Do VPNs work with Amazon Prime?

Do VPNs work with Amazon Prime?
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If you’re looking for a great TV streaming platform, you can’t go wrong with Amazon Prime Video. It provides an impressive array of TV shows, movies, and exclusives that you can watch on all your devices. 

But regardless of all the great content offered by Amazon, you’ll only have a few exclusive shows to stream when you leave your native country to go on vacation or travel for work-related purposes. An Amazon Prime VPN makes it possible to access Amazon’s video streaming platform in full when you’re traveling.

Of course, this isn’t the only thing you can do with the best VPN. Generally speaking, they can enhance your overall streaming experience by stopping bandwidth throttling and DDoS attacks. Plus, they’re also powerful security and privacy tools. However, using a VPN with Bezos's streamer is slightly different than the experience you'd get with a Netflix VPN. In this article, we’ll talk more about what to expect when using a VPN for accessing Amazon Prime Video. 

  • Avoid buffering and stream 4K without a hitch with a fast VPN

Yes, VPNs work with Prime...

First and foremost, you’re probably wondering whether you can use a VPN with Amazon's streaming offering. The answer to that question is a big fat yes – it’s certainly possible to access Prime with one of these services. 

In fact, many of the most popular VPN services can be used with Amazon’s online streaming platform. These include ExpressVPN, NordVPN, ProtonVPN, Surfshark, Hotspot Shield, CyberGhost, and many other providers. 

Access content when outside your home country

While it’s great news that you can use a VPN for accessing what Prime has on offer, what can you actually do with one of these services? Namely, you’ll be able to access the Prime library of your home country whenever you travel to a different part of the world.

If you leave your home country and try watching content on Prime abroad, you’ll be disappointed to learn that there’ll be a reduced library of Amazon originals. This is because you're no longer in the country where you initially created your Prime account. 

By using a VPN, you can resolve this issue and stream all the content you’d get back home. That’s certainly useful if you frequently travel, whether on holiday or for professional reasons, and want to keep entertained. 

You can’t explore other libraries

However, there is one major caveat to this. Sadly, you can’t use a VPN to watch TV shows and movies that are only available in another country

Unlike many other streaming platforms, Amazon will only allow you to access a single content library – and this will be the one available for your country. So, if you’re a Brit who has traveled to New York, you won’t be able to use a VPN to stream content available on Prime US. It’s just not possible.

In comparison, Netflix operates very differently. If you travel to another country, you’ll automatically be able to access the Netflix library of this location. Consequently, you can use a VPN to switch to different content libraries around the world.

Does that mean VPNs simply aren't any good with Prime? The answer is no. Prime is still a great streaming platform, and with the help of a good VPN service, you can watch all the content you’d experience in your home country. 

Other benefits of using a VPN

One thing to remember is that VPNs aren’t just designed for streaming; there are tons of other VPN uses, too. For starters, you can use the internet without the very real threat of online snooping and ensure public Wi-Fi networks are safe to use.

VPNs are even capable of improving streaming and gaming performance by preventing bandwidth throttling and DDoS attacks. And if you go abroad, you don’t need to worry about internet censorship as VPNs are designed to bypass geo-restrictions, letting you unblock all your favorite websites. 

Which VPN do we recommend for Amazon Prime users?

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ExpressVPN stands out from the competition in terms of price, features, and value. With servers in nearly 100 countries, MediaStreamer Smart DNS functions, blazing connection speeds, and reliable access to multiple streaming services, ExpressVPN offers everything a Prime user needs. 

While some users may prefer certain features of other top VPNs, it’s the best overall option for most users – and now Tom’s Guide readers can claim three months absolutely free.

Nicholas Fearn is a freelance technology journalist and copywriter from the Welsh valleys. His work has appeared in publications such as the FT, the Independent, the Daily Telegraph, The Next Web, T3, Android Central, Computer Weekly, and many others. He also happens to be a diehard Mariah Carey fan!