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The best VPN to connect into France is ExpressVPN, with a test rating of 9.3/10. The VPN’s server locations in Paris, Marseille, and Strasbourg all worked to unblock every French TV streaming service we tested at high speed.
The best VPNs for France assign you a French IP address and unblock geo-restricted French streaming services like France TV, TF1, and TV5Monde from anywhere in the world.
We tested 62 VPNs to identify the highest-quality VPNs with many French servers, fast download speeds, wide device compatibility, and reliable access to French TV.
Summary: The Best VPNs for France
Based on our France-specific tests, our recommended VPNs for France are:
We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our ratings are based on our own testing results and are unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.
The Best France VPNs Compared
The table below compares each VPN recommendation for France based on number of servers in France, ability to unblock geo-restricted French streaming services, and price.
ExpressVPN is our top choice for France. Its three French server locations easily bypassed French streaming geo-restrictions, unblocking services like France TV, Netflix France, 6Play, TF1, and more.
Additionally, ExpressVPN is the most versatile VPN for getting a French IP address on many different devices. However, this level of performance does make it more expensive than its rivals.
ExpressVPN unblocked all French streaming platforms in our tests.
Excellent for French TV & Streaming Services
ExpressVPN unblocked every French streaming service we tested it with, making it the perfect solution for watching French TV abroad.
The geo-blocked streaming platforms we accessed from outside France include:
Arte
Canal+ & MyCanal
France TV (france.tv)
Gulli
M6 (6Play)
Molotov
Netflix France
RTBF
TF1
TV5Monde
ExpressVPN is a great solution for watching French sports, too. You can use it to stream the Tour de France and the French Open on France TV (france.tv), or to bypass Prime Video’s geo-blocks to stream Ligue 1 matches in France.
We used ExpressVPN to stream france.tv, Arte, French Netflix, and more from outside France.
In terms of speeds, ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs available.
In fact, its average download speeds of 85Mbps connecting internationally are some of the fastest we’ve seen.
Servers in 3 French Cities
ExpressVPN has servers in Marseille, Paris, and Strasbourg, giving you the option to get an IP address from the Northern, Southern, and Eastern parts of France.
The ExpressVPN app also displays a server location in Alsace, which our testing found is also in Strasbourg.
ExpressVPN has multiple servers spread across 3 French cities.
While ExpressVPN doesn’t disclose how many French servers it maintains, the service must have a large pool of French IP address in order to deliver the fast and stable connections we experienced.
Compatible with the Widest Range of Devices
Another stand-out aspect of ExpressVPN is its compatibility with a very wide selection of devices.
In fact, you can use ExpressVPN’s well-designed apps on Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV to stream geo-restricted French content on devices beyond your computer and phone.
ExpressVPN is also one of extremely few VPNs with a router app. The app is very intuitive and allows you to use the VPN on devices that don’t support native VPN apps, such as games consoles.
You can also make use of the VPN’s browser extensions on Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, although they require the full app to run at the same time.
CyberGhost VPN is a good alternative to ExpressVPN, especially if you’re on a limited budget.
Despite a much cheaper monthly cost of only $2.19 on a two-year subscription, CyberGhost still offers access to 938 fast VPN servers in Paris, Strasbourg, and Marseille.
These servers unblock 82% of French streaming services we tested. Moreover, you can trial CyberGhost completely free for 24 hours on PC and Mac.
Unblocks Netflix France, TV5Monde, France TV & More
CyberGhost doesn’t unblock 100% of French streaming services like ExpressVPN does, but it still works with the vast majority.
The only French TV services we couldn’t access from outside France were TF1 and 6Play.
CyberGhost still works with the following French channels:
Arte
Canal+ & MyCanal
France TV (france.tv)
Gulli
Molotov
Netflix France
RTBF
TV5Monde
You can also use CyberGhost’s app for Fire TV Stick, too, which is well-designed and very user-friendly. Sadly, there is no Apple TV app available at present.
We streamed TV5Monde live by using CyberGhost’s Paris server.
CyberGhost’s Smart DNS service can’t be used to unblock French TV, since it doesn’t have DNS configurations for France.
To unblock French TV services on devices that don’t support VPN software, you’ll have to install CyberGhost on your router.
The problem is that there isn’t a custom app for routers, unlike ExpressVPN, therefore the whole experience won’t be as smooth.
Huge Server Pool in France but Slower than ExpressVPN
CyberGhost has invested into the biggest French server network of any VPN: 938 servers in Marseille, Paris, and Strasbourg.
Fustratingly though, CyberGhost’s French servers are not available via its Chrome and Firefox browser extensions.
This is a shame since VPN extensions are an even quicker way to get a French IP address than using a VPN application.
CyberGhost has IP addresses in 3 French cities.
Despite the impressive server range, CyberGhost’s speeds into France from abroad weren’t as fast as ExpressVPN’s.
CyberGhost’s average download speed connecting internationally is 81Mbps, compared to ExpressVPN’s 85Mbps.
That said, CyberGhost’s speeds are fast enough to stream French content in high definition from outside France.
A Budget-Friendly VPN with Many Free Trial Options
CyberGhost is three times cheaper than ExpressVPN, costing only $2.19 per month on a two-year plan.
For the level of performance on offer, this represents great value for your money.
There are also several CyberGhost free trials available for you to test the service for free before committing.
You can get a one-day free trial on Windows and macOS, a seven-day one via the Apple App Store, and a three-day one through the Google Play Store.
On top of this, the company offers a very long and rare 45-day money-back guarantee, which it has always honored in our experience.
Windscribe offers what we consider to be the best free VPN for France. Unlike most free VPNs we’ve tested, it’s very secure to use and offers access to two servers in France, which isn’t common.
These free servers, based in Paris, unblocked 90% of French streaming services. But, you’ll only get 10GB of free data per month (roughly four hours of HD streaming).
Our Favorite Free VPN for Unblocking French TV
Windscribe Free was the best-performing free VPN in our France streaming tests. It unblocked 90% of streaming services, via its apps and its browser extensions.
We streamed the following French streaming services without major issues:
Arte
Canal+ & MyCanal
France TV (france.tv)
Gulli
M6 (6Play)
Molotov
Netflix France
TF1
TV5Monde
Windscribe Free unblocks France TV on both its VPN app and browser extension.
Sadly, we did experience some blurriness while streaming. It wasn’t constant, but it was annoying enough.
We were surprised by this picture degradation, considering Windscribe Free’s speed loss of 13% (connecting to foreign server locations) was even better than ExpressVPN’s.
Rare Free Servers Available in France
Windscribe Free has 2 servers in Paris, which are available via the VPN app and Windscribe’s browser proxy extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
Considering most free VPNs don’t have French servers at all, this is very good. However, it’s far behind the number of server options on offer from paid VPN services like ExpressVPN and CyberGhost.
Windscribe’s apps and browser extensions have French servers.
Compatible with Many Popular Devices
Unlike so many free VPNs, Windscribe has released intuitive apps covering all major platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Fire TV, and Android TV.
Similarly to CyberGhost, Windscribe has yet to develop an app for Apple TV. And if you want to set the VPN up on your router, keep in mind there is no dedicated app for it.
You can get a French IP address as long as you have a VPN with servers in France.
Follow these simple steps to get a French IP address:
Subscribe to a VPN with servers in France. We recommend ExpressVPN or CyberGhost.
Download the VPN and install it on your device.
Launch the application and log in with your account details.
Open the VPN’s server menu and select a location in France. The VPN will establish a connection to its France server, assigning you a French IP address.
Confirm the authenticity of the connection by using our IP address checker tool. It should match the server location you selected.
Or watch a short video tutorial showing you how to get a French IP address:
We got a French IP address in seconds by connecting to one of ExpressVPN’s Paris servers.
In the video below, we showcase how easy the process is. We used ExpressVPN to get a French IP address and stream the previously blocked Filles de feu on Chaîne 2:
We used ExpressVPN to instantly unblock Chaîne 2 on france.tv.
Using the method outlined above, you can also use a VPN to watch French TV Channels 2, 3, 4, 5, and Culturebox on France TV (france.tv).
VPNs That Didn't Make the Cut
In order to recommend the very best, we tested 62 VPNs for France. While there are many VPNs with French servers, not every VPN is able to unblock geo-restricted French streaming services or provide fast international speeds.
Below are popular VPNs we tested connecting into France that didn’t make our list of recommendations, alongside the reasons why:
NordVPN
NordVPN almost made it into our France VPN recommendations thanks to fast speeds and ability to stream French streaming services.
NordVPN only has two server locations in France.
The reason we haven’t added it to our list is because it only has two server locations in France (Paris and Marseille), compared to our recommendations that have three.
Surfshark
Surfshark is another high-quality VPN that just missed out on our top recommendations for France. We decided to exclude Surfshark from our list because it suffers from slower long-distance connection speeds and takes longer than competitors to connect to VPN servers.
Surfshark is slightly slower than its rivals.
IPVanish
IPVanish is one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested. However, it struggles to unblock as many international streaming services as ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. Unfortunately, this is the same for French streaming services.
In our streaming tests, IPVanish failed to unblock TV5Monde.
Sadly, it’s not great for connecting into France, since it only unblocked 45% of French streaming platforms we tested it with, with only one French server location on offer.
PIA doesn’t unblock France.tv and other French streaming sites.
PrivadoVPN Free
PrivadoVPN is usually a good free VPN option, but it fails to access important French TV channels like TV5Monde and M6 (6Play). Windscribe Free is a much better free VPN for France.
PrivadoVPN Free often fails to stream French TV channels.
Proton VPN Free
ProtonVPN Free is the only free VPN without a data limit, but it doesn’t offer access to a French server location.
Proton VPN Free offers servers in three countries: the US, the Netherlands, and Japan.
Risky France VPNs to Avoid
Here’s a breakdown of other VPNs that are unsafe for France:
VPN Service
Reason for Exclusion
France VPN
Actually an unsafe proxy, not a VPN
Doesn’t encrypt your data
Untrustworthy company
Logs excessive amount of data
Urban VPN
Actually a proxy, not a VPN service
Logs your IP address and browsing activity
Which VPNs Have Servers in France?
We maintain a database of every major VPN, its server network, and the number of countries available to connect to. You can see a snapshot of the data we keep below:
Our VPN experts maintain a database of every VPN, including the number of countries in its server network.
As a result, we know exactly which VPNs have servers in France and which do not.
Popular VPNs with Servers in France:
Astrill VPN
Atlas VPN
Avast VPN
AVG VPN
Avira Phantom VPN
Bitdefender
CyberGhost
ExpressVPN
FastestVPN
Hide.me
Hide.me Free
HideMyAss
Hotspot Shield
IPVanish
Ivacy
IVPN
Kaspersky
McAfee Safe Connect
Mozilla VPN
Mullvad
NordVPN
Norton Secure VPN
Perfect Privacy
PrivadoVPN
PrivadoVPN Free
Private Internet Access
PrivateVPN
ProtonVPN
Psiphon VPN
Psiphon VPN Free
PureVPN
SkyVPN
StrongVPN
SuperVPN Free VPN Client
Surfshark
ThunderVPN
TorGuard
TouchVPN
TunnelBear
TunnelBear Free
VPN Unlimited
VPN.ac
VPNArea
VPNBook
VyprVPN
Windscribe
Windscribe Free
As you can see, most VPNs have servers in France. However, the quantity and quality of servers differs, as well as each VPN’s performance and safety. This is why we recommend sticking to our VPN recommendations for France.
Which VPNs Do Not Have Servers in France?
Popular VPNs without Servers in France:
AirVPN
AtlasVPN Free
Avira Phantom VPN Free
Betternet Free
FreeVPN by FreeVPN.org
Hola Free VPN
Hotspot Shield Free
Kaspersky VPN Free
Proton VPN Free
Snap VPN
Turbo VPN
VPN 360
VPN Proxy Master
VPNhub Free
X-VPN Free
ZoogVPN
ZoogVPN Free
Despite the lack of France servers, our tests found Windscribe Free remains a good option if you don’t want to pay for a VPN for France.
How We Test VPNs for France (Methodology)
In the table below, you can see how our top-rated France VPNs performed in five key testing categories. These categories collectively contribute to each VPN’s overall rating for France:
You can read a more detailed breakdown of our testing categories below, alongside the percentage of the overall France rating each category represents:
France Server Locations: 30%
Test Conducted: Counted the number of France server in each VPN’s server network. We also counted the number of city-level servers in France. Lastly, we used an IP address tool to check the server was indeed in that location.
Why It’s Important: You need a French IP address to access French TV channels and websites.
Optimal Results: The VPN has hundreds of servers in multiple French cities.
France Streaming: 30%
Test Conducted: We tested every major VPN with Arte, Canal+, France Télévisions (France TV), Gulli, M6(6Play), Molotov, MyCanal, Netflix France, RTBF, TF1, and TV5Monde.
Why It’s Important: Not every VPN is able to unblock French streaming platforms outside France.
Optimal Result: Unblock every streaming service we tested.
Speed: 20%
Test Conducted: Performed manual speed tests with each VPN and recorded download speed, upload speed, and ping times when connecting into France.
Why It’s Important: Fast speeds enable you to stream video smoothly and browse the internet seamlessly.
Optimal Result: Less than 15% drop in download speed when connecting to VPN servers in France from local countries.
Privacy & Logging Policy: 10%
Test Conducted: Analyzed each VPN’s privacy policy and record what data was logged and for how long. The best VPNs do not log any identifying data, like your IP address, timestamps, or DNS requests.
Why It’s Important: Unsafe VPNs store excessive amounts of personal data, which can be used to identify individual users.
Optimal Result: No-logs policy evidenced by a court case or server seizure. Diskless servers and regular independent audits.
Security & Technical Features: 10%
Test Conducted: Tested each VPN’s encryption and kill switch for data leaks. Noted whether VPNs offer safe protocols like WireGuard and OpenVPN, as well as extra security features like ad blockers, split tunneling, and double VPN.
Why It’s Important: IP and HTML5 geolocation leaks can prevent you from unblocking French content abroad. Strong VPN encryption ensures your browsing activity and personal details are kept private.
Optimal Result: Zero data leaks, an effective kill switch, strong encryption, and safe protocols.
Data Cap Penalty
Free VPNs can be useful, but their usefulness is limited by data allowances.
To account for this, we attach penalties to free VPNs that enforce data caps, with the harshest penalties reserved for the most restrictive data caps. Here’s a breakdown:
10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
1GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating
Windscribe Free has a 10GB per month data cap, so we’ve taken 20% off its overall France rating to reflect its limited capabilities.
France VPN FAQs
What’s the Best VPN for Connecting to France?
The best VPN for connecting to France is ExpressVPN. It has French servers spread across 3 cities, including two in Paris, two in Strasbourg, and one in Marseille. This effectively covers the North, East, and South of the country.
ExpressVPN also unblocks 100% of the French streaming sites and TV channels that we tested it with, making it the best VPN for connecting to France and watching French TV. This includes French Netflix, france.tv (France Télévisions), TV5Monde, and more.
With safe logging and encryption practices and the widest device compatibility of any VPN, ExpressVPN is the top VPN for France.
Which VPN Has the Most Servers in France?
CyberGhost has the most servers in France. It maintains 938 servers in 3 French cities. Using CyberGhost you can get French IP addresses in Marseille, Paris, and Strasbourg.
The VPN with the second highest number of servers in France is NordVPN, with 230 French servers — a substantial decrease compared to CyberGhost.
However, it’s important to note that VPN server counts always fluctuate and many VPNs do not disclose the exact number of servers they maintain in France. Furthermore, server count is only one contributing factor to what makes a VPN good for France; speed and streaming reliability are crucial factors, too.
Which Free VPN Has Servers in France?
Most free VPNs do not have servers in France. However, there are some that do, including:
Hide.me Free
PrivadoVPN Free
Psiphon Free
SuperVPN Free VPN Client
TunnelBear Free
Windscribe Free
We’ve tested all of these free VPNs for France and recommend Windscribe as the best free VPN with French servers. The rest are limited by a failure to access French websites and other restrictions, including monthly data caps and speed throttling.