Crave is a Canadian subscription video on-demand service that grants customers access to a tonne of top-class shows, channels, and movies.
If you want to access Crave from outside of Canada, you'll need to use a VPN – and after reading this guide, you'll know exactly which one is best for you! We list the best CraveTV VPN services below.
The Best VPNs for Crave TV in 2024
Before we go into a bit of detail about what our recommended VPN services offer – and what features you might want to prioritize – here's a quick rundown of the VPNs discussed in this article.
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for accessing Crave from outside of Canada. Fast, reliable and a great choice for beginners.
- NordVPN - Another excellent choice for accessing Crave. Expect superb connection speeds and a great streaming experience.
- Surfshark - A quick, budget-friendly VPN that keeps pace with its pricier competitors.
- Private Internet Access - A super-secure VPN with thousands of servers in Canada and the US.
- CyberGhost VPN - A user-friendly veteran of the VPN market that does exactly what it says on the tin.
Why do I need a VPN to watch shows on Crave?
Crave, like many other subscription services around the world, is only available in the country it is based in. This makes Crave a 'geo-restricted' streaming service, meaning it will block you from entering the site if your IP address is located outside of Canada.
This is where a VPN comes in. Virtual Private Networks funnel all your internet traffic through an encrypted VPN tunnel to one of their private servers around the world before it reaches the internet. The effect this has is that websites see the IP address of the VPN server you've connected to rather than your device/router.
To access Crave then, all you need is a VPN with servers in Canada. Luckily, most of the top providers on the market have several stationed there – so accessing Crave from outside of Canada is a piece of cake.
What to look for in a Crave VPN
As aforementioned, if you want to access Crave from outside of Canada, you'll need a VPN with servers in that location. However, there's a number of other features you should look out for that will keep you safe, secure, and entertained beyond accessing the North American streaming service, including:
- Modern security features
- A commitment to keeping no activity logs
- A kill-switch
- Blocking adverts and malware
- The ability to unblock other sought-after geo-restricted content
That's not an exhaustive list of everything you should be looking for in a provider, but don't worry, we'll go into greater detail below on exactly which one offers what!
The best VPNs for Crave: a closer look
Below you'll find a detailed analysis of the VPNs mentioned above with all their most important features teased out. These services have been carefully selected due to their ability to unblock streaming services like Crave, as well as plenty of other media platforms.
ExpressVPN is our top pick for this task, largely due to the consistency it shows when it comes to unblocking streaming services from around the world. ExpressVPN Demo ExpressVPN is a provider is the most expensive provider on this list, but you'll soon see why that's the case. In terms of unblocking streaming services like Crave, few VPNs come close in terms of consistency and the service's reliable speeds make for a buffer-free entertainment experience. ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers worldwide but spread out across a huge 94 countries, so you'll be able to unblock a lot more than just crave. US Netflix? Not a problem. Disney +? ExpressVPN has you covered. All of a sudden, the price looks more and more like a bargain – and after all, it's still a lot less than you likely pay for a Netflix or Amazon subscription for one regional library. ExpressVPN's streaming successes haven't led to any corner cutting when it comes to security features. It uses AES-256 bit encryption, a kill-switch, and has recently developed their own protocol called Lightway, which uses certificates to protect users from cyber-threats like man-in-the-middle attacks. The provider also made the switch to RAM servers a while ago; this means no data is written to any hard disks and is immediately lost during every reboot. If you're still concerned about the price, why not just take it for a month-long trial test and claim your money back if you're not satisfied? ExpressVPN let all their customers do this thanks to their 30-day money-back guarantee. NordVPN is a wonderful choice for accessing Crave outside of Canada. Make sure you check out all their security features, there's so many great ones! Nord Demo NordVPN is, on average, one of the fastest VPNs on this list and service that strikes a rare balance between elite-level speeds and elite-level security. NordVPN has one of the largest server networks in Canada – 480 servers in three different locations, and counting – so look no further if your priority is unblocking Crave. However, with over 5,000 servers worldwide, much like ExpressVPN, NordVPN can fulfill a number of purposes for TV and movie buffs. The provider has recently created NordLynx, a technology built around WireGuard, one of the quickest protocols available, which is a testament to their focus on both speed and innovation. NordVPN has all the standard security features you'd expect from a top provider, along with seldom-seen additions such as Double VPN, which reroutes your traffic through two servers for extra protection, and a universally lauded malware and ad-blocker that I'd recommend you use whenever you head online. It has stealth servers, a no-logs claim you can trust and a 30-day money-back guarantee so you only end up paying if you're truly wowed by their product. Surfshark will unblock Crave easily via one of its Canadian servers – and it won't break the bank to do so either. Surfshark Demo Surfshark is the provider for you if you're on a budget - for just a couple of dollars a month, your subscription will keep you safe and unblock websites like Crave from all over the world. Surfshark is, similar to NordVPN, one of the quickest VPNs out there and another one that appears in the upper echelons of our speed table on a regular basis. Surfshark is the only provider on this list that offers an unlimited simultaneous connections – which is just a fancy way of saying you can use the same account on as many accounts as you like. Surfshark has some great security features to go with its speed service, including 'Camoflauge Mode' which disguises your VPN traffic as normal traffic, and CleanWeb, which functions much the same as NordVPN's CyberSec malware blocker. They also have a Whitelister which lets specific websites bypass your VPN, which is useful for tasks like online banking. Surfshark also has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so take it out for a test ride if you like the sound of it. Private Internet Access (PIA) is a VPN you can trust to keep your data secure, and with thousands of servers in North America you'll be streaming in no time. PIA Demo Private Internet Access has more servers than any other VPN on this list – it has more in Canada alone than some of these VPNs have worldwide! That makes it a shrewd choice for unblocking streaming services like Crave only available in the country. With up to 10 simultaneous connections allowed from the same account, you can use the same subscription on double the number of devices you can with providers like ExpressVPN. PIA has not only a good record of unblocking this sort of content, but a great record on privacy too – it's even had its no-logs claim proved in court after it was subpoenaed by the US government and had nothing to hand over. PIA also has a great customer support team, top-class encryption protocols and a 30-day money-back guarantee for you to road-test its products with. CyberGhost VPN is a great choice for unblocking geo-restricted content and has excellent apps available on a number of difference device platforms. CyberGhost Demo CyberGhost is another one of the top providers we recommend regularly, most because of their consistency when it comes to unblocking streaming services like Crave. It's been providing a pathway to all sorts of content for around fifteen years – not many providers can match that level of market longevity – so if you want someone with a stellar reputation that will definitely do the job, this is the provider for you. 6,000 worldwide servers represent one of the larger fleets on this list too, so you can hop between different countries and try out lots of different content. CyberGhost, like other top providers, has all the necessary security features to keep you safe, as well as NoSpy servers in Romania that are managed and maintained by a dedicated team of CyberGhost employees. They also offer the longest money-back guarantee on the list – 45 days – so you have two more weeks than any other service to make up your mind. 1. ExpressVPN
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Setting up your VPN for Crave in 5 simple steps
It's really easy to get your VPN up and running once you sign up, and there are often instructions on how to access certain channels on provider sites. However, here's a step-by-step guide to getting yourself up and running.
- Sign up for one of the services recommended in this article.
- Download the provider's software and install it on your device.
- Connect to one of its servers located in Canada.
- Search for Crave via your browser and create an account.
- Start streaming Crave from anywhere in the world!
What if I want to watch Crave on a Smart TV?
Smart TVs are in vogue at the moment, and now millions of households have them across the globe. Unfortunately, most smart TVs don't have native VPN support, which means you can't simply install a VPN on a Smart TV like you could on your phone or Laptop.
However, you can load a VPN onto a router, which will give your entire network the same protection as a device with a VPN on – it's just being invoked at a different point in the connection process.
Not all routers are compatible with VPNs, which means you'll either have to 'flash' your router with VPN-friendly firmware or, alternatively, invest in a VPN router. The latter option is much easier, and messing around with your router's firmware can culminate in a broken piece of tech that's no longer of any use. Plus, routers tend to slow down after about five years (the hardware components can get fried after consistent, high-intensity usage, for instance), so purchasing a decent one could well be top of your to-do list, anyway.
Check out our guide on how to set up a VPN on Smart TV for more information about how to unblock CraveTV and more on your Smart TV.
Can I access Crave with a free VPN?
Here at ProPrivacy, we're generally cautious of the free VPN market, and for good reason too. There are very, very few free VPNs we'd recommend in good faith (although good ones do exist) because they have numerous risks associated with their use you just won't encounter with free services, largely due to the financial gap. These issues include:
| Small networks | Free VPNs tend to have much smaller networks than paid services, simply for financial reasons. |
| Corner cutting | Small VPN services are more likely to purchase space on cheaper, shared servers which are a lot less secure |
| Ads & malware | A lot of free VPNs available on App stores don't block ads and can become infested with malware |
| no-log lies | Several well-known free VPNs have been found selling data to third parties and keeping logs of user activity. |
| IP leaks | Free VPNs are notorious for leaking users true IP addresses and thus revealing their location |
| Imposters | Some free 'VPNs' are actually proxy services, which will spoof your location but won't keep you safe. |
This isn't even an extensive list of all the issues that often come with free VPNs. There's even less of a reason to go with a free provider when you consider how little it actually costs to subscribe to a paid service. All I had to do to work a Surfshark VPN subscription into my monthly budget was just buy one less coffee or get a slightly cheaper brand of pasta during my weekly shop. Free VPNs are just not worth the risk!
What shows are on Crave?
Crave has a nice mixture of movies and TV series in their basic package ($9.99 p/m). They have a wealth of shows that originally appeared on HBO and Showtime in America as well as Canadian network Starz.
Crave operates a system where you can subsequently 'add-on' bits to your basic package. The 'Movies + HBO' add-on ($9.99 p/m) means you'll get access to Crave linear TV channels, including (you guessed it) the Canadian iteration of HBO, as well as access to a large collection of recently released films from some of the world's largest production companies. You can also get a Starz add-on that does the same thing ($5.99 p/m).
Popular Movies:
- Industry
- Your Honor
- Raised by Wolves
- Euphoria
- Succession
Popular TV shows:
- Game of Thrones
- RuPaul's Drag Race
- Shameless
Unblock WOW Plus Presents
If you're a fan of RuPaul then you may have heard of the streaming service WOW Presents Plus. You can unblock this service using a VPN too, check out our WOW Presents Plus page for more information about this.
Final thoughts
Hopefully, by now, you can see precisely why you need a VPN for Crave, as well as which ones out there are going to do the job. Here's a quick reminder of our top picks:
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for accessing Crave from outside of Canada. Fast, reliable and a great choice for beginners.
- NordVPN - Another excellent choice for accessing Crave. Expect superb connection speeds and a great streaming experience.
- Surfshark - A quick, budget-friendly VPN that keeps pace with its pricier competitors.
- Private Internet Access - A super-secure VPN with thousands of servers in Canada and the US.
- CyberGhost VPN - A user-friendly veteran of the VPN market that does exactly what it says on the tin.