Best VPN for Android TV 2023
Written by, Nikola Dimovski
Updated July, 14, 2023
Looking to protect your privacy and access geo-restricted content to watch your favourite movies and TV shows?
The only way you can do that is with a good VPN. But what is the best VPN for Android TV?
We created a list of the top 10 contenders and reviewed each to help you find the right VPN for you.
Best Android TV VPN services
- Best Overall: Nord VPN – Buy now!
- Best for Unblocking Streaming Services: Cyberghost – Buy now!
- Best for Number of Servers: PIA (Private Internet Access) – Buy now!
- Best for Speed: SurfShark – Buy now!
- Best for Security Features: ProtonVPN – Buy now!
- Best for Data Limit: IPVanish – Buy now!
- Best for No-Logs Policy: Hide.me – Buy now!
- Best for Ease-of-Use: VyprVPN – Buy now!
- Best Budget VPN: Hotspot Shield – Buy now!
- Best for Split Tunnelling: Windscribe – Buy now!
| Top 3 Free VPNs NordVPN – With a vast network of servers and an excellent privacy tool suite, Nord VPN is hard to beat. The Android app offers many of the service’s features and makes sure your connection stays protected at all times. Proton VPN – Proton has every feature you need in a VPN, including a great safety policy, the latest VPN protocol, and extra privacy-protection tools. Its app for Android is expansive and does a good job at translating the Proton experience. PIA – Private Internet Access is a unique VPN service with a variety of smart Android TV tools. It supports OpenVPN and WireGuard on all platforms. |
Top 10 VPN services for Android TV
NordVPN -Best Overall
- Uses latest VPN technology
- Multi-hop connections
- Blocks ads
- Pricey
- Rating: 9.9/10
- Price: £2.89/month
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers: 5400+
- Number of simultaneous connections: 6
- Free trial: Yes
- Free version: No
With a large server network, an extensive range of features, and a variety of rarely seen privacy tools, NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market.
The VPN uses NordLynx, which enhances speed and establishes faster connections to VPN servers, making it an excellent choice for streaming 4K content. OpenVPN is also available on Android platforms.
NordVPN supports P2P servers, multi-hop connections(which it calls Double VPN) for an extra level of security, split tunneling, and gives users access to Tor, which protects your privacy when trying to access geo-restricted content.
The NordVPN for Android TV is a great pick for users that want access to different content from around the world, including in places with restrictive internet policies like Hong Kong and Vietnam.
CyberGhost -Best for unblocking streaming services
- Optimised app for Android TV
- Advanced security protocols
- Comprehensive
- Lacks SmartDNS support
- Rating: 9.6/10
- Price: £9.99/monthly
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers: 6,000+
- Number of simultaneous connections: 7
- Free trial: Yes
- Free trial: No
CyberGhost is one of the most popular VPNs for Android TV with optimised servers deliver a solid performance, a full HD picture, and a buffer-free streaming experience.
It boasts one of the largest network servers in the industry and has expanded over the years to include security and privacy tools beyond basic VPN protection. The most recent addition to CyberGhost’s arsenal of tools is access to NoSpy servers.
On top of that, CyberGhost offers malware and ad blocking, for users that often watch movies and TV shows on a third-party website, as well as dedicated IP addresses, which is the best way to unblock geo-restricted content on most platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
The VPN also supports OpenVPN on all its platforms and IKEv2, which is available on Android devices.
PIA (Private Internet Access) -Best for number of servers
- Above-average server network
- Doesn’t store IP data
- Tracker-blocking tool
- Unblocks only certain content on Netflix
- Rating: 9,7/10
- Price: £9.99/month
- Data limit: unlimited
- Number of servers: 10,000+
- Number of simultaneous connections: 10
- Free trial: No
- Free version: No
Private Internet Access is one of the oldest but most serious VPN contenders for the best VPN title.
The VPN has an impressive number of server locations, an excellent interface that’s great for beginners, and advanced network settings for more experienced users who want to tinker and customise their VPN experience.
PIA support for both OpenVPN and WireGuard, boasts strong speeds and offers numerous connections.
One of the best characteristics of the company is its dedication to transparency. PIA lets users know where exactly its servers are located and which ones are virtual.
If you really like what this VPN has to offer, PIA also offers routers configured to work with its VPN, which is a great option to extend VPN coverage to every device in your network.
Surfshark -Best for speed
- Great price
- Unblocks all popular streaming services
- Feature-rich Android TV app
- Long-term subscription plans can be confusing
- Rating: 9.5/10
- Price: £11.49/monthly
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers: 3.200+
- Number of simultaneous connections: Unlimited
- Free trial: Yes
- Free version: No
In a crowded field, Surfshark has done a lot to earn its place on the top VPN list. It offers rarely seen features, like multi-hop connections that bounce traffic to a second VPN server, and is one of the few VPN services that lets users connect to an unlimited number of devices simultaneously.
Not only does Surfshark provide one of the speediest connections on the market, but it also boasts tools like Smart DNS, a solid ad-blocker, and a feature called Surfshark Alert that alters users of potential breaches.
For users that prioritise privacy in VPNs, this VPN has a privacy search tool that works like an Incognito mode. It’s ad-free and with zero logs.
Surfshark has a hefty price tag but is an excellent choice for users that want to keep their browsing and streaming private and secure.
ProtonVPN -Best for security features
- Affordable
- Advanced privacy tools
- Best free subscription
- Slightly slower than competition
- Rating: 9.3/10
- Price: Free
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers: 1600+
- Number of simultaneous connections: 10
- Free trial: No
- Free version: Yes
ProtonVPN is, arguably, the safest option for an Android TV that delivers on its promises.
The best part about ProtonVPN is that it doesn’t limit any of its features to paid users only. Even if you opt for the free version, you’ll get unlimited bandwidth and access to content that’s not available in your country.
Furthermore, the VPN has a kill switch option that protects your device in case the connection fails, a DNS filtering feature that blocks malware and trackers online, split tunnelling, military-grade encryption, and even multi-hop connections.
All in all, ProtonVPN offers a great deal for an affordable price. It places an emphasis on privacy and has great speed, thanks to the WireGuard protocol.
IPVanish -Best for data limit
- Diverse servers
- Customisable connection settings
- Solid speed
- Interface could use some improvement
- Rating: 9/10
- Price: $10.99/monthly
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers: 1,900+
- Number of simultaneous connections: Unlimited
- Free trial: No
- Free version: No
IPVanish’s VPN tools offer good value with a solid collection of servers and customizability options that make it a top pick for more advanced users.
The VPN does a good job at unblocking geo-restricted content, but only unlocks certain content on Netflix (mostly from the platform’s Original library) and other similar platforms.
It’s still a great VPN for users that are looking for safe browsing on their Android TV or watch movies and series on third-party websites.
IPVanish utilises 256-bit AES encryption, which is the best on the market, doesn’t collect any logs, and has a kill switch feature. What’s more, its Android app is user-friendly and offers great unthrottled speed for a smooth streaming experience.
Hide.me -Best for no-logs policy
- VPN protocol options
- Great speed
- Supports anonymous payments
- No specialised servers
- Rating: 8.8/10
- Price: Free
- Data limit: 10GB per month
- Number of servers: 2000
- Number of simultaneous connections: 10
- Free trial: No
- Free version: Yes
Hide.me is a lesser-known VPN service that boasts surprisingly advanced features and is the best free VPN for Android TV for users of all calibres.
The VPN maintains a zero-logs policy, provides IP leak protection, and has a kill switch, as well as a split tunnelling feature. Its Premium plan adds dynamic port forwarding and ensures seamless 4K streamings on all devices.
Hide.me excels at VPN protocol options, It supports IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, and PPTP protocols, and the SoftEther VPN protocol, which is hard to track and detect.
The company also says that it cannot link a user to their online actions, meaning you’re less likely to receive a DMCA notice, in case you accidentally download content that’s copyrighted.
VyprVPN -Best for ease-of-use
- Buffer-free streaming
- Customer privacy
- Intuitive client
- Fewer privacy features
- Rating: 8.7/10
- Price: £11/monthly
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers: 700+
- Number of simultaneous connections: 5
- Free trial: yes
- Free version: No
VyprVPN is a simple but robust VPN with an approachable package that offers the latest VPN technology. It has a good number of servers across the world, an attractive privacy policy, as well as an Android TV app that includes all of its features.
What sets this VPN apart is its less common Vypr Cloud, which acts as an additional layer of security when users connect to a cloud server.
Like most top-notch VPN services, VyprVPN uses AES 256-encryption that protects users’ TV devices and reduces throttling.
For those looking to unblock geo-restricted content, the VPN offers dedicated IP addresses, a NAT firewall, which is useful for third-party movie streaming websites, and its own secure DNS.
Hotspot Shield -Best budget VPN
- Domain split-tunnelling
- Featured-packed subscription
- Numerous server locations
- Gathers some data
- Rating: 8.5/10
- Price: Free
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers: 3200+
- Number of simultaneous connections: 5
- Free trial: No
- Free version: Yes
Hotspot Shield is a great VPN for users that are looking for a VPN service with good features with an affordable price tag. You can download the VPN app both on your smart TV or TV box.
The app is user-friendly and intuitive, which is great for beginners and provides access to more than 3,200 servers. The company offers a free plan that caps bandwidth to 500MB a day and a connection speed of 2Mbs, which is slow.
Its paid tier, however, includes excellent perks, including Hotspot Shield’s own encryption protocol called Catapult Hydra, DNS and IP leak protection, and a connection speed limit of 1Gbps.
What’s more, Hotspot Shield’s subscription comes with free accounts for Robo Shield call blocker, Identity Guard, and 1Password password manager, which you can use on all of your devices.
Windscribe -Best for Split Tunnelling
- Lost of tunnelling protocols
- DNS leak protection
- Highly configurable
- Average speed
- Rating: 8.4/10
- Price: Free
- Data limit: Unlimited
- Number of servers:500+
- Number of simultaneous connections: Unlimited
- Free trial: No
- Free version: Yes
One of the reasons why Windscribe is a good VPN for an Android TV is that it has plenty of privacy and security features in its arsenal.
Windscribe supports a total of 6 different VPN protocols, including the WireGuard, and can prevent trackers and bots from picking up your data while browsing with the help of its customisable domain and IP block tool R.O.B.E.R.T.
The tool hides ads and spam and allows for speedier connection, including when using third-party streaming software apps and websites on your TV.
But, its privacy feature suite doesn’t end there. Windscribe offers timezone spoofing to further protect your identity and location, and geo-location API spoofing. The VPN also has a port forwarding feature and a split tunnelling tool, which is effective and easy to use.
Buyer’s Guide: What to Look For When Looking for a VPN for an Android TV
Data limit
The data limit on a VPN is important because once the user breaks the marker, their connection is no longer protected. Luckily, most paid VPN plans offer unlimited bandwidth.
Speed
For cinephiles who often end their night with a good movie marathon, a few things are more annoying than a buffering stream. Again, if you opt for a paid VPN plan, you’re unlikely to experience any slowdowns.
Android TV app
Some VPNs offer designated apps for Android TV. If the VPN of your choice doesn’t have one, you can always head over to the Google Play Store and download the app from there.
Customer support
Relatable customer support is crucial, especially for beginners or users that rely on their VPN on a daily basis.
Is it good for streaming?
A VPN is good for streaming if it provides reliable speeds, has a decent number of server locations, and can unblock geo-restricted content.
How to install a VPN on an Android TV
Installing a VPN on an Android TV is simple and doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes.
- Open Google Play Store on your Android TV.
- Download the VPN app.
- Log in (or sign up).
- Select a server and connect to it.
Bottom Line
VPNs are a popular privacy and security tool, but they have also emerged as fantastic services for people who have shifted from traditional TV to streaming TV and live events online. A good VPN can help you access any content you’re interested in, whether you’re trying to catch up while working abroad or on a holiday or watching a show that’s not available in your country.
FAQ
How to set up a VPN on the Android TV box?
The only thing you need to do is download the VPN app and create an account with the service (or sign in).
How do I get a free VPN on Android TV?
There are many reputable VPN services that offer free plans, including ProtonVPN, Hide.me, and Hotspot Shield.
Can I use a VPN on my Android TV?
Most VPNs support all kinds of platforms, including Android TVs. All you need to do is pick the best VPN for Android TV for you and download the app on your TV.