VPNs are necessary for online streaming. They ensure a reliable and fast streaming experience and help bypass various issues such as ISP throttling, geo-blocks, and online censorship. Below is a quick list of the best VPNs for streaming that you can use to enjoy an amazing watching experience.
- NordVPN – The VPN prevents ISP throttling, unblocks geo-blocked content and fast speed.
- ExpressVPN – It offers fast long and short-distance speed, lightway protocol, and high device compatibility.
- CyberGhost – The VPN has a no-log policy, opens blocked sites, and provides the fastest speed for online streaming.
- Surfshark – It offers fast streaming in 4K, a high encryption rate, and allows unlimited device connections.
- Proton VPN – The VPN service provides unlimited bandwidth and unblocks streaming sites like US Netflix.
- VyprVPN – It prevents ISP throttling, opens geo-blocked content, and has an excellent streaming speed.
Online streaming is one of the many ways people relax and spend their leisure time. However, with the ability to watch your favorite shows and movies online comes the liability of issues such as ISP throttling and geo-blocking.
Streaming issues like buffering and long-term waiting can hinder the experience, and no one likes that. Censorship issues, copyright problems, and non-consented lowered bandwidth cause this internet and streaming restrictions.
However, you can solve these streaming issues using a streaming VPN. It prevents ISP throttling, masks your identity, and virtually relocates you to a different region to unblock geo-restricted content. Below, we listed some of the best VPNs for streaming. So let’s discuss each of them in detail.
How to choose the best VPN for streaming?
Many people get confused while selecting a VPN service, as many claim to be the best. However, by looking for the following features, you can choose the best and most reliable VPN for streaming:
- Number of servers: The VPN should have a significant number of servers to ensure there is no server congestion and users have reliable access to various locations.
- Security & privacy features: It must provide reliable privacy and security through secure encryption ciphers, tunneling protocols, and privacy features.
- Dedicated streaming features: The VPN must have dedicated features such as intelligent play, optimized servers, and stealth protocol to help in reliable streaming.
- Easy to use: The Virtual Private Network must be easy to download and use, offering a one-click quick connection and automatic server selection features to make the experience more accessible.
- Compatibility with streaming platforms: The VPN service must work with all streaming platforms to provide an unhindered streaming experience.
- Servers speed: Fast server speed reduces buffering and increases site speed. Therefore, the VPN must provide reliable, super-fast speeds.
- Device compatibility: Ensure the VPN service works with all streaming devices, such as smart TVs and consoles.
- Customer support: 24/7 customer support helps users quickly get answers to their queries.
All these factors allow users to have the best streaming experience.
Best VPNs for streaming – Detailed list
Below are the top VPN services based on our personal experience and research:
1. NordVPN
One of the most reputed VPNs, NordVPN, is designed to offer a smooth and reliable streaming experience. Audited as the fastest VPN in the market by AV-Test, the VPN provides super-fast speeds for 4K HD streaming with negligible buffering time. It certainly helps that the VPN provider owns 6,100+ servers across 111 countries, ensuring there is no severe traffic congestion and that its users have several options.
NordVPN’s specific streaming focus is evident through its various dedicated streaming features. One such feature is the SmartPlay technology, a secure proxy service that helps bypass geo-restrictions. The feature is enabled by default in all NordVPN apps and works by changing your DNS servers while hiding your IP address and encrypting your internet connection, which helps bypass geo-blocks and ISP throttling issues.
Therefore, the VPN provides you unrestricted access to several popular streaming services, including Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, and YouTube. With Netflix, it is not one to disappoint. It constantly updates its server lists, enabling it to provide unrestricted access to all Netflix catalogs, be it the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or Japan.
Moreover, to ensure a seamless streaming experience, NordVPN offers compatibility with several streaming devices, including Android TV, Apple TV, and other smart TVs and consoles. However, NordVPN stands out the most because the VPN offers outstanding security through AES-256 bit encryption and the proprietary NordLynx protocol, along with other secure encryption protocols such as OpenVPN and IKEv2 that quickly help prevent online snooping and allow secure streaming.
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is an all-rounder VPN and is one of the best choices for online streaming. It provides 3,000 servers in 105 countries, ensuring fast and uninterrupted streaming. The VPN also offers virtual servers. These servers virtually relocate the user’s IP to the country of choice when routed via a different server for improved internet speed and bypass censorship.
It has a Stealth VPN mode that helps bypass censorship and VPN blocks by masking VPN traffic as regular HTTPS traffic. This mode is ideal for streaming in restrictive countries such as Turkey, Iran, and China.
ExpressVPN also offers the Mediastreamer feature. This Smart DNS proxy feature bypasses extremely strict geo-blocks and VPN blocks. This feature helps evade Netflix’s VPN block and helps provide access to all streaming platforms. Additionally, the VPN also promises compatibility with several intelligent TVs and consoles.
It also promises reliable streaming through super-fast speeds through its proprietary Lightway protocol. Moreover, to help ensure its users get optimal speeds, ExpressVPN allows them to conduct a speed test before connecting to a server. With this, users can ensure they are connected to the fastest servers for streaming.
Furthermore, the VPN also guarantees robust security while streaming. It uses the industry standard AES-256-bit encryption with a network lock to prevent data leaks. The VPN also has a verified no-logs policy, so you can stream freely without worrying about data snooping.
3. CyberGhost
CyberGhost is a reliable VPN provider that promises an ultimate streaming experience. The VPN offers some of the best streaming features, such as no-spy servers. The feature helps bypass some of the strictest online geo-restrictions, allowing users to stream all types of content.
Whether accessing Netflix US or Disney Plus, the VPN ensures access to some of the best streaming content. It ensures compatibility with all the major streaming platforms and devices.
The VPN is easy to use and set up, but it also ensures super-fast speeds that significantly reduce buffer time to zero. There are also an impressive 7,000 servers in 115 locations. Such a large number of servers is ideal for streaming since it quickly helps bypass ISP throttling issues, and users don’t have to face traffic congestion.
The VPN offers some of the best AES-256-bit encryption and secure VPN protocols, such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP-IPsec, PPTP, and WireGuard protocol. Regarding streaming, these protocols help ensure a safe and fast streaming experience. However, CyberGhost stands out because it also blocks ads and tracking while following a strict no-logs policy, so you can stream without worrying about online snoopers.
4. Surfshark
Surfshark VPN has a strong reputation as a fast and secure VPN provider, making it an ideal VPN for streaming. The VPN provides super-fast speeds that help stream in 4k HD quality with little to zero buffer time. Moreover, it also offers 3,200+ fast servers in 100+ countries that cover all the popular streaming locations.
The VPN is also sufficiently equipped to bypass geo-restrictions and censorship. It offers an impressive No-Borders mode that helps bypass even the strictest geo-blocks and censorships. It is helpful for people living under restrictive regimes such as Turkey, Iran, or China.
Additionally, Surfshark is efficient in evading VPN blocks. It offers a Camouflage mode, essentially an obfuscation tool that allows accessing restricted content and bypasses VPN blocks. It allows access to all popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and much more.
The VPN also offers a Smart DNS feature that helps bypass restrictions by changing a user’s DNS address. SurfsharkVPN also works with smart TVs and consoles, including FireStick TV.
While helping users evade geo-restrictions and VPN blocks, Surfshark ensures a secure VPN connection. The VPN provider encrypts data using robust AES-256-GCM encryption and secure tunneling protocols such as WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN. Surfshark provides a malware, ad, and tracker blocker for safe streaming.
5. Proton VPN
Proton VPN is a reliable VPN with multiple streaming features. With a whopping 6,700+ servers in 100 countries, it is undoubtedly ahead of many VPN services. These servers help ensure fast speed and prevent traffic congestion during peak hours.
The VPN also efficiently bypasses restrictions. It offers alternate routing technology and a stealth VPN feature that efficiently helps bypass online restrictions and geo-blocks. The Alternate Routing technology bypasses restrictions and geo-blocks by routing data traffic through unblocked networks.
Therefore, it is safe to say that Proton VPN efficiently provides unhindered access to popular streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, etc. The VPN is compatible with almost all devices, including Android, iOS, MacOS, Linux, Windows, Streaming devices, Gaming consoles, etc.
However, its super-fast speeds make Proton VPN the best VPN for streaming. The VPN provider claims that its VPN Accelerator feature increases the internet speed by 400%, allowing users to stream their favorite content from anywhere globally.
Moreover, Proton VPN also works to provide security while streaming. The Netshield feature blocks cookies, trackers, and annoying ads for seamless and fast streaming. Additionally, it encrypts user data through secure AES-256-bit encryption and offers robust VPN protocols such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, and WireGuard for a fast and secure VPN connection.
6. VyprVPN
VyprVPN is a popular VPN that offers the ultimate streaming experience. The VPN offers 700+ servers in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and North and South America. These servers ensure fast speeds and promise quick connections during peak hours. While the number of servers is not extraordinary, it is still enough to keep VyprVPN in the best streaming VPN league.
It is one of the few VPN services that provide optimized networks to defeat ISP throttling and minimize lags and buffering for a seamless streaming experience. Moreover, the VPN also offers an obfuscating tool known as the Chameleon Protocol. The protocol efficiently disguises VPN traffic as regular traffic and allows access to blocked sites and content. Disguising VPN traffic as normal traffic also increases streaming speed and prevents bandwidth throttling.
Moreover, the VPN service promises compatibility with all the major streaming sites, such as Netflix US, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, etc. Additionally, it is compatible with various streaming devices, including Android, iOS, MacOS, Routers, Windows, etc.
While streaming, VyprVPN ensures that the connection is secure and reliable. The VPN provides robust AES-256-bit encryption with private DNS to prevent data leaks. Besides this, Vypr VPN also offers some of the best encryption protocols, such as WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols, to ensure fast and unhindered streaming.
Should I use a free VPN for streaming?
Free VPNs are often enticing, and while several free VPNs promise a reliable streaming experience, their promises are nothing more than hoaxes. In fact, relying on a free streaming VPN can be frustrating since there are several problems associated with it, such as:
- VPN blockers restriction: Streaming platforms use powerful VPN blockers to avoid copyright issues. Free VPNs usually don’t have robust encryption or specialized obfuscation tools to bypass these restrictions.
- Bandwidth restriction: Free VPNs offer limited bandwidth, resulting in slow streaming speed and long-term buffering.
- Limited servers: Free VPNs have limited local servers. These servers cannot bypass restrictions and are slow due to traffic congestion.
- Limited access to websites: The VPN may access blocked websites, but it is tough to sustain the connection, and the results are unsatisfactory.
- Ads interruption: Free VPN services benefit from ads. Therefore, they bombard users with advertisements while streaming, ruining their users’ experience.
- Keep logs: Free VPNs often keep users’ logs. They rent out third-party servers, which third parties can access. Therefore, there is no data security.
- Weak protection: The VPN services for free use weak encryption and lousy protocols. Hackers can easily steal personal data by cracking weak encryption codes and protocols.
Therefore, it is better to use a VPN that guarantees a fast, reliable, and secure streaming experience. Most reliable streaming VPNs, such as the ones mentioned above, also offer a free trial period or a 30-day money-back guarantee that users can easily access.
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About the Author
Rebecca James is an IT consultant with forward thinking approach toward developing IT infrastructures of SMEs. She writes to engage with individuals and raise awareness of digital security, privacy, and better IT infrastructure.
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