Pluto TV is one of the biggest free, ad-supported streaming services in the world, but the moment you leave the regions where it officially runs, the channel grid empties out. Watching Pluto TV abroad comes down to a single thing: where the service thinks you are. The line-up is locked country by country, so a viewer in a market Pluto never launched in, or a traveller hopping between the 38 countries where it does run, sees a different set of channels, or nothing at all.
A VPN fixes that by routing your connection through a server in a supported country, usually the United States, which carries by far the largest catalogue. You keep the free, no-signup experience and simply pick the region whose channels you want. Below we walk through the setup, the catch points, and which ExpressVPN server delivers the smoothest stream.
Tested weekly by our team. Green: works, amber: partial, red: blocked.
| VPN Service | Price | Pluto TV | Tested | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ExpressVPNBEST | From $2.79/mo | ✓ Works | June 13 | Try it |
 NordVPN | From $2.99/mo | ✓ Works | June 15 | Open |
 Surfshark | From $1.78/mo | ✓ Works | June 13 | Open |
 Private Internet Access | From $1.79/mo | ✓ Works | June 14 | Open |
 CyberGhost | From $1.75/mo | ~ Partial | June 12 | Open |
 IPVanish | From $2.19/mo | ~ Partial | June 15 | Open |
 ProtonVPN | From $3.59/mo | ~ Partial | June 12 | Open |
✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works✓ Works~ Partial~ Partial~ PartialTakes about 2 minutes. Works on your phone, tablet, TV, PC, or laptop.
Pluto TV works in 38 countries, including in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada and in Ireland. In 137 more it is blocked, and outside available regions you will need a VPN.
Pluto TV works without a VPN in the United States, in the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Canada, in Ireland, in Germany and in France, plus in 31 more countries.
Pluto TV also works in the Netherlands, in Antigua and Barbuda, in the Bahamas, in Barbados and in Belgium, plus in 14 more countries, but with limited content compared to fully available countries. ExpressVPN unlocks full access.
Pluto TV is blocked in New Zealand, in Japan, in India, in South Africa and in Afghanistan, plus in 132 more countries. To access it, use a premium VPN like ExpressVPN.
Pluto TV is the FAST service of Paramount Skydance and, after launching in 2014, played a significant role in popularising the model of free, ad-supported linear streaming channels. From one interface viewers can reach more than 250 themed channels (film, TV, music, news, documentaries) and a large on-demand catalogue, none of which requires registration. The service operates in around 38 countries, and the exact channel line-up varies market by market based on local licensing.
3 tips from our Pluto TV testing team · Updated May 31, 2026
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