Home   >   Blog

How to Watch Disney Plus Hotstar in Australia in 2024

Last updated: January 12, 2022

Home   >   Blog

If you’re dying to watch your favorite Indian TV shows, you are probably already hooked on the Hotstar streaming platform.

The Hotstar website is home to some of the best Indian content, offering access to shows and movies in an array of local Indian languages.

The problem is, if you are trying to access Hotstar from Australia, instead of your beloved Hotstar content, all you will see is this annoying error message:

Hotstar geo restriction error

Content Unavailable. This content is currently not available in your region.”

But, there is a way to bypass this annoying message to access your Indian streaming service in no time: A Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Using a Virtual Private Network, you can watch Hotstar in Australia or in any other restricted country around the globe simply by connecting to an Indian server.

Keep on reading to find out how to access Hotstar using a VPN service, and which VPNs will work at helping you unblock Hotstar today!

In a Hurry? Here’s How to Watch Hotstar in Australia

Is Disney+ Hotstar Available in Australia? 

No. Unfortunately, Disney+ Hotstar is not available to viewers who want to watch from Australia. While you can watch Disney+ Hotstar in the USA and Canada, these regions have different content libraries, so you will want to connect to Hotstar India to get the best Indian content available in Australia.

Using a VPN, you can hide your Australian location and IP address. When you connect to an Indian server, all that will be visible to Hotstar is your Indian IP address, which will give you access to Hotstar in Australia as if you are sitting in the middle of Mumbai!

Since not all VPNs will successfully help you unblock Hotstar, keep reading to find out which ones we recommend to reliably and consistently get through geo-restrictions to help you access Hotstar in no time!

Why You Need a VPN to Watch Disney+ Hotstar in Australia 

Hotstar is service is geo-restricted to India (and the USA and Canada), so you will only be able to watch Hotstar if you hop a flight to India or if you somehow pretend to be in India.

A VPN spoofs your location so you can be watching Hotstar from Australia while appearing to be streaming Hotstar in India from a local address.

The top VPNs on the market have servers in locations around the world, including in India. When you connect to an Indian server, your actual location and IP address will be hidden, giving you an Indian IP address and making it look like you are accessing Hotstar from within India.

Since not every VPN service will be able to unblock Hotstar, we have done the legwork for you to find which ones will help you watch Hotstar without all of the annoying trial and error of your own.

How to Choose the Right VPN to Watch Hotstar Australia

Hotstar is blocked in Australia, so you will need to use a VPN app to bypass these restrictions.

The best VPNs for accessing Hotstar in Australia have these features:

☑️ Servers in India: In order to unblock content on Hotstar India, you will need to use a VPN that has servers located in India.

☑️ Good Speeds: To watch your shows and movies with the best quality streams, make sure to use a VPN that has fast upload and download speeds.

☑️ Reputation for accessing blocked streaming services: A good VPN for Hotstar should have a reputation for reliably and consistently being able to get past Hotstar’s blocks, as well as be able to unblock other popular streaming content, like Netflix, Hulu, or BBC iPlayer.

☑️ Top privacy and security: To ensure that you are always safe when streaming, browsing, torrenting, or doing anything else online from Australia, make sure to only use a VPN with military-grade encryption, a Kill Switch, and a no-logs policy.

☑️ Money-back guarantee: A good VPN for Hotstar will offer you a money-back guarantee so you can test it for yourself before committing to a long-term plan.

☑️ Live-chat support: Make sure you have somewhere to turn in case you need any help or have any troubleshooting questions. The top services will have live-chat support that is always available to you.

Keep reading to find out which ones rose to the top after we tested over 4 dozen VPNs on the market for unblocking Hotstar in Australia.

5 Best VPNs to Watch Hotstar in Australia 

Here are the top 5 VPN services we recommend that can give you a seamless connection to an Indian server to unblock Hotstar from Australia:

Devices compatible with ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is our top choice when trying to unblock pretty much any streaming service from a blocked location.

ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, including servers in Chennai and Mumbai that will give you an Indian IP address to watch Hotstar in Australia.

This VPN can also unblock other popular streaming services, like Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and over 20 Netflix libraries! While there are other VPNs that can unblock these services, ExpressVPN has better speeds than all of them, so you can stream Hotstar without buffering and interruption from anywhere around the globe, even from a long distance.

If you also want to make sure you are accessing the web with online anonymity so you can feel free to stream content, play games, torrent, or even visit your banking sites online, ExpressVPN offers you the top privacy and security features, like AES 256-bit encryption, a Kill Switch, a strict no-logs policy, and DNS and IP leak protection.

Pros:

  • Broad server network
  • Fastest speeds for streaming content
  • Military-grade encryption
  • Works with Mac, iOS, Android, Apple TV, and more
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 live-chat support

Cons:

  • Pricier plans

2. NordVPN

Devices compatible with NordVPN

NordVPN is another great Hotstar VPN that will help you bypass geo-restrictions and give you a reliable VPN connection to watch your streaming content from anywhere.

NordVPN has over 5,200 servers in 60 countries, including over 30 servers in India to access your Hotstar streaming service provider from Australia and other countries around the world.

You can use NordVPN on your Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, Apple TV, and more devices, and you can use up to 6 devices on a single account.

Pros:

  • Large server network
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 6 connections simultaneously
  • Reliable at accessing streaming services
  • 24/7 live-chat support

Cons:

  • Slower when advanced security enabled

Devices compatible with Surfshark

Of our top 3 VPNs for Hotstar in Australia, Surfshark is the cheapest VPN around, with prices close to only $2 per month!

Surfshark has over 3,200 servers in 65 countries, including Indian server choices that can help you access all Australia Hotstar offers.

Using Surfshark, there is no limit to how many devices you can connect to a single user account, so you can start streaming Hotstar in Australia while your family members bypass geo-restrictions to watch content on other blocked sites, like Hulu in the US, Netflix libraries around the globe, and BBC iPlayer in the UK.

The drawback to Surfshark is that there is buffering at times, and sometimes it takes a few tries to find a server that works at unblocking your content. If you have a problem finding the right server, you can contact Surfshark’s live-chat support representatives 24/7, and they will help direct you to the best server for your needs.

Surfshark also offers top privacy and security features, like military-grade encryption, a no-logs policy, a Kill Switch, and leak protection.

You can subscribe to a plan and cancel at any point within the first 30 days for a full refund, so there is no reason not to test out Surfshark today.

Pros:

  • Multiple simultaneous connections
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Affordable VPN subscription
  • 24/7 live-chat support

Cons:

  • Some buffering
  • Some server trial and error

Devices compatible with CyberGhost

CyberGhost is a great VPN with a huge VPN network of over 7,500 servers in more than 90 countries, including over 60 servers in Mumbai for accessing Hotstar in Australia.

One of the greatest benefits to CyberGhost, aside from its large network of servers to give you an Indian IP address, is that it allows users to try the service for up to 45 days, so you can enter payment details and subscribe and cancel at any point within the first month and a half! This is essentially like a 45-day free trial.

CyberGhost allows users to connect up to 7 devices simultaneously to one account, which is more than ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and UltraVPN allow, and it comes at an affordable price for users who want to keep their VPN/Hotstar cost down.

Pros:

  • 7 simultaneous connections
  • 45-day money-back guarantee
  • Very large server network
  • 24/7 live-chat support
  • Military-grade encryption

Cons:

  • Speeds can be slower

Devices compatible with UltraVPN

UltraVPN is a smaller service with only around 100 servers in about 60 countries around the world, but it does have servers in India to help give users an Indian IP address for accessing Hotstar in Australia.

Despite its fast speeds, we typically opt for one of the other top VPNs on our list because of the small size of this VPN server network, and because UltraVPN is actually based in the USA, which is a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance.

Pros:

  • Fast speeds
  • Military-grade encryption
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 6 simultaneous connections

Cons:

  • Smaller server network
  • Located in privacy-unfriendly US

Can I Use a Free VPN to Stream Hotstar in Australia?

You can, but we wouldn’t.

If you want to watch Hotstar in Australia without buffering and interruption, we would highly recommend skipping the trial and error of a free VPN service, as most will simply be unable to access Hotstar in Australia, and the ones that will be able to unblock your streaming service will most probably not be able to stream smoothly.

The main reason for this is that free services typically limit your bandwidth and data usage, as opposed to the other service providers that require a subscription fee but offer unlimited bandwidth and no data caps.

When it comes to privacy and security features, free services are typically lacking as well, and are sometimes even guilty of selling your private information to the highest bidder to make a profit, putting you at risk of security breaches and hackers.

Why Is Hotstar Not Available Outside India?

The reason why Hotstar offers its content only to viewers in India is because of content distribution regulations.

Streaming services like Hotstar sign contract agreements with various content producers, giving them rights to show content on their platforms to viewers only in particular regions. In this case, these agreements don’t extend to areas outside India.

How to Download Hotstar App in Australia   

To use the Hotstar app in Australia, you will first want to make sure that you have this Hotstar app on your streaming device. In order to even see the Hotstar app as an option in your Google Play Store or App Store, you will first need to use a VPN to connect to an outside location and get past geo-restrictions.

To download the Hotstar app when you are in Australia, or otherwise outside of India, follow these steps:

  1. Install a VPN on your device. We recommend ExpressVPN.
  2. Choose India as your server location.
  3. Connect to this Indian server.
  4. Go to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store and search for Hotstar using the search box.
  5. Click on the icon for the Hotstar app and choose “Install.”

How to Sign Up for Disney Plus Hotstar in Australia 

Hotstar gives users a choice between two different paid accounts to watch Hotstar in Australia.

You can sign up either for a Hotstar VIP account, or a Hotstar Premium account. Some people can also stream this service free of charge.

If you are not an ex-pat from India living in Australia, you won’t want to try using the free plan or the VIP plan, since these options only offer Hotstar content in the local Indian dialects.

To watch Hotstar in Australia in the English language and get access to the full Hotstar library, you will need to access the Premium version.

This premium subscription plan costs 1499 INR per year (AUD 27.98) for the cheapest plan option.

If you want to set up your Hotstar account from out of India, this can be difficult, as you will need an Indian phone number, payment method, and address.

The easiest way to troubleshoot this issue is to find a friend or family member in India, and ask them to help you set up your account.

Hotstar Australia Prices

To watch Hotstar in Australia, you will need a Hotstar Premium account.

In addition to this Hotstar Premium membership, you will also need to subscribe to a VPN plan.

For a Premium Hotstar account, it will cost you AUD 29 (or $20.87 USD) annually.

On top of this Hotstar Premium subscription, a VPN subscription will cost you anywhere from AUD 36.85 ($26.52 USD) for Surfshark, to AUD 111.21 ($80.04USD) for a premium subscription to ExpressVPN.

This will mean that you will be paying between AUD 65.85 and AUD 140.21 per year for this Hotstar Premium version plus a VPN.

Hotstar Supported Devices

Here are the devices you can use with the Hotstar streaming service:

☑️ Android
☑️ Windows
☑️ iOS
☑️ Mac
☑️ Apple TV
☑️ Chromecast
☑️ Android TV
☑️ Amazon Fire TV
☑️ Samsung Smart TVs

You can watch Hotstar in Australia (or elsewhere) on up to two devices simultaneously, but only with a premium membership.

Popular TV Shows on Disney+ Hotstar 

Some of the popular TV content you can find on Disney+ Hotstar in Australia with an Indian IP Address:

☑️ The Newsroom
☑️ True Detective
☑️ Modern Family
☑️ The Mandalorian
☑️ Private Investigator
☑️ Game of Thrones
☑️ Big Little Lies
☑️ Twin Peaks
☑️ Chernobyl
☑️ and more

You can also watch live sports onDisney+ Hotstar in Australia, including live sports coverage of boxing, tennis, cricket, or football.

Popular Movies on Disney+ Hotstar

Here are some of the movies that Disney+ Hotstar offers with a Hotstar Premium account:

☑️ Ready or Not
☑️ Bad Education
☑️ Ford Vs. Ferrari
☑️ Deadpool 2
☑️ Coco
☑️ The Lion King
☑️ Avengers
☑️ Hidden Figures
☑️ The Fault of our Stars
☑️ and more

FAQs

Are VPNs legal in Australia?
Yes. VPNs are perfectly legal in Australia.
What’s the difference between Hostar and Disney+ Hotstar?
In April of 2020, Hotstar in India was changed/rebranded to Disney+ Hotstar.

This is a popular Indian VOD service allowing viewers to watch Hotstar and Disney content together.

Watch Hotstar in Australia: Conclusion

If you want to bypass the geo-restrictions and start to watch Hotstar in Australia., you can find out what Australia Hotstar offers by using a VPN.

All you have to do is download your VPN app, connect to an Indian server to get an Indian IP, download the Hotstar app, and start streaming!

Since not all service providers can help you access your blocked streaming service in Australia, we urge you to save yourself time and effort and stick with one of the top providers that we have vetted.

Our go-to service for Hotstar in Australia is ExpressVPN. This is the best VPN, hands down, for streaming, with IP addresses in 94 countries around the world and the very fastest speeds available in a VPN.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.