How to set up a VPN on Virgin Media

Virgin Media prides itself on its connection speeds, but thanks to the UK’s data-retention laws and increasingly anti-privacy stance, it’s unable to offer any meaningful level of online anonymity. This is one major reason you may want to consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) at home. As an added bonus, your VPN will allow you to use Virgin TV Go while traveling abroad.

So what exactly is a VPN, and how does it work? These services first encrypt your activities, meaning they can’t be intercepted by your ISP or whoever owns the network you’re on. Next, they send your data through servers in another country. This hides your real IP address from website owners and allows you to spoof your location so that you can access platforms that normally aren’t available where you are.

In this article, we’ll list the best VPNs for Virgin Media, plus explain how to use them and answer some common VPN questions. You can find more detailed information about each provider further in this article. But for now, here’s a quick summary.

Best VPNs for Virgin Media

1. NordVPN: Our #1 pick for Virgin Media customers. An extremely fast, security-focused VPN that supports more than a dozen router firmwares. Over 400 servers in the UK and over 7,000 worldwide. Includes a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free.
   TIP In our testing we found that the cheapest NordVPN plan (Standard) works perfectly for Virgin Media.
2. Surfshark: The best budget VPN for Virgin Media. Boasts consistent speeds and an ever-evolving security toolkit. Doesn’t keep logs of activities and comes with an unlimited connection allowance.
3. IPVanish: Security-conscious and capable of protecting all of your devices at once. This zero-logs VPN has step-by-step installation guides for popular router firmware. Works great with Virgin Media.
4. ExpressVPN: This industry veteran has its own router firmware and ultra-fast connections, making it a natural choice for Virgin Media customers. Strong on privacy, with 24/7 support and a stellar reputation.
5. CyberGhost: A simple, versatile VPN with a large network presence and over 700 servers in the UK, ideal for Virgin Media. One of the fastest services around, speciality streaming servers and live chat support.
6. PrivateVPN: A no-logs VPN that puts your privacy first without compromising on speed or usability. Great for safe torrenting and streaming on Virgin Media. Further, it works with seven types of router firmware.

How to use a VPN with Virgin Media

There are a few different ways to secure your Virgin Media connection, and we’ll explore all of these in more detail a little later. For now, this is a guide to getting started as quickly as possible.

Here’s how to use a VPN with Virgin Media:

1. Start by signing up for a reliable VPN service – We strongly recommend NordVPN.
2. Download the app onto any device you use often. Most providers permit around five simultaneous connections, but the exact limit differs from one VPN to another.
3. Log in and select a server in the location of your choice. In order to access Virgin Media, you’ll need a UK IP address, so connect to a UK server.
4. Your data is now encrypted and hidden from the watchful eyes of Virgin Media, and you should be able to browse freely.
5. If you’re having any issues with your connection, try clearing your cookies to remove any existing location settings. Alternatively, you can connect to a different VPN server in the UK to find one that works.

Need more help? You’ll find more detailed step-by-step guides further on in this article after we look at the best VPNs for the job.

How we found the top VPNs for Virgin Media

There are plenty of VPNs out there, but not all of them are a good choice for Virgin Media customers. To find the best of the best, we looked for services that met the following criteria:

• Has plenty of servers in the UK and surrounding countries
• Is suitable for streaming, torrenting, gaming, and general web browsing
• Provides high speeds and stable connections
• Offers reasonably priced subscriptions
• Includes a wide range of security tools, including effectively uncrackable encryption
• Doesn’t log any data that could personally identify you
• Allows you to connect multiple devices at the same time
• Offers apps for a wide range of platforms, ideally including routers

You can read more about how we test and rank the VPNs we recommend in our methodology section below. For now, let’s take a look at the ones that made the cut. 

Virgin Media VPNs compared

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 Virgin Media.

The best VPNs to set up on Virgin Media

Here’s a list of the best VPNs for Virgin Media:

1. NordVPN

Apr 2025

NordVPN is our top choice for anyone with Virgin internet. It has more than 7,400 servers in 100+ countries and over 400 in the UK. In our professional opinion, this is one of the best providers for streaming. It works with services like Virgin TV Go, Netflix, and BBC iPlayer, and since you can connect 10 devices at once, you’ll be able to watch whether you’re at home or on the go.

There are many things to consider when choosing a VPN, but speed is one of the most critical. To find out how fast NordVPN is, we tested its British servers at three times of day. This approach also allows us to see how much of a hit its performance takes at peak times. Let’s take a look:

NordVPN provided an average speed of 199.62 Mbps and was the fastest service we tested. This is an exceptional result, meaning you’ll be able to perform data-intensive tasks like streaming and torrenting without any issues. Best of all, there was just 6 Mbps of variance throughout three tests, so it’s highly stable too.

This provider values user privacy and has repeatedly been audited to prove its no-logs policy is legit. More recently, it’s added a threat protection feature that scans files for malware and prevents your apps from tracking you. The apps also include 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, leak protection, and a proprietary protocol that’s based on WireGuard. Users can pay in three different cryptocurrencies, with support staff on-hand 24/7 via email and live chat.

NordVPN has its own Android, Windows, iOS, macOS, and Linux apps. It supports a huge range of router firmware as well, making it fairly easy to get working with a Virgin SuperHub.

BEST VPN FOR VIRGIN MEDIA:NordVPN is our first choice. This provider offers top-tier protection, particularly high speeds, and the ability to securely access any service you might care to use. There’s even a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you’d like to try it risk-free.

Read our full NordVPN review for more details.

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2. Surfshark

Surfshark is the best budget VPN for Virgin Media customers. Despite its low price point, this service stands shoulder-to-shoulder with better-established rivals. We’ve had no issues securely accessing services like Now TV, Sky Go, or BBC iPlayer with this VPN, and as there are no bandwidth or connection limits, you’re free to watch as much as you want across all of your devices.

In past tests, Surfshark has routinely delivered higher speeds than most other VPNs on the market. Periodic retesting is important, though, since services are always tweaking, optimizing, and expanding their networks. The chart below shows Surfshark’s British server speeds at three different times of day:

First off, note that there’s just 7 Mbps of difference across all three tests. That’s exceptional and means you won’t even notice any impact when browsing at peak times. With an average speed of 193.47 Mbps, Surfshark is the second-fastest VPN in our list and more than capable of handling any day to day activity, from playing online games to using P2P networks.

This budget provider offers a strong security toolkit as well. Your data is kept secure using a kill switch, 256-bit encryption, and protection against IPv6 and DNS leaks. There’s also a special stealth mode that allows you to browse freely while in countries with strict digital censorship. Surfshark follows a strict no-logs policy and accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. Live chat-based support is available 24/7.

Surfshark provides apps for iOS, Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Further, its website has detailed setup instructions for all of the most common router firmware.

BEST BUDGET VPN:Surfshark is our favourite low-cost pick for Virgin Media. It offers surprisingly strong performance, plus an ever-expanding range of security and privacy features. Doesn’t limit the number of devices you can connect. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Interested? Find out more in our complete Surfshark review.

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3. IPVanish

IPVanish has always been a solid choice, but in the last few years, it’s worked hard to prove it’s worthy of your attention. It scrapped the connection limit, expanded its network to cover over 100 countries, and now works flawlessly with virtually every streaming service out there. Customer support can be reached 24/7 using either email or live chat.

When it comes to performance, IPVanish is one of the best around. That said, most testing focuses on the US servers, and we wanted to see how good its British offering was. Our team tested the UK servers at three times of day (morning, noon, and afternoon) — check the chart below for the results.

IPVanish sits firmly at the higher end of the performance spectrum, delivering an average speed of 167.76 Mbps. In practical terms, this means you’ll be able to download a 1GB file in under a minute, and that you shouldn’t notice any problems when streaming, video calling, or playing online games.

It’s clear the IPVanish values your privacy, though. It doesn’t keep any logs whatsoever and allows you to automatically reconnect if your connection drops unexpectedly. This VPN also includes security features like a kill switch, LAN traffic blocking, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and 256-bit AES encryption. Just recently, it added a link-safety checker as well, which goes a long way to helping you stay safe.

IPVanish has user-friendly apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. It must be manually installed on Linux devices as well as ASUSWRT, DD-WRT, Asuswrt-Merlin, and Tomato routers. Its newly-released Advanced plan lets you bundle the VPN with secure file storage and an anonymity-focused cloud browser.

NO-STRESS SECURITY:IPVanish lets you secure all of your devices, even without installing it on a router. It’s also one of the speediest providers we’ve seen, with great streaming potential and a real focus on user privacy. The annual plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out the full IPVanish review.

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4. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a mainstay of the industry, garnering a great reputation for its large network (105 countries at the time of writing) and commitment to your privacy. Whether you’re looking to watch Virgin TV abroad or torrent safely, it’s an excellent choice. This VPN works in high-censorship countries like China, offers 24/7 support over live chat, and can secure up to eight devices simultaneously.

This service has historically ranked very well in our industry-wide speed testing. However, we wanted to see what its British servers were capable of, so we tested them at multiple points throughout the day. You’ll find the results in the chart below:

ExpressVPN’s average speed was 132.44 Mbps, which is well above what you’ll need for everyday tasks like browsing the web, watching TV, or making video calls. We were impressed by its stability too; there was just 6 Mbps of difference between its highest and lowest results. This means that you’re all but guaranteed a high-speed connection regardless of when (or where) you use the service.

Users have lots of security tools to take advantage of. For instance, there’s 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, plus ExpressVPN follows a no-logging policy for enhanced privacy. One of its newest features is called Threat Manager: this prevents your other apps from communicating with known trackers and scam sites. Users can get in touch with support staff, day or night, using the 24/7 live chat service.

ExpressVPN has apps for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. It also offers its own custom router firmware, plus model-specific instructions for getting everything up and running.

EASY ROUTER INSTALL:ExpressVPN is the only service in our list with its own router app. Not only that, it’s extremely fast and suitable for any day-to-day task. This security-conscious provider even comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our in-depth ExpressVPN review.

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5. CyberGhost

CyberGhost is an excellent choice for anyone new to VPNs. First off, it has one of the largest networks around, with over 11,000 servers in 100+ countries, including plenty in the UK. Better still, these are separated into categories, making it easy to tell at a glance which servers are best for streaming, privacy, or torrenting. Live chat-based support is available, day and night, at no added cost.

CyberGhost is a strong contender, but that doesn’t mean much if it’s too slow to actually be usable. Our team of experts performed multiple speed tests on its UK servers so we could chart its performance over the course of a typical day. Take a look at the results in the chart below:

One thing’s for sure: CyberGhost is more than capable of handling tasks like torrenting, making calls and streaming. In fact, with an average speed of 150.76 Mbps, you could queue up nearly a dozen 4K videos without noticing any slowdown. Further, its lowest result was just 5 Mbps slower than its highest, making this one of the most consistent providers on the market.

From a security perspective, there’s a lot to like. The apps all make use of 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and leak protection, plus users have the ability to connect via a random port (which may help beat some VPN-blocking systems). There’s even a smart rules menu that lets you decide when and how the VPN should connect itself automatically. CyberGhost doesn’t log any data that could identify you.

CyberGhost offers apps for iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. It also has detailed setup guides that explain how to manually install this VPN on your wireless router.

NO GUESSWORK:CyberGhost clearly labels its servers, allowing you to choose one that’s perfectly suited to your needs. What’s more, it has a huge network, outstanding speeds, and a solid security toolkit, plus 24/7 support. This VPN even has a 45-day money-back guarantee.

Why not read our complete review of CyberGhost?

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6. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN might only have around 200 servers across 60+ countries, but it owns and hosts these itself, plus it recently began acting as its own ISP for maximum privacy. This service is capable of beating virtually any online restriction, allowing you to stream or even access the internet safely in places like China. There are setup instructions for a variety of firmware, but even if you’re not looking to install a VPN directly on your SuperHub, you can still connect up to 10 devices at once.

This VPN has historically had a bit of a problem reaching the same raw speeds as its rivals. That’s to be expected, as it has a much smaller network. Still, to find out just how fast PrivateVPN’s British servers are, we tested them at three times of day. Here are the results:

PrivateVPN provided an average speed of 58.37 Mbps. That’s a bit lower than the others in this list, but still well above what you’ll need to stream or browse the web safely. We were pleased to see how reliable its speeds were, though — there was less than 6 Mbps of variance across a full day of testing. As such, you’re unlikely to notice any issues stemming from sudden fluctuations in speed.

As you might expect, given its name, this service follows a zero-logs policy. It also accepts Bitcoin payments, which gives you a little extra anonymity during the signup process. PrivateVPN’s security tools include 256-bit encryption, DNS and IPv6 leak protection, an app-specific kill switch, and a stealth mode that lets you access the wider internet in places with strict internet restrictions. Support is available most (but not all) hours of the day over live chat.

Private has its own macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android apps. It can be manually configured for use with some Linux distros, as well as seven different types of router firmware.

GREAT EVERYDAY VPN:PrivateVPN has the speed, security, and reliability needed to stream and browse safely. With a high connection limit, great unblocking ability, and an unwavering commitment to privacy, this VPN is well worth a look. Also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read our comprehensive PrivateVPN review.

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How to set up a VPN on Virgin Media

There are three main ways that Virgin Media broadband customers can take advantage of a VPN. Below, we’ll run you through these, listing the pros and cons of each so that you can decide which best fits your needs.

Method 1: Install a VPN directly on your router

This method is fairly involved and requires a second router. If you’re looking for an easier setup, we’d recommend moving on to method two below. 

Installing a VPN on a router ensures that any device on your network can reap the benefits. There’s no need to worry about connection limits, accidental disconnection, or device compatibility. The trade-off is that this takes a bit more time and is significantly more complex.

First things first: Virgin SuperHubs don’t support VPN connections. You can, however, switch them to modem mode and connect a second, VPN-compatible router. If you have a spare DD-WRT, Tomato, or Asus-WRT router lying around, you should be able to do this in an afternoon.

The exact setup process is different for every router, and it’s very easy to accidentally brick your hardware or misconfigure your VPN, leaving you unprotected. That’s why we recommend asking your VPN’s support team to walk you through the process. After all, they deal with situations like this every day and can ensure you’re properly protected moving forward.

Method 2: Install the VPN on each device individually

If you’re only concerned about connecting a few devices at a time rather than securing a whole network, it’s much easier to just install the VPN where it’s needed. Most major providers have apps for desktop and mobile, with Linux support and Firestick apps becoming increasingly common.

The disadvantage of this approach is that you could find yourself having to disconnect from one device to browse safely on another. Still, this can be avoided by choosing a VPN provider with a high (or non-existent) connection limit.

Method 3: Share a VPN connection from another device

Once you’ve installed a VPN on one device, it’s actually possible to share that secure connection with other devices. This is called creating a virtual router, and we’ve put together guides for doing this quickly and easily on Windows and macOS. Unfortunately, both Android and iOS prevent you from sharing a VPN connection using the personal hotspot feature, so unless your device is rooted, this won’t work.

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Methodology: How we chose the best VPNs for Virgin Media

Choosing a VPN can be difficult, especially if you don’t have one specific task (like streaming or torrenting) in mind. In order to take the guesswork out of the process, we compiled this list of VPNs according to a specific set of criteria. Here are the key things we looked out for:

Speed

Speed is one of the most important things to think about when considering a VPN. That’s because a provider that’s too slow is effectively useless: you’ll likely run into problems loading videos, and even opening basic webpages can be frustratingly slow. In fact, you could even find your connection to the VPN itself dropping!

So, how do we get an accurate idea of each VPN’s performance? To begin with, we use a 250 Mbps connection since that’s the average US broadband speed. Then, we run tests at three times of day (morning, noon, and afternoon) before averaging the results. These averages are then normalized, giving us a final score out of 10 for each provider. Note that the fastest provider always earns 10 points and the slowest always earns one, regardless of the actual speeds they provide.

NordVPN was our top performer here, though not by very much. Surfshark’s average speed and variance were just a few Mbps lower, earning it a close second. Meanwhile, PrivateVPN had the lowest overall speed. This was expected, but there’s definite room for improvement given the gap between it and the second-slowest VPN we saw.

Server availability

Virgin TV Go is only available in the UK, so if you’d like to use it abroad, you’ll need a VPN offering British servers. First, our team looked into how many UK server locations each provider had. Then, we considered how many servers were in each location (where this data was available, since not every provider publishes its exact server distribution info).

Finally, we took each VPN’s streaming service compatibility into account, because if it works with stubborn platforms like Netflix UK, ITVX, and My5, Virgin TV Go is unlikely to pose much of a problem. Here are the weighted and normalized scores:

NordVPN earned first place here thanks to its larger-than-average network and unparalleled unblocking capabilities. ExpressVPN came in second, offering more British server clusters than most of the competition. CyberGhost’s colossal network earned it a solid score of 7.7/10, but ultimately, it was let down by its limited set of UK servers and a lack of support for less-popular British streaming services.

Security and privacy

A VPN’s main goal is to ensure that your online activities are kept private. Doing so requires the service to maintain high standards across the board, using industry-backed protocols and encryption and following strict no-logging policies. All told, our team carefully considers 16 separate criteria to determine which providers are the most security-conscious. You’ll find these in the table below:

Confused by all these technical terms? No problem: we assigned scores by starting each provider with a perfect 10 points and taking some away whenever we found an area that could be improved. Then, we created this easily-understandable table so that it’s as simple as possible to compare VPNs side by side:

NordVPN and Surfshark were our two top providers in this category, earning a fantastic 9.5 points each. NordVPN’s authentication has a little room for improvement, and we’d rather Surfshark weren’t based in a Nine Eyes country, but other than that, their security toolkits are effectively flawless.

Ease of use

The simpler and more straightforward your experience is, the better. That’s why our team prioritizes services that go out of their way to be approachable to newcomers. They might offer task-specific servers, 24/7 customer support, or just well-described settings that explain exactly what each option does. Take a look at our full judging criteria in the following table:

NordVPN came in first place here with an astounding 9.6 points out of 10. We really appreciated how this service’s advanced functionality was introduced to users in a way that didn’t seem intimidating. ExpressVPN came in second thanks to its automatic obfuscation and hands-off approach to digital security.

Value for money

One of our main goals here at Comparitech is to ensure you get a VPN that can handle anything, without having to pay more than the absolute minimum. To do this, we first make sure we only recommend services that are priced fairly for the level of functionality they offer. Next, we look into whether they offer long-term discounts, reduced rates for students, and how often they go on sale. Note that to be eligible for a spot on our list, providers must offer a money-back guarantee. Here’s a full list of our judging criteria:

Surfshark delivered the highest score in this category, closely followed by IPVanish. These providers both allow any number of simultaneous connections, offer very affordable long-term plans, and work with a wide range of geo-blocked sites, making them excellent value. PrivateVPN scored the lowest, but only because it lacked some of the more advanced functionality of its rivals.

Want to learn more? Read all about our VPN testing process in our methodology article.

Using a free VPN with Virgin Media

While you may find a free VPN that works with Virgin Media, we wouldn’t recommend it for a few reasons. First off, free VPNs tend to suffer from poor performance. This is understandable since they have too few servers and too many users. You’ll therefore experience buffering and lag when trying to use a free VPN to watch Virgin Media or streaming services. You’re also unlikely to find a knowledgeable customer service team on hand to help you if you run into an issue or need help installing your VPN on a router.

Plus, VPNs should also provide you with improved online privacy. Unfortunately, this is not the case with many free VPNs, which spam users with inappropriate and annoying ads and infect devices with malware. What’s more, some free VPNs actually log your data and activity and sell it to third parties. Poor performance and poor privacy are the reasons why free VPNs simply aren’t worth it.

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Virgin Media VPNs: FAQs