8 Best VPNs for Roku And How To Connect Roku to a VPN

Back in 2009, when Roku streaming boxes were first introduced in the market, the concept and technology were revolutionary and fairly affordable, which helped it reach mainstream popularity quickly. Today, over a decade later, Roku is in its ninth generation, with different models to fit a variety of budgets and needs, including heavy-duty streamers that offer 4K quality.

Following are the Roku Models currently available in the market:

Roku Express
Roku Streaming Stick
Roku TV
Roku Ultra
Roku Premiere
Roku Premiere+

Roku devices run on an Android-based Roku Operating system, which allows it to work with a wide range of applications. The variety of apps and channels available for you to access will greatly depend on where you live since nearly all apps have geographic limitations or restrictions.

Why do you need a VPN?

Most of the streaming services on Roku, including Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Netflix, use geoblocks to control what you watch based on your location.

So what can you do if you want to explore channels and apps from a different country? The answer is a VPN service, which allows you to unblock geo-restricted streaming platforms safely.

How Are VPNs Useful For Roku Users?

A majority of the popular streaming services that are available on Roku, such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video, limit content based on location using geoblocks. Simply speaking, if you reside in the US, then you can only access content that is available in your country, and you cannot watch any content from another country’s library.

A reliable premium VPN service is the only way you can bypass geo-blocks and gain access to the content available in different countries. VPNs work by encrypting and routing your Internet traffic via a remote server located in a selected country. This masks your IP address by assigning you another from the country your chosen server is located in. Therefore, if you are in Australia and want to access the US Netflix library, then you simply have to connect to a US-based server through your VPN.

VPNs can also help you avoid throttling by your ISP. If you have noticed that streaming a lot causes your connection to slow down, it may be because of throttling by the ISP. Last but not least, a VPN is greatly helpful in keeping your internet traffic and streaming activity private by protecting it from prying eyes.

Connecting Roku to a VPN

None of the VPN services currently available are supported by Roku OS on any of its models and devices. To connect a VPN to a Roku, you’ll have to set the VPN on a wi-fi router or other intermediary device.

Following are some of the methods of how your Roku device can work with a VPN.

Connect Roku to a wi-fi router that has VPN set up.
Connect Roku to a VPN-protected wi-fi hotspot on your laptop.
Set up the VPN on an Android, then screencast Roku
Get a VPN-compatible wi-fi router.

Best VPNs for Roku

Finding the best VPNs for Roku can be a tricky job because they need to have a list of the right features and qualities to work efficiently with Roku. We have based our selection of VPNs on the following criteria:

A well-established network of servers dispersed globally to ensure that a wide range of streaming platforms such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Disney+ can be unlocked easily.
DNS leak protection and Private DNS servers that guarantee that your IP address is completely hidden.
Reliable customer support that provides quick resolution of queries and technical support.
The service is reliable, fast, and allows unlimited connections needed for HD streaming.

Best 8 VPNs for Roku

Following are the top 8 safe, fast, and reliable VPNs for Roku:

NordVPN
ExpressVPN
PrivateVPN
CyberGhost
Surfshark
IPVanish
ZenMate
SaferVPN

1. NordVPN

For many good reasons, NordVPN is among the best VPN services for different applications, including streaming content on the Roku media player. The users of NordVPN can choose from over five thousand servers located throughout the world. They are completely secure and anonymous servers so that you can enjoy streaming platforms from different parts of the globe.

Thanks to NordVPN’s built-in SmartPlay technology, users can have easy access to geo-restricted content. With the help of the optimal server automatic selection tool, they can enjoy unlocked streaming channels without compromising speed or quality.

2. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is another trusted and popular VPN choice for Roku users because it allows you to maintain the quality of work video by providing fast speed and reliable performance. The speeds are good enough to enjoy 4K videos.

The military-grade 256-bit encryption of ExpressVPN ensures that your internet traffic is completely secure and hidden. Experts and thousands of users agree that ExpressVPN performs impeccably with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, CBC, Hulu, NBC, HBO, and more.

3. PrivateVPN

Thanks to its secure performance and fast speed, PrivateVPN is one of the ideal VPN services. The connection is secured by 2048-bit encryption, which ensures complete anonymity and security of your interactions with Roku.

You can either go with the optimal server selected by the service or choose a server from the thousands available, located in different countries around the world.

Another advantage of using PrivateVPN for Roku is that in case the connection is lost, the Kill Switch function will allow you to immediately server the internet connection to keep your internet traffic safe and secure.

4. CyberGhost

With a massive network of more than 6000 servers – mostly located in European countries and in America, CyberGhost is the best high-speed VPN service for Roku. CyberGhost offers a range of features that allows you to enjoy fast, secure, and anonymous connections every time.

The best thing about CyberGhost is that it does not degrade the quality of the video. So you can enjoy streaming and downloading HD and FHD videos at high speed while using CyberGhost. All-in-all, CyberGhost is one of the most reliable and fast VPN for Roku.

5. Surfshark

Surfshark is another widely trusted VPN on Roku. Due to its widespread network of 3,200+ servers across 61 countries, you can enjoy Roku with maximum security.

Surfshark is one of the top-rated VPN service providers due to its fantastic security features and impressively affordable prices. Its security features include 256-bit encryption, kill switch, DNS, and IPv6 leak protection.

For efficiently unblocking Roku with maximum privacy, login and connect Roku to multiple server locations. To add to your VPN Ruko experience, Surfshark automatically connects you to the fastest VPN network so that you can stream and download HD and FHD videos without any interruptions.

6. IPVanish

Although when it comes to the range of VPN server locations, IPVanish’s network servers are not as widely spread as the VPN mentioned above services. IPVanish has a limited number of 1,100 servers spread across about 60 countries worldwide.

You can trust IPVanish for providing secure and private access to Roku and other popular streaming services. With its trustable security feathers like 256-bit AES encryption and zero-log policy, you can stream and download your favorite content without any worries. IPVanish also guarantees the highest possible speed and minimum video buffering.

IPVanish is available for iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. To top it all, you can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously with one IPVanish account without losing working speed.

7. ZenMate

If you are looking for the best VPN in terms of speed, ZenMate will surely impress you. ZenMate is designed for streaming and watching high-quality videos online. Thus it offers several features that optimize Roku streaming experience.

What makes ZenMate reliable is its fantastic security features, including 256-bit encryption, DNS leak protection, and an automatic Kill Switch.

It offers users the fastest operating speed that will allow them to watch videos from anywhere in the world without the minimum loss of quality.

8. SaferVPN

SaferVPN is one of the best VPN services for unblocking Roku. Although it has a limited 700 servers worldwide, it still is one of the fastest and the safest Roku VPN in 2023.

SaferVPN has dedicated servers for streaming. Thus you can stream your favorite content without any hassle. SaferVPN supports the TOR browser, which ensures better data safety and privacy. However, if you still decide to connect to a random server, you can still experience fast speeds for streaming HD content.

Keep in mind that SaferVPN is an Israel-based service; therefore, it will keep logs and use it for statistical purposes only.

What Should You Consider In A VPN For Roku

Speed and general performance

Whatever VPN service you use, speed is always critical. This is especially valid if you intend to pair it with any Roku device or similar streaming services. We ensured that the VPNs on this list could maintain speeds of a minimum of 20 Mbs. That is the very least required to handle 4k media.

In general, most of them offer significantly faster speeds, with top options such as ExpressVPN and Surfshark reaching the maximum speed possible on my Internet connection – 500Mbps.

DNS support and Router

Most VPNs would not explicitly say that they allow Roku devices because Roku does not support the installation of their applications. As a result, I tested each VPN on our router using either SmartDNS or an OpenVPN implementation.

Both ways worked perfectly with all of the options presented. IPVanish was an anomaly in that it did not support SmartDNS.

Overall streaming capabilities

While most VPNs promise to enable streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon, the quality of the streaming can vary. The providers on this top VPN for Roku roundup have been thoroughly tested with numerous streaming services and provide an excellent watching experience.

We are Netflix addicts, so We spent many pleasurable hours viewing the latest movies for the analysis.

Subscription packages and prices

Picking a VPN for Roku entails more than just the monthly fee. Other pricing considerations include the duration of subscription required to attain that price. I also considered the overall features offered by the VPN service.

Security

While security isn’t a critical consideration in deciding on the best Virtual private network service for Roku, it is an indicator. In general, We have found that trustworthy VPN providers with solid security are significantly less likely to be blocked by streaming services.

Customer support

Because of its indirect application, customer assistance for a Roku VPN is complicated. On the other hand, customer service for the brands here was, at best competent. To get better help, you might have to ask the right questions in some circumstances.

In case inquiring about Roku doesn’t yield results, We propose instead asking if they can assist you with a router setup for the service. Otherwise, our general guide below may be helpful.

Roku And VPNs Explained

Roku devices are slightly more difficult to evaluate when it comes to using VPN services. The considerable platform independence is an aspect of the appeal that has contributed to their remarkable popularity. Just about every streaming service is available.

In contrast, other platforms may restrict specific services owing to licensing, branding, or simply for no reason. Some televisions, for example, may not support Hulu, Big 10, as well as other networks. In most circumstances, availability is hit or miss.

All of that is thrown out the window with Roku. Nothing else matters to it except you, the buyer. Buy one, connect it to a device, and you’ll be given access to a whole new world of video streaming services. That brings us to the main issue with Roku.

Because Roku devices do not enable you to modify DNS settings, getting them to function with VPNs requires some expertise. It is doable but could be more user-friendly.

Conclusion

I hope you will find the best VPN to stream and download content online with optimal security and privacy. All of the above-mentioned VPN services unblock Roku without any issues.

Have you tried any of our favorite VPN services to unlock Roku? If yes, then please do share your favorite VPN for unblocking Roku in the comment section below.

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