How to watch CraveTV outside Canada
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
CraveTV has become ever more popular in Canada but watching it when you travel can be a real pain.
If like me you’ve tried to watch your CraveTV account outside Canada while travelling then you’ll know how frustrating it is that you can’t access it.
So if you’re on vacation, travelling more permanently or an expat then you’ll be left disappointed that you can’t watch CraveTV outside Canada.
Fortunately there is a really simple way to pretend you are in Canada regardless of where you are in the world and watch CraveTV from any country.
In this easy guide I’m going to show you how that’s possible. So let’s find out.
What you need to watch CraveTV outside Canada
When you visit the CraveTV website or use the app outside Canada you’re hit with a block message similar to the one below.
You pay for a subscription so it’s strange that you can’t use it wherever you want.
So if you’re travelling and you don’t want to waste money on a subscription you can’t access then there is a simple solution.
All you need is a small app called a VPN (Virtual Private Network) from a company like ExpressVPN that allows you to disguise your online location and appear as if you’re in another country.
To watch CraveTV a VPN allows you to appear as if you’re in Canada even though you can be in any other country in the world.
Although it sounds like a really technical name the reality is they are extremely easy to use and within just a few clicks you can make it appear as if you are in Canada and watch CraveTV without an issue.
So let’s find out where you can get a VPN and how you can use it. Just keep reading below.
Where to get a VPN for CraveTV
The original purpose of a VPN is to protect your online privacy and with online privacy becoming a big issue in recent years it means there is a huge choice of providers to choose from.
Like anything in the world there are good services and bad ones and it’s almost impossible to distinguish between them without signing up first.
I’ve been testing the various options out there so you don’t have to to find out which is the best for watching CraveTV outside Canada.
My favourite provider was ExpressVPN because they were faster than the others which reduced the chances of buffering especially if you’re extremely far away from Canada.
They’ve also got a 30-day money back guarantee making it risk-free.
I found one or two other good providers though so have listed my three favourites below.
- ExpressVPN – Recommended
- NordVPN
- CyberGhost VPN
All you need to do is click on one of the provider names above to visit their site. Once there sign-up and then read below where I’ll show you exactly how to use the service to watch CraveTV outside Canada.
How do I stream Crave outside of Canada?
The good news is the VPN service is effortless to use.
All you need to do is download the software for your desktop or laptop or app for your phone or tablet from the provider you signed up to and then click to connect to their Canadian server.
Once connected visit the CraveTV website or use the app and rather than seeing the block message you’ll be able to view from any country in the world.
Below I’ve put together a more detailed step-by-step process using ExpressVPN on Windows. It is exactly the same process on a Mac, Android, iOS and others too and with the other providers the process is much the same only the visuals look different.
ExpressVPN:
- Visit the ExpressVPN website.
- Click the Products section and download the Windows software.
- Once downloaded, install the software and run it.
- Click Choose Location.
- Click All, Americas, Canada.
- Now click Connect.
Stream Crave anywhere using ExpressVPN.
The software will now make connection for you which should take around 15-20 seconds.
Once connected all you need to do is visit the CraveTV website or use the app and instead of being blocked you’ll be able to watch any show regardless of where you are in the world.
Once you’ve finished watching you simply disconnect. You can connect and disconnect as many times as you wish within your monthly period.
Enjoy streaming CraveTV outside Canada to any country you visit or anywhere you live around the world.
Best VPN for Crave TV
There are lots of VPNs to choose from but if you’ve got time to shop around here are five that work well.
1. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a VPN service best known for its fast speeds and the ability to unblock almost all streaming websites.
It has over 3,000 servers in 94 different countries, including a Canadian VPN server or two, so you should be more than able to unblock Crave TV, you can even stream it in HD.
Express VPN doesn’t feature a free trial, but it does have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a refund if you are not satisfied with its service, or you discover that you cannot unblock Crave, BBC iPlayer, or some other streaming service you might be interested in.
However, this is unlikely to happen, as it is one of the most competent and reliable VPN providers in the world.
It is also rich with security features, such as DNS leak protection, a kill switch, as well as unlimited bandwidth, user-friendly apps for Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Android, Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, gaming consoles, browsers, and more.
2. NordVPN
Next up, we have NordVPN, another excellent service that can show you how to watch CraveTV outside Canada at any time.
NordVPN’s VPN server count is even greater than that of ExpressVPN, featuring 5,200 servers in 60 different countries.
It also has the ability to unblock the most popular streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, and more.
Also, it works on all popular Smart TVs, like Samsung Smart TV and Apple TV.
If you decide that its VPN app doesn’t live up to expectations, you can use its 30-day money-back guarantee to get a refund, although, once again, this is a reliable and well-known VPN provider that has been around for years, so you really shouldn’t experience any difficulties.
Its high speeds, high server count, and the ability to unblock most streaming sites make it an ideal VPN app for streaming Crave, and accessing all the content it has to offer, such as Canadian TV mini-series Little Kenny, that America can’t access.
To find out what more you have been missing out on, check out CraveTV channel list.
3. Surfshark
The third on our list is a reliable and valid subscription, Surfshark.
This is a young, but very well-made VPN client that has all the necessary features, such as Smart DNS, a kill switch, reliable connections, a no-logging policy, over 3,200 servers in 65 countries, countless IP addresses, and more.
It has the speed and ability to let you unblock CraveTV and watch all premium movies that it has to offer, including some of the biggest hits among Hollywood movies.
But, its biggest and most important feature is the fact that it doesn’t put a limit on how many devices you can protect simultaneously. In other words, you can access CraveTV from any internet-capable device you own, as long as there is an app for it.
Surfshark is good at unblocking streaming services of all kinds, it works on most popular devices, and it even lets you only protect the Crave App, which should help you improve the speeds even more, and stream HD content.
4. CyberGhost
Nearing the end of our list of top-notch VPN service providers, we have Cyber Ghost.
This is a Romanian VPN that is another expert at unblocking streaming sites and making your cable subscription obsolete.
It has over 7,300 VPN servers in 90 different countries, so you can use it to unblock pretty much anything, including unblocking CraveTV and streaming its content.
And, as if the ability to watch Crave TV wasn’t enough, CyberGhost also stands out due to its impressive money-back guarantee, which lasts for 45 days.
We don’t know of any VPN service that offers such a long guarantee, which is why CyberGhost deserves to find itself on the list of the best VPN subscription providers in the world.
Like our other entries, it supports multiple devices on which you can run your CraveTV app and enjoy all kinds of content. And, since it is fast and able to hide the fact that you are using a VPN, you can easily use it to watch Crave TV outside Canada, no matter where in the world you may be.
5. IPVanish
Lastly, we have IPVanish, which is our final suggestion for establishing a reliable VPN connection and accessing this Canadian streaming service.
Like the other VPN services listed above, IPVanish also has a lengthy, 30-day money-back guarantee and it can unblock major streaming services, meaning that you can use it to watch Crave TV outside the Canadian region.
This VPN provider features thousands of servers in 75 different locations worldwide, with no speed limit, providing advanced encryption, user-friendly apps, no caps of any kind, and overall, safe access to the internet and its censored apps and websites.
With IPVanish, you can access Crave app from all of the most popular devices, including Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, Smart TVs, and more, and have a great experience while doing it.
How does Crave stop me watching outside Canada?
Unfortunately, if you want to watch CraveTV from outside Canada without any help, you will find it impossible. In order to prevent users from other countries to access Crave TV, this and other streaming sites use IP addresses and block them.
You see, once you get your internet subscription from your internet service provider, you also get your own IP address, which gives away your location.
Websites can see this IP address and it lets them decide whether you are allowed to access their service or not. So, in order to watch Crave, you will have to use a VPN service that can give you a Canadian IP address, which is done by connecting to a Canadian server.
By doing this, you can unblock Crave TV and watch Crave abroad, without the TV provider ever knowing that you are outside Canada.
The same principle works on other streaming sites, such as Amazon Prime Video, Canadian Netflix, BBC iPlayer, classic HBO, and any other streaming platform. Provided that you have the right VPN, of course.
Is there a free VPN that works with Crave?
Naturally, you might be interested in whether you can watch crave TV with a reliable but ultimately free VPN provider.
While we are sorry to disappoint, we have to say that this is impossible, you can’t access, let alone stream CraveTV with a free VPN.
Free VPNs have a long list of flaws, and very few benefits, including the fact that they are free. But, just because they are free, they aren’t getting enough money to provide a proper service.
They only have a handful of servers, with most of them being very overcrowded and slow; they often collect and sell their users’ private information in order to get the money to maintain what little servers they have, and sometimes, they can even be malicious, whether infected by hackers, or even created and set up by hackers.
So, while the concept of free virtual private networks does have an understandable allure, it is not realistic to expect that these providers will be able to help you, especially since their IP addresses get blocked as soon as they start operating.
To summarize, free VPNs are:
- Unsafe.
- Unable to access most streaming services.
- Too slow and can cause buffering, playback, etc.
- Often infected with malware.
- Only offer a few servers.
- Commonly collect and sell user information.
- Unreliable.
Summary
CraveTV is a very popular streaming service from Canada that has been highly sought-after even by users in the US, even though they have a number of streaming sites of their own.
The reason is that Crave TV has some unique programs and shows that are unavailable elsewhere. But, like many of its peers in the streaming site industry, Crave is also geo-restricted, and it doesn’t allow users from other countries to access its content.
To do so, you must use VPN technology, a security, privacy, and anonymity app that lets you hide your location and identity, and allow you to access other services as if you are located in different countries.
What country you can access depends on which server you connect to, so it is recommended to always go with services with the greatest coverage.
We recommend using ExpressVPN as after countless tests they performed the best when used with Crave TV.
You have to pay for Express VPN.
Hi Sarah,
Yes, that’s correct. It costs a few dollars but the biggest savings can be made if you subscribe for a year.
I cannot subscribe to Shomi unless I am a Rogers or Shaw television or internet customer. I cannot subscribe to Crave TV unless I am a Bell television or internet customer. Shomi and Crave TV are the only means of legally streaming many television shows; I cannot subscribe to a different service in Canada in order to stream this content. Does anyone know enough about competition law in Canada to opine on whether this is prohibited business practice on the part of Rogers, Shaw and Bell?