disney+ after Mulan (2020)?
If so, you're in the right place! (binge watchers anonymous, that is 😂)
As Canadians, we only get a fraction of the content on Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video that our American neighbours do.
It's like sitting beside the guy with a jumbo popcorn and drink, while you munch on M&Ms.
(You can see it, but you can't have it 😪. Except, in this case, you literally can't see it. 😆)
Hulu - the world's 4th largest streaming service - isn't even available in #WeTheNorth!
Fortunately, you can still access Hulu's massive content library, including Hulu originals like The Handmaid's Tale, Castle Rock, and Ramy, by following just 3 simple steps.
Grab the popcorn and let's get started! 🍿
That's it! No batteries required... (well, except for your TV remote)
For most Canadians, the tricky part is paying for Hulu (they don't like our monopoly money).
If you don't have a US credit card, the easiest way is to use a prepaid credit card service like StatesCard (note: additional fees apply) or buy Hulu gift cards from a reputable reseller.
However, I'd still recommend applying for a US credit card from your Canadian bank as it's much cheaper than using StatesCard and more convenient than reloading gift cards.
(Personally, I use RBC Bank VISA Signature Black with $0 annual fee 🤗)
Need a step-by-step guide for the whole process?
Keep reading for my full instructions, including my list of VPNs that actually unblock Hulu based on 20+ hours of research and testing. 🧪 (note: over 50% of popular VPNs failed)
D'you know what's worse than not having Hulu in Canada?
Picking the wrong VPN, signing up for Hulu, only to get the gray screen of death:
That's right: Hulu is fine taking your money, even if you can't actually watch anything...
Gotta love #capitalism.
Remember, any virtual private network (VPN) can change your IP address (even free VPNs).
BUT... only the best VPNs will get past Hulu's sophisticated geo-detection system.
In fact, over 50% of VPN providers FAILED to unblock Hulu in my tests. 🤔
(in other words, you just paid them for 100% hot air)
So... you wanna know which VPNs actually unblock Hulu?
Well, I could bore you to death with my spreadsheet (from 20+ hours of running speed tests, most of which were spent clicking reCAPTCHA images, thanks Google).
But then, Drake called me and said he had a better idea:
Alright, enough said. Thanks, Drake. 🙏
If you'd like to check out the best VPNs for Hulu, here ya go:
Now, if you're a speed freak like me 😎 and want to know exactly how fast these VPNs are, keep reading for my full review of each one!
Otherwise, feel free to fast forward to Step 2: Sign Up For Hulu.
Real quick, I'm gonna explain how I test VPN services to make sure:
And... unlike the bigger websites like TechRadar, CNET, or PCMAG, my tests are 100% focused on finding the best VPNs for Canadians.
For example, Canadians don't need 3,000+ servers in 94 countries (ahem, ExpressVPN).
What you really need is a dozen US servers as close as possible to the Canadian border.
That's because you want to minimize the travel distance between your device and the VPN to maximize your connection speed (it's kinda like cross-border shopping 🛒).
In terms of my actual process, I first tested if a VPN could successfully unblock Hulu:
Only the VPNs that unblocked Hulu 100% of the time made it to the next level. 💯
Next, I ran the VPN services through a series of speed tests:
(and clicked on enough reCAPTCHA images to last a lifetime 😑😑😑)
Lastly, I compared the plans & prices to determine the best VPNs for your money. 💲
And the Oscar goes to... (drumroll, please)
Hotspot Shield! 🏆🥂🎉
Seriously, though, hats off to Hotspot Shield and the team at Aura. 👏
This VPN blew away the competition in my final speed tests:
(speed test results are based on a 100 Mbps internet plan)
In case you're wondering, the yellow lines at the bottom are Hulu's recommended speeds for streaming in HD 1080p and Ultra 4K (6 Mbps and 16 Mbps, respectively).
So no matter which VPN you choose, you'll have NO PROBLEM watching in high definition!
(assuming you have a decent Internet plan with 25+ Mbps download speeds)
Overall, the fastest VPN was Hotspot Shield 🏆 (90+ Mbps download speeds!!!), followed by NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN.
(note: Surfshark and NordVPN's download speeds were lower for Speedof.Me due to a technical problem with the Buffalo, NY test as the closest test server was in New York City, which significantly increased the connection distance compared to, for example, a Canadian like myself connecting from the Greater Toronto Area)
You might not have heard of Hotspot Shield before.
But the company's been around for over a decade (since 2008), creating free and paid VPNs to help users access geo-restricted content and bypass government censorship.
I call Hotspot Shield the Usain Bolt of VPNs ⚡, and for good reason...
PROS
Overall, Hotspot Shield is a superhuman VPN! 🦸♂️ I particularly like its sleek user interface that lets you easily pick a VPN location, monitor your data usage, or run a quick speed test.
If you're in a hurry or you don't want to manually pick a location, there's a quick access menu that'll connect you to the Best Server for Streaming (US/UK) or Best Server for Gaming.
Now, the only downside of Hotspot Shield is...
CONS
Overall, if you want the fastest manVPN on Earth, check out Hotspot Shield!
Recommended Servers for Western Canada
Recommended Servers for Eastern Canada (All Excellent for Ontario)
Rocketing into second place, NordVPN had impressive download speeds of 85-90+ Mbps.
This popular VPN performed slightly lower on Google's speed test (87.4 average) but higher on Speedof.Me (94.7 average, excluding the Buffalo, NY test due to a technical issue).
Regardless, you'll have no problem streaming Hulu in 1080p or ultra 4K at these speeds.
Now, here's why you should consider NordVPN...
PROS
Overall, NordVPN is super affordable if you're considering a long-term VPN service.
I'm also a huge fan of the Buffalo, NY server as it's right across the lake from Toronto, which means supercharged connection speeds for anyone living in the GTA.
On the other hand, I do have a couple complaints about NordVPN...
CONS
Overall, NordVPN provides rocket-fast download speeds at super affordable prices.
Recommended Servers for Western Canada
Recommended Servers for Eastern Canada
Speeding into third place, Surfshark did pretty well for itself: unblocking Hulu 100% of the time and streaming videos at 85-90 Mbps.
Overall download speeds were comparable to NordVPN, although some servers were a bit slower like Manassas, VA and Buffalo, NY.
However, Surfshark stands out as the best value VPN with the cheapest 24-month plan at only $2.49 per month that allows you to connect unlimited devices 😍.
So if you need 24/7/365 VPN coverage on all your devices, start surfing with Surfshark! 🌊
PROS
Overall, I really like Surfshark's simple user interface and its all-you-can-eat VPN package at such an extremely low monthly price.
On the other hand, here's what I didn't like:
CONS
Overall, Surfshark is the best value VPN for streaming Hulu on unlimited devices.
Recommended Servers for Western Canada
Recommended Servers for Eastern Canada
First, this show is sponsored by ExpressVPN...
Sound familiar? 🤣
Thanks to its many YouTube partners, ExpressVPN has quickly become a household name.
However, I found that this popular VPN didn't really live up to the hype. (*mic drop*)
Allow me to explain.
Although ExpressVPN unblocked Hulu 100% of the time, its download speeds were much slower than everyone else on this list (around 79-83 Mbps).
I was even extra generous by testing 7 servers (instead of 4) to make sure I had a good sample (Washington, New York 1, 2, New Jersey 1, 2, 3, and Chicago).
While I enjoy ExpressVPN's beautiful user interface, its price-to-performance ratio is very low, considering that it's slower than everyone else but still charges a premium price (monthly plans cost $12.95/month while annual plans cost $8.32/month).
Anyways, you know the drill. Here's why you should consider ExpressVPN...
PROS
CONS
Overall, ExpressVPN has an excellent user interface but underwhelming speeds.
Recommended Servers for Western Canada
Recommended Servers for Eastern Canada
Finally, don't waste your time or money on the following VPNs as they couldn't unblock Hulu (and most of them had terrible download speeds).
Here's a friendly reminder from Drake:
Now that you've chosen a VPN (see Step 1 if you haven't), let's jump to the tricky part:
Signing up for Hulu from outside the United States.
For this step, you're going to use the VPN to change your Canadian IP address to a US IP address in order to bypass Hulu's geo-detection system.
First, download and install your VPN, if you haven't already.
Now, choose any US server and activate the VPN on your device.
Once your VPN is active, your IP address will be changed to a US-based IP address.
If you're not sure, google <what's my ip address> or visit whatismyipaddress.com.
Now, let's visit Hulu.com and click on <Start Your Free Trial>.
Next, choose a base plan for your Hulu subscription from the following options:
A basic Hulu subscription costs $5.99 (ads) or $11.99 (no ads) and includes all movies and shows in Hulu's content library, including Hulu originals like The Handmaid's Tale.
If you want to watch US live TV as well, the Hulu + LiveTV package adds 65+ channels like ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, and NBC, as well as ESPN, Cartoon Network, HGTV, and more. 👍
Last but not least, you can get Hulu (ads), Disney+, and ESPN+ together for only $13.99, which lets you watch classic movies like Star Wars, stream new shows like The Mandalorian, rewatch all the MCU movies, or catch live sports from NHL, MLB, and MLS! 🏒
Keep in mind that this package is Hulu with ads (without ads is $19.99 per month).
Next, you can choose to add premium add-ons to your Hulu subscription:
Each premium add-on adds an additional library of content (like Game of Thrones from HBO) that you can watch directly in your Hulu account.
This step is entirely optional, but since you get a free trial, it's not a bad idea to try 'em out.
Now, the tricky part is paying for Hulu with a US payment method.
Even though you've changed your IP address already, Hulu will still check your credit card to verify that you're a US customer (that means no Canadian credit cards).
If you don't have a US credit card, here are your options:
Another option (proposed on various forums) is to use a US PayPal account, but this assumes you already have a US debit card or credit card, which kinda defeats the point here.
The best option, by far, is to check if your Canadian bank offers a US credit card (most do):
Even though most of these cards have annual fees, it's still cheaper than using StatesCard ($14.95 one-time plus $47.40 a year) and more convenient than using gift cards.
The main advantage of applying with a Canadian bank is that they will use your Canadian credit history to determine your eligibility.
Personally, I use RBC Bank VISA Signature Black as it's $0 annual fee (plus 1% cashback with RBC Rewards) and I pair it with their Direct Chequing Account (annual fee of $42.50).
This lets me make US purchase like Hulu, Netflix, or Amazon.com, with minimal fees. It's also very convenient as I can instantly transfer USD funds across the border between my RBC accounts.
RBC Bank usually has a promotion for a 1-year free banking bundle when you sign up for both the VISA Signature Black and Direct Chequing Bank (they've waive the $42.50 fee for one year).
Now that you've gotten a US payment method, the next step is to pay for Hulu, right?
Actually, there's a small step that I see people get confused by, and that's the zip code.
In my experience, entering 00000 will usually work or you can take the 3 numbers from your postal code and add 00 to the end to create your personal zip code.
If that still doesn't work, just go to Google Maps, pick a nearby US city, and use a local zip code.
Now, go ahead and subscribe! Huzzah, you've gotten yourself a Hulu subscription! 😁
Booyah! You can now start watching Hulu in Canada on all your devices.
But wait, did you know that most of us are not getting a full 1080p experience?
If you're like me, you spend 90% of your time watching videos on your computer/phone.
The problem is, you're only getting 720p quality if you use the most popular browsers like Chrome and Firefox.
Seriously. I didn't realize this for years until I read this article on Forbes.
Long story short, the TL;DR is:
Hate it or love it, if you want to stream your favourite shows or movies in high definition 1080p, you'll need to use Edge or Safari (note: TVs and TV apps like Firestick are not affected).
Speaking from experience, once you go 1080p, it's impossible to go back to 720p picture without questioning all your life decisions (hmm... too many to count 🤣).
Now that you're a jetsetting internet pro, breezing through Hulu's airport security system, here's some of Hulu's best TV shows to binge-catch-up-on (yes, that's real word):
For movie night, here's a few ideas:
First, it's not that Hulu doesn't like Canadians. After 10+ years, the streaming platform is officially available in only the US and Japan (compared to 190 countries for Netflix).
Second, international expansion is always tricky because content rights holders (i.e. the production studios like Warner Bros, MGM, 20th Century) usually provide licences to content distributors with geographical exclusivity.
In other words, Hulu might own the licence for a movie or TV show in the US, but the corresponding licence in Canada has already been sold to someone like Bell Media or Rogers. This means that even if Hulu launched in Canada, the number of titles would be significantly lower due to their existing content distribution agreements.
Third, Disney owns the majority of Hulu and plans to take full control in 2024, making it even more complicated since Disney+ and Star are higher priority platforms for the company.
Alternatives to Hulu include:
Hulu is a streaming service that allows you to watch TV shows and movies from networks like ABC, FOX, and NBC. Hulu also has their own original series such as The Handmaid's Tale.
Founded in 2007, Hulu started off as a free streaming service and eventually turned into an ad-supported business model. Along with Netflix and Prime Video, it is one of the oldest streaming platforms, spanning 10+ years of operation.
A basic Hulu subscription costs US $5.99 (with ads) or US $11.99 (no ads) per month.
If you want USA live TV as well, the Hulu + LiveTV bundle is US $54.99 per month.
If you want Disney+ and ESPN+, there's a special package for US $13.99 per month.
The final price in Canadian dollars will depend on the current exchange rate.
Depending on how you choose to pay for Hulu, there may be additional fees involved.
Tom Qiao
