5 Best Free VPNs for BBC iPlayer in Canada [2023 Guide]

What is the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer in Canada in 2023? It can be quite challenging to select the best free VPN provider when many options are available on the market with different features and offers.

To help you watch BBC iPlayer in Canada or anywhere outside the UK, we have shortlisted the 5 best free VPNs that work with it. The majority of free VPNs offer low bandwidths due huge number of users and make users’ personal information vulnerable to security risks.

So, we recommend using ExpressVPN as the best BBC iPlayer VPN to help you get a virtual UK IP address to access BBC iPlayer outside of the UK because of its robust unblocking capabilities and upgraded security protocols.

BBC iPlayer is UK based free streaming platform by BBC exclusive for UK citizens only. To access BBC iPlayer, your device must physically be available in the UK.

It offers amazing streaming content, including the best BBC movies and shows such as Race Across the World, Gossip Girl, and Collin from Account. Let’s explore what else is to watch on BBC iPlayer. All for free!

Again! You cannot watch BBC iPlayer abroad free without VPN. So let’s look into the best free VPNs for accessing BBC iPlayer in Canada, and here’s what we found: Come on, then!

What are the Best Free VPNs for BBC iPlayer in Canada? [Quick Overview]

Do you love watching BBC programming and looking for the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?  Here is a quick rundown of the 5 best free VPNs currently available on the market to unblock BBC iPlayer in Canada so that you can watch your favorite shows and movies for free:

If you are unfamiliar with using a VPN to watch BBC iPlayer in Canada or ExpressVPN, BBC iPlayer not working, continue reading to learn about simple steps that will allow you to enter the BBC world of entertainment:

How to use a VPN to Watch BBC iPlayer in Canada? [3 Steps Guide]

How do I use BBC iPlayer with VPN? Let’s follow the 3 steps guide to unblock BBC iPlayer using the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer and continue streaming your favorite TV shows, movies, sports events, and news:

1. Subscribe to the most trustworthy BBC iPlayer VPN (ExpressVPN is the #1 choice).
2. Download the VPN app > sign in > connect to a UK server preferably the Docklands server).
3. Navigate to the BBC iPlayer website, log in to iPlayer, and start streaming!

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What are the Best Free VPNs for BBC iPlayer in Canada? [Full Analysis]

To find the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer, we extensively tested over 52 VPNs available on the market. We determined the following 5 free VPNs unblock BBC iPlayer in Canada without much effort.

To assist you in answering the question of which free VPNs work with BBC iPlayer, we have included a list of all available options below.

You can read the total reviews of the VPNs on this list and choose the one that best fits your needs:/

1. ExpressVPN: The Best Free VPN for BBC iPlayer 

ExpressVPN BBC iPlayer is the best option for unblocking BBC iPlayer in Canada and watching BBC episodes, movies, and other programs without buffering. Its ultra-fast servers ensure rapid access to BBC iPlayer with no server disconnections.

ExpressVPN BBC iPlayer has a very large server network that stretches across more than 94 countries and contains more than 3000 servers in total, including the United Kingdom, where it has 4 server locations: Docklands, London, Wembley, and East London.

ExpressVPN unblocked BBC iPlayer in Canada.

Throughout the course of our test with ExpressVPN connecting to the UK’s Docklands server, we were able to watch episodes of Gossip Girl, Collin from Account, The Gold, and Question Time.

We could also watch sports events like Lionesses: Champions of Europe, Gods of Snooker and The Edge, etc. Because of its one-of-a-kind MediaStreamer feature, ExpressVPN has maintained its position as the undisputed leader in the business.

Users can access BBC iPlayer on devices such as Apple TVs, Fire TVs, and Samsung TVs, which do not directly support VPNs. While streaming video, having this feature not only ensures quick streaming speeds but also provides a seamless watching experience.

ExpressVPN speed test on a 100 Mbps connection!

ExpressVPN enabled us to download 89.38 Mbps on our 100 Mbps connection while achieving an upload speed of 84.66 Mbps during our testing method. Both of these speeds were achieved while utilizing the service. These are incredible speeds in both the forward and backward directions.

ExpressVPN allows users to unblock BBC iPlayer and other region-restricted streaming services such as Hulu, Paramount Plus, Netflix US, Discovery Plus, YouTube TV, and many others.

Users of ExpressVPN get access to 256-bit encryption, an internet kill switch, and protection against DNS and IP leaks, as well as the Lightway protocol.

In addition, it offers unmetered bandwidth, which guarantees a smooth and uninterrupted streaming experience at all times. ExpressVPN is also suggested due to the fact that its encryption methods are military-grade and that it maintains a tight no-logs policy.

ExpressVPN is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows,  Android, FireOS, Linux, and iOS. A single subscription can enable connections from as many as five devices simultaneously.

ExpressVPN may be downloaded on Firestick, tablets, desktop computers, smartphones,  Android TVs, Smart TVs,  and any other streaming device of your choosing, thanks to this feature.

You can stream BBC iPlayer on your Firestick, iPhone, and Smart TV if you have ExpressVPN installed. If you use ExpressVPN, you will never have to worry about the BBC iPlayer service not operating properly.

ExpressVPN is available for a low cost of only CA$ 8.96/mo (US$ 6.67/mo) - Save 49% and get 3 extra months FREE with 12-month plan per month (Receive 49% Discount + 3 Months FREE on its 12-Month Plan), and it includes a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. This enables you to test out the service without making any long-term commitments.

2. CyberGhost: Most Reliable Free VPN for BBC iPlayer 

Watch BBC iPlayer in Canada without interruptions, thanks to CyberGhost’s dedicated servers. This VPN provides users access to many specialized servers for various platforms, including ITV Hub, Hulu, Netflix, and All 4.

Furthermore, CyberGhost performs routine maintenance on these servers to ensure they remain operational. The vast majority of free VPNs do not offer this feature. In every region of the United Kingdom, they offer blisteringly quick speeds.

About the speed, I tested it in three separate locations around the United Kingdom (London, Berkshire, and Manchester) and got an average speed of 44 Mbps, which is about usual for a leading VPN service and approximately what I would expect to get.

Cyberghost speed test on 100Mbps internet.

Using a connection capable of 100 Mbps, we got a download speed of 86.49 Mbps and an upload speed of 79.42 Mbps when streaming content from BBC iPlayer.

On iPlayer, I could watch episodes of Peaky Blinders and The Gold, and the streaming speed was 9 times quicker than what is needed for HD streaming (5 Mbps).

The CyberGhost app maintains its reliability and functionality across the board, supporting all major operating systems. Just “favourite” the BBC server and tapping it twice was required to access the United Kingdom on my iPhone.

I made the iPlayer service my homepage on my Windows laptop by utilizing “Startup rules,” I assigned the Chrome browser to the iPlayer service. After successfully connecting to CyberGhost, I am now able to launch iPlayer right away.

Cyberghost unblocks BBC iPlayer in Canada.

iPlayer can also be accessed with Clever DNS when using CyberGhost. Accessing geo-restricted content on smart TVs and gaming consoles can be accomplished using clever DNS services like MediaStreamer, offered by ExpressVPN.

Even said, my PlayStation 4 enables me to sign in to other services that are just as well-liked, such as Hulu and Netflix US, which came as a nice and welcome surprise.

A 45-day money-back guarantee is offered by CyberGhost, which is significantly longer than the industry’s typical 30-day guarantee. Given the size of the buffer, you will have more than enough time to experiment with iPlayer.

The return guarantee has been put through its paces and continues performing as advertised. Because live chat is accessible at any time of the day or night, all I needed to do to get my money returned was ask a few basic questions. A refund was issued to me after a period of 5 days.

3. TunnelBear: Trustworthy Free VPN for BBC iPlayer 

The BBC iPlayer can be watched from Canada using the popular free VPN service TunnelBear. It offers servers in 49 countries, including the United Kingdom. You can simply unblock BBC iPlayer in Canada by connecting to its servers in the UK.

We connected to the provider’s UK server to determine its unblocking capabilities’ efficacy. After that, we could view the most popular shows, Blue Lights, Masterchef, and The Gold, without interruptions while travelling worldwide.

Tunnelbear unblocked BBC iPlayer in Canada.

Regarding bandwidth, Tunnelbear limits your consumption to 500 Mbps per month. Due to the data cap, you can only live stream BBC iPlayer for 30 to 40 minutes, which is a pretty short period of time. This streaming service may be difficult for people who just sometimes binge-watch.

If you tweet about TunnelBear or refer a friend to the service, you will be eligible for one GB of free additional bandwidth. You can watch videos for more hours with an extra 1 GB of storage space.

We conducted a speed test by connecting to one of Tunnelbear’s servers in the United Kingdom and seeing how well the service functions in terms of its overall performance.

TunnelBear Speed Test CA

With a connection that was 100 Mbps, we could record a download speed of 55.27 Mbps, and our upload speeds were 40.21 Mbps. The BBC iPlayer should work flawlessly on any device you use on a regular basis, so you shouldn’t have any trouble streaming material from there.

TunnelBear has built apps for streaming services such as BBC iPlayer for PS5, Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Firestick, and Browsers (Chrome and Firefox). These apps allow you to view your favourite shows on any of your gadgets.

Due to the enormous number of servers that TunnelBear makes available to its customers, those customers can experience seamless streaming video without any interruptions or delays.

The 256-bit encryption, internet kill switch known as the VigilantBear, and the GhostBear are all additional factors contributing to Tunnelbear’s unparalleled level of security (DPI).

4. Windscribe: Fast VPN to Stream BBC iPlayer 

Windscribe is a full-featured free VPN service that allows customers to connect to 2 servers in the UK to unblock BBC iPlayer even when they are not physically present in the UK.

It offers free bandwidth of 10 GB each month, which would prevent you from viewing back-to-back episodes of shows on BBC iPlayer but would allow you to stream approximately six movies in SD. But that’s not all: if you tweet about Windscribe, you can get access to free data that’s up to 5 GB in size.

The free edition of Windscribe grants users access to 10 distinct server locations, two of which are in the United Kingdom. This allows users to access BBC iPlayer from locations outside the United Kingdom.

Windscribe unblocks BBC iPlayer in Canada.

When we attempted to access BBC iPlayer from outside the UK for the first time, we could not do so; however, when we attempted again, we were successful. The speeds were acceptable, as we did not see any buffering or delays during our time with the service.

We could use the BBC iPlayer hack without any issues after connecting to the Windscribe server in the United Kingdom. This was done to test the capability of Windscribe to unblock content that is located outside of the United Kingdom.

Users can keep their anonymity while torrenting online thanks to Windscribe’s strong no-logs policy and the fact that it offers P2P-optimized servers for free torrenting in the United Kingdom.

Additionally, it is compatible with a wide range of mobile platforms and operating systems, including but not limited to Android, macOS, Windows, and iOS. Using Windscribe on Firestick, the BBC iPlayer can also be played on large televisions, which is an interesting feature.

Throughout the course of our investigation into the United Kingdom, we connected our Windows-based devices to this VPN. As a result, we could stream BBC iPlayer with significantly less buffering on our Windows machines. Windscribe is an outstanding free VPN service compatible with Windows in Canada.

Windscribe speed test results on a 100Mbps connection.

When we ran our speed test on Windscribe’s servers in the United Kingdom, we recorded an average download speed of 59.11 Mbps and an upload speed of 37.07 Mbps when using a connection that was 100 Mbps. This information was gleaned from the results of our speed test.

This VPN has passable throughput rates and can circumvent geographical restrictions thanks to its high-security level. If you have any questions, you can ask them through the live chat option, and you will receive a prompt response even if you are not in the UK.

Both live chat and a chatbot can be used to communicate with customers.

5. Zenmate: Secure Free VPN to Stream BBC iPlayer 

Users located in Canada or anywhere outside of the UK can now access BBC iPlayer thanks to Zenmate, a VPN service that is safe and cheap. It has more than 3,900 servers spread over more than 87 countries worldwide, and each server works rapidly to unblock restricted streaming sites like BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Channel 5 etc.

Zenmate successfully unblocks BBC iPlayer in Canada.

Zenmate offers a 7-day free trial that may be used to unblock BBC iPlayer outside of the UK. After that, a monthly subscription to Zenmate costs US$1.64 and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can cancel your subscription at any time.

Using this service, we could attain download rates far higher than the average for the industry, which is 35 Mbps. ZenMate offers decent speeds across a large number of servers.

When compared with the servers situated in the United Kingdom, this performance was found to be quite satisfactory. The server in the United Kingdom could achieve an average download speed of roughly 27.21 Mbps.

Zenmate speed test results on 100Mbps internet.

ZenMate was able to unblock not only the BBC iPlayer but also ITV by connecting to a server in the UK. However, there were occasional glitches in the streaming that I had to work around. But, I was most amazed by the fact that it could unblock both ITV and BBC iPlayer.

ZenMate excels in the area of interoperability. On Windows, Linux, iOS, macOS, Android, and even gaming consoles, you may set it up in a number of ways by downloading appropriate programs or setting it up locally.

ZenMate can be configured to work with your local network, Firestick,  Chromebook, Raspberry Pi, Smart TV, Apple TV, and more. Apps are available for a wide variety of platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Fire TV, Android TV, Android, Firefox, Brave Browser, Edge, UC Browser, Chrome, and Fire TV.

ZenMate claims it has a zero-logging policy and does not track users’ actions. But, a VPN service like ExpressVPN, which offers a 30-day free trial, is the best option if you’re unsure and value privacy above all else and want to watch BBC iPlayer.

In addition to standard VPN protocols like IKEv2, L2TP/IPsec, and OpenVPN, ZenMate also uses incredibly secure 256-bit AES encryption. Any user would find these protocols adequate, although I had hoped for more.

ZenMate is a reliable choice due to its strong encryption and protocol support. However, ZenMate has some serious shortcomings, most notably in security. Ad blocking and split tunnelling will also be absent. In its favour are features like the Kill Switch and eliminating DNS leaks.

What Free VPNs don’t work with BBC iPlayer?

If you want the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer, you must also be aware that not all free VPNs can unblock BBC iPlayer in Canada, so be concise in your choice.

The following are some free VPN providers that do not work with BBC iPlayer and should be avoided:

ProtonVPN: You are provided with unlimited data whenever you use the free version of the Proton VPN.

Since the free plan only allows you access to servers in the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands, you won’t be able to access BBC iPlayer because it is a streaming service that is based in the United Kingdom, and the VPN doesn’t provide any servers in the United Kingdom.

Hotspot Shield: Despite permitting up to 15 GB of data transfer each month, Hotspot Shield only offers a single free server in the United States.

As a result, because it does not have any servers in the United Kingdom, it is impossible to stream BBC iPlayer using it; therefore, you should look into other options instead.

Hide.me: Hide.me’s free plan has servers exclusively located in the United States of America, Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands alone.

Sadly, it does not offer a free server in the UK; as a result, you will not be able to stream BBC iPlayer.

How to choose the Best Free VPNs for BBC iPlayer?

While determining which VPNs offer the best free access to BBC iPlayer in Canada, we have evaluated each shortlisted VPN according to the following criteria:

This might also make the process easy for you to choose the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer to stream BBC programming in Canada. Let’s get into the details:

A VPN’s compatibility with BBC iPlayer in Canada: 

As evidence that each VPN can unblock BBC iPlayer, we have included screenshots demonstrating how each VPN can unblock and access BBC iPlayer while connected to a server in the UK, even when the user is located outside the UK.

VPN Speeds: 

Using BBC iPlayer in Canada or anywhere outside of the UK necessitates a VPN service, and the speed of that service is a major factor. We checked the speeds of every UK server offered by the best VPN services reviewed here.

The iPlayer streamed properly and at high speeds using the UK servers of each VPN when we used them together.

Online Privacy: 

We researched each VPN provider’s logging policies before selecting one to access BBC iPlayer in Canada. The no-logs policy means that none of the VPNs we’ve recommended above keep any logs of your activity or other personal information while you’re connected.

Security Protocols:

Prioritizing basic security measures is essential when selecting a VPN provider. The VPNs we’ve listed here all include standard encryption methods in addition to additional security features like Multihop and ad blocking.

A VPN’s Device Compatibility: 

We ensured the VPNs worked with all the most common platforms so you could access BBC iPlayer from any device. To stream BBC iPlayer on various platforms and devices, including but not limited to Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Firestick, iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, and Smart TVs.

Live Customer Support:

We tested each VPN’s live chat and email support by asking questions about app configuration and server locations. We received timely responses from each VPN that we contacted.

No subscription costs:

The best VPN to use with BBC iPlayer is one that will not cost you a dime. Our crew has evaluated each VPN, and they are all available for free.

There are no hidden or extra charges that could be levied at a later period. Pick one of these and start watching BBC iPlayer online right away!

Read on to learn about the risks of using free VPNs for accessing BBC iPlayer in Canada:

What are the Risks of using Free VPNs for BBC iPlayer?

One of the many disadvantages of using a free VPN is that users are unable to access content that has been restricted due to their location. Let’s get into more detail about the risks that come along with using free VPNs:

• Collect information about the users and then make it available for sale to advertising companies and 3rd parties for their own monetary benefits.
• Provide users access to a smaller than usual number of servers and slower than typical download rates due to a large number of users.
• The possibility exists that personal information and online activity records will be collected and that IP addresses will be revealed and manipulated.
• Users are more likely to receive malware and be the target of hackers at any time since their online information is jeopardized.
• Give minimal data to users.
• At this moment, you are unable to access content that is geo-blocked.

If you’re looking for the best free VPN for BBC iPlayer, you should go with ExpressVPN because it offers a 30-day free trial during which you may utilize the service, become acquainted with it, and try out the streaming experience before committing to a monthly or yearly subscription.

FAQs – Best Free VPN for BBC iPlayer

Conclusion

The BBC iPlayer is unrivalled compared to other streaming services in the United Kingdom to broadcast the most popular British programs, movies, sports events, and reality TV shows.

Users in Canada cannot access the service since it is only available within the United Kingdom due to geographical constraints and distribution rules. To circumvent these restrictions, the only workable solution is to use a VPN provider with servers located in the UK.

We recommend using ExpressVPN to access the BBC iPlayer while residing in Canada or on a trip outside the UK. You may try it out without any risk for the 30 days, or if you join up for the annual plan, you’ll get the first 3 months free. Happy Streaming!