The best VPNs for streaming in 2026: Fast and user-friendly
These six VPNs make it easier than ever to explore foreign streaming libraries.
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A VPN is your ticket to all the shows and movies that your favorite streaming services host in countries other than yours. You can use a VPN to change your virtual location , then use Netflix , Disney+ and other streaming sites as though you're in another country. For example, if you're on a VPN server in Canada, the whole internet — Netflix included — behaves as though you're really in the great white north.
If you think there can't be much content limited to regions like this, think again. Thanks to the way Hollywood studios slice and dice global rights, more than a few movies and TV shows are exclusive to HBO Max
, Paramount
+ or Peacock in the US but available on Netflix in the UK or Canada. That's saying nothing of region-locked sporting events or one-offs like Eurovision.
What makes a good streaming VPN isn't too different from what makes a good VPN overall
. You're looking for fast speeds, a wide selection of server locations, user-friendly apps and a good price. The only real difference is that security and privacy are a bit less crucial if you're primarily using one for streaming — but you'll still want a VPN that doesn't leak, or it won't actually change what you see on Netflix.
I've tested the best VPNs on the market and selected these as our top picks for the best VPNs for streaming as of summer 2026. We'll be reviewing these choices at least once every three months to make sure that they're still the top options in terms of speed, pricing and security. As I go through, I'll also tell you which VPNs have the best pricing deals
and let you know if any of them offer good free trials
.
The best streaming VPNs of 2026
Free trial:Fully free plan; 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans
Monthly price:$9.99
Best deal:$2.99 per month for 24 months
Read our in-depth Proton VPN review .
Proton VPN is the best VPN for streaming because it's faster than all the others, better at unblocking and offers a server network comparable to any other among the top VPNs. Even high-tier VPNs often struggle in my unblocking test, but Proton VPN never faltered the last time I tested it, even as other providers have had more problems than usual. To check how well a VPN unblocks streaming sites, I connect to a server, then see how long I can stream from the new location's library (and at what video quality).
Proton VPN did so well on the first location that I tested it on four more. It got a similarly perfect score every time. I also saw different content in every country, which proves the VPN was doing its job and changing my virtual location. It worked even better on other streaming services I tried, including Disney+, Peacock and Amazon Prime Video.
It's also even faster than Surfshark, with a parallel processing technology called VPN Accelerator giving it an average download speed drop of under five percent. The price is a little higher than Surfshark's best deal, but not by much.
- Excellent download speeds
- Perfect unblocking score
- Relatively cheap monthly price
- Can't choose server on free plan
- Expensive long-term plans
Free trial:7 days, plus 30-day refund guarantee
Monthly price:$16.45
Best deal:$2.49 per month for 27 months
Read our in-depth Surfshark VPN review .
Speed is the main reason Surfshark rocketed to second place of the streaming VPN list. In my most recent tests, it maintained over 95 percent of my starting internet speed — and that's an average, taken from six server locations spaced around the world.
You need a speed of at least 25 megabits per second (Mbps) to watch Netflix in 4K UHD. Doing the math, you can see that even if you start with only 30 Mbps, Surfshark can still get you the best video quality with no buffering or stuttering.
Speaking of servers around the world: Surfshark has servers in 100 countries worldwide. For a globally available streaming platform like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, that means 100 different content libraries to expand your viewing horizons. I tried using Surfshark to unblock Netflix in five countries and got through every time (though I did have to disconnect and reconnect once to unblock Netflix Japan).
All that comes at a reasonable price, so long as you go with a long-term deal. One month of Surfshark is a bit too expensive, even for such a well-oiled streaming VPN, but the introductory two-year deal provides far better value for your money. As another big perk, you can connect to Surfshark on an unlimited number of devices at a time, so you can share your newfound access with family and friends.
- Fastest download speeds
- Servers in 100 countries
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Too expensive for one month
Free trial:7 days on mobile; 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans
Monthly price:$12.95
Best deal:$2.44 per month for 28 months
Read our in-depth ExpressVPN review.
ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market for a lot of reasons, but its streaming prowess is a big factor pushing it toward the top. It's not quite as fast as NordVPN or Surfshark — but it's fast, its connections are steady and there are some pretty good pricing deals available.
I've named ExpressVPN one of the best VPNs for streaming based on two main factors. First, there's download speed: ExpressVPN only lost around 5 percent of speed in my tests. Even better, one server thousands of miles away lost only 2.6 percent, which is one of the best readings I've ever gotten in a single location. If you're after the higher speeds you need for 4K/UHD streaming, ExpressVPN gives you a great chance of getting them.
Flexibility is the other reason ExpressVPN makes this list. In addition to apps on all major desktop and mobile platforms, it's got the MediaStreamer smart DNS feature that lets it change the streaming location on smart TVs -- even those without native VPN support. Adding an Aircove router, which includes the best router VPN interface I've ever seen, lets you quickly change your location on any device that gets online in your home.
It is a little pricey, especially compared to Surfshark, but the introductory two-year offer will get you excellent service for some time to come. It also has one of the biggest server networks with 164 locations in 105 countries, giving you more options for where to check out new shows.
- Fast download speeds
- Great unblocking record
- Completely secure
- Good app design
- Expensive
- Not many features outside VPN
Free trial:14 day refund guarantee except on cash and crypto payments
Monthly price:5 Euro
Best deal:5 Euro per month
Check out our complete Mullvad review .
Mullvad is a VPN I tend to recommend first for anonymity. It's one of the only VPNs you can sign up for without any personal information at all — no names or email addresses, and you can even pay in cash if you really want to cover all your bases. This makes it the best VPN for journalists and activists who want to really make sure they aren't exposed.
However, it's not all work and no play here. Mullvad also makes a great discount VPN for checking out new streaming libraries. It costs €5 per month, no matter what. You put as much money as you want into your account, then top it up as needed like a parking meter. Exchange rates fluctuate, but unless the dollar implodes, Mullvad will always be the cheapest VPN month-to-month.
Mullvad also comes with a minimalist and user-friendly interface on all mobile and desktop platforms, so it's easy to set it up and get to watching your shows. I use it personally, and it's especially reliable on Netflix, unblocking the site in several locations even when other VPNs fail to work.
Take note that Mullvad only uses physical servers, so its network of locations isn't very large. Before you subscribe, check its server list to make sure it can unblock the country with the streaming library you want.
- Very cheap monthly service
- Extremely private
- Good download speeds
- Small server network
Free trial:7 days on Android; 30 day refund on all plans
Monthly price:$12.99
Best deal:$3.09 per month for 24 months
Learn more from our full NordVPN review .
NordVPN is cheap, but you have to cheat a little to get the best prices. The discount on a two-year Basic plan drops the price of NordVPN to one of the best per-month rates on the market. Now, that's only an introductory rate, and renewals will be more expensive. But there's a trick you can use to get the best price again: log out, then get a new NordVPN subscription with the same email address as last time.
With that out of the way, let's talk about NordVPN for streaming. In short, it feels great to use. Its servers are very fast on average, no matter how far around the world your signal is traveling. In my tests, download speeds dropped about 20 percent on average, but servers closer to my real location performed better. On a completely average home Wi-Fi connection, videos never paused or lagged.
That consistency also applies to unblocking streaming sites, which NordVPN was consistently able to do. I unblocked Netflix several times in three different locations before I started getting caught on the fourth. I got an even better result from testing NordVPN against YouTube TV, which led to the award I gave it at the top of this section.
NordVPN isn't at the top of this list because its apps can sometimes be difficult to use, and because of the finagling required to renew at a good price. But as far as the actual streaming goes, I give it a near-perfect score.
- Can use Meshnet to get off-menu server locations
- Wide server selection
- Hard to get best pricing deals
- Apps have some annoyances
Free trial:24 hours on Windows and macOS, three days on Android, seven days on iOS; 30 day refund on all plans
Monthly price:$12.99
Best deal:$2.03 per month for 26 months
Visit our full CyberGhost review to learn more.
CyberGhost has one particular perk that makes it a top choice for streaming — a list of servers optimized to get onto TV and sports platforms. Not only are the servers built for streaming, but each one is aimed at unblocking one particular streaming service. Instead of one general Netflix server, for example, it has one designed to unblock Netflix UK on an Android TV (among many others).
CyberGhost has 106 of these servers in 22 different countries, which is itself a small fraction of a network that reaches 100 countries overall. Although all the servers are great for streaming, the optimized locations went above and beyond, getting a perfect score in my unblocking test.
Still, it's not ideal compared to the VPNs above it on the list. My download speeds declined by about 23 percent when I used CyberGhost, just enough to become a problem when watching shows in UHD. The actual process of connecting to a server can drag sometimes, too.
Those are small flaws in a service that's otherwise great value. If you're concerned about it, though, CyberGhost has one of the only VPN free trials that doesn't require any payment information at all. Just download the free trial app and you'll get between 24 hours and seven days to see if CyberGhost can handle the type of streaming you want to do.
- Automation features
- Servers for specific streaming platforms
- No payment method required for free trial
- Drops speeds about 25 percent worldwide
- Connections sometimes lag
How to stream with a VPN
Streaming with a VPN is straightforward, but may not feel natural to those who aren't used to it. Here's a quick guide for how to unblock another country's streaming library with a VPN. I'll use Surfshark as an example, but the steps are the same with every major service.
Before you start: Make sure your VPN is supported on your streaming device
If you're aiming to watch on a big TV, it's easiest if you have a device with built-in VPN support, like an Apple TV , Chromecast/Google TV or Amazon Fire TV . For Rokus , Samsungs and Vizios, you'll need a workaround — AirPlay or an HDMI cable from a laptop are the two easiest options. You can also install a VPN on your router to protect any device that connects through it, though this takes a little more tech savvy.
Make sure the VPN you choose – hopefully one of our recommended choices above – is supported on the device in question. Any standard Windows PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device should be good to go.
Step 1: Sign up for a VPN
Go to your chosen VPN's website and follow the instructions to create an account. If it's a paid service (like all five I recommended above), you'll usually start by paying for the VPN and then create a username and password. Make sure to save your account details somewhere.
Step 2: Download the VPN app on your streaming device
VPNs have different apps for each platform and operating system. Download one on the device you use for streaming, then follow the instructions to install it. Sign in with the username and password you created in step one. Note that most VPNs let you install the app on more than one device — and you can even be connected on more than one device simultaneously.
Step 3: Connect to a VPN server
In the VPN app, open the server list and pick the location with the content you want to watch. For example, if you're outside the US and want to watch something on Hulu, connect to a server in the US. Click the server name, then connect to the VPN if it hasn't already connected automatically. Wait for the VPN app to confirm the connection.
Step 4: Open a streaming service
Once your VPN is online, open the app or browser page in which you'll stream content. You should now see the content from the location the VPN is connected to. Check the streaming page to make sure — for example, Netflix shows a list of the top movies based on the user's location.
If it didn't work, try closing the streaming service , disconnecting the VPN, then reconnecting and opening the streaming service again. Streaming sites sometimes block one of a VPN's IP addresses. Turning the VPN off and on again will get you a new address that's more likely to get through. If it still doesn't work after a few tries, you may need to switch to another VPN.
One final note — make sure not to open the streaming site from more than one virtual location in a row.If you change locations too quickly, streaming platforms may catch on that you're using a VPN, even if the VPN itself doesn't leak. Pick the location you want to stream from and get on the VPN server before you open your streaming site.
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