Best VPNs for Android TV Boxes: Seamless streaming solutions

Android TV boxes are ideal for anyone hoping to set up a home media center. They’re also a great choice for international travelers since they’re usually quite lightweight and portable. However, if you go abroad, you’ll quickly realise that many of the services you use are geo-blocked. The good news is that there’s a quick and easy way to regain access to your favorite content.

All you have to do is connect to a Virtual Private Network (VPN) server in your home country. This makes it seem like you never left, allowing you to regain access to your usual content from anywhere in the world. What’s more, VPNs enhance your online privacy, shielding your activities from hotspot owners, your service provider, and hackers.

Further down, we’ll cover each of our recommended VPN providers in more detail, but if you just need a quick summary, here are our top choices.

We found these to be the best VPNs for Android TV boxes:

1. NordVPN: The best VPN option for Android TV boxes. Boasts a vast server network, reliable speeds, and top-tier streaming ability. Also comes with powerful security features and a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.TIP In our testing we found that the cheapest NordVPN plan (Standard) works perfectly for Android TV boxes.
2. Surfshark: Best budget choice VPN for Android TV and a perfect VPN for a streaming enthusiast. Intuitive apps, strong security, and great unblocking ability. Keeps no logs.
3. IPVanish: A zero-logs provider boasting steady speeds, strong security, and no connection limit. Works with Netflix and all of your favorite streaming platforms.
4. ExpressVPN: Fast, consistent speeds make this VPN a great choice for streaming. Works with Prime Video and can access content on most major streaming sites. Strong focus on privacy and security.
5. CyberGhost: Streaming optimized servers and easy-to-use apps. Private and secure with the largest network of servers around. A reliable choice for watching TV safely.
6. PureVPN: High-speed service that’s perfect for streaming. Very easy to use, with 24/7 customer support and a solid level of security. Protect 10 devices at once.
7. ProtonVPN: Boasts an advanced security toolkit and some of the highest speeds we’ve seen. Exceptional streaming ability, working with Netflix and many similar platforms.
8. PrivateVPN: Has great unblocking capabilities and works well with most major platforms. Very easy to use, with 24/7 support in case you run into any problems.

How we found the best Android TV VPNs

Not every VPN is suitable for Android TV boxes. That’s why all of the VPNs we’re recommending had to meet all of the following criteria:

• Provides a fully-featured Android app
• Is fast enough for live HD streaming
• Provides customer support over live chat
• Works with a wide range of streaming services
• Uses powerful security tools to keep you safe online
• Refuses to log any data that could identify you
• Allows multiple simultaneous connections
• Has lots of US servers to choose from

If you want to read more about our VPN testing procedure and see the results of those tests, jump down to the methodology section. Or read on for detailed reviews of each of the providers we recommend.

The best VPNs for Android TV Boxes: at a glance

We’ve compared the most important features of the top VPNs here. Prefer to read the in-depth reviews? Start with NordVPN – our #1 choice for Android TV Boxes.

Best VPNs for Android TV systems

Here are the best VPNs for use on Android TV boxes:

1. NordVPN

Apr 2025

NordVPN is our number one VPN for Android TV boxes, and with good reason. This veteran VPN has servers in nearly 120 countries across the globe, including a whopping 1,900+ standard VPN physical servers in the United States. It’s adept at beating regional restrictions and allows users to access platforms like NBC Sports, fuboTV, and Peacock. There’s a 10-device limit, and support staff are available 24 hours per day via live chat.

So, how fast is this service? To find out, our team of experts ran multiple speed tests at different times of day. This allowed us to see NordVPN’s top speeds, measure its impact on our base speeds, and check how consistent its performance was overall. Here’s what we found:

NordVPN delivered impressive performance, and even at its slowest, this VPN hovered around the 200 Mbps mark. Its average speed was 207.83 Mbps, which means it’s the fastest service we tested and far faster than you’ll need to live stream TV from abroad.

This provider also incorporates great security features, like 256-bit encryption, a customizable internet kill switch, leak protection, and double-hop servers, which route your data through two locations instead of one. There’s also a true no-logs policy, plus you can pay in Bitcoin, meaning paper trails are minimized and privacy is all but guaranteed.

NordVPN has user-friendly apps available for iOS and Android as well as Windows, Linux, and macOS. Manual configuration is required for use with supported routers.

BEST VPN FOR ANDROID TV:NordVPN is our top choice for Android TV Incredible HD streaming speeds. Allows up to 10 simultaneous devices to be connected. Keeps no logs. Provides a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full NordVPN review here, or check out our video review below.

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2. Surfshark

Surfshark is our top budget VPN. It has over 3,200 servers in 100+ countries, including the US. One of the things that sets this VPN apart from its rivals is that it has no connection limit. Additionally, it works with a huge range of streaming services, from ESPN to Amazon Prime Video and everything in between.

When it comes to speed, Surfshark has long been one of the industry’s top performers. That said, it’s important to retest regularly so that we can keep our readers up-to-date on a VPN’s speeds. Here’s what we discovered when testing Surfshark over the course of a typical day:

With an average speed of 196.37 Mbps and just 12 Mbps of difference between its highest and lowest results, Surfshark is exceptionally fast. As such, it’s a fantastic option for anyone hoping to watch live sports from abroad, torrent anonymously, or play games with friends in other countries.

This service doesn’t log any personally identifiable information. It does store some data (such as whether your connection attempt failed), but this is for diagnostic purposes only. Surfshark VPN actually takes your security very seriously. Its apps include AES-256 encryption, protection against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks, and a kill switch. There’s also the option to sign up anonymously with a throwaway email address and cryptocurrency payment.

This VPN has software for Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. It can be manually configured for use with home routers, too.

BEST BUDGET VPN:Surfshark users can easily unblock most streaming platforms and provides a secure, private connection. This wallet-friendly service even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of Surfshark here.

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3. IPVanish

IPVanish continues with the tradition of having a user-first mindset. It operates around 2,400 servers and just recently grew its network to cover over 100 countries. It’s able to reliably unblock stubborn services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu so you’ll never be short of something to watch. Best lf all, this VPN can protect all of your devices at the same time.

Of course, you’ll still need a relatively fast connection to be able to stream sports without interruption. To see if IPVanish was capable of delivering this, we tested its US servers three times (in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon). Let’s take a look at how it performed:

This service delivered an average speed of 169.68 Mbps. For context, that’s significantly faster than most of IPVanish’s rivals and quick enough to download a 1.2GB file in about a minute. It’s highly unlikely you’ll notice any performance issues when watching TV abroad unless you’re using a very slow base connection.

The company is based in the United States but follows a strict “no-logs” policy coupled with 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection. This VPN also recently introduced support for the WireGuard protocol, which is a huge step. Need help? Customer support can be reached 24/7 over email and live chat.

Apps are available for iOS, MacOS, Windows, and Android. IPVanish also offers support for Linux systems and select routers, but you’ll have to install these manually. Its new Advanced plan also includes a secure browser extension and cloud storage.

PROTECT EVERY DEVICE:IPVanish has a large network of servers and handles multiple connections well. Easy to use and preferred by users who need high standards of privacy. 30-day money-back guarantee on annual plans.

Read our full IPVanish review.

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4. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a solid bet for Android TV users. It has servers in 105 countries, plus plenty of US locations to choose from. This makes it well-suited to those hoping to bypass regional restrictions and continue watching their favorite shows abroad. You don’t even have to activate obfuscation if you’re in a country with strict censorship; ExpressVPN takes care of it manually. Of course, 24/7 live chat is available, should you need help.

The key question here is whether ExpressVPN is fast enough for flawless live streaming. Our experts ran three speed tests throughout the day to check. You’ll find our results in the chart below:

ExpressVPN’s results were consistent, and its average was respectable too; with speeds of 132.48 Mbps, this VPN is capable of handling 4K streams without the slightest interruption. In fact, you could probably load up several at the same time!

This service uses 256-bit AES military-grade encryption and comes with DNS and IPv6 leak protection, plus a kill switch that completely halts all internet traffic if the connection drops. ExpressVPN doesn’t log any data that could identify you, but you’re free to pay in Bitcoin for a little extra anonymity.

ExpressVPN has apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux, so you can view the action on the device of your choice. There’s also a new and improved router firmware that can protect every device on your network.

IMPRESSIVE SECURITY:ExpressVPN is a blazing fast and reliable choice. Great at providing secure access to content from all over the world. Top online privacy features and a strict no-logs policy. Has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of ExpressVPN.

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5. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is a beginner-friendly VPN service that will appeal to users on a budget. It doesn’t have the fancy customizable settings associated with some of the other providers in our list, but it does have decent speeds and a huge server network, with over 11,000 servers globally. Notably, some of these are optimized for accessing services like Netflix abroad, but even their general-purpose ones can be used to access most other streaming platforms like Sling TV and Hulu.

CyberGhost has historically been on the higher end of the speed scale. Still, we decided to test its American servers again to make sure it’s still just as reliable as it always was. Here are our findings after multiple tests on a 250 Mbps connection (the average US household broadband speed):

This service managed to provide an average speed of 122.21 Mbps. That’s exceptional performance, well above what you’ll need to stream live sports, play online games, torrent, or make video calls. We were also impressed by this service’s consistency — 7 Mbps of variance throughout the day is effectively negligible.

It boasts a strong security offering too, with 256-bit AES encryption, WireGuard support, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and a kill switch. CyberGhost even recently launched its standalone Windows security suite, so it’s clear that this provider has big plans for the future. CyberGhost doesn’t log any personally identifiable data and provides around-the-clock support via email and live chat.

Apps are available for both Android and iOS mobile devices as well as Windows and macOS. Linux systems and supported routers must be configured manually.

RELIABLE OPTION:CyberGhost has a simple set up. Great privacy and security. Streaming-optimized servers for fuss-free viewing. 45-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full review of CyberGhost.

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6. PureVPN

PureVPN offers multiple server locations in the US and has a network spanning more than 60 countries. This alone would make it a great choice for anyone interested in streaming, but when you consider it works in countries with extreme censorship, too, it becomes clear that this VPN is really something special. What’s more, you’ll be able to access plenty of other platforms, from Netflix to fuboTV. There’s a 10-connection limit and 24/7 support over live chat, just in case you need it.

We all know that slow connections are a nuisance, but they cause additional problems if your goal is streaming. To make sure you never have to contend with these, we tested PureVPN’s servers at multiple times of day. Take a look at the chart below to see how well it held up:

This service delivered an average speed of 101.35 Mbps. That’s faster than most other VPNs on the market, and certainly enough for watching TV during a trip outside of the US. You could even be torrenting at the same time and still not notice any impact on your stream’s quality. It was remarkably stable too, only fluctuating by 12 Mbps across our tests.

Here’s the best part: PureVPN makes it as easy as possible to stay safe online. By default, it uses 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection to stop any of your activities from being monitored. It also boasts a strict no-logs policy, something we know for sure thanks to its extensive audit history. There is a tracker-blocking feature, but this only works if you choose the more expensive Plus or Max subscription. That’s unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker since many competing services don’t offer this feature at all.

PureVPN has its own Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, and Linux apps. If you’d prefer, it can be manually installed on a wide range of home routers instead.

BLAZING FAST SPEEDS:PureVPN provides top-tier speed and streaming capabilities, so streaming abroad is nice and easy. Not only that, it has a great record on privacy. Every plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our complete review of PureVPN.

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7. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN provides hundreds of servers all across the US and effortlessly unblocks platforms like Disney+, fuboTV, and Sling TV. You’ll be able to stream on multiple devices simultaneously and contact staff 24 hours per day over live chat. However, you can’t choose the server location or watch TV with the free plan.

ProtonVPN has a great reputation for privacy (more on this shortly), but how does it fare on speed and overall reliability? Our team tested its US servers at various times of day to find out. You’ll find the results in the chart below:

There was a little bit more variance in speed than we’d like to see, but even with this, ProtonVPN provided an average speed of 99.11 Mbps. This is fast enough to watch live broadcasts without any playback issues. In fact, you’re unlikely to notice any impact when connected unless you’re already used to extremely high speeds.

One of the great things about this service is how much freedom it gives you. Users can let certain apps through the VPN, set up port forwarding, or connect to Secure Core servers for an even higher level of privacy. Naturally, there’s unbreakable encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, plus automatic ad and tracker-blocking. ProtonVPN refuses to log any details of your activities and has been audited to prove it. It even accepts multiple anonymous payment methods!

ProtonVPN apps are available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. Further, it provides manual setup instructions for most types of router.

FIRST-CLASS PRIVACY:ProtonVPN goes above and beyond to keep you safe. Additionally, it boasts exceptionally high speed and works with a ton of popular streaming platforms. Paid subscriptions include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

To find out more, check out our full ProtonVPN review.

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8. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is a smaller provider, but one that’s still extremely well suited to Android TV boxes. That’s because its Android app has all the functionality of its desktop ones, and because this provider does a fantastic job at unblocking geo-restricted content. It has around 200 servers in 60+ countries and reliably works with tricky platforms like Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+.

Let’s talk about performance. A VPN that can’t reliably provide the speeds needed for streaming just isn’t worth using. With that in mind, we performed several speed tests on PrivateVPN’s US servers to see if it was up to the task. Here are our findings:

PrivateVPN delivered an average speed of 54.48 Mbps, which is well above the 15 Mbps required for uninterrupted 4K streaming. It could be slightly more consistent, but that’s not a huge issue since even at its slowest, it outperforms the vast majority of its competitors.

It offers support for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and more, letting your entire household stream securely. You can expect smooth and uninterrupted HD streaming with the support of the WireGuard protocol. Coupled with DNS leak protection, a kill switch, AES encryption, and the ability to select your level of encryption, you can almost guarantee a safe and private streaming experience.

GREAT SPEEDS:PrivateVPN is consistently reliable. Works fine with Android TV boxes. Good for general-purpose use and Torrenting. Streaming speeds were surprisingly good at this end of the market. 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our full PrivateVPN review.

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Methodology: Choosing the best VPNs for Android TV boxes

Deciding which VPN to use is tricky at the best of times, but when it comes to streaming, there’s a whole other layer of pressure. After all, poor performance could lead to you missing a crucial moment. To ensure we only recommend the best of the best, we’ve created a testing process that evaluates potential recommendations in five key areas. We’ll cover these in greater detail below:

Speed

Speed is one of the biggest things you’ll have to consider if streaming is your goal. After all, a connection that’s too slow will lead to stuttering, choppy playback, and videos that either refuse to load or that only play at low resolutions. So, how do we find out which VPNs are the fastest?

Our testing process involves performing multiple speed tests on each VPN. This lets us measure how high their speeds can go, but also how consistent they are throughout the day. Tests were performed on US servers in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. Note that we used a 250 Mbps connection (because this is the average speed of home broadband in the US), so if your internet is slower, the actual results you get when using the service will be too.

Finally, we normalized the average score of each provider to get an overall rating out of 10. Let’s take a look:

NordVPN delivered the highest average speed and scored a perfect 10 points in this category. Surfshark was close behind, with IPVanish coming in third. Still, every VPN in this list is fast enough to stream live TV without any problems.

Streaming suitability

Our next task was to determine how strong each VPN’s streaming ability is. We began by examining how many server locations they offered, both in the US and around the world. Next, we considered how many servers were actually in these locations (assuming this data was available). Finally, we pit each provider against some of the most stubborn streaming platforms to see how many they worked with and whether we could access them on the first try. Here are the final standings:

NordVPN narrowly took the top spot here, followed by Surfshark. These VPNs are remarkably consistent when it comes to streaming, never requiring us to try multiple servers or change any settings. They also offer more locations in the US than most of their rivals, which definitely helped tilt the scales in their favor.

Security and privacy

Our primary concern is making sure you only use VPNs that can actually keep your online activities private. At a minimum, we require our recommendations to offer unbreakable encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, as well as a no-logs policy (ideally one verified by external auditors). All in all, we consider 16 security-related criteria and deduct points wherever improvements could be made. You’ll see the full list of judging criteria in the table below:

Not a computer security expert? No problem: once we were done assigning scores, we created an easy-to-read chart that makes it easier to compare providers side by side. Take a look:

As you can see, NordVPN and Surfshark were both tied for first place thanks to their abundance of advanced privacy tools. ProtonVPN scored 9.3 points, taking second place. The lowest any of our recommendations earned was 8.6, which just illustrates how strong a commitment they have to keeping you safe.

Ease of use

The simpler and more straightforward your VPN is, the better. That’s why we prioritize VPNs with intuitively designed apps and well-explained settings. Of course, our team also takes general quality of life features like task-specific servers and 24/7 live chat into account. The table below shows everything we consider when assigning ease of use scores:

NordVPN took first place in this category, each scoring an impressive 9.6 points. We really appreciated how novice-friendly its apps were and the vast amount of support material on the website. Having a generous connection limit and first-class streaming ability certainly didn’t hurt either.

Value for money

Nobody wants to pay more than they have to. Luckily, it’s quite possible to get a great VPN without breaking the bank. Our expert reviewers consider all kinds of factors, including each VPN’s lowest monthly price, whether discounts are available for students, and whether the service’s cost is justified given the functionality it offers.

Surfshark took the top spot with an astounding score of 9.7. IPVanish was hot on its heels with 9.6 points. These providers both offer low-cost long-term plans and allow any number of simultaneous connections, plus they’ve each made significant improvements to their privacy offerings lately.

Looking for more information on how we test VPNs? We’ve dedicated a whole post to explaining Comparitech’s testing process.

How to set up a VPN on Android TV Box

It’s simple to download and set up your VPN app, but if you’re not sure how to get started, just follow our simple step-by-step instructions below.

Here’s how to set up a VPN on Android TV Box:

1. Choose an appropriate VPN provider; we recommend NordVPN.
2. Navigate to the Google Play Store on your device.
3. Find the app for your chosen VPN provider.
4. Download the VPN app to your device.
5. Open the app and select any server, or choose the relevant country if you are trying to access region-specific content.
6. Wait for the connection to be established, and you’re good to go!

How to manually set up a VPN on an Android TV box

You don’t have to worry if you can’t access the app store on your device interface. Android also allows you to manually install and configure a VPN. Below, we’ll explain how to do this step-by-step.

How to install an APK file manually on Android TV Box

Essentially, the app store is just a more natural way to find and install APK files. If you find the relevant file somewhere else and transfer it to your device, it will be installed in exactly the same way. Bypassing the app store in this way is called “sideloading”. First, go to your VPN provider’s website. On the page where you select your platform, look for a direct link to the APK file under the Android heading. Tap it to begin the download.

Before you can install the software, you’ll have to enable installation from unauthorized sources. This feature is intended to protect you from potentially sketchy apps, but since we know that this one is safe, there’s no risk. Go to your Settings menu and select the Lock screen and security option. About halfway down the page, you’ll see the Unknown sources setting — tap it to turn it on.

Next, open your device’s file manager app. Navigate to the downloads folder and click on the APK file you just downloaded. After being asked to confirm, the VPN app will begin to install, after which you can use it.

Using Android’s built-in VPN settings

Begin by going to your Settings menu. Now, depending on which version of Android you’re running, the following menu options may be phrased slightly differently, but it’s usually fairly easy to tell which you need. In my case, I tapped the More option under the Wireless and networks heading, then chose the VPN option.

Tap the + icon in the top-right of the screen. If you haven’t set up a lock screen PIN or password, you’ll be prompted to do this now. Once that’s taken care of, give your VPN connection a name (in this case, I’ve used “IPVanish” but you might want to name it based on the location of the server you’re connecting to).

The next step is to enter your VPN’s details. This differs from one provider to another, but the relevant information is usually available on the website under their Android setup guide. For streaming video, IPVanish recommends using PPTP, so select that from the list. Next, you’ll need to enter the address of the server location you’d like to connect to. Again, you’ll find these on your provider’s site. If you’re struggling to locate the server address list, consider looking at the Linux setup guides since this step is required on that platform as well.

Finally, enter your login details in the boxes at the bottom and hit Save. If you’d prefer not to log in manually every time, check the Always-on VPN option first. From here, just tap the connection, and if everything has worked, you’ll be connected to the server of your choosing. You can verify that your VPN is working by using an IP address checker to see what region your IP address is linked to.

How to sideload a VPN on an Android TV Box

If your VPN doesn’t already have an app in the Google Play Store, you can sideload it the same way you would any other app:

1. First, go into Android TV’s settings menu and enable the installation of apps from unknown sources. You’ll find this under Security & Restrictions.
2. Find the .APK file of the app you’d like to sideload.
3. Upload this to your preferred cloud storage platform.
4. Create a shareable URL link for this file and enter it into your Android TV’s file explorer app.
5. You should now be given the option to download and install the .APK file. Once installed, you should be able to connect as normal.

Using a VPN with an Android TV Box: FAQs