Is Tubi available in the UK without a VPN?

Yes. Tubi is available in the UK and you can watch it without a VPN. If you're in the UK and your VPN is causing a block, the most likely culprit is a flagged server rather than a missing service: try switching to a UK server, or disconnect the VPN temporarily to confirm Tubi works fine on your connection first. Some UK viewers connect to a US server to access the larger US library, which has more titles than the UK version.

Why does Tubi block VPNs if it's free?

Tubi makes its money from advertising rather than subscriptions. Advertisers pay to reach viewers in specific countries, so Tubi has a financial reason to know where its audience actually is. If someone in another country watches using a US server, Tubi may be serving US ads to a non-US viewer, which doesn't match what advertisers paid for. Content licensing agreements are a factor too, since even free platforms have to honour territory-by-territory rights deals with studios. Both of those things together are likely why location checking is taken seriously.

Do I need a Tubi account to use it with a VPN?

Yes, you need a free Tubi account to watch, but signing up only takes a minute and there's no payment involved. None of the fixes in this guide change that; you just need the VPN connected before you open Tubi.

Which VPN works best with Tubi?

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are the most consistent in our testing. Both have large US server pools with regular IP rotation, which makes it easier to land on a server that isn't on Tubi's current block list. Free VPNs almost never work reliably here: their shared IP pools get flagged quickly, and they tend to be too slow for comfortable video playback even on the occasions they do get through.

Tubi loads but videos won't play. What's going on?

This usually means Tubi ran a separate location check when you pressed play, after the page itself loaded fine. Switch to a different server, clear your cookies, reload the page, and press play again.

Why does Tubi work on my phone but not my laptop?

The app and the browser use different detection methods. Browsers can leak your real location through WebRTC in a way that apps generally don't. If the browser is failing, try the Tubi app with the VPN running at system level. If the app is failing, try the browser in a private window with WebRTC blocked. Switching between the two often reveals which path is being caught.

Can I use a free VPN with Tubi?

It's unlikely to work well. Free VPNs share IP addresses across a lot of users, which makes those addresses easy for Tubi to identify and block. Speed tends to be a problem too: most free VPNs apply data or bandwidth limits that make video streaming frustrating. A paid VPN with a large server pool is the more dependable option.

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Tubi Not Playing? How to Fix the Location Block

Tubi makes its money from advertising rather than subscriptions, so it takes location checking seriously despite being free, and this guide covers the fixes that work

Thomas RichardEditor

Published 4 June 2026 · 8 min read

Fix your Tubi VPN in minutes

Try a different US server in your VPN app: Tubi blocks individual server IPs, not VPNs in general (how to switch)
Connect your VPN first, clear your browser cookies, then open Tubi in a private window
Try the Tubi app instead of a browser; it uses a different detection method and often works when the browser doesn't
Check what Tubi sees with our IP address checker: if it shows your real location, the VPN isn't routing on that server

If your VPN still isn't working, you need a better alternative that actually hides your location.

See our recommended VPNs

Tubi is one of the only big streaming services that costs nothing at all, which makes it easy to assume the location checking would be fairly relaxed. It isn't. Tubi runs on advertising, and advertisers pay to reach viewers in specific countries, so it has a genuine reason to care where you are. If your VPN isn't getting you in, you're almost certainly dealing with a single blocked server rather than a problem with the VPN itself. Switching to a different one tends to sort it on the first or second try.

What you'll see when it's blocked

The most common message is something like "This video is not available in your location" or "Sorry, this content isn't available in your region." Sometimes Tubi loads the homepage without any problem but won't play anything when you press the button. You may also see a "Proxy Detected" message, which means Tubi has specifically identified the VPN server IP you're on as a known proxy address. Either way, the fix is the same: the server you're using is flagged, so switching to a different US city is the place to start.

Before anything else, check whether Tubi is available in your country at all. It runs in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and a handful of other countries. If you're somewhere outside those, you'll need a VPN server in one of them to get access. The US library is the biggest by a wide margin, so a US server is the natural starting point for most people. UK viewers can access Tubi without a VPN, though many connect through a US server to get the wider US catalogue.

Fix 1: Switch to a different server

Start here before anything else. Tubi's block list targets specific server IP addresses, so swapping to a different one often clears the problem without any other changes. If the current server isn't working, try a different city in the same country rather than just picking another server in the same location.

In NordVPN, open the app and search for United States, then try different cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas are all worth a go. NordVPN has a feature called SmartPlay that's built for streaming; check it's enabled in your settings under General or Connection.

In ExpressVPN, choose United States from the server list and cycle through a few different cities if the first one doesn't work. New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are good starting points. ExpressVPN automatically picks the fastest server in whichever city you select, so switching cities is the quickest way to get a fresh IP address when one stops working.

For step-by-step instructions across all the major VPN apps, see our guide on how to switch VPN servers.

Tubi showing its library of free movies and TV shows — You can access all of Tubi's programmes from any country with a VPN that makes your connection appear to be in the right place.

Fix 2: Clear your cookies and use a private window

If you've visited Tubi before without a VPN active, your browser may have stored location data from that session. Even with a US IP now showing correctly, an old location cookie can reveal your actual whereabouts to Tubi. Clearing cookies removes that stored data. Using a private window is quicker and does the same job: it starts with no cookies or cached data, so Tubi only sees your current VPN connection.

Connect your VPN to a US server first, then clear cookies, then open Tubi in a fresh private window. The order matters.

Chrome: three-dot menu Settings Privacy and security Clear browsing data. Tick Cookies and cached images, and set the time range to All time.
Firefox: hamburger menu Settings Privacy & Security Clear Data.
Safari (Mac): Safari Settings Privacy Manage Website Data Remove All.
Safari (iPhone): open the Settings app Apps Safari Clear History and Website Data.
Edge: three-dot menu Settings Privacy, search, and services Clear browsing data. Tick Cookies and Cached images, set range to All time.

Fix 3: Use the Tubi app instead of a browser

Browsers have a built-in feature called WebRTC that's mainly there for things like video calls in a tab. It can also, somewhat inconveniently, tell websites your real IP address even when a VPN is running. The Tubi app doesn't use it in the same way, making it a useful fallback when the browser keeps getting blocked.

The Tubi app is available on iOS, Android, Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, PlayStation, and Xbox, among others. Make sure your VPN is running as a full app on your device rather than just as a browser extension: extensions only cover browser traffic, so the Tubi app won't go through one.

Fix 4: Check what Tubi actually sees

If you've switched servers and still can't get in, make sure your VPN is actually doing what it's supposed to.

Visit our IP address checker with the VPN connected. It shows you the location Tubi would see when you open the page. If it reports a US location, your VPN is working fine and the issue is a blocked server: try a different city and check again. If it shows your real location, the VPN connection isn't routing properly on that server: switch to a different city, reconnect, and recheck before going further.

Fix 5: Change how your VPN connects

VPN apps can connect in a few different ways, known as protocols. Most of the time the default is fine, but switching can help when servers keep getting flagged. WireGuard is the fastest modern option and a good one to try first.

In your VPN app's settings, look for a section called Protocol or Connection. In NordVPN, the WireGuard option is listed as NordLynx. In ExpressVPN, try Lightway. After switching, reconnect and try Tubi again. Our VPN protocol guide covers the steps for all the main apps.

Tubi on TVs and streaming sticks

Tubi has apps on most of the popular streaming platforms. Getting a VPN running alongside it is slightly different depending on what you're watching on.

Fire TV and Fire TV Stick: the easiest option. NordVPN and ExpressVPN both have dedicated Fire TV apps. Install your VPN, connect to a US server, then open Tubi.
Roku: Roku doesn't let you install VPN apps directly. The most practical route is setting up the VPN on your router, so every device on your home network picks up the US IP automatically. You can also share a laptop's VPN connection as a wi-fi hotspot and connect your Roku to that instead.
Apple TV: NordVPN and ExpressVPN both have native Apple TV apps. Install one, connect to a US server, and open Tubi.
Samsung, LG, and Sony TVs: the built-in operating systems on these TVs don't support VPN apps. Setting up the VPN on your router covers everything on the network, including the TV, without any extra steps on the TV itself.
PlayStation and Xbox: same situation; consoles don't run VPN apps. The router method works, or you can cast Tubi from a phone or laptop that's already running the VPN.
Android TV and Google TV: NordVPN and ExpressVPN both have Android TV versions in the Play Store.

For any device where a VPN app isn't an option, setting up the VPN on your router is the most dependable fix. Every device on the network gets the US IP automatically after that. Most VPN providers have a router setup guide in their help centre.

What Tubi actually is

Tubi is a free streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. There's no subscription and no credit card required. You'll need a free account to watch, which only takes a minute to set up. Once you're in, creating a watchlist and picking up where you left off are both included.

The library runs to tens of thousands of titles, though the character is quite different from Netflix or Disney+. Tubi leans heavily toward movies rather than TV series, and skews toward older films, cult classics, horror, action, and international cinema rather than new releases from the last year or two. If you're after something that came out recently, you probably won't find it here. Where it does well is 80s and 90s action, B-movie horror, classic westerns, foreign-language cinema, and cult titles that have fallen through the gaps on bigger platforms. It's also stronger on full TV box sets than most people expect. The trade-off is ad breaks during playback, the same way a commercial TV channel works.

The US library is the most complete. The UK version is available without a VPN and has a solid catalogue, but the US version carries more titles, so a US server is worth using if you want the widest choice.

Frequently asked questions

: Yes. Tubi is available in the UK and you can watch it without a VPN. If you're in the UK and your VPN is causing a block, the most likely culprit is a flagged server rather than a missing service: try switching to a UK server, or disconnect the VPN temporarily to confirm Tubi works fine on your connection first. Some UK viewers connect to a US server to access the larger US library, which has more titles than the UK version.
: Tubi makes its money from advertising rather than subscriptions. Advertisers pay to reach viewers in specific countries, so Tubi has a financial reason to know where its audience actually is. If someone in another country watches using a US server, Tubi may be serving US ads to a non-US viewer, which doesn't match what advertisers paid for. Content licensing agreements are a factor too, since even free platforms have to honour territory-by-territory rights deals with studios. Both of those things together are likely why location checking is taken seriously.
: Yes, you need a free Tubi account to watch, but signing up only takes a minute and there's no payment involved. None of the fixes in this guide change that; you just need the VPN connected before you open Tubi.
: NordVPN and ExpressVPN are the most consistent in our testing. Both have large US server pools with regular IP rotation, which makes it easier to land on a server that isn't on Tubi's current block list. Free VPNs almost never work reliably here: their shared IP pools get flagged quickly, and they tend to be too slow for comfortable video playback even on the occasions they do get through.
: This usually means Tubi ran a separate location check when you pressed play, after the page itself loaded fine. Switch to a different server, clear your cookies, reload the page, and press play again.
: The app and the browser use different detection methods. Browsers can leak your real location through WebRTC in a way that apps generally don't. If the browser is failing, try the Tubi app with the VPN running at system level. If the app is failing, try the browser in a private window with WebRTC blocked. Switching between the two often reveals which path is being caught.
: It's unlikely to work well. Free VPNs share IP addresses across a lot of users, which makes those addresses easy for Tubi to identify and block. Speed tends to be a problem too: most free VPNs apply data or bandwidth limits that make video streaming frustrating. A paid VPN with a large server pool is the more dependable option.

Our recommendations

The Best VPNs for Tubi

If the fixes above didn’t work, the problem is usually the VPN itself. Not all providers are equal at unblocking streaming services. These are the ones we recommend based on our own testing.

The “Try” buttons for NordVPN, ExpressVPN and PureVPN are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you subscribe, at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.

NordVPNStarting from £2.29/mo

The most consistent VPN we've tested across BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Disney+, and the harder UK services. Reliable, fast, and works on up to ten devices at once.

Try NordVPN Read our review

ExpressVPNStarting from £1.99/mo

The fastest VPN in our tests by a consistent margin, and competitively priced. A strong choice if speed, picture quality, or smart TV streaming matters to you.

Try ExpressVPN Read our review

PureVPNStarting from $2.15/mo

The most affordable of our three picks. Still unblocks all the major streaming services, and the price makes it a sensible starting point if you're new to VPNs.

Try PureVPN Read our review

New to VPNs? Find out if you actually need one.

VPN use is legal in the UK and most countries. Accessing streaming services from outside their licensed territory may fall outside their terms of service; check the terms of any service before use.