How to watch Outlander online

Few can boast the genre fluidity that defines Starz’ Outlander. An adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels, which boast an impressive 8 titles and another 1 in the writing, the story is a combination of wartime drama, time-travel story, as well as a romance-fantasy novel. A mouthful indeed! In this series, the major plot device is Claire Randall’s time travel to 18th century Scotland during the Jacobite rising.

Following the end of the Second World War, Claire, interpreted by the gorgeous Irish actress and former model Caitríona Balfe, is a married military nurse on a second honeymoon with her husband at Inverness. To her surprise, she is carried back in time by the standing stones at the fictional Craigh na Dun. The latter, based on the Callanish Stones erected in the Neolithic area in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, were associated with several ritualistic meanings, practices, and legends throughout the Bronze Age.

With its fourth season currently concluded, Outlander is scheduled for at least two more. Whether for the intense historical plot, for the authentic, kilt-wearing handsome men (to be read as “with no underwear underneath”), for the striking nipple-jewelry, or the well-directed sex-scenes, we’ll show you how to watch Outlander online.

The Skinny on Outlander

Pun intended, of course. The first season is mainly focused on Claire’s arrival to the 1740s Scotland, where she is wed to the gorgeous highlander Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan. As expected, the two have a steamy, slow and indulgent consummate-your-marriage scene that took days to complete on the set, but that is equally rewarding in its impact.

Critics have often praised this aspect of Outlander, as the director accurately takes into account the intimate gaze of both lovers… I guess you just have to see it to understand. The re-married married woman plot-twist is followed by another recognition that the leader of the Highlanders’ enemies, Captain Jonathan Randall, is actually the ancestor of Claire’s contemporary husband.

The second season focuses on Claire and Jamie’s attempts to thwart the Jacobites from the other side of the English Channel. It’s incredibly difficult not to give away major spoilers, but let’s say that these episodes focus on the intrigue at the French court, as well as the relationship of the two main characters, with the season’s action climaxing in the Battle of Culloden.

In season 3, Jamie breaks a promise he had made to Claire, whom he compelled to return to the 20th century. Following a personal tragedy, Claire returns to the 18th century to look for Jamie. The plot will then take the two to Central and North America and the former colony of Georgia.

The last season currently available is set in the former American colony of North Carolina. The two lovers are confronted by the realities of slavery and decide to make a new life for themselves in a different location, near the Cherokees. The latter group will play an important role in the development of the plot from this point onwards, which gets ever more complex as Claire and Jamie’s progenies become a major part of the (time-traveling) action.

Why you might not be able to watch Outlander

Within the United States, Starz made sure to be the only service that allows you to watch Outlander online. Indeed, the network is trying to capitalize on the fact that they are the producers of the series as much as possible. Unfortunately, these copyright licensing policies are not good news for the viewers themselves. Because Starz is a premium subscription channel, you can only get access to it either by paying for their subscription alone or through Amazon Prime or Hulu, all of which can be quite expensive.

Outside of the U.S., you can’t get access to Outlander on the Starz, Prime or Hulu platforms because you don’t have an American IP. This is because of private, geo-blocking restrictions that are meant to enforce regional copyrights. It’s not enough that studios and producers capitalize for their work in one economy, they want to be able to do it repeatedly throughout every region, at varying prices.

If you’re traveling to foreign countries, you might be lucky enough to get it on regional Netflix. If nothing else, however, the show is a prime example of how geo-blocking and licensing policies are preventing, rather than encouraging people from watching good productions.

How to watch Outlander online outside of the U.S.

Whether you have a Starz, Hulu, Prime, or Netflix account, we’ll help you find out how to watch Outlander online regardless of your location. For those who have a Starz or similar subscription that gives them access to the show, a VPN service will ensure they can connect to the platform while traveling to places outside of the U.S.

On the other hand, if you don’t have either of these premium subscriptions, but you do have Netflix, you can still watch the series online if you use a VPN service. What you’d have to do for your Netflix to show Outlander is to use the VPN to spoof your location. Netflix in Canada, most Latin American countries, the majority of European nations, and several Asian nations have acquired the rights to stream the Starz series in these regions alone.

Aside from encrypting your Internet traffic, a VPN allows you to mask your true location over the web by re-routing your traffic through a private network of servers. A great advantage of this practice is that you can theoretically benefit from an IP address that originates in whatever country you desire.

However, because not all VPN services have good enough speeds for streaming, as well as due to the fact that some of them are less secure than others, we’ve made a list of some of the best VPNs you can use to stream Outlander both in the U.S. and outside of it.

1. Astrill VPN

On the whole, VPN services are notorious for dramatically slowing down your internet connection. However, this is not the case with Astrill VPN. In fact, Astrill is one of the fastest VPNs currently available on the market.

With just over 3000 servers in 57 countries, there’s no content you won’t be able to unblock. Aside from great privacy and security, this VPN will let you stream pretty much anything you want by changing your location and securely encrypting your data.

For a deeper investigation of Astrill VPN, read our Astrill VPN review.

2. TorGuard

TorGuard is just as effective at by-passing geo-fences, whether they belong to private companies such as Netflix or to governmental institutions.

Despite the organization’s location in the United States, their affordable price and great security suite have made TorGuard a regular among the best VPN services. In addition, their live support is extremely helpful if you find there’s something you can’t sort out on your own.

For a deeper investigation of TorGuard, read our TorGuard review.

3. Ivacy VPN

Out of the three here, Ivacy is, by far, the most affordable VPN you can get, which makes it a great value choice for being able to stream content unhindered by geo-blocking.

Albeit not as popular as the former two, Ivacy’s noteworthy security and encryption features, alongside its decent connection speeds, pretty much ensures you can stream 4K content everywhere you go.

For a deeper investigation of Ivacy VPN, read our Ivacy VPN review.

Plenty more where that came from

With two more confirmed seasons, it’s about time you found out how to watch Outlander online. Ronald More, the lead developer, confirmed that although these two seasons will largely be based on the fifth and sixth books in Gabaldon’s series, namely The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes, there’s a good chance they’ll also mix in some of their own ideas to keep it fresh.

Irrespective of the VPN of your choice, the latter will ensure you can watch Outlander wherever you are. If you don’t have access to any of the paid subscriptions, using a VPN with Kodi or Project Butter will guarantee your safety while you stream the adventures of Claire and Jamie peer-to-peer.