If you want to find out how to get a French IP address, you've come to the right place. In this guide, we'll show how you can get an IP address from France, regardless of where you are in the world. The best part about it is that it is incredibly easy to get a French IP by using a virtual private network (VPN).
By connecting to a French VPN server, your real IP address will be switched out for a French IP address, and any website you visit on the web will think you're located in France – even if you're an ocean away. This means that you'll can access French TV and streaming sites, no matter where you are. If you're a fan of French cinema, television, or sport, but are frustrated with being blocked from accessing the content you want from outside the country, then you'll need a VPN to help you unblock all the French content you can think of – and we're here to let you know how to do it easily.
Best way to get a French IP address
Here's a quick look at the best VPNs to use to get a French IP address. Each VPN in this list is easy to use and offers fast servers with multiple IP addresses in France. Continue scrolling if you'd like a more in-depth analysis of each provider.
- ExpressVPN - The best service for getting a French IP. It has French IP addresses based in Paris and Strasbourg, great apps, and fast servers.
- CyberGhost VPN - A great value service with plenty of French IPs. It has 320+ French servers optimized for Netflix France, TF1, Canal+, and RMC.
- Private Internet Access - A secure VPN service with lots of France IP adresses. It has 315 French VPN servers and also offers users SOCKS5 proxies.
- Surfshark - A Budget-friendly yet fully-featured VPN with lots of French IP addresses. It has servers in Bordeaux, Marseille, and Paris.
- VyprVPN - This is a feature-rich VPN with plenty of France IP addresses. It has excellent apps for all popular devices and strong encryption.
How to get a French IP address
Getting a French IP address is as easy as 1-2-3. Just follow these simple steps:
- Subscribe to one of the top VPNs – we've listed the best of the best in this guide, so take advantage of their money-back guarantees!
- Download and install the VPN software onto your device.
- Launch the VPN client and connect to a French server.
That's it! Once you've connected to a VPN server based in France, you can pretend to be in France and access all the French content you want.
The best VPNs to get a French IP – In-depth analysis
Below, we've provided a detailed list of the best VPNs for French IP addresses. Check out the in-depth analysis of each provider to see which one will best fit your needs. If you'd like even more information on the providers listed here, take a look at our detailed VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN is the best service for getting a French IP. It is extremely secure, has super-fast servers , and offers thousands of French IP addresses located in Paris and Strasbourg. ExpressVPN is a world-class VPN provider based in the British Virgin Islands that is an excellent option for anyone looking to get a French IP address. Superb unblocking capabilities combined with lightning-fast speeds make ExpressVPN an ideal choice for accessing restricted French content from anywhere in the world. With this VPN, you’ll be able to unblock Netflix France, Canal+, France.tv, and more. And with thousands of French IP addresses at your fingertips, you’ll never have any issues accessing a French IP that can reliably unblock virtually any content you can think of from France. On top of fast speeds and exceptional unblocking capabilities, you’re getting an incredibly secure service when you sign up for ExpressVPN. Security features include military-grade encryption, the proprietary Lightway VPN protocol for enhanced speeds and security, DNS leak protection, kill-switch, obfuscation, and a strict no-logs policy. Though ExpressVPN does come with a premium price tag, it offers a premium service that is well worth the money considering all that you’ll get when you sign up. Give ExpressVPN a shot risk-free today with its 30-day money-back guarantee. CyberGhost is a great value VPN with plenty of French IP addresses. It is the most user-friendly VPN to get a French IP address and unblocks French streaming services with ease. CyberGhost VPN is a provider based in Romania, a great location for privacy. But in addition to top-notch privacy and security features like AES 256-bit encryption, DNS and IP leak protection, and an automatic kill-switch, you’re getting access to over 320 French servers with specialized streaming servers optimized for Netflix France, TF1, Canal+, and RMC. On top of that, CyberGhost VPN has slick, easy-to-use apps available for all popular platforms, including support for router setups. What’s more, you’ll be able to connect up to 7 devices simultaneously. This means that you and your family will all be able to unblock all kinds of French content all at the same time across basically any device or operating system you use. Throw in excellent 24/7 live chat customer care and a ridiculously generous 45-day money-back guarantee when you purchase a subscription longer than 1 month and there’s no reason not to give CyberGhost VPN a try to see how it works out for you. Private Internet Access is the most secure VPN to use to access French IPs. It has 315 French VPN servers as well as SOCKS5 proxies so you can unblock French content. Private Internet Access (PIA) is a US-based VPN provider that offers some of the best security in the business. Don’t let the US jurisdiction dissuade you, though, because PIA has proven its no-logs claim in court on multiple occasions, demonstrating conclusively that it logs no user activity whatsoever and cannot hand anything over to authorities even if subpoenaed. In addition to its strict no-logs policy, PIA offers additional superb security features like SOCKS5 proxy, OpenVPN as well as WireGuard VPN protocols, malware and ad blocker technology, stealth servers, kill-switch, bare metal servers, and IPv6 and WebRTC leak protection. Though PIA offers lots of techy customization options that are sure to please more advanced VPN users, the software is also incredibly easy to use for VPN novices as well. So if you’re simply looking to get a French IP address to unblock content and don’t necessarily need all kinds of techy features, PIA is still a great option. With 315 lightning-fast servers in France, you’ll always be able to access French content and enjoy a smooth HD streaming experience without any annoying buffering. On top of that, PIA will allow you to connect up to 10 devices at once. You can try PIA today completely risk-free thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark is the most budget-friendly service with French IPs. It costs just $2.21 per month, can be used on an unlimited number of devices, and has servers in Bordeaux, Marseille, and Paris. Surfshark is a relatively new provider on the scene, but it has in a short time gained a substantial following of users worldwide thanks to its awesome features, outstanding speeds, top-notch security, ease of use, and excellent unblocking capabilities. When you sign up with Surfshark, you’re getting first-class security features like 256-bit AES encryption, ‘Cleanweb’ technology that blocks malware and phishing attempts, a kill-switch, obfuscation, and DNS leak protection. In addition, you’ll have the ability to unblock tons of French content like Netflix France, Canal+, France2, TF1, and more. If that’s not enough, you’ll be able to connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously without any restrictions whatsoever. So you and your entire family can unblock all the French content you could possibly want, all at the same time. Surfshark’s apps are supremely easy to use on all popular platforms, and knowledgeable support agents are standing by on live chat 24 hours a day to help you with whatever you may need whenever you may need it. And Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can give it a try totally risk-free for an entire month. VyprVPN has lots of French IP addresses. It wholly owns all of their servers, guaranteeing fast connection speeds and world-class security, and it has servers in France. VyprVPN is another excellent option for anyone looking to get a French IP address. It fully owns and manages its servers in Paris and across the globe, ensuring that no third-party entity ever gets involved in its network infrastructure. This not only guarantees excellent security, but also helps VyprVPN provide fast and reliable servers for online activities like streaming video. VyprVPN offers fully-featured and easy-to-use applications for all platforms, including router support, so you can easily stream French content through not only your desktop and mobile devices but also on your smart TV, gaming console, or other streaming devices. You’ll also have access to 24/7 live chat support so you can get help at any time, day or night, should you ever need assistance or have a question about the service. VyprVPN also offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can give the service a try without risking your hard-earned cash. 1. ExpressVPN
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Why are these the best VPNs to get a French IP?
The VPNs listed above are the best VPNs to get a French IP because they are all world-class VPN providers and because they offer servers located in France that can give you access to thousands of French IP addresses. On top of giving you the ability to unblock tons of restricted French content through their French IP addresses, these VPNs all offer excellent features you're sure to find useful, including:
- Fast connection speeds – If you want to stream French content, then your VPN will need to provide fast VPN servers to ensure that your streaming experience is smooth and free of annoying buffering issues. Each service in this guide offers excellent speeds.
- Reliable unblocking capabilities – The VPNs listed in this article can all reliably unblock all kinds of geo-restricted French content when you use their French IPs.
- Military-grade encryption – Strong encryption standards are an essential feature that all the VPNs listed here offer, guaranteeing that your data remains properly secured at all times.
- 24/7 live chat customer care – Each VPN in this guide offers excellent live chat support 24/7, meaning that you can always get the help you need, whenever you need it.
- Apps for all platforms – When you select a VPN provider from our list, you'll get easy-to-use and fully-featured applications for all platforms, so you can use your VPN on virtually any desktop computer or mobile device, whether it's running Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, or iOS.
- Support for router setups – By connecting your VPN through a router, you can protect all of your devices at once and easily connect devices like smart TVs to a French server to stream content directly to the big screen. All the providers listed in this guide offer step-by-step guides for various router setups.
- No-logs policies – All the VPNs we recommend for gaining a French IP address also guarantee that they never collect or store any logs of what their users do online when connected. A no-logs VPN provider can guarantee your privacy because it never collects any information regarding your online activity, and therefore would never have any data to hand over to authorities should they come knocking for any reason.
- Multiple simultaneous connections – Being able to connect multiple devices to the VPN at the same time is an excellent benefit that all the recommended VPNs in our list offer. When you're able to connect your VPN to multiple devices simultaneously, you can make sure that all of your devices are protected at all times, and you can share connections with family members so everyone in your family can unblock whatever content they want at any time.
How else can I get a French IP?
While a VPN is the best way to get a French IP (and the most secure option), there are still a couple of other ways you can go about getting a French IP to unblock restricted content. Here, we break down how you can get a French IP address using a Smart DNS or Proxy service and how these alternatives differ from using a VPN.
SmartDNS
A SmartDNS is a piece of technology that routes your DNS queries through a remote DNS server, allowing you to spoof your location and unblock geo-restricted content. One major difference here is that a Smart DNS will mask your true DNS address, not your true IP address like a VPN will (so while it won't actually be able to give you a French IP address, per se, it still can help you access French content from outside of the country). The other major difference is that a SmartDNS won't encrypt your internet traffic like a VPN will. Because a Smart DNS doesn't provide any encryption and because your true IP address will remain exposed when using one, the technology is not at all suitable for protecting your privacy online.
A SmartDNS service is geared primarily towards unblocking geo-restricted content rather than providing you a secure connection to the internet. But because a Smart DNS doesn't encrypt your connection, you'll find that your connection speeds won't take a hit like they will when you use a VPN. This is why SmartDNS is often preferred by streaming enthusiasts. What's more, you can set a SmartDNS up directly on a wide range of devices like smart TVs or other streaming devices that don't offer native VPN support, making the streaming process more seamless and straightforward. Smart DNS can be a great solution for your content unblocking purposes, as long as you're not doing anything else online that requires privacy.
Though Smart DNS services can be great for unblocking geo-restricted content and maintaining fast speeds for streaming, when you use a top-class VPN service that provides fast connection speeds you will hardly even notice any difference in your speeds. With a VPN, you can still unblock content and stream in HD without any buffering issues while securing your privacy at the same time.
SmartDNS Pros:
- Fast speeds
- Direct compatibility with smart TVs, gaming consoles, and other streaming devices
SmartDNS Cons:
- Doesn't encrypt your connection
- Leaves your true IP address exposed
- Cannot circumvent school/workplace/government firewalls
Proxies
A proxy service offers similar unblocking capabilities, as does a Smart DNS and a VPN service. Like a VPN, a proxy will change your IP address and make it appear that you're in a different country. This happens because when you connect through a proxy server that sits between your device and the wider internet, any website you visit will register the IP address of the proxy server instead of your actual IP address.
A proxy service is another way for you to obtain a French IP address. It's important to note, however, that a proxy will not provide you with the same privacy protections that a VPN can. This is because the owner of the proxy server will be able to view any unencrypted traffic running through the proxy server. Though if you're visiting a secure HTTPS website, the proxy server owner will only be able to see what site you're visiting and not what you're actually doing on it. Additionally, the owner of the proxy server will be able to see your real IP address. You will need to trust that the owner of the proxy server you are connecting through is an honorable, reputable party that won't monitor your data, sell it on to others, or otherwise compromise it in any way. There are reliable proxy providers out there, but there are also many that are not, so be careful if you decide to go this route.
What's more, proxy services will not offer you the same level of encryption standards that a VPN can, and will only secure your browsing activity whereas a VPN will secure and encrypt your entire network connection. On top of that, proxies are typically much less reliable than VPNs when it comes to maintaining a connection. A proxy can be a useful tool to get a French IP address, but all things considered, you're much better off sticking with a VPN.
Proxy Pros:
- Easy to use
- Can bypass firewalls
Proxy Cons:
- Doesn't offer the same level of encryption as a VPN
- Often run by dishonest individuals
- Can be slow
- Can be unreliable
Can I use a free VPN to get a French IP?
While there are definitely some free VPNs out there that work well and are trustworthy, we'd recommend sticking with one of the premium, paid services listed in this guide if you're looking to get a French IP address. This is because the majority of free services are a dangerous gambit that regularly come with:
- Terrible/no encryption – some have even been found to lie about the encryption they offer.
- Awful privacy policies – designed to monitor and sell on your information.
- Malware – usually spyware and adware.
- Very few servers to choose from – so getting a french server may not even be possible.
- Slow connection speeds – few servers mean high congestion, queuing times, and lots of buffering.
- Poor content unblocking capabilities – even if you find a free provider with a French server, that doesn't mean it will work.
Even the best free VPNs come with restrictions (bandwidth capping, connection speeds, and limited servers). They're usually stripped-back version designed to give you a taste of the service in order to entice you into subscribing to the full package. In these instances, even a cheap VPN is better than a free one.
Want to get a premium VPN without the cost?
Take advantage of our chosen providers' extensive money-back guarantees to get premium services without committing your cash. Simply sign up, and at the end of the guarantee period, simply get a refund and try the next service. It's a great way to test each provider before deciding on whether you want to subscribe to the service.
What does a French IP address look like?
A French IP address looks just like any other IP address on the web. A typical IPv4 IP address will have a structure like 143.216.30.87. Basically, it will consist of four sets of numbers separated by dots. Each country has a different range of IP addresses, however, so French IP address ranges will be different from, say, the IP range in Germany. That said, French IP addresses will still have the same general format as those in other countries.
You can see what your current IP address is below. If you connect to a VPN server in France and then reload this page, you will see the IP address and map change to the address and location of the VPN server you are connecting through.
What can I do with a French IP?
When you use a VPN to get a French IP, you can unblock all kinds of geo-restricted French content on the web by tricking websites into thinking you're in France, even if you're halfway across the world. This means that you can easily unblock the best French content available online like Canal+, France.tv, Netflix France, TF1, RMC, France2, M6, Arte, and more!
Not only will you be able to unblock tons of French websites and streaming services when you get a French IP with a VPN, but you will also be protecting your online privacy at the same time. Your VPN will fully encrypt all of your internet traffic running through the French server (or any other server location you connect through) and hide all of your activity from any party looking to snoop on what you get up to online. This means that you can bypass firewalls and internet censorship efforts implemented by governments, workplaces, or schools.
A VPN is a great tool for both unblocking geo-restricted content and for gaining privacy online. When you connect to a French VPN server to get a French IP, you get the full privacy benefits that a VPN offers along with the ability to access all the French content you could want.
Conclusion
A French IP address is a great way to unblock Netflix content, international content, and even access your banking services while you're abroad. Now that you know the best way to acquire one, here's a quick reminder of our top picks for VPNs to get a French IP address:
- ExpressVPN - The best service for getting a French IP. It has French IP addresses based in Paris and Strasbourg, great apps, and fast servers.
- CyberGhost VPN - A great value service with plenty of French IPs. It has 320+ French servers optimized for Netflix France, TF1, Canal+, and RMC.
- Private Internet Access - A secure VPN service with lots of France IP adresses. It has 315 French VPN servers and also offers users SOCKS5 proxies.
- Surfshark - A Budget-friendly yet fully-featured VPN with lots of French IP addresses. It has servers in Bordeaux, Marseille, and Paris.
- VyprVPN - This is a feature-rich VPN with plenty of France IP addresses. It has excellent apps for all popular devices and strong encryption.