I signed up with Netflix pretty much the day it launched in Canada. Having fiddled around with it in the US a few times, I knew what type of movies/shows/ etc. it offered, and you didn’t have to ask me twice if I wanted access to unlimited episodes of Hoarders (when you trip over toys and laundry all day, programs like that are good for one’s self-esteem).
As far as Netflix Canada vs USA goes, I figured out quite quickly after I signed up that Canadian Netflix was sadly lacking in comparison to US Netflix. For one, US Netflix has Disney animated features like Toy Story 3 and Tangled. They also have interesting documentaries and full length episodes of Glee. Although I was happy with the 3 seasons of Mighty Machines available to Canadians and also delighted to note that there were NO episodes of the Beachcombers on there, I was a bit unhappy that the selection was otherwise lacking.
Netflix Canada vs USA – How to get US Netflix in Canada
I wanted to access the US Netflix content, but as I live in Canada, it seemed like it would be difficult to do so. Turns out, it wasn’t. You can do one of two things:
A.) Physically move your computer to the USA and don’t worry about having to watch US Netflix in Canada
Netflix automatically determines your DNS settings and, if you are in a different country, Netflix can tell. So just move thyself to a different country (like Bellingham if you are close by), and ding, you have US Netflix.But you might not want to drive to Bellingham just to catch up on your Netflix viewing (but if you did, you could get groceries at the same time).
B.) Change your DNS settings
There are two options that I know of to change your DNS settings to USA based. I’ve been using UnoTelly (here’s my review) and it will give you access to USA based DNS settings without any video lag. Change your settings on your computer, iPad, or iPhone and instantly gain access to US based Netflix content. Not only that, you can also watch videos online that would normally post that annoying, “I’m sorry, this video is not available from your location.”
Hide My Ass is another re-routing service. I’ve read rave reviews about their service, but it comes in a bit more expensive.
If you do one of these two things (and there could be more, these are the only options I researched), you can watch Netflix the way it was intended. As well, you can sit back and enjoy the unlimited freedom that comes with being able to watch any gossipy web clip on People.com (Nicole Ritchie’s makeup tips! Who knew?) and you won’t be restricted.
Have fun, and be sure to check out my updated post on How to Watch Netflix USA in Canada.
Shelly Wutke
Hey, you are a live saver! I gave unblockus a try however my xbox would for some reason did not work. Then i tried http://blockless.com … their system was pretty good, worked with my xbox as well as mac. So if you are in the same boat as me .. do give that one a try!
well i think you should consider expressvpn which is great. specifically if you want VPN for streaming or gaming your major concern is speed, mostly VPN service reduce your speed up to 15 % so! don’t buy before speed test.. here is the list of testes 5 fastest vpn service 2015 http://www.fastestvpn.net/
i,am having problems with neflix, it is saying player error, unknown error, i can,t call neflix?
please help me! i need a number!
thank you
I’ve got netflix on my XBOX and a Canadian Netflix account.
But how do I know I’m watchin the USA version of Netflix ?
If you can see Phineas and Ferb, then you’ve got Netflix US. That’s usually the way I find out for sure, because Disney content isn’t available on Canada’s version of Netflix. Then, if you do some digging, you’ll see a lot of movies and TV shows that aren’t available in Canada.
I have Netflix Canada, if getting the US unblock thing, will it automatically switch to US once the DNS is changed?
Yes it should. If you don’t see the new US content, just reboot your TV or box and it should update itself. If you have a Smart TV, you’ll also see options like Hulu or Amazon Prime.
Hi Shelly. I’m running Netflix through my Wii though so it wouldn’t be through cable box.
That should work the same as the others. If you don’t see American content (Phineas and Ferb, Disney movies like Tinkerbell, etc.) then reboot your Wii and it should work. The only problem I’ve come across is if I don’t have UnoTelly running on another computer in my house. You have to change your computer first, then change your Wii.
Hi Shelly, got it working 🙂 so much more selection on the US Netflix. incredible – Thanks for sharing
Hello. Unblock US is amazing. I just figured out today that if you go to the “how to set up” section and change the country, you can stream from even the UK, Brazil, Denmark, Mexico, Finland, Ireland, Sweden. if you go to Moreflicks.com, there’s tons of movies there which give you the option to view on Netflix. There’s a drop down which tells you where the movie is streamed from then you just simply change country and voila !
if anyone uses firefox,the most up to date firefox,i think its 19.0 or 20.0 beta,so just update your firefox if you have not all ready done so, now go to tools at the top and on the drop down list click on get new add-ons, then after clicking that then it will show you some add-ons but go down to where it says on the right side-browse all add-ons,click that,then in the search box for add ons type PROXMATE 2.2.1,CLICK SEARCH,then the page for proxmate will show,on the right sick click on ,add to firefox ,in a couple of seconds it will say installed,and way go to EXTENSIONS, YOU WILL SEE IT THERE, it should be ready to use,and you can watch any american sites, like hulu,or netflix or any other website that has streaming media,then when your done with it and want to go on canadian site or just surf the net,you and shut proxmate off from a tiny bar down and on top of your taskbar, thats it, works very well
I can tell when I have USA Netflix when I search for “Top Gun.” The canuck Netflix doesn’t even have Top Gun yet. Lol, can you believe that? It doesn’t have a 26 year-old flick …
If you use a computer, or have a HTPC with Google Chrome installed, install the HOLA Chrome app. (search HOLA in the chrome store)
You can toggle between USA, UK, CANADA and other countries. No need to have your bandwidth crippled by virtual VPN’s. Its free, and it is awesome, and quicker than VPNs!
My two cents!
I use Hide My Ass Pro VPN. Yes, I have to pay for it, but it serves my purposes very well. I don’t know if the other progs do this, but HMA searches for the strongest signal and hooks you up to it. I don’t know how it works – I think it pulls in different IPs from your closest location and bounces your signal from Canada to the US. It’s a floating thing that keeps you on the best signal at any given time. Somebody more knowledgeable than I can probably explain it better. I’ve been a member of HMA for years. Excellent Customer Service too!
I tried it and it works! Great article !! I wanted to note that since I didn’t have a Netflix account I had to link it to an American credit card, and since I don’t have one I bought on from this website I found in another blog called giftcards2u.com/ it was a lengthy verification process but I got an iTunes gift card very fast once I verified my identity and got Netflix through the apple App Store. pretty sweet now I can watch Santa Claritas Diet :O !!!