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Mullvad and Netflix do not mix well, and Mullvad does not claim otherwise. Top10VPN found Netflix blocked Mullvad’s addresses on every server it tried, ProPrivacy could not reach the US catalogue from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York or Salt Lake City, and Comparitech found no foreign libraries working in its own test. The practical fix for watching your own library is split tunnelling: keep Netflix outside the tunnel while everything else stays protected.
This guide covers the test results, the proxy error, split tunnelling by device and when another provider makes more sense.
What Testers Found
Top10VPN reported that Netflix detected Mullvad on every country server it tried and blocked it, whichever country it chose. ProPrivacy’s US tests failed on Netflix and Hulu, and Comparitech found Mullvad works with no foreign Netflix libraries.
WindowsReport described results as hit and miss, with some servers working only briefly before Netflix blocked them. Mullvad markets privacy, not streaming, and has no streaming-labelled servers. Its network is also smaller than streaming-focused providers’, which leaves fewer addresses to try.
The Proxy Error
When Netflix detects a VPN, it shows a message saying you seem to be using an unblocker or proxy, Comparitech notes, and playback stops. With Mullvad, switching servers rarely helps for long.
The error can appear even for your home country’s catalogue, because Netflix blocks the address, not the location. Our Netflix VPN guide explains why services block VPN servers.
Mullvad and Netflix With Split Tunnelling
Mullvad’s split tunnelling lets you exclude the Netflix app, so it uses your normal connection while other apps stay in the tunnel. It is available on Windows, Linux, Android and macOS 13 or later, our tables record; the iPhone app has none.
In the app’s settings, open split tunnelling, find Netflix in the app list and exclude it, then restart Netflix. Your home catalogue then loads normally.
In a Browser
Split tunnelling works per app, so Netflix in a browser stays inside the tunnel along with the browser. Use the Netflix app, or a second browser excluded from the tunnel, for streaming, and keep your main browser protected.
On a TV or Fire TV stick, Mullvad’s app installs only on Android-based models, so a TV may simply stay off the VPN for Netflix.
TVs and Other Streaming Services
Mullvad has no Apple TV app and Amazon’s Appstore does not list it, though its Android app installs on Fire OS sticks from mullvad.net. Our Mullvad Fire Stick guide covers that route.
For a TV used mainly for streaming, keeping it off the VPN is often the simplest choice, while phones and laptops stay protected.
When to Choose Another Provider
If streaming other countries’ catalogues matters, Mullvad is the wrong tool; testers found it blocked. Providers that market streaming, such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN, report better Netflix results in our guides, at higher prices than Mullvad’s flat €5.
You can keep Mullvad for privacy on phones and laptops and stream without a VPN on the TV. Our NordVPN Netflix guide covers one alternative.
The same pattern shows up elsewhere too: ProPrivacy found Mullvad unable to reach Hulu from US servers. Streaming services in general detect and block VPN addresses that many people share.
Split tunnelling works for any streaming app, not just Netflix, so the same fix keeps your other subscriptions working.
Price and Privacy
Mullvad costs a flat €5 a month for five devices, with an account number instead of an email, and has more than 10 audits in our table, more than NordVPN’s six or Proton’s five. It offers a 14-day refund on card payments, though not on cash or cryptocurrency, its terms say.
Our Mullvad cost guide covers what the price buys and how to pay.
Why Mullvad Does Not Chase Streaming
Mullvad positions itself as a privacy service and, as Top10VPN notes, admits it is not suited to streaming. It runs no servers set aside for streaming, unlike providers that advertise streaming results.
That is a deliberate design choice, not a fault or an oversight, and it keeps the service simple and its addresses shared among many users.
Checking Split Tunnelling Works
After excluding Netflix, open it and check that your usual catalogue loads without the proxy message. Then confirm in a browser that the rest of your traffic still shows a Mullvad address and location.
If Netflix still fails, restart the app or device so it picks up the change, and check the app was the one you excluded.
On iPhone
Mullvad’s iPhone app has no split tunnelling, so you cannot exclude Netflix there, as our tables record. Disconnect Mullvad while watching, then reconnect afterwards; on public Wi-Fi, consider waiting until you are home. For a one-in-three chance, see our page on Mullvad and BBC iPlayer.
Our Mullvad iPhone guide covers the app’s other limits.
How We Research
This page draws on Top10VPN’s, Comparitech’s, ProPrivacy’s and WindowsReport’s Mullvad Netflix tests, Mullvad’s help pages and our Mullvad tables. We cross-checked these sources against each other, and where they conflict or something can’t be verified, we say so in the text rather than guessing. We checked time-sensitive figures, including prices in US dollars, on 8 October 2026. The main source we relied on is Top10VPN’s Mullvad Netflix guide. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Mullvad and Netflix FAQ
Testers found it blocked; Mullvad does not market streaming.
Netflix blocks Mullvad’s addresses, even for your home catalogue.
Exclude the Netflix app with split tunnelling.
No; Mullvad’s iPhone app has none.
Providers that market streaming, such as NordVPN or ExpressVPN.
The Verdict
Mullvad and Netflix are a poor match for other catalogues. Use split tunnelling to keep your home library working, and another provider if streaming abroad matters.