The Best VPNs for Streaming TV: Watch Netflix, Prime Video & More [2024]

I use VPNs to stay safe while browsing online, and they’re particularly important when streaming content. Let me explain everything about VPNs and help you find the right one for your needs.

In a hurry? If you want the best VPN for privacy, security, or speed, here are our editor’s picks for the best VPNs overall:

1. ExpressVPN: Established VPN provider in 105 countries. Smart DNS, a built-in ad-blocker, and unlimited bandwidth. Try it with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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2. Hotspot Shield: Connect to servers in 25+ US cities. Comes with a 7-day free trial!

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3. Surfshark: Top-notch VPN with unlimited devices. Save 86% on two-year plan.

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Learn how to watch out-of-market NFL games with a VPN in our detailed guide!

The least you can expect from a virtual private network (VPN) service nowadays is a secure encryption protocol, a fair log policy, and decent download speeds.

Most VPN providers offer desktop software, mobile apps, and browser extensions — they’re widely compatible.

You also want to ensure that you opt-in for a VPN provider with a good selection of countries and servers.

If you’re new to the world of VPNs, read on to learn exactly what a VPN is, how it works, its limitations, and how you can choose one.

Anyone that’s here exclusively to access blocked streaming content, jump straight to our guide on Streaming via VPNs.

Quick Guide to Choosing a VPN

If you don’t have time to read this entire guide and need something fast, at least ensure that you tick off the following requirements for choosing the best VPN provider:

• No-logs policy with at least two known security protocols in place
• Compatible with your browsing device and OS
• High-quality servers in the right location for your tunneling needs
• Realistic bandwidth expectations with available speed test data
• Additional security features like kill switch and multihop
• A suitable price plan to suit your term and budget.

Best VPN Services Compared

Aside from variable country and server locations, the main difference between VPN services tends to come down to the availability of features like dedicated IPs and smart DNS.

We compare these as well as all available protocol types and supported devices for the below providers.

There are other comparable features to look for — ones we didn’t list in this comparison table.

Countries	60+	90+	60+	90+	80+	60+	70+	50+	30+	100
Servers	5,300+	3,000+	1,500+	7,500+	4,000+	700+	6,500+	2,000+	950+	3200+
Dedicated IP	✔️	❌	❌	✔️	❌	❌	✔️	❌	✔️	✔️
Smart DNS	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	❌	✔️	✔️
Multihop	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️
Bandwidth†	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	1 G	unlimited	unlimited	10 G	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited
Connections	6	5	10	7	unlimited	30	unlimited	unlimited	12	unlimited
P2P	Some	All	All	Some	Some	All	Some	All	All	All
Price††	$3.99	$6.67	6.63€	$2.19	$1.64	$8.33	$2.00	$3.99	$3.67	$2.29
Free Trial	MBG	MBG	unlimited	1 day	7 days	MBG	MBG	MBG	MBG	7 days
Review	More	More	More	More	More	More	More	More	More	More
† Unlimited bandwidth (unlimited) is subject to server performance. †† Monthly price at the longest available term. MBG = money-back guarantee (a risk-free way to try services without a free trial).

All of the VPN providers on this page operate a no-logs policy and provide VPN router support.

ExpressVPN

Pricier compared to other VPNs, ExpressVPN remains popular due to secure servers running on RAM only, using 256-bit encryption. Support is available 24/7 via live chat and plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $12.95 on a rolling contract, 6-month commitment for $9.99/mo (billed biannually), or 1-year commitment for $6.67/month (billed annually).
• Best Features: RAM-only servers, split tunneling, kill switch, built-in leak tester.

For more, see our ExpressVPN review. And check out the deals it offers.

NordVPN

NordVPN is packed with both security and privacy-enhancing features like double IP protection. Accounts are secured with multi-factor authentication. And customer support is available 24/7.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $11.99 on a rolling contract, 1-year commitment for $4.99/mo (billed annually), or 2-year commitment for $3.99/month (billed annually).
• Best Features: Split tunneling, kill switch, onion-over-VPN, malware protection, tracker/ad blocker.

See our NordVPN review for more information. Also: check for great deals.

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is a premium VPN service based in Switzerland with a free base plan. Estimates of 10 Gbps connection speeds and open-source code audited by industry professionals. Network traffic encrypted via AES-256, key exchange via 4096-bit RSA, and SHA-384 used for message authentication.

• Plans: Free base plan. Three premium plans ranging from 10€/mo (monthly) to 6.63€/mo (biennially). Plans vary by available countries, servers, maximum speed, Tor support, and streaming service support.
• Best Features: NetShield adblocker, VPN accelerator, full-disk encryption, kill switch, split tunneling, leak prevention, Tor-over-VPN.

CyberGhost

Aside from a VPN service, CyberGhost offers a private browser, password manager, and a security suite for Windows (OS). The VPN is a decent tool to bypass content restrictions and to browse securely on public networks. All plans with a 1+ year term come with a 45-day money-back guarantee.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $12.99 on a rolling contract, 6-month plan for $6.99/mo (billed semiannually), or 3-year plan for $2.19/mo + 2 months free (billed every two years).
• Best Features: Wide range of platforms supported, WebRTC leak protection, cookie cleaner, kill switch, split tunneling.

Don’t miss out on great deals for CyberGhost.

ZenMate

ZenMate boasts a proven track record of successfully unblocking content that other VPN services have not. It is one of the best browser-extension VPN services with four supported browsers on mobile and desktop. ZenMate only exercises two encryption protocols and lacks optional features like dedicated IP, multihop, or smart DNS.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $10.99 on a rolling contract, 1-year plan for $4.49/mo (billed annually), or 3-year plan for $1.64/mo (billed every 3-years).
• Best Features: Kill switch, unlimited simultaneous connections.

VyprVPN

This provider uses seven different tunneling protocols across a variety of supported devices to hide user IPs. Aside from VPN services, Vypr offers smart cloud solutions for businesses for enhanced data protection. One account holder can have 30 simultaneous connections with unlimited bandwidth.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $15 on a rolling contract or yearly plan for $8.33/mo (billed annually).
• Best Features: Split tunneling, kill switch, NAT firewall, tailored apps for over a dozen operating systems.

Get ready for big deals on VyperVPN.

PureVPN

PureVPN offers both retail and business VPN with 24/7 customer support. Additional add-ons are available like DDoS protection for gamers. It is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market with dedicated IP access.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $10.95 on a rolling contract, 1-year plan for $3.24/mo (billed annually), or 2-year plan for $2.00/mo (billed every 2 years) for the first cycle and then $4.50/mo (billed yearly) after that.
• Best Features: DDoS protection, kill switch, split tunneling, unlimited devices.

PureVPN offers great savings. See our guide for up-to-date information. (Deal)

IP Vanish

With tens of thousands of shared IP addresses, IP Vanish operates on multiple tunneling protocols. It offers ample privacy to browse on public networks and access restricted media across 50+ countries. The yearly plan includes free ransomware and malware protection.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $10.99 on a rolling contract, 3-monthly plan for $5.32/mo (billed every quarter), or yearly plan for $3.99/mo for the first year and then $7.50/mo afterward (both billed annually).
• Best Features: Over 40,000 shared IP addresses, SOCKS5 proxy, kill switch, DNS leak protection.

IPVanish offers great deals during throughout the year. See our shopping guide for up-to-date information.

StrongVPN

A smaller company with a VPN service launched in 2005 with round-the-clock tech support (24/7). StrongVPN also offers VPN with cloud storage — both the monthly and annual plans include 250 GBs of free space. The company servers have over 50,000 shared IPs.

• Plans: Monthly plan for $10.99 on a rolling contract. The yearly plan is $3.67/mo for the first year and then $6.67/month (billed annually) after that.
• Best Features: Kill switch, split tunneling, free cloud storage, in-house smart DNS.

Get special deals on StrongVPN all year long.

Surfshark

Surfshark is an affordable VPN provider that offers a range of features including multihop, dedicated IP, and a wide range of servers in 100 countries across the globe. Surfshark servers are RAM-only and offer fast connection speeds.

• Plans: $15.45/month (1 month), $2.79/month (12 months), $2.19/month (24 months with 2 months free)
• Best Features: Unlimited devices and simultaneous connections

What Is a VPN?

A virtual private network (VPN) is a service designed to protect your privacy online.

• Simple Explanation: A VPN service offers a tunnel to send your data through, hiding the data that identifies you. It’s like sending a letter without the carrier, or those monitoring the carrier knowing who you are — only the sender and receiver know what’s in there, not the one who delivers it.
• Technical Explanation: A VPN service provides a secure passage (tunnel) via a secure server that belongs to the company. Through this tunnel, your IP address is hidden.

That’s all it is, really. VPN providers use different encryption standards, also known as security protocols or VPN protocols. Many VPN companies will advertise “military-grade” encryption, which is accurate.

However, remember, VPN servers don’t have the additional security military servers do.

Why Would You Use a VPN?

The most common reason to use a VPN is to enhance privacy and access blocked content. If we want to get specific, here are some reasons you may consider using a VPN:

• Public network security
• Bypass private network
• Security during online shopping/transactional browsing
• Data privacy from internet service providers (ISPs)
• Access blocked content in restricted geolocations
• Bypass local router/ISP restrictions (school, work, library, government premises)
• Protect personal identity during online activity.

These are NOT recommendations, merely examples of why people may resort to using a virtual private network.

How a VPN Works

When you install a VPN app or software, this is how your online identity is hidden:

1. The VPN app/software securely connects you to the internet
2. Your data is encypted through a “virtual tunnel” and sent to the VPN provider’s server. This is where the provider’s security protocol comes into play.
   • At this point, your internet service provider (ISP) is already restricted from seeing what you’re doing, because you’re protected by the VPN.
3. The VPN server sends your encrypted data to the receiving website or online service you’re trying to access
4. From the website/service you’re connecting to, a response is sent back to the server, then you, to confirm the connection.
   • You may see this as a confirmation of your connection via the app’s dashboard — it happens under the hood.
5. The traffic/data is sent back online again through another round of encryption via the VPN tunnel.
6. You’re ready to browse securely, even on public Wifi.

That’s it. Data is transferred through a tunnel that packages the data, hiding the content.

Limitations of a VPN

These are not reasons to put you off, but to consider when using a VPN:

1. You’re never completely anonymous with a VPN. With techniques like tracking, cookies, and browser fingerprinting, your identity can be traced back to you in several ways.
2. You’re entrusting a third-party with your privacy.
3. If the use of a VPN is illegal in a country you’re tunneling to, you may be taking a legal risk. Countries with strict VPN regulations include China and Turkey.
4. Using a VPN hinders your connection speed and performance because data has a longer way to travel with more gateways to pass.
5. However secure your VPN service, you’re still exposed to security threats like malware, hackers, and phishing attacks.
6. Some services ban IP addresses from VPN servers and cannot be bypassed. You can avoid this with an advanced multihop VPN service with dedicated IPs and Smart DNS.

How to Choose a VPN

Before you buy a VPN subscription, you need to know what you’re putting your money into. Annual bills add up and you want the best possible deal.

Right from the core technicalities to the price tag, here are six key factors to consider when choosing a VPN provider.

1. Competence, Privacy, and Security

The main function of a VPN is to encrypt and decrypt data, also referred to as “tunneling.” This is like packaging mail, sending it out on delivery without the contents of the box or sender ID shown, and unwrapping it when it arrives at the destination.

There are more than a dozen encryption/tunneling protocols.

The use of protocols differs among VPN providers, based on the service’s infrastructure and supported devices. Of the services reviewed on this page, here’s a comparison of available protocols:

OpenVPN	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
IKEv2	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
WireGuard	✔️	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️
L2TP	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌
PPTP	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌
SSTP	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌
IPSec	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌
Chameleon	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌
Lightway	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
NordLynx	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌

As to which VPN protocols are better or safer varies on technical expertise and corresponding opinions. However, some protocols serve different functions and cannot be compared fairly.

Security protocols typically differ in the following areas:

• Device Compatibility: Some protocols are designated for specific devices and operating systems.
• Bandwidth Use: A working security protocol uses bandwidth and power. The less bandwidth an active protocol uses, the better it is for the VPN performance.
• Firewall Bypassing: Some protocols are blocked by firewalls, while others are not. This is crucial for many field specialists like ethical hackers.
• Code Accessibility: Open source code is generally easier to troubleshoot. For example, SSTP is owned by Microsoft so the code is difficult to access. This may make it more reliable, but protocol like WireGuard are generally better for suggestions, bug diagnostics, and fixes.

Other privacy and security factors to be aware of include:

• Dedicated IP Address: A dedicated IP address differentiates your online identity from the rest of the computers that use the server you’re on. Without a dedicated IP, you run via the server’s shared IP addresses. Dedicated IPs are useful, since if the server’s shared IPs are blocked (which is more likely than a dedicated IP block), you may continue to access content that others can’t. Only selected VPN providers offer dedicated IPs.
• Smart DNS: When you try to access geo-blocked content, it could be suspicious via a generic VPN server’s IP address. A method to bypass restrictions is via Smart DNS (domain name server). Rather than having to use a different IP address, Smart DNS access simply redirects your DNS queries and keeps the IP address from your ISP.
• Multihop: Typically, a VPN provider filters its encrypted traffic via one server, unless it’s a multihop service. Multihop refers to the process of directing traffic through two or more servers instead of one. The advantages are that you can bypass advanced censorship, even the type that would usually recognize a VPN. On the other hand, your performance and speed are impacted because data has a longer way to travel.
• Logs: Traffic logs are a footprint of what content you’ve accessed online. It’s a trail of where you’ve been. VPN providers have log policies that define their process of logging client activity. Today, almost all VPN services operate on a no-logs policy as a privacy incentive for prospective customers. For maximum privacy, you want a no-log VPN service.

Once the above are covered, you may want to check for any additional protection against malware, trackers, hackers, public-wifi limitations, and DNS leaks. DNS leaks can be tested live via free online services while you’re hooked up to your VPN server.

Any history of DNS leaks may also be indicative of a secure VPN service’s performance.

2. Supported Devices

Most VPN services are available on your standard desktop and mobile operating systems as applications. Chrome and Firefox are the most widely supported browsers for browser extension apps.

Otherwise, there are a number of other devices supported by the VPN providers we tried. What device you use to browse will impact your choice of provider.

See which devices are supported by the reviewed VPN apps on this page:

Desktop
Windows	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
MacOS	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Linux	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Mobile
Android	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
iOS	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Blackberry	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌
Kindle Fire	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌
Browsers
Chrome	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Firefox	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	❌	✔️
Edge	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌
Opera	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Safari	❌	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
TV Devices
Android TV	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌
Fire TV	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Apple TV	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Gaming
Xbox	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
PlayStation	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Nintendo	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
Other
Raspberry Pi	✔️	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌
QNAP	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌
Synology	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌
Kodi	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	✔️	❌	✔️	❌
OpenElec	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌

Even if you don’t see your device here, do some research and see how you can make your favorite VPN work with it. Try Googling something like “how to use VPN NAME on DEVICE,” and you may get some DIY solutions.

3. Geography

Where do you want to tunnel to? Once you know the answer to this question, you’ll know which country you need the VPN provider to have a server in. The target country depends on the content you’re trying to get to.

Countries	60+	90+	60+	90+	80+	60+	70+	50+	30+	100
Servers	5,300+	3,000+	1,500+	7,500+	4,000+	700+	6,500+	2,000+	950+	3200+

If you’re flexible with your target tunnel locations, see how many servers the company has and how concentrated the traffic is to improve your chances of a steady connection and higher speeds. Speaking of which…

4. Speed

Your internet service provider (ISP) gives you a designated bandwidth — this may be unlimited but there are always maximum peaks. Your connection and speed are typically affected by internet traffic and network load.

It’s the same for VPNs. However, when you are tunneling, there is a tendency to lose out on the maximum speed potential you get from your local ISP.

The best way to minimize this loss in speed, or better, prevent it entirely, is to get a VPN with limitless or high-limit bandwidth. However, unlimited bandwidth is often subject to inconsistent performance based on server loads.

This is why you should prioritize one thing when choosing a VPN service for speed: server distribution.

For example, imagine you want to tunnel to Canada. VPN X has three high-performance, high-capacity servers throughout the country, while VPN Y has 12 low performance, low-capacity servers. VPN X has a bandwidth limit of 1Gbps, while VPN Y has unlimited bandwidth.

VPN Y might seem better with unlimited bandwidth, but 12 low-par servers can get crowded and your share of the overall performance capacity will suffer. VPN X may seem less appealing with its fewer servers and bandwidth limit, but it could win on performance based on sheer quality.

When choosing the fastest VPN, always consider server quality and bandwidth limits. Sometimes it’s better to go with a service that gives accurate estimates of performance, thus maximum possible connection speeds. You can even perform speed tests while using free VPN trials.

But remember, the fastest VPN is not necessarily the best VPN.

5. Features and UX

When it comes to bread and butter VPN app features and functionalities, the ones you want to look for are:

• Kill Switch: Sometimes you lose connection from your VPN. When this happens, your device returns to your original IP address provided by your ISP. A kill switch automatically disconnects your device from all internet connections in the event of losing connection with the VPN server. It is a useful privacy maintenance feature for unplanned outages.
• Split Tunneling: With some VPNs, you can connect selected applications to an online destination via an encrypted VPN server while other apps are connected to the same or another destination without encryption. Benefits include saving bandwidth and supporting multitasking when facing geo-restrictions.
• Simultaneous Connections: If you pay money for a VPN subscription, you want to make sure that you can use it on multiple devices. For example, IP Vanish and ZenMate don’t have an upper limit on simultaneous connections, while some like NordVPN do. Naturally, the more connections you have, the more your performance may be compromised due to load on your local ISP network.

Otherwise, VPN apps are relatively user-friendly. Dated interfaces are rare.

When choosing a VPN, you want something that’s neatly laid out, a dashboard where different locations and servers are easy to find. You want a clear presentation of data that lets you tailor your connection, ideally with a visual representation of server loads and any necessary details to help you make an informed decision on where and how you should connect.

6. Price

The most common subscription plan among VPN providers is the annual plan (one year). Many go as far as offering two or three-year plans for discounted rates.

Monthly subscription plans and rolling contracts are fairly standard with all VPN services. The NordVPN price structure is a good example:

• 1-Month Plan: $11.99/mo
• 1-Year Plan: $4.99/mo
• 2-Year Plan: $3.99/mo

A 30-day money-back guarantee is also standard with most VPN providers, even the ones that don’t offer a free trial. However, some VPN services may only allow the 30-day money-back period with longer-term price plans.

There’s no one-size-fits-all rating of what makes a cheap, expensive, or moderately priced VPN plan. You need to take every factor into account and consider exactly what degree of security and performance you’re paying for.

Streaming via VPNs

Unfortunately, streaming services are generally skeptical about the use of VPNs. Many streaming services and websites have blocked popular VPNs from accessing content libraries in the past. And the freedom of bypassing geo-restricted content remains in the grey.

Accessing blocked content may vary based on where you try from and where you’re tunneling to, not to mention the use of a dedicated IP address, multihop, and smart DNS routing.

VPNs for Torrenting

Torrenting, in other words, P2P file sharing, is widely supported by VPNs. Whether you can torrent or not depends on how the server is configured. Some servers are configured to allow P2P file sharing, while others are not.

All VPNs listed on this page allow P2P, but some of them have restricted servers. The following service providers allow P2P file sharing on all servers:

• ExpressVPN
• ProtonVPN
• VyprVPN
• IP Vanish
• StrongVPN

It may seem better to go with one of the above, but what this means is that you’re opting in to file share on busy servers with all kinds of users. Your other option is to go with a VPN service that offers specific servers for P2P data transfer.

These are:

• NordVPN
• CyberGhost
• ZenMate
• PureVPN

Best Free VPNs

If you want to leave your wallet aside, you can try the following VPNs for free. Some of them even have entirely free plans, though the performance doesn’t match their premium counterparts.

• ProtonVPN: A free account with 25+ available servers across three countries. At the time of writing, ProtonVPN’s free plan was available to connect to servers in the US, Netherlands, and Japan. No payment details are required, only a download and e-mail registration.
• CyberGhost: Premium-access free trial for 24 hours, no credit card details needed. A great way to try features like kill switch and torrenting for free.
• ZenMate: A free browser extension trial for 7 days with maximum download speeds of up to 2 Mbps. There are four available tunneling locations but the number of servers is unspecified.
• PureVPN: Not exactly free, but almost. Pay $0.99 for 7 days of full premium access to 6,500 servers in 75+ countries.

Other decent free VPN introductory plans include Hotspot Shield (free base account), Tunnel Bear (500 Mbs free trial bandwidth), Windscribe (10 Gbs/mo for free), and Surfshark (7-day free trial with premium features).

Other VPNs

We haven’t listed every VPN on the market. There are some worth checking out that we haven’t have time to thoroughly analyze:

• Atlas VPN (Get special deals)
• PotatoVPN
• Surfshark (Get info on the Surfshark deal)
• X-VPN

How We Test VPNs

We perform the following two key security and performance tests with all our reviewed VPN services. These are:

1. Speed Test: we use two different speed testing tools. These are from SpeedTest.net and SpeakEasy.net. If the VPN provider has an in-house speed testing tool (like ExpressVPN), we also use it as a third option. We connect to at least 10 locations with each VPN service to aggregate an average connection speed, along with a list of fastest to slowest tested servers.
2. DNS Leak Test: we use tools from VPNTesting.com and IPLeak.net to check for DNS leaks. If the VPN provider has an in-house DNS leak test tool, we’ll also use it to compare it with results from external tools. As with speed testing, we perform a leak test for 10 servers to ensure better accuracy.

Note: speed and DNS tests results may vary between encryption protocols, so we perform our tests with every available protocol (where applicable).

In addition, we test how our reviewed VPNs work with popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, FuboTV, and more.

Each time we review streaming via VPN, this is our process:

1. We connect to the VPN at a specified location;
2. We attempt to access the streaming service;
3. If accessed successfully, we choose a program that’s longer than 30 minutes;
4. We make a note of the buffering time (if any) and image quality;
5. We continue the stream for 15 minutes to see if there are any interruptions to the connection.

Once results are in, we share them with you, so you can set realistic expectations for the VPN service you’re considering.

Wrapping Up

All of the VPNs that we’ve highlighted here are excellent choices. Some work better in one area more than another.

We recommend ExpressVPN for video streaming. Sign up now and save 35% with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

FAQs

Is it legal to use a VPN?

Countries have different laws regarding the use of VPNs in their jurisdictions. However, generally speaking, it is legal to use a VPN in the US. A VPN is considered a privacy-enhancement tool, though if you use it to engage in illegal activity, you will be held accountable for your actions, irrespective of the legal status of using a VPN.

Should you use a VPN when streaming?

The only time it makes sense to use a virtual private network while streaming is when the content you’re trying to access is restricted to a particular location away from you. With the right VPN service, you may be able to access blocked content by re-routing your IP address to a location with access permission.

What is the best VPN for Android?

Every VPN reviewed on this page is compatible with responsive Android devices, namely, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, CyberGhost, ZenMate, VyprVPN, PureVPN, IP Vanish, and StrongVPN. Of these, all except VyprVPN, IP Vanish, and StrongVPN are also compatible with Android TVs. Other aspects will determine which you deem best. See this comparison.

Does VPN affect streaming?

Aside from the obvious role of bypassing geo-restrictions to access streamable content, VPNs also impact your streaming experience. By re-routing your data traffic to access the content library of a streaming service, data has longer to travel, therefore connection speeds may be lower. This can result in longer buffering times and lower streaming resolution. But this can be doctored with a good VPN service.

What is the best VPN for iOS?

Every VPN reviewed on this page has a compatible iOS app in the Apple app store. That’s NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, CyberGhost, ZenMate, VyprVPN, PureVPN, IP Vanish, and StrongVPN. However, only ProtonVPN supports Apple’s Safari browser as a browser-extension app. See this comparison to make a better-informed decision on which VPN is best for iOS.

Is using a VPN for Netflix illegal?

It is legal to use a VPN with Netflix but you may find you can’t stream with it. The Netflix Terms of Use do not mention VPNs explicitly. But they do say that you cannot “circumvent, remove, alter, deactivate, degrade or thwart any of the content protections” they have put in place.

Netflix is aware that people use VPNs for many uses and does not assume the use of a VPN is proof of trying to bypass these protections. So you are unlikely to be banned. But you should be careful.

Does BBC iPlayer know if I am using a VPN?

BBC iPlayer recognizes a user’s IP address and its location. The only way BBC iPlayer could recognize a VPN user is if the incoming IP address is from a known VPN server that was flagged. Even so, streamers can use dedicated IPs and smart DNS as alternative ways to get around this problem, should a streaming service recognize and restrict content from a VPN user.

Do websites know I’m using a VPN?

A website could only know that you’re using a VPN if they identified every bit of traffic and data transferred from the VPN provider’s servers. This is incredibly hard to do, even at a commercial scale, and so the likelihood of a website identifying you as a VPN user is very low.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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