This can be a controversial topic, as owners of entertainment content and intellectual property go to great lengths to control the distribution of their wares, especially when it comes to international markets for movies and TV shows. Even if you have a legal right to content at home, there might be issues regarding a streaming service’s terms and conditions when you are elsewhere or masking your original IP address.
Controls tend to tighten even further for sporting events, such as highly-anticipated matches. In contrast, VPN vendors go to great lengths to make the case that their services can be used to bypass restrictions, including content blocks based on location.
VPNs, set-top boxes, and streaming sticks don’t always work together well. The exception to this are products such as Fire TV Sticks. Otherwise, you might be forced to jump through hoops such as setting up your router to distribute a VPN to all your devices for blanket coverage, or connecting your TV as a client to your Mac or PC and using that machine’s VPN-protected network.
If you want to watch streaming TV through a VPN, picking up a VPN-supportive device such as a Fire TV stick or a router with a VPN enabled is one of the easiest pathways.
In any case, below are our top picks for VPNs suitable for streaming in 2023.
Also: The best travel VPNs
During testing, I found that ExpressVPN is fast enough, with a low download speed reduction that is unlikely to impact streaming. Therefore, you should not experience buffering issues while watching your favorite shows.
That is why a paid subscription is generally a better choice when using a VPN for streaming. Free or basic options will often either prevent streaming from popular services entirely or restrict speeds to the point where streaming becomes a frustrating experience reminiscent of the days of dial-up.
At the time of writing, a subscription to ExpressVPN costs $9.99 per month for six months or $12.95 for a month of access. However, you can also take advantage of a sale if you sign up for a 12-month contract. ExpressVPN is offering customers a 49% discount, lowering the cost to $6.67 per month, and three months of free access have been thrown in as a bonus.
Review: ExpressVPN review: A fine VPN service
NordVPN has the performance you need to stream your favorite content. During testing, I found that NordVPN consistently performs well in terms of speed and stability. The VPN also has exceptionally fast connection times.
Also: How does NordVPN work? Plus, how to set it up and use it
A tip is to use the “quick connect” function when streaming, provided that the country you’re streaming from has geographical access to the content you want to watch. This function will select the best server available for speed.
Prices for NordVPN start at $4.19 per month on a two-year standard plan and go up to $15.49 per month on a complete, one-month subscription.
At the time of writing, NordVPN is also running a birthday promotion for its plans. The promotion was launched on February 8 and is available for one month. New users can subscribe to a two-year plan – standard, plus, or complete – and save up to 59% via a gift promotion. Random users will receive either three months or one year free, which will be added to the length of the contract.
Review: Our NordVPN review
Surfshark is one of the cheapest VPNs on our list, offering a solid product at an excellent price.
In ZDNET’s Surfshark VPN review, we found no DNS leaks, and the service has a strong security focus. However, you may trade streaming speed for affordability. Our recent tests have shown midweight performance when it comes to speed and download speed reduction.
Also: ExpressVPN vs. Surfshark vs. NordVPN: Which is best?
Surfshark is also one of our top choices for affordability. At the moment, the VPN provider’s two-year subscription is only $2.30 per month, with two free months added to the length of the contract.
Review: Surfshark VPN review
For those folks who love the Kodi media player, IPVanish is the VPN for you. IPVanish has full, detailed setup guides for using Kodi with many of the more popular streaming devices. IPVanish works well while accessing popular streaming services such as Netflix, too, and based on customer feedback, it appears the company has improved its streaming capabilities of late for US customers. However, you might need to configure split tunneling to view Hulu (if it is possible).
IPVanish is a highly configurable product. Its native apps are intuitive, and the user interface has excellent performance graphics. It’s easy to see the current status of servers, so you can connect to locations where the server load is less likely to impact your streaming experience.
In terms of performance, IPVanish had fast connection speeds in our most recent testing. However, download speeds tended to lag behind other VPNs, and you may struggle with high-resolution streaming.
At the time of writing, IPVanish is running a promotion for new subscribers. You can sign up for a two-year plan for $3.33 per month, rising to $4.50 per month for a year’s worth of access. A one-month subscription will cost you $11.99. Keep in mind that, as with all VPN services, you might have to pay tax on top.
Review: Our IPVanish review
All of these VPNs are secure and do not track your browsing activities. They also have useful features, such as kill switches, that cut off your internet connection if the VPN connection drops to prevent you from accidentally connecting to an unencrypted, less secure access point. This ensures that your connection is never accidentally exposed without your knowledge.
Lastly, a useful VPN for streaming must have a minimum level of performance. After all, there’s no point in using a VPN while streaming if your connection continually drops or lags, making it intolerable.
However, if a government is monitoring your online activities at the ISP level, they may still recognize the signature of a VPN in use, even if what you’re doing is entirely hidden.
VPNs are beneficial in unblocking geo-restricted content and can be a crucial tool for accessing information in countries with oppressive governments. Additionally, they are vital services for anyone seeking to maintain a high level of safety and privacy online. However, because VPNs are anonymous (or at least should be), they can also be used to hide illegal online activities, such as pirating content.
In general, here are the steps for using most VPNs with your preferred streaming service:
Keep in mind using a VPN to unblock content restricted in your region may violate the terms of service of the streaming service. Also, some VPNs do not work with all streaming services.
This is because the distance to the server, encryption process and protocol can create a lag in your internet speed.
If you find that streaming with a VPN is unbearably slow, try connecting to a different server or you may need to try a different VPN service altogether. Lag can oftentimes be unnoticed with better VPN services.
Unfortunately, there aren’t native VPN apps for Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku devices. You can still take advantage of a VPN security, but you’ll need to set up a VPN on your router or PC network. The same process applies if you want to stream with Xbox, Playstation, or Switch.
