Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more. Read full bio
The absolute best VPN for Apple TV is ExpressVPN thanks to its user-friendly tvOS app, which consistently unblocks popular geo-restricted apps like US Netflix, Disney+, and Max.
The release of tvOS 17 means that you can now install VPN apps on your Apple TV. However, only 10 VPNs have released a dedicated app for the platform.
To find the best options, we tested each of them on our Apple TV 4K. The VPNs we recommend are the best at unblocking popular streaming apps in the highest possible resolution, including 4K HDR.
Summary: The Best Apple TV VPNs
Based on our tests, here’s a list of the best VPNs for Apple TV:
We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our ratings are based on our own testing results and are unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.
VPNs Tested with Apple TV
61
VPNs with a tvOS App
10
Streaming Services Tested
120
Though there are many ways to use a VPN with Apple TV, including Smart DNS, and AirPlay, the most straightforward method is using a dedicated app.
The table below compares our top-rated Apple TV VPNs based on streaming speed, access to geo-blocked Netflix catalogs, Apple TV setup options, and price.
The Best Overall Apple TV VPNs (Hands-On Analysis)
ExpressVPN is a superb choice for Apple TV. It’s dedicated tvOS app is extremely fast and highly effective at unblocking over 95% of geo-restricted apps.
The VPN successfully unblocked 18 Netflix regions, Prime Video, Disney+, Max (HBO), and many other popular services.
ExpressVPN also offers a great Smart DNS tool called MediaStreamer, although you can only unblock American and British apps through it.
A User-friendly Native tvOS App
ExpressVPN’s tvOS app is highly intuitive, just like the other applications released by the VPN provider.
Differently to its other software, ExpressVPN has chosen to group locations by continent, which made it easier for us to find desired locations.
Testing ExpressVPN’s Apple TV app.
Also, you can log in to the app using a QR code from another device. This saved us a lot of time compared to other apps, like IPVanish and Hide.me, where we had to insert our login credentials using the remote.
The only limitations of the tvOS app is that it’s only available in dark mode, and doesn’t offer any customizable settings.
This means you can’t change protocol (the app uses Lightway by default) or enable split tunneling, for example.
Other Methods Also Work Well on Apple TV
If you have an Apple TV model that doesn’t support tvOS 17, you can also use ExpressVPN on Apple TV without using its app.
Thanks to its Smart DNS tool called MediaStreamer, you can route your DNS requests through a proxy server to stream geo-blocked TV shows and movies.
Using ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer in our tests, we were able to unblock US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and many more content platforms.
The only issue with using MediaStreamer is that you can only unblock US and UK apps.
Alternatively, you can share content from your iPhone or Mac to Apple TV via AirPlay.
ExpressVPN has the most user-friendly iOS and macOS apps, making this a simple task. However, keep in mind that Netflix is not compatible with AirPlay.
Fast Speeds for HD & 4K Streaming
We regularly test ExpressVPN’s speed, both locally and internationally, and the results are always exceptional.
In general, your download speed has to be over 5Mbps to stream in HD on your Apple TV.
We recorded average international download speeds of 85Mbps in our latest ExpressVPN tests. That’s just a 15% drop from our regular internet speeds.
Using ExpressVPN we have yet to experience buffering or lag unblocking content on our Apple TV 4K.
Similarly to ExpressVPN, IPVanish also offers a native tvOS VPN app, which delivered fast download speeds and good unblocking results.
While IPVanish’s app isn’t as well-designed as ExpressVPN’s, the VPN service is considerably cheaper. On a two-year plan it costs $2.19 per month versus ExpressVPN’s $6.67 per month on a 15-month subscription.
tvOS App Is Simple to Set Up & Use
The fact IPVanish is has an app available in the tvOS App Store made it far easier to use and set up the VPN compared to many of the other VPNs we evaluated.
We particularly appreciated searching for a server location using Siri on the remote.
We also favorited certain server locations and pinned them to the app’s home screen.
In doing so, we avoided scrolling through a large server list using the Apple TV’s remote.
Having said that, ExpressVPN’s server locations grouping by continent is a lot more effective to find specific countries.
Annoyingly, we also couldn’t activate the app via another device and had to insert our login details via our remote.
We had to enter our login details manually.
Streams Geo-Blocked Apps in HD Quality
Using IPVanish on our Apple TV, we consistently accessed US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, and several other streaming services.
IPVanish’s international download speed loss of just 12% resulted in Full HD and 4K streaming without any buffering.
But, IPVanish doesn’t unblock as many video apps as ExpressVPN. For instance, we couldn’t make it work with Prime Video or Peacock.
Apple TV App Lacks Some Functionality
Though user-friendly, we were disappointed with the lack of features on IPVanish’s tvOS app compared to its other applications.
While the app’s Settings menu is accessible, it only allows you to log out of your account.
Also, Only the older IKEv2 protocol is available, with no support for advanced protocols such as WireGuard or OpenVPN.
Moreover, weren’t able to configure split tunneling, a kill switch, and all other security features.
Only 4 completely free VPNs have released a native tvOS app: Hide.me, Hola, PrivadoVPN, and X-VPN.
However, the free versions of Hide.me and X-VPN failed to unblock any streaming app on our Apple TV, effectively making them useless.
Though PrivadoVPN worked well with American streaming apps, it failed to access BBC iPlayer, JioCinema, and almost every other geo-blocked app from outside the US.
While Hola did manage to access US Netflix and other streaming apps, it compromises privacy by logging browsing activity and originating IP addresses. Using a VPN to bypass geo-blocks is not worth it if it also puts your personal data at risk.
As a result, despite not having an app, Windscribe is currently the only free VPN we recommend for Apple TV.
The best 100% free Apple TV VPN is Windscribe, which unblocks several streaming apps.
In our use, it reliably unblocked Prime Video, Disney+, Max, and 5 Netflix libraries.
Unfortunately, Windscribe doesn’t offer a dedicated tvOS app, Smart DNS, or router set up. The easiest way to use it on Apple TV is to stream via AirPlay.
Works with Many Streaming Apps, but Not Netflix
Exceptionally for a free VPN, Windscribe unblocks almost every streaming service. This includes BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and Max.
However, unless you set up the VPN on a router, you won’t be able to access any geo-blocked Netflix content on Apple TV.
Since Windscribe does not have a native Apple TV app, you’ll need to use AirPlay. Unfortunately, AirPlay is not supported by Netflix, which resulted in a black screen when we attempted to stream.
No tvOS App, Smart DNS or Router Compatibility
Sadly, Windscribe hasn’t released a tvOS app. When we reached out to the VPN provider, they informed us that the release “will take some time as the mobile operating system has different libraries compared to its TV counterpart.”
This is disappointing, especially since other VPNs, like IPVanish, launched their tvOS apps the same day as tvOS 17. We had hoped Windscribe would utilize the 2023 beta cycle to ensure their app was ready by now.
For now, the simplest way to use Windscribe with your Apple TV is to use AirPlay. However, we found this to be frustrating as it requires pulling out an iOS device and it’s also not compatible with Netflix.
Alternatively, you’ll have to configure it using a virtual router, but this requires a Windows PC and a certain degree of technical knowledge.
Free Version Comes with Significant Limitations
The free version of Windscribe imposes many constraints. Firstly, it only allows you to access 10 server locations, which is 96 fewer than ExpressVPN.
Using Windscribe, we were unable to get an IP address from many popular countries, like Australia and Japan.
Plus, data usage is also capped at 10GB per month. We could only stream four hours of video on our Apple TV before using up all of our data allowance.
Out of the 61 VPNs we tested for Apple TV, only three met our strict standards.
We used every Apple TV VPN hands-on.
Below is a summary of why we don’t recommend some popular VPNs for Apple TV.
VPN Service
Drawbacks
NordVPN
Works with fewer Netflix libraries than ExpressVPN.
More expensive than IPVanish.
Released its tvOS app comparatively late.
CyberGhost
Doesn’t offer a dedicated app for tvOS.
Private Internet Access
We were only able to stream Netflix on 25% of PIA’s US servers, which is far fewer than the desktop and mobile apps.
Smart DNS tool failed to unblock any streaming apps on our Apple TV.
PureVPN
Basic and unattractive tvOS app design.
Doesn’t work with US Netflix, Disney+, or Hulu.
Logs too much user data.
Hide.me Free
Doesn’t work with any streaming service.
Hotspot Shield Basic
Doesn’t have a tvOS app.
No Smart DNS functionality.
Doesn’t work with any streaming service.
TunnelBear Free
Doesn’t have a tvOS app.
No Smart DNS functionality.
Doesn’t unblock Disney+, US Netflix, or BBC iPlayer.
tvOS App vs Smart DNS vs Router Setup
Dedicated tvOS VPN applications are much easier to use and often more effective than previous workarounds to use a VPN on Apple TV.
During our hands-on testing, it took us on average five minutes to set up a VPN application on our Apple TV.
In contrast, router-based VPN configurations took 30 minutes, while Smart DNS setup required 10.
The table below highlights the advantages of using a VPN app over these alternative (older) methods:
VPN Set-up Method
Set-Up Difficulty
Set-Up Time
Server Locations
US Netflix Compatibility
VPN App
Easy
5 mins
Many
Yes
Smart DNS
Moderate
10 mins
Limited
Yes
AirPlay
Easy
5 mins
Many
No
Install VPN on Router
Hard
30 mins
Many
Yes
How We Test & Rate VPNs for Apple TV
When ranking VPNs for Apple TV, we focus on three key performance attributes. We combine these to calculate an overall Apple TV rating for every VPN.
Importantly, we no longer factor in workarounds like Smart DNS and router compatibility in our Apple TV ratings. That’s because they are inferior solutions to using native tvOS VPN apps, as we’ve highlighted on this page.
Use the table below to see how the best Apple TV VPNs performed in each testing category:
Here’s a more detailed explanation of all of our Apple TV testing criteria:
1. Apple TV App (50% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We firstly verified whether the VPN offers a dedicated Apple TV app. If it did, we evaluated its usability and functionality by evaluating the sign in flow, its intuitiveness, as well as its functionality.
Why It’s Important: A dedicated Apple TV app allows you to easily use the VPN without performing any complicated workarounds.
Optimal Result: An app that’s available from the App Store and allows you to sign in using a QR code. With an interface that’s adapted for the Siri Remote, with options like “favorites” for quick connections to popular server locations. Finally, support for advanced protocols like WireGuard.
2. Streaming (30% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We attempted to access 120 streaming services on an Apple TV 4K.
Why It’s Important: To allow you to access a lot more TV shows and movies on your Apple TV by successfully bypassing geo-restrictions.
Optimal Result: Successfully unblocks major streaming apps like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, and others consistently.
3. Speed (20% of Overall Rating)
Test Conducted: We performed regular speed tests on both local and international connections, capping the test connection speed at 100Mbps to replicate a typical home connection.
Optimal Result: VPNs must maintain a download speed of at least 25Mbps (the minimum speed required for 4K video) on international connections to be recommended.
Data Cap Penalty
Free VPNs often set data limits to encourage users to upgrade to paid subscription plans.
Since streaming on Apple TV can consume a significant amount of data, our methodology favors VPNs with generous or unlimited data allowance.
We apply the following penalties to the VPN’s Apple TV rating based on its data cap:
Unlimited bandwidth: No deduction to the overall rating
10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
1GB or 2GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating
FAQs
Which VPNs Have an App for Apple TV?
Here’s a full list of the VPNs with an Apple TV app:
ExpressVPN
Hide.me Paid & Free
Hola
IPVanish
NordVPN
PrivadoVPN Paid & Free
Private Internet Access
PureVPN
Surfshark
X-VPN Paid & Free
Does a VPN Change App Store Location?
No, a VPN alone will not change your Apple App Store location.
To change App Store location, go to Settings > General > Apple TV Language. Then go to General > Region Format and select the correct region.
After doing this, you’ll be able to download geo-blocked tvOS apps, like BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Max.