AD| What’s Better for Disney+? A Proxy Server or a VPN Service?

Disney+ made a lot of waves when it was first announced, but people were soon disappointed to learn the service will only be available in a few countries:

• The US
• Canada
• Australia
• New Zealand
• The Netherlands
• The UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain starting March 31, 2020.

Accessing the website from a country where it’s not available will just redirect you to a landing page that gives you a “Keep Me Updated” option.

How can the website do that?

Well, it’s simple – Disney+ knows what your real IP address is. And that info tells the website exactly what country you are from.

Luckily, you can solve that problem by just hiding your IP address. And you can do that either with a VPN or a proxy.

What’s a VPN & How Does It Work?

A VPN is an online service that can hide your IP address and your Internet traffic.

Basically, you pick a service, download and install the VPN app, run it, and connect to a VPN server.

Once you do that, the app and the server establish an encrypted “tunnel,” and all your traffic gets routed through there.

Also, when you connect to a VPN server, it automatically replaces your real IP address with its own address.

So, you’d need to connect to a US, Dutch, Aussie, Canadian, or New Zealand VPN server to unblock Disney+ at the moment.

What’s a Proxy & How Does It Work?

A proxy is a server that acts as a middleman between you and the Internet. 

Simply put, you send connection requests to it when you want to access Disney+. Once it receives the requests, the proxy forwards them to the website on your behalf, hiding your IP address in the process.

When the proxy successfully accesses the content you want, it then retrieves it for you.

Obviously, you’ll need to use a proxy server in a country where Disney+ is available.

Which Service Should You Use to Unblock Disney+?

In theory, both VPNs and proxies should help you unblock Disney+ anywhere in the world. But when it comes to the experience you get, it really depends on your preferences.

Normally, you should test out both services to see which one you like the most. However, I can make things a bit simpler by giving you an overview of the drawbacks and advantages of using each service to unblock Disney+: 

The Pros and Cons of Using a VPN

VPNs use strong encryption, so they can offer you decent privacy when binging Disney+. So much so that not even your ISP will know you’re doing it. 

What that means is they won’t be able to throttle your bandwidth when you use a ton of data watching Disney+ content.

There’s just one problem with VPNs: speed – the loss of it, specifically. 

I know, it’s ironic given what I just said, but the truth is that if you’re very far from the server (like a continent away), and you use a resource-intensive protocol (like OpenVPN), your speeds might go down.

The good news is that you can somewhat reduce the slowdown by using a more lightweight protocol like IKEv2, SoftEther, and L2TP/IPSec instead.

Also, consider this – you can use both VPNs and proxies to bypass firewalls that block Disney+ at work or school. But only a VPN will completely hide your activity from network admins.

The Pros and Cons of Using a Proxy Server

The cool thing about proxy servers is that they can save content on their local cache.

So, if you request a Disney+ web page that’s already on the local cache, the proxy can deliver it faster to you since it doesn’t have to forward your requests to the website.

Unfortunately, proxies have more disadvantages than VPNs.

For starters, they don’t offer powerful encryption like VPNs do. So, your ISP might still be able to see what you’re watching, allowing them to throttle your speeds.

Plus, if there is no encryption, the proxy owner can see your traffic too. What’s more, they can see your IP address as well.

And I know what you’re thinking – “if the encryption is less powerful, that means I get better speeds.”

Well, not exactly – proxy servers don’t usually offer smooth, fast speeds. They often become overcrowded fast, and end up enforcing bandwidth caps too.

Sure, you could just use a private proxy. But if you’re going to pay money, why not spend it on a VPN? You get more bang for your buck that way.

Oh, and there’s a problem with the local cache – while it is useful, it’s also not reliable since it can deliver outdated content.

The Bottom Line

All in all, you’re better off using a VPN to unblock Disney+. You get a more convenient experience, better speeds, and superior security + privacy.

Plus, some VPN providers actually have servers that double as proxy servers. So, you can get the best of both worlds by just using a VPN service.

Need Help Finding a Good VPN?

Not all VPNs are made equal. You can’t expect to use a random service, and be able to unblock Disney+ instantly. The platform is actually pretty good at blocking VPN services, after all.

You need to pick a VPN that can unblock the website now, and is also capable of doing it in the long run.

Finding such a service can be pretty tough – you’d normally have to go through dozens of free trials and money-back guarantees until you find a VPN that is stable.

Or you could do the smarter and significantly easier thing – use an in-depth guide that will save you tons of time and effort. The best way to watch Disney+ is by following that link, and seeing which VPN appeals the most to you.