Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for Apple TV can be highly beneficial for a variety of reasons. Here's an overview of the most compelling arguments in favor of integrating a VPN with your Apple TV:
- Bypass Geographic Restrictions: Many streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer, offer content that is restricted to specific countries or regions. With a VPN, you can virtually place your Apple TV in a country of your choice, unlocking a broader spectrum of content.
- Enhance Privacy: As with all online devices, Apple TV communicates data about your viewing habits and preferences. Using a VPN encrypts this data, making it difficult for third parties, including ISPs (Internet Service Providers), advertisers, or potential hackers, to monitor or intercept your activities.
- Avoid Bandwidth Throttling: ISPs sometimes throttle (intentionally slow down) your internet speed if they detect high-bandwidth activities like streaming. A VPN can mask your streaming activities, allowing you to enjoy a smoother viewing experience without interruptions.
- Access Services from Abroad: If you're traveling overseas and want to access local streaming services or catch up on your home country's TV shows, a VPN can help. It will allow you to access services as if you were in your home country.
We’ll get into more detail on each VPN provider, but here’s our summary list of the best VPNs for Apple TV:
- NordVPN – Our #1 choice for Apple TV. Extremely fast speeds, also offers a 30 day money-back guarantee.
- Surfshark – Top of the line security and privacy, with unlimited connections.
- Atlas VPN – Unlimited connections, proven to work to stream via most networks including Apple TV.
- Proton VPN – Over 1700 servers to access guarantees fast streaming capabilities.
- Express VPN – One of the top brands in the VPN space, a solid choice for Apple TV streaming.
- CyberGhost VPN – A 45 day money-back guarantee is one of the best in the industry.
- PrivadoVPN – A recommended offering with a list of satisfied clients.
- PrivateVPN – Prioritizes security and privacy on a budget.
- Hotbot – Solid privacy features with attractive pricing options.
- IPVanish – Great for users who are searching for a VPN, Anti-Virus, and Anti-Malware in one package
What Makes the Best Apple TV VPN?
1. NordVPN
If you ask the average person to list off a few VPN services they have heard of, NordVPN will almost always make the cut – and for good reason. Over the past few years NordVPN has built out its platform to include all the features anyone could want from a top-tier service. While you will pay for this flexibility, NordVPN can justify it with what it has to offer.
It's an excellent options for streaming Apple TV.
Right off the bat, NordVPN shines when it comes to accessibility as it boasts that its users have access to the worlds largest server network. Totalling over 5500 from across nearly 60 countries, users will never have issues finding an appropriate connection point for their needs.
From an accessibility standpoint, the only area where NordVPN falls behind competitors are the amount of simultaneous connections it allows. While competitors like AtlasVPN and Surf Shark offer an unlimited amount, NordVPN comes in at a lesser but still respectable 6.
Beyond servers and the amount of simultaneously supported devices, NordVPN is one of the more flexible services on offer.
Read our Nord VPN Review or visit Nord VPN.
2. Surfshark
Surfshark has quickly become one of the most popular VPN services on offer today through its comprehensive and slick platform.
By offering a full suite of privacy oriented features via an easy-to-use interface, Surfshark should be considered not only by power-users, but the more casual ones just looking to stream on the go as well.
Beyond its wide reach across operating systems, Surfshark excels in offering a robust and expansive server network. Spanning 95 countries, this network is comprised of over 3200 RAM only servers – and growing.
In addition to opening the gates to streaming services across a wide array of operating systems, Surfshark supports both TOR over VPN, and torrenting.
While each of the above points are definite positives, there are various other services which offer the same. Where Surfshark sets itself apart with its accessibility is through its decision to allow unlimited connections. As other top competitors limit users to running between 5-10 instances of their VPN services across your devices, Surfshark imposes no limit at all. Meaning you can simultaneously use the services across ALL of your connected devices, no matter how tech-happy you are.
Read our Surfshark Review or Visit Surfshark
3. Atlas VPN
Atlas VPN may not be the biggest name in the sector, but it nails a few key fundamentals which make it a compelling offering for the everyday user.
It’s modest server network is still large enough to serve the needs of most, while boasting fast speeds and competitive costs.
Moving on to its subscription service, and users benefit from high levels of flexibility.
More impressive is that fact that Atlas VPN allows for its service to be run simultaneously on an unlimited number of devices.
On the streaming front, Atlas VPN performs well, providing the ability to unblock all the major services, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and of course Apple TV. This feature, which was once hit-and-miss among VPN platforms, is now must have for any reputable VPN.
Regardless of where you are situated, or where you want to route your connection, Atlas VPN’s server network should perform well. While smaller than the big names in the sector, it is still plenty robust to serve the needs of the average user, boasting over 750 spanning 40 countries.
Read our Atlas VPN Review or Visit Atlas VPN
4. Proton VPN
When evaluating what Proton VPN has to offer, there is a clear theme throughout its offering – your data is yours, and yours alone. By continually building out its platform, Proton VPN has become a well-rounded service boasting crucial privacy tools, and speed to go with it.
Without a broad reach among operating systems, even the most impressive VPN service will struggle to gain a foothold in what is an increasingly competitive market. With this in mind, Proton VPN has worked to extend its reach, offering support for the following.
- Android
- iOS
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Chromebook
- Android TV
In addition to offering support on a wide array of operating systems, Proton VPN is particularly accessible compared to many of its competitors as it offers both a paid and free variant of its service. In doing so, it is no doubt an appealing offering for those new to VPN’s, and just looking to experiment with what one can offer.
At the end of the day though, free is free – meaning unless you decide to purchase its full service, one should expect a pared down feature-set and lower performance.
For its free offering, Proton VPN allows for a single connection from a crop of over 100 servers from the United States, Netherlands, and Japan. In addition to a smaller grouping of servers, its free offering also restricts speeds to what Proton VPN calls ‘medium’.
Those interested in utilizing a VPN while traveling to circumvent geographical restrictions on streaming services, rest assured that Proton VPN is a solid choice. The company indicates that it supports all of the major services (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, & Apple TV).
Read our Proton VPN Review or Visit Proton VPN
5. Express VPN
For over a decade now, ExpressVPN has been building out and perfecting its product. Over this time, it has managed to cultivate a robust feature-set, making it one of the most well-rounded offerings of its kind. As such, ExpressVPN remains a solid choice for those prioritize privacy and flexibility – be it power-users, gamers, and everything in between.
Those that opt to utilize ExpressVPN will benefit from an extremely robust network comprised of over 3000 servers, which span across an impressive 94 countries – meaning regardless of where you reside in the world, access to a fast and trustworthy server should never be an issue.
Despite the ability for a VPN to provide safety and privacy online, streaming services have done their best to block the use of such products, as they may allow for users to bypass geographical restrictions placed on content. By providing access to such a deep pool of servers, users can rest assured however that ExpressVPN will work with most streaming services, allowing for users to maintain their privacy, while still enjoying costly streaming subscriptions. ExpressVPN indicates that it supports the following, and more.
- Netflix
- BBC iPlayer
- Disney Plus
- Amazon
- Hulu
- Kodi
- Apple TV
Read our Express VPN Review or Visit Express VPN
6. CyberGhost VPN
Over the course of a decade, CyberGhost VPN has maintained a strong presence in the sector by constantly building out its service. Today, this service is one of the fastest fully featured offering available. Combined with strong privacy fundamentals, CyberGhost VPN instantly enters the argument for best VPN.
From an accessibility standpoint, CyberGhost VPN is one of the best around. Not only does it offer a 45-money back guarantee on its subscriptions, it offers a free trial of its full-featured platform, making the platform quite appealing to the VPN curious.
For those that already know they want/need such a service, CyberGhost VPN also excels in the number of operating systems which it supports.
After connected to CyberGhost VPN through one of its many supported platforms, users can expect access to one of the largest server networks on offer. With over 8000 options and growing, spanning over 100 countries, access to a reliable server in your region of choice should never be an issue.
With regards to streaming platforms, CyberGhost boasts that it has the ability remove/unblock and geo-based restrictions limiting users access to certain content. This ability extends to all the major streaming services on the market today.
Read our CyberGhost VPN Review or Visit CyberGhost VPN.
7. PrivadoVPN
While PrivadoVPN may not be the fastest around, or boast the largest server network, it offers concerning users access to all the key features which make up a quality VPN service.
Beyond its reach across operating systems, PrivadoVPN boasts a modest but growing server network. While it does not indicate an exact number, PrivadoVPN states that its network spans 44 countries, with hundreds of servers in total.
An area where PrivadoVPN does shine, is its ability to unblock streaming platforms subject to geo-based restrictions. This means that regardless of where you are travelling, you should have no issues finding a server which will allow continued access to your favourite content.
An area where PrivadoVPN has the potential to shine is on the privacy front. To be a serious contender here, a VPN service must not only have a good track record showing no data breaches, but simultaneously boast a no-logs policy (with accompanying audit) while operating in a country boasting strong privacy/data retention laws. PrivadoVPN passes on all accounts – but only just.
The company states that it is, “…a no-log VPN based in Switzerland, which means that we don’t track any of your online activity and your account is protected by the world’s best privacy laws.” While the company may not log any data, it does collect basic information such as which devices are being used to connect to its service, emails, etc.
Read our PrivadoVPN Review or Visit PrivadoVPN
8. PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is an increasingly popular service, built atop a foundation of strong privacy and security features. In addition to giving its users peace-of-mind, PrivateVPN boasts the ability to circumvent geographical and performance based ISP restrictions.
While its crop of servers (>200) and supported countries (63), may seem modest when compared to offerings such as ExpressVPN, this should not be an issue. With hundreds of servers accessible at anytime, users should never have problems finding a fast connection point in their region of choice.
One area where PrivateVPN appears to be working on expanding is its ability to circumvent geographical ISP restrictions surrounding streaming services. The company has released a series of tutorials on how to take advantage of this capability. With this in mind, PrivateVPN is a solid option for users looking to access the following services while travelling in unsupported regions.
- Hulu
- DStv
- BBC iPlayer
- Paramount+
- HBO Max
- Disney Plus
- Amazon Prime Video
- Apple TV
Read our PrivateVPN Review or Visit PrivateVPN
9. Hotbot
HotBot has been around for decades in one form or another. Beginning life as a search-engine, this company has since grown to offer services such as its popular VPN platform.
The current iteration of HotBot VPN provides a fairly no-frills approach to regaining online privacy. While it may not boast extras like an adblocker, it does have sound fundamentals which should allow for a secure service.
For the average user, accessibility should not be a concern when considering HotBot VPN. Not only does this service have a network comprised of over 2000 servers, it has no data caps, and allows for 6 simultaneous connections. While this may fall behind a select few competitors that boast unlimited connections, 5-10 is the industry standard.
With regards to media consumption, HotBot VPN states that it not only allows P2P sharing (torrenting) over its network, it will successfully circumvent geo-blocks imposed by streaming providers.
Read our Hotbot Review or Visit Hotbot
10. IPVanish
IPVanish is a VPN service provider based out of the United States. The company has been operating for many years at this point, slowly expanding its services to include a bevy of security and privacy focused capabilities.
With its included VIPRE anti-virus software, IPVanish is a good option for users looking to streamline multiple subscriptions in to one.
From an accessibility standpoint, IPVanish holds up well. Although it doesn’t have the most expansive network of servers or support on every operating system, it hits enough key requirements that the vast majority of users will never have an issue.
As it stands, IPVanish states that it utilizes a network comprised of over 2000 servers, spanning across 75 different locations. This is somewhere in the middle of the pack when compared to other VPN offerings.
An area where IPVanish does excel, is the amount of simultaneous connections which it allows per account – unlimited. While the industry standard is typically 4-6, there are a few options around that offer unlimited connection, with IPVanish being one of them.
For users most interested in streaming and/or torrenting, IPVanish touts that it will not only remove geo-blocks, but that it allows P2P sharing over its network.
Read our IPVanish Review or visit IPVanish
How do I use a VPN on Apple TV?
Sadly – unlike, say, using a VPN for Amazon Fire TV – it is a bit more complicated to use a VPN on Apple TV. This is because you cannot directly download the app on Apple TV.
There are two methods the first is to set up the VPN on your router and then connect this to your Apple TV. Fortunately, the VPNs on this site offer detailed instructions on how to do this.
Another technique is by using a SmartDNS – The VPNs on this list offer that functionality. To set this up simply visit the “network” within the settings of your Apple TV, choose “Wi-Fi” and select your connection.
Wait until you locate the option “Configure DNS” – remove the automatic setting and select “manual”. Lastly, add your VPN IP address and you should be good to stream.
Again, your provider will provide comprehensive instructions and support on how to do this. Some examples of clear and easy instructions are from Nord VPN & Express VPN.
The post 10 “Best” VPNs for Apple TV (August 2023) appeared first on Unite.AI.