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What’s the best VPN for Apple TV right now?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Apple TV right now, thanks to its flawless app experience and exceptional unblocking capabilities.
Surfshark is a top-notch VPN that packs incredible value into a budget-friendly package. Surfshark is fast, excellent for streaming and has an Apple TV app that looks great and is simple to use.
Proton VPN offers an Apple TV app that’s light on features, but delivers exceptional unblocking performance, among the best I experienced in my testing.
PIA is one of the best cheap VPNs for Apple TV streaming devices. Its TVOS app is neatly minimalistic in the same vein as ExpressVPN’s, and its streaming performance is right up there in the same category, making it an excellent alternative for budget-conscious users.
About VPNs for Apple TV
Apple added native VPN support to Apple TV in 2023 with the release of TVOS 17. That means Apple TV now natively supports VPN apps, so you can download and install your preferred VPN directly from the App Store, just like you would on an iPhone or iPad.
When you connect to a VPN, your internet traffic is routed through an encrypted tunnel to a server in a different city, state or country of your choosing. This keeps your streaming activity hidden from your ISP and other online snoops, while also making it appear as though you’re streaming from a different location. That’s especially handy for getting more out of streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus. Many shows and movies on these streaming platforms are restricted to specific countries due to licensing agreements, but a VPN gives you the ability to bypass those geographic restrictions. By using your VPN’s IP address, your online traffic can appear as though it’s originating from another country, allowing you to unlock content that would normally be unavailable in your current region.
Although more and more VPN companies are rolling out Apple TV apps, overall quality and value can vary greatly from provider to provider. Each of the VPN apps for Apple TV I’ve highlighted here are easy to use, fast and excellent for unblocking geo-restricted streaming content across a wide variety of streaming services. Following my latest tests and analysis, ExpressVPN retains its top spot as the best VPN for Apple TV, thanks to its easy-to-use app and flawless unblocking performance. Separately, I have bumped Proton VPN up into the top picks for Apple TV based on its exceptional international streaming capabilities, fast speeds and large server network. Conversely, I pulled IPVanish from the list because (although its Apple TV app is serviceable) I cannot recommend the provider on account of its inadequate transparency in relation to its staggeringly overpriced renewal rates. Read on to learn more about Apple TV VPNs.
Factors to consider in a VPN for Apple TV
Based on my experience and research with VPNs, these are the most important factors to consider when deciding which VPN to choose for Apple TV.
Streaming capabilities
When using a VPN on your Apple TV, you’ll most likely want to be able to access geographically restricted streaming content. But just because a VPN has servers in a specific region doesn’t necessarily mean that it will give you access to streaming content from that region. Performance can vary greatly from one provider to another, so if the VPN you’re using struggles to give you access to content from the regions and streaming providers you want, then you may want to switch to a different VPN. Most VPNs offer money-back guarantees of usually around 30 days, which can give you a chance to try a few providers to see which one works best for you before fully committing.
Speed
Using a VPN will slow your internet speeds, sometimes even by 50% or more. You’ll want a fast VPN to ensure a buffer-free experience streaming movies and shows on your Apple TV. With a fast VPN, you can expect your speeds to drop only by about 25% or less, which is barely noticeable if you have a fast connection to begin with. Netflix recommends that you have at least a 15Mbps connection to stream in 4K, but you’ll probably need closer to at least 50Mbps for a smooth 4K streaming experience, especially if you have multiple devices connected to your network.
Usability
Your VPN for Apple TV should be simple to use, easy to navigate and quick to connect. You don’t want your Apple TV VPN app to have an awkward layout that makes servers a pain to locate when you’re using your remote to navigate the app. You need an app that quickly connects to a server and runs in the background while you enjoy your shows and movies. If it’s any more complicated than that, your VPN is doing it wrong.
Privacy
Privacy is an important consideration for any VPN use case, including streaming on Apple TV devices. When you use a VPN on your Apple TV, your traffic is encrypted and your ISP and other online snoops won’t be able to monitor your streaming activity. You’ll want to use a trustworthy VPN that has a strong track record of protecting user privacy. Always look through a VPN’s privacy policy with special attention to its data collection and sharing practices. Also, look into the VPN’s independent audit history, transparency reports and any legal action it has been involved in to get a sense of how trustworthy it is when it comes to protecting your privacy.
Price
For most of us, price is an important factor in the majority of things we purchase, including VPNs. A VPN can cost anywhere from $5 to $15 per month or $40 to more than $150 per year, so there are VPNs available for basically any budget. You might be tempted to go straight for a more expensive VPN, but that’s not necessarily the best approach when looking for an Apple TV VPN. A premium price doesn’t always mean better service. Even if a VPN has a thousand bells and whistles attached, it doesn’t matter if the actual Apple TV VPN app isn’t up to scratch. Some of the best VPNs for Apple TV devices are actually pretty cheap.
Server network
If you want to unblock streaming content from multiple regions on your Apple TV, you’ll want your VPN’s server network to include servers in a wide range of countries. Some VPNs have servers in over 100 countries, while some only have about 50. More countries will give you more choices when it comes to unblocking international streaming content, but it’s more important for your VPN to have servers in the specific countries you want. Visit the VPN’s website to check its server locations and make sure it has servers in the regions you want to unblock streaming content from on your Apple TV.
How I tested VPNs for Apple TV
To determine the best VPNs for Apple TV, I paid close attention to how easy each VPN app was to navigate and interact with. Are the server locations easy to locate and arranged in an organized manner? Is the app design clean and easily understandable for beginner VPN users? Is the app responsive and does it connect quickly? Does the VPN give me access to a wide variety of streaming content from different streaming providers across various international server locations?
The main part of my testing procedure involved evaluating how each VPN performed when streaming on Apple TV. I tested the VPN apps with some of the most popular streaming providers, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video. I connected via various server locations across the globe to check each VPN’s unblocking capabilities on different streaming platforms and noted how quickly streaming content loaded up and played. I also took into account each VPN’s speed performance, privacy posture and overall value — all factors that play a role in how we test VPNs at CNET.
Other VPNs I tested on Apple TV
NordVPN
NordVPN is an excellent VPN, but if you plan to use it on your Apple TV, you might end up disappointed. During my testing of NordVPN’s Apple TV app, I encountered error messages on every single title I attempted to stream on every foreign Netflix library I tried accessing. During my initial tests, Hulu detected the VPN and blocked my access to its content even though I was connecting through US servers, but I was able to access content on Hulu through NordVPN’s Apple TV app during my latest tests, which was a welcome improvement. Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video and US Netflix worked fine. Still, streaming is the main reason the vast majority of people opt for a VPN on Apple TV, and if NordVPN can’t quite get it right for key services like Netflix, I suggest passing on it for a VPN that can.
In my experience, NordVPN’s Apple TV app also isn’t nearly as user-friendly as most of the competition. Browsing for servers is a pain because you have no choice but to side-scroll through a list of servers that are arranged in no discernible order. For a VPN with servers in 126 different countries, this user interface choice is baffling. Alternatively, you can search for a specific server, but the server locations don’t begin to populate until you enter the third letter of your search. These are, admittedly minor inconveniences, but still, a thumbs down from me on usability and unwelcome in conjunction with its other struggles.
I wholeheartedly recommend NordVPN as a solid option for basically anything else, but not for Apple TV, even if its streaming performance was slightly better in my latest tests.
Read our NordVPN review.
PrivadoVPN
PrivadoVPN is a relatively new VPN provider that’s been making headway in the industry over the past few years. It’s not a top pick, but its Apple TV app is a decent option for casual users who just want to stream content. I like how the app makes it possible to browse for servers based on latency, which can help you potentially find optimally performing servers and ensure your streaming experience remains smooth. You can also designate favorite servers and browse locations alphabetically, but strangely there’s no option to search for server locations. In any case, the app connected instantly during my tests and streaming was always buffer-free, despite PrivadoVPN’s lackluster speed performance during our most recent speed tests.
PrivadoVPN offers a free plan that’s okay for casual internet browsing, but I don’t recommend it for streaming on Apple TV or any other device because of its 10GB monthly limit (which is about enough to stream one or two movies per month). If that’s enough for you, then give it a shot. During my tests, PrivadoVPN’s free tier failed to give me access to both Netflix and Disney Plus streaming content — although I was able to stream Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Apple TV Plus content on the free plan. With the paid plan, I was able to access streaming content on each of those streaming services as well as on Netflix and Disney Plus. PrivadoVPN’s premium tier gives you access to servers in 49 countries, which isn’t terribly impressive compared to providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but PrivadoVPN makes up for it with some pretty cheap initial prices. At $11 per month, the monthly plan is nothing to write home about, but the first year only costs $20 and a two-year plan is $30. These are exceptional savings, but be warned as these are only introductory prices. The yearly plan renews at $60, whereas the two-year plan renews at $96 every two years.
Read our PrivadoVPN review.
IPVanish
IPVanish’s Apple TV app performed adequately during my tests, with an easy-to-navigate interface and instantaneous connections. I found it a welcome departure from its otherwise clunky app on other platforms. You can quickly connect to an Optimal Location, search for a specific location or browse country and city server locations alphabetically. I also like how you can quickly access a list of recently used locations and your bank of favorite servers. IPVanish’s Apple TV app connects via IKEv2 without any option to change protocols. As with other TVOS VPN apps, you won’t really find any other settings to play around with.
I was able to use IPVanish’s Apple TV app to stream content on popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV Plus. Streams were reliably smooth and buffer-free whether I connected to a server close by or on the other side of the globe. Overall, IPVanish’s performance and streaming capabilities on Apple TV were satisfactory during my tests. IPVanish is a decent choice if all you want to do is use it on your Apple TV, but I ultimately cannot recommend it as a top pick because of its absurd pricing and because it doesn’t offer anything noteworthy that sets it apart from its more reasonably priced competitors. IPVanish costs $13 per month, $40 for the first year or $52 for the first two years combined. But what IPVanish doesn’t make adequately clear during the checkout process is that the yearly plan skyrockets to a ridiculous $156 per year after the introductory term and the two-year plan renews at an equally preposterous $312 every two years. A 30-day money-back guarantee is available on the annual and two-year plans, but IPVanish doesn’t offer any guarantee on its monthly plan. (Disclaimer: IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis).
VPNs for Apple TV FAQ
Can I use a free VPN for Apple TV?
Technically, you can use a free VPN for Apple TV, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so. Although it may be tempting, using a free VPN to stream content on Apple TV will most likely result in a disappointing streaming experience. This is because free VPNs aren’t typically optimized for streaming. Aside from the fact that free VPNs usually impose limits on usage, you’ll likely encounter much slower speeds than you would with a paid VPN. You probably won’t be allotted enough data to stream all that you want, and there’s a good chance you’ll have to contend with unsatisfactory picture quality and/or buffering while doing so. Additionally, free VPNs can often be risky since they may collect your data and sell it to third parties, or worse, be infected with malware.
How do I set up a VPN on Apple TV?
Setting up a VPN on Apple TV is simple. Just navigate to the App Store on your Apple TV device, search for your VPN provider and download the app just like you would any other app. Once you’ve signed in to your Apple TV VPN app, connect to your desired server and start streaming.
Is my Apple TV compatible with VPN?
As long as your Apple TV device is running TVOS 17 or later, it’s compatible with VPN apps. Apple TV HD (released in 2015) devices and later can support TVOS 17. To check your TVOS version, navigate to Settings > General > About. If your TVOS version isn’t 17 or above, you’ll need to update your device by going to Settings > System > Software Updates > Update Software.
Can a VPN unblock all streaming content on Apple TV devices?
A VPN probably won’t be able to unblock all streaming content on Apple TV devices. Different streaming providers have different approaches regarding whether they actively try to prevent VPN users from accessing their content. Some VPNs can get around active blocking attempts and some have trouble doing so. It’s often a cat-and-mouse situation between streaming services and VPNs trying to unblock their content, so a VPN that works today on a specific streaming site might not tomorrow and vice versa. Some VPNs are better than others at staying on top of the streaming game and are able to reliably unblock content on various streaming services.
