The best VPNs for Amazon Prime video have high-speed servers all over the world that you can connect to. Using these servers unlocks shows and movies on Amazon Prime that would otherwise be restricted to viewers in specific regions due to licensing agreements. But there’s a catch with Prime that’s different from other streaming services: Your Amazon account location must match the country you’re connecting from before Amazon Prime will serve you those shows. Here’s how to do that, and all the VPNs we recommend for streaming Prime video.
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What is the best VPN for Amazon Prime Video right now?
Surfshark is the best VPN for Amazon Prime Video, thanks to its ability to avoid detection in various international locations. It’s a budget-friendly pick that delivers a ton of useful privacy features in addition to being especially adept at unblocking Prime Video content from across the globe.
Proton VPN is a close second and the only free VPN that CNET recommends. Proton VPN went undetected on Amazon Prime Video on each server location I tested. It also delivers plenty of speed for streaming and offers some of the best privacy in the VPN industry.
ExpressVPN is a good choice for US-based Amazon Prime Video users who want to access their full home library from abroad. It works well on US servers, but was detected by Amazon Prime Video during my testing on international servers.
NordVPN is the fastest VPN based on our in-house speed testing, so you shouldn’t have issues streaming 4K content without buffering. However, like ExpressVPN, NordVPN only worked with Amazon Prime Video on US servers during my tests.
The best VPNs for Amazon Prime Video compared
Here’s how our top picks stack up side by side.
| Surfshark | Proton VPN | ExpressVPN | NordVPN | |
| Price | $15.45 per month, $48 for the first year (then $79 annually) or $60 for the first two years combined (then $79 annually) | $10 per month, $60 for the first year (then $80 per year) or $108 for the first 24 months (then $80 per year) | $13 per month, $75 for the first year (then $100 annually) or $98 for the first two years combined (then $100 annually) | $13 per month, $60 for the first year (then $140 annually) or $84 for the first two years combined (then $140 annually) |
| Server network | 3,200-plus servers in 100 countries | 11,700-plus servers in 117 countries | 3,000-plus servers in 105 countries | 7,400-plus servers in 118 countries |
| Simultaneous connections | Unlimited | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands | Switzerland | British Virgin Islands | Panama |
| Supported platforms | MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromebook, Routers, Browsers | MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromebook, Routers, Browsers | MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromebook, Routers, Browsers | MacOS, Windows Linux, Android, iOS, iPadOS, TVOS, Fire TV, Chromebook, Kindle Fire, Meta Quest, Routers, Browsers |
The best VPNs for Prime Video
Best cheap VPN
Surfshark
Pros
- Fast
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- RAM-only server infrastructure
- Lots of unique features
- Split tunneling on Windows, Android, MacOS and iOS
Cons
- 14-Eyes jurisdiction (Netherlands)
- Major renewal price increase
Surfshark is a solid option for anyone looking for a premium VPN experience for a cheaper price than ExpressVPN or NordVPN. Surfshark boasts an impressive roster of useful premium features that deliver a lot of value despite a recent renewal price hike. It can’t quite match NordVPN’s speed or ExpressVPN’s overall privacy position, but it comes remarkably close at a cheaper price. All in all, Surfshark is a top-notch VPN that demonstrates consistent improvement year after year.
Surfshark’s apps are slick, simple to use and deliver a consistent user experience across platforms, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV. Streaming enthusiasts will appreciate that Surfshark does a good job of unblocking content on most platforms and streaming services and that it offers apps for smart TVs as well as streaming devices. Other than a few minor hiccups, Surfshark’s streaming experience was solid, which we would expect from a top-tier VPN service, and it offers unlimited simultaneous connections while most VPNs limit you to 10 or fewer.
We’re impressed with Surfshark’s consistently fast speeds over the past few years, with an average speed loss hovering in the high-teens. We measured an average speed loss of 21% in our 2025 speed tests — which is technically slower than previous years, but shouldn’t result in a noticeable difference in practice. Surfshark’s network of over 3,200 servers across 100 different countries is large, but somewhat smaller than those provided by ExpressVPN (105 countries), Proton VPN (117 countries) and NordVPN (118 countries). A large network of servers like what Surfshark offers can help ensure fast speeds and stable connections by minimizing congestion and offering more options for more users to connect to servers nearby their physical location.
In addition to standard privacy protections like its kill switch, no-logs policy and DNS leak protection, Surfshark includes a few unique features that help it stand out from the pack. Dynamic Multihop lets you tunnel through any two server locations of your choosing for an added layer of privacy, and Rotating IP switches your IP address every few minutes, making it harder to track you online. Surfshark’s Alternative ID lets you create an alter-ego complete with full name, physical address, and email address that you can use online without divulging your true identity. Following the lead of other VPN providers including ExpressVPN, Mullvad and NordVPN, Surfshark plans to roll out post-quantum protections this year to protect against potential future threats from quantum computers. Even though Surfshark is still playing catchup in terms of transparency, we’re encouraged by company representatives telling us that a no-logs audit has been commissioned for this year (its first since 2022) and that the company is committing to annual third-party audits.
While Surfshark’s $15.45 per month rate makes it one of the most expensive monthly subscription prices in the industry, pricing for its longer-term plans is reasonable. The yearly plan costs $48 for the first year and $79 annually thereafter, and the two-year plan costs $60 total for the first two years combined, then $79 annually. Surfshark’s renewal prices increased this year, but its overall pricing is still significantly cheaper than ExpressVPN’s $75 intro and $100 renewal prices, as well as NordVPN’s $60 intro and $140 renewal prices. And like many other VPNs, Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you’re not satisfied with the service.
- Also featured in: Best VPN for Apple TV, Best VPN for Amazon Fire TV
Best Open-Source VPN
Proton VPN
Pros
- Strong reputation of parent company
- Multi-hop and split tunnelling
- Open-source
Cons
- No 24/7 live chat support
Proton VPN is the best free VPN — and the only zero-dollar VPN on the market that we wholeheartedly recommend. And its paid plan is still impressive, competing directly with VPNs like Surfshark and Mullvad for overall performance. While its apps aren’t quite as streamlined as Surfshark’s and it can’t quite meet the same (impressive) privacy protections as Mullvad, Proton comes close and offers customization that should appeal to VPN power users.
Unlike other free VPNs, Proton doesn’t sell your data, plaster your screen with ads or limit your monthly usage. But you’re restricted to using one device at a time, can only connect to servers in five countries and can’t manually pick a server. In comparison, PrivadoVPN’s free tier lets you choose a server while capping your monthly usage at 10GB. But Privado, unlike Proton, hasn’t been audited, making it a poor choice for anyone remotely concerned about privacy. If you need more servers and greater manual control, Proton’s paid plans provide 12,000-plus servers in 117 countries, which is helpful for international travel or streaming.
Proton is fast, extremely private and exceptional for streaming. You’ll find a slew of unique privacy features, like discreet app icons on Android that let you disguise the Proton app on your phone as a calculator, notes or weather app, which could be helpful when traveling to countries where VPNs are frowned upon. But it’s not all work and no play with Proton VPN. Its 16% average internet download speed loss, which was second only to NordVPN in our testing, is great for streaming. You can expect to keep most of your baseline internet speeds, which should help you stay clear of buffering or low-res video. Moreover, Proton unblocked virtually every streaming service we threw at it, including Netflix Egypt, which only a few VPNs, including ExpressVPN, could also unlock.
The Proton VPN app is pretty easy to use on most platforms, regardless of whether you’re a privacy pro or this is your first time using a VPN. It supports nearly every device you can think of, from Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android to streaming devices like the Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. There’s even a Linux GUI app, which is simpler to navigate for beginners than a command-line-only app. Its apps aren’t quite as intuitive as ExpressVPN’s minimalist app, but Proton remains uncomplicated. Unfortunately, considering the privacy implications, we were disappointed in a design flaw with Proton’s MacOS app that failed to properly warn users that their public IP address may be unmasked when switching servers. The company has promised a forthcoming update. Additionally, Proton VPN lacks 24/7 live chat (but plans to offer it by the end of the year), so if you expect to regularly need help outside of regular business hours, you may want to consider another VPN until then. Ultimately, Proton VPN is hands-down the best free VPN on the market, with a compelling premium plan that’s private and great for streaming.
- Also featured in: Best VPN for Netflix, Best VPN for Xbox
Best VPN Service Overall
ExpressVPN
Pros
- Cutting edge privacy and security
- Excellent for streaming
- Easy to use across platforms
- Strong commitment to transparency
- Privacy-friendly jurisdiction (British Virgin Islands)
Cons
- Expensive
- No multi-hop connections
ExpressVPN is a top-notch VPN provider that demonstrates a steadfast commitment to privacy and transparency. It’s a safe choice for privacy-conscious VPN users, and also a fantastic option for casual users because it’s extremely simple to use, fast and excellent for streaming.
With ExpressVPN, you’ll get a simple interface and consistent user experience across platforms, making ExpressVPN an ideal choice for beginners. Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV Stick and even a newly released GUI app for Linux. ExpressVPN’s streaming performance is impressive. We were able to access content from popular streaming sites like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Max and Amazon Prime Video across all devices we tested. You can connect up to eight devices simultaneously with ExpressVPN, which is fewer than many other VPNs offer (NordVPN allows for 10 and Surfshark unlimited), but should still be enough for most users.
You’ll want fast speeds for streaming and other data-heavy activities like gaming and torrenting. Thankfully, ExpressVPN delivers. We measured an 18% average speed loss in our latest speed tests with ExpressVPN, which represented significant improvement over our previous testing. The provider was able to remedy some recent speed woes with a couple of inventive solutions on both Lightway and OpenVPN protocols on its latest Windows app.
If you have heightened privacy needs, you’ll appreciate ExpressVPN’s approach to transparency and user privacy. The provider leads the industry with 22 independent audits since 2018 and sets a standard by consistently rolling out innovative privacy improvements. ExpressVPN has kept pace with post-quantum security standards and integrated ML-KEM into the Lightway protocol to beef up its post-quantum protections. IP Shuffle is another helpful feature that works in the background and changes your IP address each time you load a website, which helps make it even more difficult to track you online. ExpressVPN’s kill switch works as advertised and we encountered no leaks in our latest tests. The VPN employs industry-standard AES 256-bit and ChaCha20 encryption with its Lightway protocol and also supports OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols. Its TrustedServer technology takes the RAM-only server infrastructure to the next level by reinstalling the entire server stack in addition to wiping any data with every reboot.
ExpressVPN is a well-rounded VPN and one of the very best you can buy. But the catch is that you’ll pay a premium. The monthly subscription plan costs $13 per month, which is pretty standard across the industry. If you choose the yearly subscription for Express’s basic plan, you’ll pay $75 for the first year and $100 annually after the first year. The two-year plan costs $98 total for the first two years combined, but jumps to $100 per year after the initial two-year term. Other top VPNs like Surfshark and Proton VPN are considerably cheaper — both of which renew at $80 per year after an introductory $60 for the first year. ExpressVPN offers a seven-day free trial, followed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have the opportunity to try the service before buying or fully committing.
- Also featured in: Best VPN for iPhone, Best VPN for Windows
Best VPN for Speed
NordVPN
Pros
- Blazing-fast internet speeds
- Strong privacy and transparency
- Great for streaming service unblocking
- User-friendly apps
Cons
- Inconsistent pricing structure
- Not as transparent as other VPN rivals
NordVPN is the best VPN for users who need blazing-fast speeds for 4K video streaming, competitive online gaming or lag-free Zoom calls. It also offers a handful of privacy-boosting options and some innovative features like Meshnet. While Express remains slightly ahead in privacy and transparency and other VPNs offer cheaper long-term prices, NordVPN still provides an impressive all-around service that continues to improve.
NordVPN is the fastest VPN we tested by a long shot, with a best-in-class 3% average internet download speed loss — its closest competitor was Proton at 16% speed loss. In our testing, we found NordVPN an excellent choice for streaming, with effortless unblocking of foreign Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus and Max libraries. Additionally, we had no issues watching BBC iPlayer, CBC Gem, Hulu, Crunchyroll and several other regional streaming services. Coupled with fast speeds, its excellent region-restricted content unblocking makes Nord one of the best VPNs for streaming.
With a sizable roster of 7,400-plus servers peppering 118 countries, NordVPN is excellent for international travel and streaming — its global reach is slightly more than Proton VPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN. Its 10-device simultaneous device allowance is excellent for power users with many devices. While some providers, like Surfshark and PIA, offer unlimited simultaneous device policies, Nord’s longtime rival ExpressVPN limits you to eight.
We like that NordVPN’s strong privacy chops go beyond the basics. Alongside the industry-standard NordLynx (WireGuard-based) and OpenVPN VPN protocols, Nord offers its proprietary obfuscation-oriented NordWhisper, which masquerades as traditional web traffic to try slipping through firewalls. NordWhisper could be helpful in situations like on school Wi-Fi, when the network you’re on doesn’t play nicely with VPNs. You’ll get double VPN (which uses a second VPN connection) and Onion over VPN servers (which use Tor) to make it even more difficult to trace your traffic back to its source compared to a standard VPN connection. Meshnet lets you create a virtual local network of PCs, mobile devices and streaming devices for secure file sharing, hosting LAN parties or accessing services like Netflix without pesky multi-factor authentication.
Initially, NordVPN is a great value at $13 per month, $60 for the first year or $83 total for the first two years. However, the one- and two-year plans renew at an astronomical $140 per year, which is considerably more than the $79 to $80 that Surfshark and Proton VPN renew for, and still higher than ExpressVPN’s renewal price. Although you can avoid a pricey renewal price hike by stacking subscriptions, we’d like to see Nord’s pricing model be more transparent. Despite its extortionate renewal price, NordVPN is a superb VPN for everyone from streaming fanatics to folks with critical privacy needs.
- Also featured in: Best VPN for Streaming, Best VPN for Gaming
What is a VPN for Amazon Prime Video?
A VPN will ensure you get access to the full range of content available on Amazon Prime Video, as long as you choose the right one. VPNs work by sending all of your internet traffic through a gateway to the rest of the internet, replacing your public IP address with the IP of the server you’re connecting to. Connecting to these servers makes the streaming services you access think you’re in another completely different location, even another country.
There are other benefits to using a VPN, too. When you’re connecting via a VPN, all of your internet traffic goes through an encrypted tunnel to the VPN server. Even if a third party, like your ISP, is recording everything that goes through your connection, they won’t be able to read it. This also means they won’t be able to interfere with it, which is great if you’re trying to watch The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime during peak hours and want to avoid your ISP throttling your bandwidth.
There are a few things you’ll need to keep in mind if you want to use a VPN for Amazon Prime, though. While most streaming services only check your IP to determine which region’s shows to serve you, Amazon Prime checks a little more information. You’ll need to make sure that the location that your Amazon account is set to matches the country you’re connecting from before Amazon Prime will serve you those shows. It’s not particularly difficult to change your Amazon account country, but it might trip you up if you don’t know about it before you start trying to stream.
All you need to do is log into your Amazon account and change your registered country to match the VPN server’s location. You’ll need to provide a local address as part of the process, but it doesn’t have to be your actual home. You should be able to just use a valid address within that country. After that, make sure your VPN is active and connected to the same country, and visit the corresponding regional Amazon site (like amazon.de for Germany). From there, you should be able to access the full Prime Video library available to residents of that region.
If you’re just trying to access your home country’s content while on vacation, the process is even simpler. Just connect to a VPN server in your home country and stream as usual. Without a VPN for Amazon Prime, you might only see a limited selection of titles, but with one, you can enjoy the full catalog you’re already paying for from anywhere in the world.
Factors to consider in a VPN for Amazon Prime Video
Based on years of experience testing VPNs for all sorts of use-cases, these are the factors I consider to be the most important when choosing a VPN for Amazon Prime Video.
Ability to unblock Amazon Prime content
Not every VPN can give you access to Amazon Prime Video content. If you want to use a VPN for Prime Video, then the first thing you’ll want to determine is whether the VPN you’re considering can unblock Prime Video content. In my testing, Surfshark and Proton VPN were the best at accessing content from multiple regions, and ExpressVPN and NordVPN were capable of accessing US-based content. Most VPNs offer some sort of money-back guarantee, so you can try a few out to see which one works best for you.
Speed
Many VPNs may cut your base internet speeds by 50% or more, which can make for a rough streaming experience filled with buffering, poor picture quality or both. As long as you have a fast enough internet connection, a VPN that cuts your speed by 25% or less should be capable of delivering a smooth streaming experience.
Server network
The overall reach of a server network can help ensure you enjoy fast speeds and stable connections from anywhere in the world. That can be great for streaming a large selection of international content and for when you’re traveling. But an even more important consideration than the size of a VPN’s server network is that it has servers in the countries you want to access streaming content from. If you want to access content from Germany, but your VPN doesn’t have German servers, then you’re out of luck. Most VPNs have a list of the countries they have servers in on their websites. Be sure to check that the VPN you’re considering has the server locations you need before making the purchase.
Privacy
Privacy is a top consideration for any VPN, whether you need a VPN for critical online privacy needs or if you just want to stream geo-blocked content. Your VPN should secure your online traffic with industry-standard encryption like AES 256-bit or ChaCha20 and include features like a kill switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation and an audited no-logs policy. With these privacy protections in place, your ISP won’t have eyes on your streaming activity or anything else you do online while connected to the VPN, and it shouldn’t have any useful information to pass along to authorities if requested.
Price
We’ve found that most of the VPN market hovers around $5 to $15 per month or $40 to $140 per year depending on the plan you purchase. Price isn’t necessarily an indicator of quality, as I’ve seen quality VPNs that are well equipped for streaming at every price point. In fact, the best VPN for Amazon Prime video is actually a budget option if you buy into the yearly plan. However, we wouldn’t recommend you buy for any period longer than a year at a time. The VPN industry is fast-moving and which provider offers the best value for money can certainly change within a year. That’s before you start considering VPN providers being bought up by bigger companies, going out of business or changing terms of service. Choosing a year-long plan means getting significant savings without being exposed to the risk of a provider’s service potentially significant degradation.
How we tested VPNs for Amazon Prime Video
To determine the best VPN for Amazon Prime Video, I ran dozens of tests with various providers across devices including Mac, Windows and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. I connected to multiple server locations across the globe with each provider to identify in which regions the VPN was able to go undetected by Amazon Prime Video. I took note of how quickly the content loaded and how smooth the streaming experience was overall. Because speed is an important factor for data-heavy activities like streaming, I also took into consideration each VPN’s speed performance.
Other VPNs we tested
PIA
Private Internet Access is an excellent budget-friendly VPN. However, it failed to give me access to any Amazon Prime Video library, including the US. If I was connected to any PIA server location and tried to stream Amazon Prime Video content, I got the error message telling me that the VPN was detected and I needed to disconnect in order to stream. PIA generally performs well at unblocking streaming sites, including regional Netflix variants, thanks to a 91-country-strong network list, so it’s surprising that it couldn’t unblock Amazon Prime Video. However, PIA’s poor unblocking for Amazon Prime plus relatively underwhelming speed test results means that you’re better off looking at another VPN provider like ExpressVPN or Surfshark as your first choice for a streaming VPN.
Mullvad
Like PIA, Mullvad was unable to trick Amazon Prime Video into thinking I wasn’t using a VPN, no matter what server location I was connected to. It’s an otherwise capable tool for streaming non-Amazon Prime Video content because it’s super fast and can unblock content from most other streaming sites. It’s also a solid cheap VPN with top-tier privacy protections. But again, if you came here to find the best VPN for Amazon Prime Video, you won’t find it in Mullvad.
Amazon Prime Video VPN FAQs