The best VPN for streaming: Expert tested

To help you decide on the best VPN for you, we have listed the most important factors you should consider, including price, the availability of native streaming applications, and country server availability. 

You'll need to do some hands-on testing to find the right VPN to meet your streaming needs. Sometimes, only specific servers can unlock certain services. You want to be sure you can stream where you want to stream and through a VPN server that has the performance to support video.

Below, you will find the best use cases for each of our recommended streaming VPN services. 

When you are deciding on the most suitable streaming VPN for you, you should consider the following factors:

• Price: VPN prices vary, and although the most expensive services can cost you upwards of $10 to $20 per month, you can also find solid, reliable VPNs for as little as a few dollars. Keep an eye on renewal rates, as some VPN providers hike prices after introductory periods.
• Usage length: You need to consider your preferred price point regarding how long you think you will need a VPN. If you're in it for the long haul, consider a two-year subscription, as you also tend to earn the best prices with the most extended terms. Some VPNs will offer longer options. 
• Streaming availability: Many VPN providers transparently publish which streaming services work through their connections. Some of the most popular streaming services -- such as Netflix and Disney+ -- will typically work on most, although you may not have access to all geo-locked content libraries.
• Native apps: If you want to access your streaming service on a specific platform or OS, find out what native apps are available. For example, some VPN providers have developed native apps for tvOS that are suitable for use with Apple TV.
• Security: Consider the VPN's security track record. Preferably, the VPN will be open to external audits, and they won't suffer any significant recent data breaches. You also want a VPN provider that transparently and regularly improves its security posture. 
• Routers: Some VPNs may not provide native apps for your preferred streaming service. If this is the case, you might need to install your VPN directly on your router.

Many providers recommended in this list have been subject to in-depth testing and reviews by members of our ZDNET team. We've been reviewing VPNs for years, and have spoken with their management and their users, and developed a generally favorable impression if we've included them on this list.

ZDNET tests VPN services from multiple locations, but we can't test from all locations. Every home, community, local ISP, and nation has a different infrastructure. Once you choose a VPN, it's essential that you test for all your likely usage profiles and only then decide whether to keep the service or request a money-back guaranteed refund.

These VPNs also have solid money-back guarantees, and we would not have recommended them otherwise. 

We analyzed the best VPNs for streaming TV and movies below using the following criteria that were most important in helping you make an informed decision:

• Performance: Our top VPNs must have a minimum level of performance. After all, there's no point in using a VPN while streaming content if your connection continually drops or lags.
• Simultaneous connections: Many VPNs limit the number of devices you can connect to a service simultaneously. If you have a phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, or smart TV you want to connect to a VPN, you need a service that allows at least five or six simultaneous connections.
• Security: There's no point in using a VPN unless its security protocols and encryption levels are up to scratch. We also ensured the development team behind each recommended VPN cared about making security improvements over time and patching reported bugs.
• Kill switch: A kill switch prevents you from having an unprotected connection. It is an important feature for a VPN, as it protects you by preventing a return to a default Wi-Fi connection should your internet connection unexpectedly drop.
• Geo-blocks and streaming: VPNs can be key to accessing local content and services while you're away from home. We ensured that our top recommendations performed well considering these factors and are unlikely to slow down your connection while streaming, although we can't guarantee that every VPN will consistently work with every streaming service. We also tested access to geo-locked libraries, although we don't suggest you should.
• Platforms: What systems and devices can you run the VPN on? Our VPN recommendations have to offer easy-to-use and intuitive apps suitable for various hardware. 
• Countries and servers: In how many different countries does the VPN have servers? This can include physical and virtual servers, and whether there are enough -- at least 50 or so -- to provide variety.
• Trial length and price: Each VPN we recommend has a solid money-back guarantee of at least 30 days.

For a more extensive breakdown, check out our comprehensive VPN testing methodology page.

A VPN is not required for streaming movies, games, or TV shows. By chaning your location, howeveer, you can unlock certain services or products in other countries. The tradeoff is that a VPN will likely slow down your connection -- especially if you opt for a free plan -- because the distance to the server, encryption process, and protocol can introduce lag.

If you find that streaming with a VPN is unbearably slow, try connecting to a different server or a different VPN service altogether. Lag can often be minimized with better VPN services.

Many free VPNs will prevent you from streaming altogether or have a strict data usage limit. 

VPNs, set-top boxes, and streaming sticks don't always work well together. You might have to set up your router to distribute a VPN to all your devices for blanket coverage or connect your TV as a client to your PC and use that machine's VPN-protected network. If you want to stream TV through a VPN, picking up a VPN-supporting device such as a Fire TV stick or a router with a VPN enabled is one of the easiest pathways.

Yes, although depending on your TV model and any other hardware you have on hand -- such as an Amazon Fire TV stick -- the way you install and use a VPN can differ. For example, a Samsung TV might not have a native VPN app available, but you could install the same VPN on your Fire Stick and access streaming services through it. Alternatively, you could install a VPN on your router to give all of your devices blanket coverage.

Android TV is a variant of Android, as you might have guessed. That means most apps in the Google Play Store, including VPN clients, will run reasonably well on Android TV. Most VPN vendors slightly change their Android handheld apps to have a wide-screen UI for TVs and put those apps into the Play Store.

Since Amazon's Fire TV could best be described as a skinned version of Android TV with Amazon's app store, VPN vendors don't have to do too much technically to make their apps work there too. Just go to Amazon's app store and install the VPN app you want. 

In 2023, Apple introduced third-party support for VPNs on Apple TV. Some VPN providers are developing native apps, but others, including ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark, have already released them.

Unfortunately, there aren't native VPN apps available for all streaming devices. You can still use a VPN, but you'll need to set it up on your router or PC network. The same process applies if you want to stream via an Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch.

Yes. In fact, this popular streaming service is the reason many people use a VPN. Netflix appears to have accepted widespread VPN use among its subscribers, so instead of blocking connections outright -- which was often a problem in the past -- the streaming service allows access to its library of globally-licensed content when a VPN is detected. Sometimes, it can also be possible to access regional content, although watching this content may be against Netflix's terms of service. 

It's possible that using a VPN could slow down your streaming speed, but this depends on a variety of factors such as the quality of your VPN, the location of the server you're connected to, and your internet connection speed.

If you experience traffic slowdowns, check not only your VPN but also your Wi-Fi connection between your device and your router or access point. Sometimes, connectivity issues begin at the source, and in other cases, switching your selected VPN server may be enough to resolve speed problems or connectivity drops.

A VPN encrypts your online traffic, masks your online activity, and gives you a different IP address. These services can prevent internet service providers from knowing when you are streaming, which in turn can prevent them from throttling your speed. A VPN shouldn't reveal what you are streaming, but this doesn't mean it won't be logged in your account by your streaming service. 

We don't typically recommend using a free VPN if you are constantly streaming content, as this can eat up your bandwidth, and free VPN plans will often come with restrictions, including available speeds and country server availability. If you want to try out a VPN for streaming before you commit to a paid plan, consider Proton VPN or Windscribe.

If our best VPNs for streaming aren't the best choices for you, no problem. Here are a few other secure and reputable services that could meet your needs and budget.