American Netflix in Australia: How to Get It, and Whether You Need It

Is American Netflix really bigger?

No, and it has not been for years. What’s on Netflix tracks four Netflix libraries, and its count for December 31, 2025 was:

• United Kingdom: 8,893 titles
• Australia: 8,073
• United States: 7,865
• Canada: 7,846

The reputation is older than the numbers. In June 2018, Finder still counted 5,544 titles in the US and 4,732 in Australia. By 2020 Australia had caught up, and it has stayed ahead since.

Netflix’s own productions are almost the same everywhere: What’s on Netflix counted 4,868 Originals in the US and 4,832 in Australia. The difference is in the licensed shows and films, because, as Netflix puts it, “Each country has its own catalog of original and licensed TV shows and movies”. Some titles are on US Netflix and not here. Others are here and not in the US.

So the American library is not the bigger one. It only has the better reputation.

Check where a show streams before you do anything

Two free sites answer the question in a minute:

• uNoGS (unofficial Netflix online Global Search) shows which countries’ Netflix carries a title.
• JustWatch Australia shows which Australian service streams it, and whether it’s included or to rent.

Often the show you’re missing isn’t on any Netflix, because it belongs to another studio. Hulu’s shows have been part of Disney+ in Australia since October 2025 (our Hulu in Australia guide). HBO’s shows are on HBO Max, which launched here on March 31, 2025 (our HBO in Australia guide).

If the title is on a service you already pay for, you’re done, and no error message is involved. A VPN only makes sense for what is on US Netflix and nowhere in Australia.

What Netflix does when it sees a VPN

A VPN sends your connection through a server in another country, so with a US server Netflix sees a US address and shows the US catalog. Netflix knows this, and its help centre describes two reactions:

• an error, E106: “You seem to be using a VPN or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again.”
• a smaller catalog: “With a VPN, you may only be shown TV shows and movies Netflix has worldwide licensing for”. Those are mostly Netflix’s own shows, which you have in Australia anyway.

The plan matters too. Netflix states that “VPNs aren’t supported for watching Live events on Netflix or if you’re on an ad-supported experience.” In Australia, Netflix’s plans on November 5, 2026 were Standard with ads at AU$9.99 a month, Standard at AU$20.99 and Premium at AU$28.99. On the ad plan, US Netflix is out of reach whatever VPN you use.

Your account doesn’t change with the server. You keep your Australian plan, price and billing, because “The country on your account can’t be changed unless you move to a new one”. Netflix’s help pages talk about errors and a shorter catalog. None of the pages we read mentions closing an account over a VPN.

Is it legal to watch US Netflix in Australia?

Using a VPN is legal in Australia. Using one to get around a geoblock sits in a grey zone: the Copyright Act bans circumventing technological protection measures, and the Australian Copyright Council’s 2024 guidance says geoblocking can count, while individual viewers aren’t typically treated as criminals (ScreenHub, May 2026).

Netflix’s side is clearer. Its catalog is licensed country by country, and it blocks VPNs where it detects them. In practice, the risk you meet is the E106 message or the worldwide-only catalog from chapter 3.

What works in practice

Get ExpressVPN

I have used ExpressVPN for the US catalog for years, in the browser and on my phone. When Netflix blocks a server, I switch to another US server until one works. With the Pro plan, which includes a dedicated IP, it works almost every time.

ExpressVPN itself is more careful. Its Netflix page says that when Netflix detects the VPN, it “will only show you content that it has global rights for”, and its dedicated-IP FAQ that dedicated IPs “may not work as well as shared IPs for streaming”. Not the kind of sentence you expect on a VPN company’s own website.

My guess why the dedicated IP works better for me: nobody else uses that address, so it does not look like a server shared by thousands of VPN users. It is a guess, not something Netflix or ExpressVPN confirms.

A few practical points:

• Use a US server for the US catalog. ExpressVPN’s dedicated IPs in the US are in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, and the location is fixed once you choose it.
• If Netflix shows E106 or only its own shows, switch to another US location before you try anything else.
• On a TV it is harder. ExpressVPN has apps for Apple TV and Fire TV; other TVs need the VPN on the router.
• For other Netflix errors and fixes, see our guide on unblocking Netflix.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has servers in “113 countries, spread across 214 server locations”. On November 5, 2026 its pricing page showed only two-year plans, in US dollars: Basic at $2.99 a month, $83.72 for the first 28 months, then $99.95 a year; Express Pro, with the dedicated IP included, at $7.49 a month, $209.72 for the first 28 months, then $199.95 a year. On Basic and Advanced the dedicated IP is a paid add-on. The 30-day money-back guarantee is for first-time users and doesn’t cover purchases through the App Store or Google Play.