It’s already been four full years since Amazon, one of the most influential companies on the planet, introduced Fire TV to the world. It is a direct rival to Roku and Chromecast. This device is very easy to use: you just plug it into a TV (through an HDMI port) and enjoy a full-fledged smart TV while streaming movies and shows/series over a Wi-Fi network. To protect your privacy online, you’ll need a decent VPN for FireStick. Another reason for using a Virtual Private Network is to access geo-restricted content (say, Netflix or Hulu).
Top-5 VPN Services for FireStick
Regardless of whether you’re using Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, you’ll always need a VPN to keep the hackers at bay. The most significant difference between the regular Fire TV and the Stick version is 4K and HDR support: you won’t get it with the Stick. On the other hand, it only costs 40 dollars, while the “elder brother” can be yours for 70 dollars.
The Pros Of Using A VPN for Fire TV Stick
As we already mentioned, there is no other way to access geo-blocked content other than with a VPN. Important note: not every single Network on the market is capable of unblocking restricted content. The biggest question is – will you be able to watch all the popular streaming services and keep your privacy even with a free VPN for FireStick? We’ll learn that later today.
Full-fledged VPNs are capable of not only bypassing any restrictions but also hiding your IP, which makes it almost impossible for your ISP to track your movements online. It might sound strange, but without a Virtual Private Network, you won’t be able to enjoy Amazon’s American media library if you’re not living in the States.
With a reliable VPN, you can access it from any corner of the globe, watch the US, British, and other streaming services like Channel 4, Showtime, or Netflix, among others. And, you’ll always stay anonymous, especially when streaming free content through Kodi. And one more thing: ISP throttling is real, but with a VPN, you’ll “beat” that as well. We’ve spent a considerable amount of time testing the most popular VPNs out there and came up with a list of the best of the best.
Best VPNs For FireStick In 2019
A quick note before we get to the best VPNs for FireStick: not every single Network on the market works with this device, meaning you need to be extra careful when buying a subscription. Or, just let us guide you through the world of Virtual Private Networks and choose one from the following list. True, they aren’t exactly cheap, but if you’re looking for quality, these five are top-of-the-line. These providers are quite generous and are known to give the users discounts and offer great deals, especially for the long run (say, if you commit to a 2-year plan).
PureVPN – Arguably, The Greatest Offer On The Market
Pros:
- 2000+ Servers In 140 Countries At Your Disposal
- Impressive Connection Speeds
- Industry-leading 256-Bit Encryption
- Compatible With 20+ Devices (Including Chromecast, Roku, And More)
- 5 Multi Logins
Cons:
- Not All Servers Are Fast
- Ad-Blocking Is Not Always Available
- The Monthly Plan Is Expensive
In many regards, this is a great VPN for FireStick. For streaming, it doesn’t get better than PureVPN. It is very easy to download, install, and run. And you won’t need a science degree to use it. This VPN is known to be fast, reliable, and relatively affordable. Plus, it’s very user-friendly: PureVPN is available as an app for FireStick – go to the Utility section, and you’ll find it there. The monthly plan will cost you 10.95 dollars, which isn’t particularly cheap. However, the 1-year plan drops the price to 5.40 dollars (you’ll save 50% on that). Furthermore, there’s a 2-year plan; with it, they’ll charge you only $3.29 a month.
They accept not only credit cards, Alipay, and Gift Cards, but also Coins, which is a huge plus. The experts claim that for the regular users, PureVPN is the best choice, and, according to statistics, the vast majority of users that choose it as their first Network stick with it for many years.
ExpressVPN – The Most Feature-Packed FireStick VPN
Pros:
- Just As Fast As PureVPN (Or Even Faster)
- 148 Server Locations; 94 Countries
- No Restrictions256-Bit Privacy Protection
- Great Customer Support
- Comes With A 30-Day MBG (Money-Back Guarantee)
Cons:
- One Of The Most Expensive VPNs
- You Can Only Protect 3 Devices Simultaneously
- No Free Trial
If you take a look at the reviews, you’ll think that ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Firestick – and there’s a lot of truth to that. This provider has been the leader in the field for many years and is still considered to be a good offer. This is, without a doubt, one of the most trusted and reliable options on the market. Add impressive download/streaming speeds, industry-leading customer support, and a solid line-up of servers, and you’ll get a VPN that very little rivals can compete with. Most importantly, it works flawlessly with Amazon’s devices, which is a huge pro.
Sadly, it’s also pretty expensive, and the monthly plan costs 12.95 dollars. The 6-months plan, in turn, can be yours for $60 (9.99 dollars for each month). The one-year plan is the most effective one, as it drops the price to 8.32 dollars ($100 for the whole thing).
NordVPN – An All-Around Solid VPN For FireStick
Pros:
- Keeps Absolutely No Logs
- 2600+ Fast And Reliable Servers
- Kill Switch, Double Encryption, And More Security Features
- The User Interface Is Very Friendly
Cons:
- Still Not The Cheapest Option (The Monthly Plan)
- The Servers Are, Indeed, Reliable; But The Connection Speed Can Be Slow
- Performance Is Not Always Flawless
NordVPN doesn’t need an introduction. It has been around for a very long time, and both the critics and the regular users give it the highest praise. As a VPN on Firestick, it also performs splendidly. Protection and privacy are the biggest concerns in the modern-day world, and NordVPN excels at both. Streaming, downloading, and even torrenting – this Network does it all. The monthly plan is expensive: $11.95 a month. Thankfully, the 1-year plan is much more suitable for the vast majority of users: only 7 dollars a month. Plus, the company regularly offers the ultimate 2-year plan which drops the monthly charge to $4.
The bottom line is – NordVPN works on FireStick like clockwork, and you won’t ever be disappointed by its performance.
IPVanish – The Golden Middle
Pros:
- More Servers Than You’ll Ever Need (1100 In Total)
- No Bandwidth Limitations
- Customer Support Is On Par With ExpressVPN
- The Users Can Protect 5 Devices At The Same Time
- No Logs
- The Monthly Plan Is Affordable
Cons:
- No 2-Year Plan
- The Windows And Android Apps Could Be Better
- No Free Trials
- Despite The No-Logs Policy, IPVanish Obeys US Laws
- Some Servers Can Be Slow At Times
Just like PureVPN, the leader of this list, IPVanish can be installed on FireStick through the Utility service. This VPN is growing more popular with each new update. IPVanish is user-friendly, intuitive, and is capable of protecting the users from any potential threats. Just like NordVPN, this Network syncs with Amazon’s device perfectly. It is one of the least expensive offers on the market, and the monthly plan charges 7.50 dollars. There’s also a 3-months plan (6.74 dollars a month; $20 for the whole thing). Or, if you’re ready to commit, go with the 1-year plan (4.87 dollars a month; $59 once you subscribe).
Private Internet Access – Cheap And Capable
Pros:
- Just Like IPVanish, PIA Is Very Affordable
- No Traffic Logs
- Protection And Performance Are Top-Notch
- You Can Simultaneously Protect Up To 5 Devices
- Easy To Use
- 3100 Servers In 33 Countries
Cons:
- Despite The Friendly Interface, It’s Pretty Basic
- Just Like IPVanish, the PIA HQ is Located In America
- Doesn’t Work With Netflix
With PIA, you can rest assured that neither your ISP nor the hackers can ever track your online activity, which gives you total freedom on the Internet. Furthermore, it is possible to pay for it anonymously, using Gift Cards. The Private Internet Access FireStick downloading and installation process is very easy and straightforward. Another interesting fact: although this is arguably the most secure VPN, it’s also the cheapest one on the list. The monthly plan costs 7 dollars. The yearly plan drops the price in half, and the 2-year subscription will charge you $2.91 a month (70 dollars for the whole thing).
The Best Free VPN For FireStick, Fire TV, And Fire TV Cube
Even though free Virtual Private Networks can be a great start for the average user trying to keep his/her privacy while surfing the Internet, you won’t find a free VPN for FireStick that will allow you to enjoy the device. True, there are dozens of 100% free VPNs on the market; yet, they can’t provide the same connection speed, quality of streaming, and performance. Furthermore, your privacy will also be in danger. Important note: most free Networks tend to sell the users’ data to all kinds of 3rd-parties. And you never know who will buy it on the other side of that deal.
How To Find The Finest VPN For FireStick
It goes without saying that there is no ideal VPN. Some feature the best protection protocols; others are fast and reliable; the rest are great at unlocking geo-restricted content. How can a regular user pick? Let us take a quick look at the features that need to be taken into consideration before choosing a VPN for Fire TV, Stick, and Cube:
Compatibility
If you want to enjoy your time with a Network, not spend hours trying to install it, choose one that’s available through Amazon’s App Store. That way, the installation procedure will be automated (all you’ll have to do is click “Next” and “OK”). Remember: not all VPNs are compatible with Win, Mac, Android, iOS, or, as in our case, Amazon App Store.
Speed
This one doesn’t need an explanation. If the connection speed is low, streaming will be a problem. Here’s the truth: when you’re streaming content for free, your ISP is most likely throttling your speed. What can you do to fix that? Use a VPN, of course! It will hide your original IP and thus outmaneuver the Internet Provider.
Protection And Privacy
Basically, what encryption does is it prevents the all-seeing eyes from prying (those include the hackers, the government agents, and more). The 256-encryption mentioned above is literally unbreakable, and with it, you’ll be well-protected. Every single VPN we reviewed today comes with the best encryption. But even with the most advanced protection, when the Network is collecting data on you, that means they may share it with 3rd parties at any time. Therefore, it would be best if you went with a provider with the zero-logs policy.
Other Things
Also, it would be nice to have 24/7 support (along with a Live Chat), a free trial, and MBG. Plus, if this is important to you, pick a Network that allows simultaneous connections (up to 3 or even 5).
How To Install A VPN On FireStick
No matter what VPN you end up choosing, the downloading/installation procedure is always easy, especially if you pick one that’s available in the App Store. The ES File Explorer also comes in handy. If you’re still wondering how to install VPN on FireStick, there are numerous guides online that will help you with that. Again, the 5 Networks on our list will be very easy to install.
Possible Problems With A VPN For FireStick
#1 – Sometimes, a VPN refuses to connect to the Amazon device and to protect it. To solve this, go to “Settings” and choose OpenVPN (TCP)/(UDP) in the VPN protocol menu. Next, restart Fire TV (or any other Amazon device), click Remove the plug – Re-plug – and start again.
#2 – If streaming and/or browsing is unusually slow, switch to a different server. Say, if you’re on a European server, change to one based in America. If that doesn’t help, just re-install the Virtual Private Network. In most cases, that solves the problem.
#3 – And finally, don’t be shy to contact support and let them know about your problem. Every single VPN for Fire TV (Stick/Cube) that we discussed today is known for its exceptional customer support.
More Geo-unblocking Tricks For Fire TV
Most of the time, when you install and launch a VPN, geo-restricted content that wasn’t available to you before instantly becomes easy to access. However, that’s not always the case, and many streaming services might still refuse to “open themselves up” to you. Here’s what you can do to fix that.
Change The DNS Settings On Your Amazon Device
If you set up your Network on a physical/virtual router, that might be the root of the problem. That’s because the device will be sending requests “around” the VPN. What you must do is change the DNS settings in the Fire TV device. The provider should have a DNS address for you. If not, OpenNIC will come to aid. Type in the IP address of the Wi-Fi router that the VPN is installed on (the most common ones are 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.0.1).
Next, on the page where the Wi-Fi requires you to enter the password, choose “Advanced,” enter your IP address, but switch the last digit to a different one (anything from 2 to 255). Go to “Gateway” and type in the IP address; enter 24 under NPL (Network Prefix Length). Finally, in DNS1 and DNS2, type in your primary and additional DNS addresses. That should do it!
Changing The Time Zone
Sometimes, content remains geo-locked (even with a VPN) whenever there’s a difference between your time zone and the one in the country where the streaming service is based. To change that, go to “Settings,” “System,” “Time Zone,” and pick the right one.
Changing Your Account To A Different Country
If you want to access Amazon Instant/Prime Video, you might have to change your account to “belong to” the United States or another country. What you should do is log in, go to “Settings,” then click Change under “Country Settings.” It might be hard to come up with a proper address in the States. Use Google and search for a hotel or any other public place. Click “Update,” and you’re all set!
