Best VPN for FireStick and Fire TV – Fast Streaming

Amazon has rolled out a terrific set of streaming devices in the form of Amazon Fire TV. Both of them can not only provide you with a limitless amount of content on the go, but they can also let you read the news, play video games and cast videos from another device.

Though the Fire TV Stick exists within the Amazon brand, you can also use it to stream content from Amazon Prime’s competitors, including Hulu and Netflix.

Since Amazon FireStick makes use of the Android operating system at its core, it also works with Kodi—though you’ll need to do a bit of tinkering with the settings before you start streaming from Kodi.

a person streaming content on his tv through a remote

Now, the only problem with using Amazon Fire TV Stick for streaming is that it isn’t great for privacy. While you use the device, Amazon is collecting data on your browsing history and behaviors. At the same time, Google controls the operating system itself, in addition to running the search engine that you use on your Amazon Fire TV device.

Combine these privacy considerations with the fact that your internet service provider is able to see everything you do on the device through your home network, and you have a barrage of privacy issues to think about as you’re streaming content and playing games using Fire TV and FireStick.

Pro Tip:

To avoid these issues and prevent companies from collecting data on you while trying to enjoy Amazon Prime Video content on your Amazon Fire TV device, you need to use a privacy service known as a VPN.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is simply a service that makes use of encryption and IP address-changing technology to hide your real location and data from anyone who is monitoring your network. There are many other benefits of using VPNs, but we’ll cover those in later sections of this guide.

For now, let’s discuss the best VPN services for Amazon FireStick and Fire TV.

Best FireStick VPN

Contents

NordVPN

NordVPN logoIf you’re looking for a VPN service that works on streaming devices such as Amazon Fire TV Stick, then the NordVPN Fire Stick app should be your go-to choice.

There are many reasons why NordVPN is generally considered to be the best VPN for FireStick and Fire TV. Firstly, it works on all streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, YouTube and Netflix. And secondly, it protects your Amazon Fire TV Stick device and any other device that you might have running on platforms such as Linux, Android, iOS, macOS and Windows.

You don’t even need to purchase a separate NordVPN subscription for each of your devices. NordVPN packages allow up to six simultaneous connections per account.

With just one package, you can protect your entire household or small office.

There are very few VPNs that can bring as much credibility and reliability as NordVPN. The company has a strict zero-logs policy and has gone through independent audits several times. With powerful apps and over 5,000 servers spread across 59 countries, you’re guaranteed to have access to all of the content on your Amazon Fire TV Stick device no matter where you are.

Most of the best-rated VPNs on the market don’t have dedicated apps for Amazon Fire TV Stick, but NordVPN does offer its own Fire TV VPN app without compromising quality. Like the desktop apps, the Fire TV Stick app shows you a map of NordVPN servers worldwide.

Note:

NordVPN’s apps provide users with top-notch security protection and privacy at all times. This stability is another reason why many users prefer it over VPNs that may offer similar protections but have issues with dropped connections.

NordVPN also has a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t like the service or its apps, you can request a refund within 30 days of your subscription purchase. You can always contact the company’s customer support department if you have any questions about the money-back guarantee or how to set up the service on Fire TV.

Pros

  • Zero logs policy
  • Dedicated apps for all major platforms, including Fire TV
  • Advanced security features like Double Hop VPN are available
  • Fairly high-performance servers
  • A large and diverse global VPN network
  • Good customer support

Cons

  • The user interface is not the most user-friendly on smaller screens
Visit NordVPN

CyberGhost

CyberGhost VPN logoCyberGhost is a very versatile VPN, offering simplicity not to detract novice VPN users while also providing enough customization options to advanced VPN users who want more control over how their VPN connections work. In addition to this, CyberGhost is also great for streaming content fast on Fire TV Stick.

The dedicated app for Fire TV Stick is available through the Amazon App Store.

Just like some of the elite VPNs on this list, CyberGhost has a massive server network, giving you full access to your content no matter where you are in the world. The service’s apps offer over 6,300 servers located in 90 countries.

With such a large pool of servers to choose from, you can try out different ones to get the best performance for your specific situation and location. The app allows you to filter servers that are meant exclusively for streaming, which saves you a lot of time when you have a 15-minute break and want to watch a short YouTube video or catch up on the news about your favorite sporting event, for example.

CyberGhost is gaining more market share because of its user-centric approach to VPN security and privacy.

The service also has specific servers for torrenting activities, which serves a relatively small but still loyal community of torrenting enthusiasts. It’s worth noting, though, that Fire TV or FireStick are not the best devices for torrenting, so this feature doesn’t apply here.

While CyberGhost’s apps offer everything that a good Fire TV VPN should, it lacks polishing. It needs more streamlining if it wants to compete with the best on the market and overtake them.

Still, you won’t find a more expansive server network anywhere else, and with the option of protecting up to seven devices at one time, CyberGhost is an excellent value for your money. The service offers new users of its apps a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is longer than the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.

With a 45-day money-back guarantee, you can use CyberGhost’s apps for more than a month to determine if it’s the best VPN for your needs.

Pros

  • Huge server network
  • Dedicated streaming servers
  • Fast servers
  • Easy to use
  • 45-day money-back guarantee (longer than competitors)

Cons

  • The user interface could use some work
Visit CyberGhostVPN

Surfshark

Surfshark VPN logoThose looking for a budget VPN for Amazon Fire TV should pay a hefty amount of attention to the new entrant in the ranks of elite VPNs, Surfshark.

To start things off, it has a dedicated app for Fire TV and if you’ve ever tried using a VPN on Amazon Fire TV Stick without a dedicated app, you know how much of a plus it is, compared to VPNs that don’t offer dedicated apps for Fire TV Stick.

It also offers fast servers that can smoothen out any buffering issues you might see on your Amazon Fire TV Stick.

The company has placed over 1,700 servers across 63 countries. It works with streaming services and apps such as Hulu, Amazon, YouTube and Netflix.

But perhaps the biggest advantage of signing up for Surfshark is that it allows you to connect an unlimited number of devices per account. Very few elite VPNs offer this ability. You’ll also be glad to know that the Surfshark app user interface is useful, straightforward and concise. When it comes to Amazon Fire TV Stick, this is what you want.

Downloading and installing this VPN is a breeze since you can find it on the Amazon App Store and it doesn’t take a lot of clicks/taps to get to the server you want to connect to. With the whole globe covered through Surfshark’s expansive server network, you can stream all your shows everywhere.

Any VPN that wants to rank high for FireStick must have fast servers for the simple reason that we’re talking about a streaming device here.

Note:

Since streaming devices already lose connection speed by relying on WiFi, if a VPN doesn’t have fast servers, the device would lose even more speed when compared to a simple wired connection on a desktop computer.

Surfshark offers fast servers, so you won’t have to worry about lacking a good video streaming connection. All Surfshark packages offer a 30-day money-back guarantee so that any new user doesn’t have to take any risks while signing up.

Pros

  • Fast servers
  • Works with most streaming services
  • Unlimited simultaneous connections
  • Good privacy measures in place

Cons

  • Not all servers offer the same performance
  • The server network is somewhat limited compared to competitors
  • Doesn’t offer the same amount of depth in features as most top VPNs
Visit SurfsharkVPN

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN logoExpressVPN is considered one of the very best at anything that can be done with a VPN. You can stream content from sources such as Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix without any problems. Its apps support FireStick/Fire TV devices along with all the major platforms and operating systems, including Linux, Android, iOS, Windows and macOS.

Each package supports up to five simultaneous devices, making ExpressVPN an excellent choice for protecting all of the devices in your household. ExpressVPN’s apps offer useful security features and a tight logging policy, as well.

Note:

ExpressVPN has a dedicated app for the Fire TV Stick platform. All you have to do is go to the Fire TV app store, search for ExpressVPN and hit install.

With Express VPN for FireStick, you’ll experience a fully functional and high-performing VPN app. All the features you get on the ExpressVPN Android app, you get on the Amazon Fire TV app too. And you can use your Fire TV remote control to give it commands as well.

Like any other top VPN app, ExpressVPN allows users to browse the complete server list and choose the best option according to their location and needs. With a network that consists of over 3,000 servers located in 160 countries, your content will be available to you no matter where you are.

ExpressVPN has full ownership of its server network, which allows it to deliver on its zero-logging claims.

A VPN app on a WiFi streaming device like Amazon FireStick won’t do much good without fast servers. ExpressVPN, as expected, has a wide selection of fast-performance servers. If you connect to a server that’s relatively close to your actual location, not halfway around the world, you can expect almost zero drops in your streaming speeds.

These features and top-notch performance aren’t cheap. Even with its 30-day money-back guarantee, ExpressVPN will cost you above the industry average. But still, as the old adage says, “you get what you pay for,” and this is certainly true with ExpressVPN.

Pros

  • Good customer support
  • Huge server network
  • Fast server network
  • Offers a good Amazon Fire TV app

Cons

  • Slightly expensive
  • Offers a limited number of simultaneous devices
Visit ExpressVPN

IPVanish

IPVanish VPN logoWith a custom-made app for FireStick, fast servers and unlimited simultaneous connections per account, you can’t go wrong with IPVanish for FireStick. While IPVanish isn’t topping the ranks across the VPN industry as a whole, it is still a good choice, especially for streaming.

Each subscription gets you access to more than 1,500 servers located in over 75 countries. It usually works with streaming sites like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

This VPN is for people who like performance, not just on nearby servers but also on servers located worldwide. Even though it does not have the biggest server network in the industry, the server locations are well distributed so you won’t be restricted in terms of access.

The dedicated Amazon FireStick VPN app is easy to use and offers specialized streaming features such as speed optimization and auto IP switch.

IPVanish doesn’t keep logs and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to all new users. With that said, don’t expect it to work with all streaming services, though. You may run into issues with connecting first-generation Amazon FireStick devices.

Pros

  • Offers a diverse network of server locations worldwide
  • Performance levels are usually high

Cons

  • The server network is relatively limited compared to competitors
  • Doesn’t work with BBC iPlayer
Visit IPVanishVPN

Is a Free VPN for FireStick Worth It?

Free streaming products allow consumers to enjoy content indefinitely at no cost. But you should know that they are not suitable for your privacy.

In fact, you should always be skeptical about services that are free on the internet. And this is as true with VPNs as it is for anything else.

You don’t need to search the internet too hard to find a FireStick VPN free of charge. But are free FireStick VPN services worth it? We argue that in most cases, they are not.

a person pointing a remote in front of a tv

Firstly, free VPNs for FireStick devices always come with data limitations. You won’t find any data restrictions when signing up for a premium VPN service.

Some VPNs offer both free and paid versions of the same service. The free version usually has data limitations, while the paid version allows you to consume as much data as you want.

Since you want to stream content through your FireStick or Fire TV device, you can’t have restrictions on the amount of bandwidth you consume. Free VPNs also often have device limitations, meaning you can’t use the same account on more than a single device.

Pro Tip:

The other reason you shouldn’t go for a free VPN on FireStick is that they are slow. And no matter how secure a VPN is (which free VPNs are not), if you can’t watch a movie without buffering, then it’s virtually useless. And since Fire TV and FireStick already operate on a WiFi connection, you can’t afford to lose even more speed by using a slow free VPN.

VPNs need money to buy and maintain fast servers. Since you aren’t paying anything for a free VPN, the company doesn’t have the revenue to invest in fast infrastructure for better performance. This is why free VPNs are known to collect user data and sell it to advertisers and other marketing companies. Free VPNs paradoxically defy their own existence by becoming the problem rather than providing users with a solution to their privacy issues.

If that wasn’t enough to concern you, free VPNs have been known to inject users’ devices with viruses and malware, which further compromises their privacy and even causes problems for the device’s health.

In short, you need to stay away from free VPNs for FireStick as much as you can.

It’s worth your money to pay for a value-fueled VPN service for all of your Fire TV streaming needs.

Do You Really Need a VPN for FireStick?

You need a VPN for FireStick and Fire TV just like you need one for any other device or online activity. But let’s spell it out. If you want to protect your privacy and security, you need a VPN on your FireStick. VPNs are also useful for protecting yourself against hackers, third-party advertisers, government surveillance agencies and monitoring from your internet service provider.

Surveillance programs do not discriminate between desktop or mobile, Windows or Android, FireStick, Fire TV or Roku. If you have a device that’s connected to the internet, your data will be exposed and recorded in some way.

This is important:

If you want to safeguard your online identity and private data, you need a VPN for FireStick.

Amazon Fire TV and FireStick are versatile devices that can be used for all sorts of activities, from streaming to gaming to reading the news. Hackers know that and have developed man-in-the-middle attacks to steal your data. To stop that from happening, you need a VPN.

VPNs also make it easy for you to take advantage of apps like Kodi on FireStick. But in short, VPNs keep your online activities private and safe—no matter what you’re doing.

How To Install a VPN on FireStick

To install a VPN on Amazon FireStick, you first need to make sure you plug it behind a smart TV with an HDMI slot or a computer monitor. Then, you need to connect your device to a power plug. When that’s done, turn on your Amazon FireStick device and register for an Amazon account if you don’t already have one.

Once that’s done, you should update your device. Then, depending on whether your VPN service provider has a dedicated app for the platform, you’ll either search for the VPN on the Amazon App Store with the search function from the FireStick homepage or download the APK file from the website of the VPN service you’ve signed up for.

If your VPN has a dedicated Fire TV app, all you have to do is click the magnifying glass icon on your homepage and search for the VPN app. Once it appears, click on it and let FireStick handle the rest. Make sure you click the download button. Then, you’re all set.

If your VPN’s app isn’t available on the Amazon Fire TV App Store, you’ll have to follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings and click Device.An image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step1aAn image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step1b
  2. Tap Developer Options.An image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step2
  3. Turn on Apps From Unknown Sources.An image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step3
  4. Use the search icon from the homepage to search for the Downloader app. (For more information, refer to our Downloader app guide.)An image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step4a An image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step4b
  5. Install Downloader.An image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step5
  6. Run the Downloader app.
  7. Paste the URL where the Android version of your VPN’s app is available to the URL input on the homepage of the Downloader app.An image featuring how to install a VPN on FireStick step7
  8. Click Download .APK in the Downloader app.
  9. Click Install. Then you’re done.

Keep in mind that if you used the Downloader app to download and install a FireStick VPN, then you won’t find it in the Apps menu. You’ll need to go to Settings and then Applications. From there, tap on Manage and then select your VPN app.

How To Use VPN on FireStick

a person pointing a remote towards a tv in order to stream content

Using a VPN app on FireStick is simple. Just follow these steps:

  1. Launch the VPN app.
  2. Sign in with your login details.
  3. Choose a suitable server.
  4. Hit Connect, and that’s it.

Conclusion: Best VPN for FireStick and Fire TV

VPNs have become essential to online life, especially now with a large portion of the population working from home in the coronavirus pandemic. You need to make sure that you sign up for the best VPN for FireStick, as we outlined above, to secure your data and identity. Also, make sure you advantage of the money-back guarantee to try out the best VPN apps for free before you commit to a long-term subscription.

If you run into any problems during the installation process, use the comments section below to let us know.

Leave a Comment

[scriptless]