If you use a PutLocker site to watch movies or TV shows for free, then you need to use a VPN to protect yourself. In many places, you will need a VPN to even access a Putlocker site, as Putlocker domains are among the most widely blocked in the world.
Once on a Putlocker site, you need to think carefully about why it exists. After all, Putlocker sites cost time and money to maintain. And one as a number-one enemy of powerful copyright bodies worldwide, the people who run these sites are at considerable risk of criminal prosecution. Yet they offer their content for free…
The best VPN for PutLocker
Unblock PutLocker with one of the VPN services listed below:
- ExpressVPN– prioritises security, while offering servers in an unprecedented 94 countries
- NordVPN– has excellent security features and incredibly fast servers
- CyberGhost VPN– has a generous 45-day money-back guarantee to try before you buy
- VyprVPN– advocates internet freedom and is perfect for streaming
- PrivateVPN– has fast servers primed for downloading torrents and streaming video
Best VPNs for PutLocker: Detailed comparison
Pricing – From $6.67 / month
Available on
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- Windows
- MacOS
- Android
- Linux
- iOS
Features
ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands – a location that puts it well out of reach of invasive jurisdictions such as the US and the UK. Express boasts a no-logs policy that ensures nothing can be traced back to its users and has never knowingly informed intrusive governments on any of its customers. This makes it trustworthy – and because it implements strong VPN features – your privacy and security are assured.
ExressVPN is a VPN veteran, and it has slowly built a massive server network in 94 countries. Those servers are arguably the fastest and most reliable in the world. This makes it perfect for accessing entertainment from all around the world, on the many streaming sites that exist. And Express unblocks Netflix US too. ExpressVPN can get through the Great Firewall of China and it dodges all VPN detection systems, for this reason, it is the perfect VPN for many people. Quite pricey, but you do get what you pay for. Test it risk-free with its 30-day money-back guarantee!
Pricing – From $3.22 / month
Available on
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- Android
- iOS
- Windows
- MacOS
- Linux
Features
NordVPN is the best VPN for Putlocker due to the fact that it provides excellent security features & fast servers! With Nord you can connect to servers in over 60 countries, that means you can always connect to a server nearby to get faster speeds for unblocking Putlocker. NordVPN also has super-fast servers throughout its network, meaning that you will always be able to stream without buffering.
As well as providing excellent unblocking, NordVPN provides a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and VPN cloaking to get around VPN blocks. Plus it provides OpenVPN encryption to keep your data private and secure both at home and on public WiFi. You can test this VPN risk-free thanks to its money-back guarantee, but you won’t be disappointed because NordVPN is cheap and outstanding!
Pricing – From $2.75 / month
Available on
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- Android
- iOS
- Windows
- MacOS
- Linux
Features
CyberGhost is a VPN that is well known for providing access to a lot of blocked content around the world, including Putlocker and torrent sites. The VPN is extremely cheap, especially if you commit for a longer period of time – and it does provide all the necessary privacy features you require to conceal your streaming habits from your ISP and the servers you visit.
With CyberGhost, you can install and use the VPN on 7 devices simultaneously; which means you can use it to stream on all your devices. CyberGhost is also zero-logs, which means that it will never have any data to hand to the authorities. You can test it for 45 days risk-free thanks to its generous money-back guarantee.
Pricing – From $5.00 / month
Available on
- Windows
- Android
- Linux
- iOS
- MacOS
Features
The VyprVPN crew are steadfast supporters of internet freedom and have nothing to fear from US copyright lawyers at their base in Hungary. The company offers a three-day free trial, so you can perform all the tests you need to check for IP leaks or DNS leaks (you won’t find any) before you are fully committed.
The company came up with its own cloaking method that evades detection everywhere. There is a strict no-logs policy and, in any event, the Hungarian court system would be difficult for US lawyers to navigate in a foreign language. The company offers two levels of service. Don’t risk the basic package because it has weaker encryption and doesn’t include the Chameleon cloaking method.
Pricing From $1.89 / month
Available on
- Windows
- MacOS
- Android
- Linux
- iOS
Features
Private VPN is a Swedish based company that us a favorite among consumers. The VPN is extremely fast and in addition to providing access to more Netflix catalogs than any other VPN, it is also perfect for unblocking online movies and TV shows on streaming sites like Putlocker, 123Movies, Vumoo, and many more.
With PrivateVPN you get the benefit of a zero-logs policy and strong OpenVPN encryption. It also has important security features such as a Kill switch and obfuscation. We think this VPN is cheap considering what you get, and it is really good when it comes to customer support thanks to the live chat on its website. We recommend giving it a test run with Putlocker using its 30-day money-back guarantee.
What is Putlocker?
Putlocker was a website, originally based in the UK, which illegally offered visitors a large catalog of TV shows and movie titles that they could watch for free. It got considerable notoriety for receiving 1.6 million customers a day after Megaupload was shut down for copyright infringement in 2013.
At its height in early 2016, Putlocker was listed among the top 250 websites globally, and among the top 150 in the United States. Almost certainly thanks to action by the MPAA, however, as of October 2016 the original Putlocker no longer exists.
But in its place, there has arisen a multitude of websites that purport to offer a similar service, using the “Putlocker” name as a brand to identify themselves in both their title and domain.
Putlocker sites are notable for the fact that they allow you to stream content directly inside your browser window, with no need to download the content itself or any special software to view it. Most Putlocker sites that actually work are free to use and very few require you to sign up for any kind of account. Of course, some things are simply too good to be true.
Are Putlocker sites safe?
When researching this article, we found that at least half the Putlocker websites we visited simply did not work, and in many cases were actively malicious.
A common tactic is to redirect you after you click on a video, scaremongering you with false alert pages that tell you your Windows installation is broken and that you should download a special repair tool to fix it. Needless to say, this download will be filled with malware and you should run away from such sites very quickly indeed!
Many sites also opened links to porn videos, dubious ads, or other “scammy” content, either in new tabs when first opened or as redirects when video content is clicked on. Much of this content is clearly not safe and some of it is can be highly illegal! Given that your internet service provider (ISP) likely keeps logs on your browser habits and what websites you visit, this is very worrying.
That said, there are Putlocker websites out there that appear to be genuine, and which do indeed serve up free video content to visitors with minimal fuss. These might be on the level, or they might be doing sneaky stuff that is less easy to detect.
As we noted in the intro this article, there is every reason to mistrust websites whose motive for existing is unclear. At the very least, it is probably safe to assume they log your IP address, tie this to your viewing habits, and then sell this information to advertisers in order to pay for the upkeep of the site.
No HTTPS
Another big issue we encountered during our research is that not a single Putlocker website we visited protects its users with HTTPS. This means that your ISP can see everything you do on the website: not just that you visited a Putlocker website, but also the actual content you watched while there!
Most ISPs are happy to work hand-in-glove with content owners to identify and punish copyright infringers. And in the United States, ISPs are now legally allowed to sell your browsing history to business partners, who can include legal firms known as “copyright trolls.” These make a living from threatening infringers with court action if they don’t agree to a making a cash settlement.
How a VPN can help protect you when using Putlocker
If you are not familiar with what a VPN is or how they work, please check out our Beginner’s Guide to VPNs. If you’re visiting a Putlocker site, then you should use a VPN because:
1. A VPN hides your real IP address from the Putlocker website
The VPN server acts as a proxy, meaning that websites you visit only see the internet address (IP) address of the VPN server. Not your real unique IP address which can be used to identify you and track you as you surf the web.
The same is true of any advertising scripts used by the website, and any “partner” websites that also open when you visit the Putlocker site’s URL.
2. A VPN hides what you get up to from your ISP
A VPN prevents your ISP from seeing which websites you visit, again because the VPN server acts as a proxy. All your ISP can see is that you have connected to the VPN server.
In addition to this, the connection between the VPN server and your device is encrypted by the VPN, so your ISP cannot see the contents of your data. For example, video content.
A VPN will unblock Putlocker sites
In addition to protecting you when visiting a Putlocker website, a VPN will allow you to visit them in the first place! Putlocker domains are widely blocked by ISPs all over the world, but you can easily access them by connecting to a VPN server located somewhere that does not censor them.
Is watching Putlocker illegal?
In most jurisdictions, simply watching copyrighted material is not a criminal act. Indeed, even downloading copyrighted content is rarely seen as a criminal act, but it does make those caught doing it liable to civil action from the copyright holders – which can result in very large fines.
It is sometimes argued that those caught streaming content are safe from such prosecutions because no content is actually downloaded.
Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. In order to provide a smooth streaming experience, web-based media players of the kind used by every Putlocker site will always cache content locally on your device. This means that you have, in fact, downloaded copyrighted material to your device.
Can I use a free VPN for Putlocker?
As a Putlocker user, you are undoubtedly a big fan of everyone’s favorite price: free. We get it, and some decent free VPNs do exist these days. Most free VPNs, however, understandably offer very limited bandwidth or have strict data limits. Even the better ones.
Neither of which are ideal for streaming high-quality video content without buffering issues or burning through your data allowance. Fortunately, there are some excellent cheap VPNs out there that offer fully-featured and limit-free VPN services for very little financial outlay.
- ExpressVPN – prioritises security, while offering servers in an unprecedented 94 countries
- NordVPN– has excellent security features and incredibly fast servers
- CyberGhost VPN– has a generous 45-day money-back guarantee to try before you buy
- VyprVPN– advocates internet freedom and is perfect for streaming
- PrivateVPN– has fast servers primed for downloading torrents and streaming video