By hiding your IP address and connecting to an Indian server, a VPN lets you regain access to your Hotstar India account. Not all VPNs will work, so my colleagues and I tested 30+ VPNs to find the best options with high-speed Indian servers that work with Hotstar. My top pick is ExpressVPN — it has ultra-fast Indian servers that deliver buffer-free HD streams. Plus, you can try ExpressVPN with Hotstar India risk-free. All subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and it’s easy to get a refund if you’re unhappy with the service. Watch Hotstar India with ExpressVPN
Quick Guide: Watch Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia in 3 Easy Steps
Stream Hotstar in Saudi Arabia with ExpressVPN
How a VPN Helps You Watch Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia
Due to licensing agreements and broadcast restrictions, Hotstar is only available in a handful of countries. This means that even if you live in India and have an active subscription, you won’t be able to access the content you pay for if you’re traveling to Saudi Arabia. When you use a VPN, you can connect to a server in India and get an Indian IP address. To Hotstar, it looks like you’re inside the country, and you’ll regain access to all your favorite content. However, many VPNs on the market claim they can bypass Hotstar’s location filters, but only a few work reliably and are fast enough to support lag-free streaming. After extensive testing, I found ExpressVPN is the best option for Hotstar India (Disney+ Hotstar). You can test ExpressVPN’s ultra-fast India servers without risking your money. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a refund if you’re not satisfied with the service. I tested the guarantee by asking for a refund via the 24/7 live chat. My request was approved in just a few minutes, and my subscription fee was credited to my account 4 days later. Access Hotstar India with ExpressVPN
The Best VPNs to Watch Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia in January 2023
1. ExpressVPN — Superfast Speeds for Streaming Hotstar India in HD Without Interruptions
Key Features: ExpressVPN has unbeatable speeds for streaming in HD, so you can catch up on all your favorite Hotstar content from Saudi Arabia. Even on servers more than 15,000km away, my speeds never dropped below 95 Mbps. This was fast enough to support multiple HD streams without any mid-show buffering or drops in quality. In its network of 3000+ worldwide servers, ExpressVPN also has 2 virtual Indian servers. While these servers are not physically located in India, you’ll still get an Indian IP address to watch Hotstar when you connect to either of them. To make sure of this, I used an IP checker tool while connected to the virtual servers to see which location would be detected online. Thankfully, my tests showed that ExpressVPN’s virtual servers made it look like I was browsing from India (even though the physical servers are in the UK and Singapore). Aside from Hotstar, I found that ExpressVPN’s Indian servers also worked with the following platforms: Even though it’s a bit pricier than other VPNs, it’s well worth the price for ExpressVPN’s unmatched speed and reliability. Not only does it work with Hotstar every time, but it’s also fast enough to eliminate buffering. Plus, you can save 49% when you get a 1-year + 3 months subscription — you’ll pay just $6.67/month and get 3 months totally free. You can test ExpressVPN with Hotstar India without risking your money. If it doesn’t meet your expectations, you can get a refund thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. I tested the process myself and was impressed at how efficient it was. After talking to an agent via live chat for a few minutes, my refund was approved. I had the money back within 4 days. Watch Hotstar India with ExpressVPN
2. CyberGhost — Optimized Streaming Server for Reliable Access to Disney+ Hotstar From Saudi Arabia
Key Features: CyberGhost has a specialized streaming server for Disney+ Hotstar for guaranteed access to your account from Saudi Arabia. What’s more, these servers are regularly tested to ensure a seamless streaming experience. When I tested it, streaming servers delivered speeds 10-13% higher than regular servers, and full movies buffered in under 5 seconds. You’ll even be able to watch Hotstar India on CyberGhost’s non-optimized Indian servers and connect to other Indian streaming services, including: With 29 Indian servers, you’ll have no trouble with overcrowding during peak hours. Whether I tested it during the day or at night, the user load never exceeded 50%. This means I also had HD-streaming speeds whenever I connected, especially on nearby servers. Unfortunately, my speeds dropped up to 40% on long-distance connections (more than 10,000km). This can be a problem if you have low baseline speeds, but if you’re connecting to an Indian server while in Saudi Arabia, this won’t be an issue. While its monthly plans are expensive, CyberGhost offers a massive 83% discount on its 2-year + 2 months subscription. That means you’ll only pay $2.19/ month. Best of all, it comes with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee, so you can try CyberGhost’s dedicated Hotstar server for free. Claiming a refund is easy and can be done within minutes through live chat on the site. When I tested it, customer support didn’t insist I stay, and the money was returned to my account in 5 working days. Watch Hotstar India with CyberGhost
3. Private Internet Access (PIA) — 30 Indian Servers and Hundreds of IP Addresses to Access Hotstar India
Key Features: Private Internet Access (PIA) has 30 Indian servers that make it easy to watch Hotstar India from Saudi Arabia. This collection of India servers gives you access to hundreds of Indian IP addresses to unblock Disney+ Hotstar. When my team and I tested it, PIA easily accessed Hotstar 9 out of 10 times. I only encountered an error message once, but quickly solved the issue by disconnecting and reconnecting to the server. By doing this, I got a new IP address that wasn’t blocked by the service. PIA works with many international services, including the following: Its massive NextGen network (35000+ servers in 84 locations) provides excellent speeds for high-bandwidth activities like streaming. However, I was disappointed that my speeds dropped significantly on virtual servers (unlike my experience with ExpressVPN’s virtual servers). While its physical servers stayed above 70Mbps, its virtual servers dropped below 20Mbps in some instances. This is still fast enough for HD streaming, but you may have to deal with longer buffering times for movies and long episodes of Criminal Justice or Game of Thrones. You can get PIA for as little as $2.19 a month on its best value, 2-year + 2 months plan, or you can test PIA’s virtual India server for free when you use its 30-day money-back guarantee. If you change your mind, you can get a refund by contacting support via live chat or its online ticketing system. I found the support agent to be friendly and helpful when I canceled my subscription. The money was returned to me within a week. Watch Hotstar India with PIA
4. PrivateVPN — Dedicated Indian IP Addresses for Seamless Hotstar Streaming
Key Features: PrivateVPN provides dedicated IP addresses on its Indian servers, making it easier to watch Hotstar and other streaming services. With dedicated IP servers, you’re assigned a unique Indian IP every time you connect. Since no one else can use the same IP address when you do, it becomes more difficult for sites to detect that you’re using a VPN and easier to get around Hotstar’s geoblocks. Even with a small network of 200+ servers in 63 countries, PrivateVPN delivered decent speeds on its servers. Its dedicated IP servers performed best with speeds up to 79Mbps. However, on regular, more distant servers, speeds dropped as low as 11Mbps. For the best performance, I suggest sticking to dedicated IP servers for uninterrupted streaming. You’ll also be able to access other Indian programming on: From just $2.00/month, PrivateVPN has one of the best monthly deals and lets you stream Hotstar India on up to 10 devices simultaneously. It’s compatible with most major platforms but has limited support for streaming devices. If you’re not ready to commit to a long-term plan, I suggest using PrivateVPN’s money-back guarantee to try it free for 30 days. All it takes to get a refund is an email to the helpdesk. When I reached out, I only waited a few hours for a response and received my refund in the same week. Watch Hotstar India with PrivateVPN
5. IPVanish — Stream Disney+ Hotstar India on Multiple Devices Simultaneously
Key Features: Thanks to unlimited simultaneous device connections and a wide range of user-friendly apps, IPVanish lets you stream Hotstar India on all your household devices. It has apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, but you can also set it up on your router to connect all your WiFi-connected devices, including smart TVs, gaming consoles, Apple TV, and Roku. When I tested it, I connected 6 devices to IPVanish’s India servers and was surprised that it didn’t noticeably impact streaming performance. I could stream YouTube videos on all 6 devices with minimal buffering. In fact, I recorded some of my best speeds with IPVanish — it was second only to ExpressVPN. While it worked consistently with Hotstar India, IPVanish only accessed a few other Indian streaming services, including: IPVanish’s most affordable subscription is its 1 year plan which comes with a 66% discount. You’ll pay just $3.99 a month to cover all your devices. The other option is to try IPVanish completely free using its 30-day money-back guarantee. However, I suggest picking the 1 year plan, as the guarantee doesn’t apply to the shorter monthly plans. Getting your money back is easy; all you need to do is cancel your account in “Subscription Settings.” The refund is automatically processed and usually returned on the same day. Watch Hotstar India with IPVanish
How I Tested and Ranked the Best VPNs for Hotstar in Saudi Arabia
To find the best VPNs for Hotstar India, I tested the leading VPN providers in 2023 against the following criteria: Hide your IP address with ExpressVPN
How to Watch Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia on Different Devices
Stream Hotstar India with ExpressVPN
Android TV (Sony, Hisense, Phillips, and more)
Apple TV
Roku
How to Sign up With Hotstar India
While you can sign up for Hotstar India from Saudi Arabia, you’ll need an Indian phone number to register your account. Note that you need to sign up before you travel because signing up for Hotstar India abroad, even using a VPN, could breach its terms and conditions.
Credit Card Method
Watch Hotstar with ExpressVPN
Can I watch Hotstar India on Samsung TVs, Android TVs, and Apple TVs?
Yes, you can watch Hotstar India on Samsung TV, Android TV, and Apple TV. However, since Apple TV and Samsung TVs don’t natively support VPN apps, you’ll need to get a VPN that’s compatible with your WiFi router. If you have an Android TV, you can simply download the VPN of your choice from the Google Play Store and sign in to your account. Then, connect to an India server, launch the Disney+ Hotstar app and start streaming from anywhere.
Is it legal to watch Hotstar with a VPN?
It’s complicated. While it’s not illegal to use a VPN to watch Hotstar India, it does violate the platform’s Terms of Service. What’s more, Disney+ Hotstar discourages the use of VPNs to bypass content restrictions and violate their licensing agreements. Also, even though many VPN websites and apps are blocked in the country, there are no laws against using a VPN in Saudi Arabia. I’d suggest downloading a VPN before traveling to Saudi Arabia to ensure you can gain access to your accounts from back home.
Can I watch Hotstar India using an Indian proxy server?
Maybe, but I don’t recommend it. While proxies serve a similar function, they come with limitations when compared to a premium VPN, some of which can be dangerous:
Fewer server locations — Proxies typically have only a handful of servers and you may not find an Indian proxy server to give you an Indian IP address. Easily detected and blocked — Even though a proxy will hide your IP address, they are easily detected by the proxy detection systems used by Hotstar India and other streaming services. Weak security features — With fewer resources, proxies can’t provide the same level of protection that VPNs do. They don’t offer end-to-end encryption and expose your personal data and browsing activity to cybercriminals, high-surveillance governments, and your ISP.
Can I sign up for Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia?
Yes, but only if you have an Indian phone number. All new members are required to provide an Indian mobile phone number to sign up for Disney+ Hotstar and receive the OTP to complete the registration process. There are other ways to get a virtual phone number online, but I don’t recommend virtual phone numbers. These numbers are usually shared, and your OTP will be accessible to anyone that visits the same site. Worse yet, these sites are unreliable — most users never receive their OTPs and are spammed by pop-ups that could be carrying malware and trackers.
Do I have to pay to watch Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia?
If you want access to Hotstar India’s full content library, you’ll have to pay for a Super or Premium subscription. There’s no free trial, but there’s a limited free version that lets you watch some ad-supported shows and movies like Dil Bechara, Badhaai Ho, and Haraamkhor. Additionally, the free version only allows you to stream live sports coverage for up to 5 minutes, and you won’t be able to watch any of the T20 World Cup matches without upgrading to a premium subscription.
Why isn’t my VPN working with Hotstar?
This can happen when Hotstar’s proxy- and VPN-detection technology identifies your IP address as belonging to a VPN. To avoid this problem, I suggest using a top-tier VPN, as lower-quality providers are more likely to be blocked by these systems. Here are a few quick fixes you can try to avoid being blocked by Hotstar:
Disable IPv6: If your VPN doesn’t have IPv6 leak protection, it might leak your IPv6 address and reveal your real location. To prevent Hotstar from detecting your location, you’ll need to disable IPv6 traffic on your device. To do this on Windows:
Clear your browser’s cache and cookies: Your cookies and cache may contain location identifiers that Hotstar uses to block you from accessing its content. To erase this data, do this:
Change the VPN protocol: If your current protocol doesn’t work, try switching to OpenVPN, WireGuard, or Lightway and try to load Hotstar India again. Try disconnecting and reconnecting to a different Indian server. Update and restart your VPN app.
If you can’t resolve the issue yourself, contact customer support through live chat or email.
Can I watch Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia with a free VPN?
No, you can’t watch Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia with a free VPN. While there are many premium VPNs with Indian servers, it’s virtually impossible to find a free VPN provider with servers in India — they have limited servers that are usually concentrated in North America and western Europe. Even if you did manage to find a free service with an Indian server, you’d still have to deal with some limitations. Some of the best free VPNs I’ve tested either don’t allow streaming or come with tight data caps, restricted server access, and painfully slow server speeds.
Start Watching Hotstar India in Saudi Arabia
If you’re traveling to Saudi Arabia, you shouldn’t be blocked from your Hotstar India account, especially when you’re paying for it. By downloading a VPN with reliable, high-speed Indian servers, you’ll be able to keep up with Koffee with Karan and every new spin-off of Criminal Justice. After hours of testing the leading VPNs, I found ExpressVPN is the best option for watching Hotstar in Saudi Arabia, thanks to its ultra-fast India servers. The best part is you can test ExpressVPN with Disney+ Hotstar completely risk-free. Thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee, you can easily get a refund if it doesn’t meet your expectations. When I tested the policy, my full subscription fee was returned to my account in 4 working days. Unblock Hotstar India with ExpressVPN
