Methodology - How We Research and Rank
Data first, prose second
Every provider entry is a structured fact set: provider type, pricing per term, trial and money-back terms, the eight tracked streaming services, documented device support, IP registration and dynamic-DNS handling, logging policy, reputation notes and sources with dates. Reviews are written from that fact set only, and every factual sentence in a curated review carries a numbered citation into its dated source list - a number that cannot be traced to a fact or a quoted source is not printed ("not published" is a valid statement). Where a claim is only the operator's marketing, the page says exactly that: per-service support is labeled as confirmed (independent dated evidence), claimed (operator statement) or no.
Where facts come from
Provider channel lists, pricing and terms pages, setup documentation, community reports and our own checks. Quality is flagged per provider: verified, reported or unverified. Unverified facts are labeled in reviews, never presented as confirmed. "Partial" on a service means documented restrictions - the review explains which.
Scoring
Sub-scores (0-10) are derived from documented facts by a published rubric - the full rule list is at the bottom of this page. Unknown facts contribute nothing; unverified marketing claims score less than independently confirmed evidence; "speed" is withheld entirely until we run our own measurements. Weighted dimensions: coverage 22%, reliability 20%, value 14%, devices 12%, support 10%, privacy 10% (speed is null and drops out of the weighted total). A two-service specialist is scored within its own lane - it cannot "lose" for catalog size against a 300-channel provider; it is rated on what it is. User ratings are shown separately, smoothed with a statistical prior, and never mixed into editorial scores.
Freshness
Unblock support changes fast - streaming services fight back constantly. We run daily reachability checks on every listed domain and regenerate reviews on a weekly cycle (plus on-demand whenever facts change). Every review shows its version, generation date and fact-verification date.
Independence
Commercial relationships never influence scores, ranks or the discontinued list. Providers can submit factual corrections with sources via contact; we verify and correct within 7 days. We do not remove dead or discontinued listings in exchange for anything.
The score rubric, rule by rule
Every sub-score is derived from documented facts by the rules below - the same code that renders this page computes the scores. Unknown facts contribute nothing: a provider is never rewarded for something we could not verify. Each sub-score starts at its base, adds and subtracts points per rule, and is capped per dimension.
Coverage & unblocking
| 1.5 | Streaming service with an independent, dated confirmation (test report or community test within the last 12 months) |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | Streaming service the operator claims (or "partial") without independent confirmation |
| -1 per documented failure | Streaming service documented as not working |
| 1 | Total number of supported services published (a checkable claim, e.g. "300+ services" with a source) |
| 1 | Published, checkable channel/service list on the provider site |
Reliability & trust
| 1 | Facts field-verified against primary sources (not just reported) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Operator ownership publicly documented with high confidence |
| -1 | Provider still in verification - nothing here is confirmed yet |
| 1 | Our daily reachability check currently passes |
| -2 | Our daily reachability check currently fails (down / timeout / no-domain) |
| 0.5 | Multiple simultaneous registered locations supported (redundancy when one region breaks) |
| -1 per red flag | Each red flag on the record (contract traps, refund complaints, retired features) |
Value
| 4 | No documented price at all - neutral middle, no assumption either way |
|---|---|
| 1 | Monthly price published |
| 2 | Annual plan at most $40 (about $3.30/mo) |
| 1 | Annual plan at most $55 |
| 1 | Lifetime plan exists |
| 2 | Free trial of a week or more, no card required - the honest way to test unblocking |
| 1.5 | Free trial without card (under a week) |
| 1 | Free trial exists but requires card details upfront |
| 1 | Money-back window of at least 30 days |
| 0.5 | Money-back window of at least 7 days (under 30) |
| 0.5 | Pricing notes contain the documented billing quirks (renewal jumps etc.) - transparency credit |
Devices & setup
| 2 | Router setup documented (covers every device in the home at once) |
|---|---|
| 1.5 | Smart TV setup documented |
| 1 | Fire TV setup documented |
| 1 | Apple TV setup documented |
| 1 | Roku setup documented |
| 1 | Game console guides documented (PlayStation/Xbox) |
| 0.5 | Mobile setup documented |
| 0.5 | Desktop browser setup documented |
| 1 | Companion apps for setup / IP management |
| 0.5 | Dynamic DNS support (no IP re-registration after a router reboot) |
| 0.5 | Multiple simultaneous registered locations |
Support
| 1.5 | 24/7 support documented (operator page or dated report) |
|---|---|
| 1 | Live chat offered |
| 0.5 | PayPal accepted (adds a dispute path beyond card chargeback) |
| 0.5 | Operator ownership documented with high confidence (accountability) |
Privacy
| 1.5 | Provider claims a no-logs or minimal-logs policy (a claim, not proof - but a documented position beats silence) |
|---|---|
| 1.5 | Jurisdiction outside the 5/9/14-Eyes alliances |
| 1 | DoH/DoT supported (DNS lookups themselves are encrypted) |
| 2 | Full VPN bundled with the plan (closes the encryption gap) |
| 0.5 | Crypto payment accepted |