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Best Free VPN for Firestick
Our Verdict
The best completely free VPN for Firestick is Windscribe. The free VPN’s Fire TV Stick app offers adequate streaming speeds, optimal privacy and security settings, and good unblocking capabilities. But, you’re limited to only 10GB of free data each month. Or you can use ExpressVPN, an unrestricted VPN with a 30-day risk-free trial.
The best Firestick VPN apps prevent third parties, like internet service providers (ISPs) and copyright trolls, from snooping on your streaming activity.
A VPN on your Fire TV Stick hides your IP address so you can watch Kodi and IPTV streams anonymously. The best VPN services even unblock geo-restricted TV shows, movies, and live sporting events.
Summary: The Best Firestick VPNs
Based on our streaming tests, our most highly-rated (paid and free) VPN apps for Fire TV Stick are:
- IPVanish: Best VPN for Firestick Overall. Very fast, Highly Secure and No Logs.
- ExpressVPN: Best VPN Free Trial for Firestick. Unblocks Most Geo-restricted Apps.
- Windscribe Free: Best Totally Free VPN for Firestick. Unblocks 6 Netflix Regions and BBC iPlayer
- Proton VPN Free: Fastest Free VPN for Fire TV Stick with Unlimited Data Usage
Why Trust Us?
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 Firestick | 65 |
| VPNs with Fire TV Apps | 39 |
| Streaming Services Tested | 97 |
While you may not want to pay for a VPN, sadly many free VPNs are unsafe, and some are even dangerous. Moreover, many free VPNs don’t have a native app for Firestick.
The VPNs we recommend in this guide are completely free, reasonably fast, and safe to use. They’re also easy to set up on Fire TV devices.
All free Firestick VPNs have limitations, though. Either they restrict data usage, don’t unblock streaming apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, or they block P2P streams.
In short, free Firestick VPN apps simply don’t perform as well as the overall best VPNs for Fire TV Stick.
Detailed List of the Best Free VPNs for Firestick
1. Windscribe Free: Best Free VPN for Firestick
Ranked #1 Free VPN for FirestickData Cap Unlimited Download SpeedDownload SpeedBased on 100Mbps local test connection 96Mbps Countries with Servers 69 Servers 120+ Logging Policy No Identifying Data Support Email & Online Resources Only Compatible with Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Linux
Windscribe Free is the best free VPN we’ve tested for Fire TV Stick. It’s a well-designed Firestick VPN app that’s easy to install and use.
Also, the free VPN’s connection speeds are reasonably fast, particularly when connecting to nearby servers.
Streams UK Netflix and supports P2P traffic
Best of all, the free version of Windscribe unblocks 6 Netflix libraries and BBC iPlayer. No other (safe) free VPN can do this on Firestick.
The VPN service also supports P2P traffic on all its free servers. This means you can use Windscribe with P2P-based streaming apps, too.
Moreover, Windscribe uses AES-256 encryption to secure your internet connection. The app doesn’t log user activity, and it doesn’t leak your real IP or DNS credentials.
10GB monthly usage cap
The only downside to using Windscribe Free is its 10GB monthly data cap.
While it’s a generous allowance compared to free VPNs like TunnelBear and Avira, it limits the amount of streaming you can do. Try streaming in Standard Definition to maximize your monthly bandwidth.
Overall, Windscribe’s free VPN app is excellent for Firestick. It’s ideal for Fire TV users who are not prepared to buy a paid Firestick VPN.
2. Proton VPN Free: Fastest Free VPN for Firestick
The only safe free Firestick VPN with no data usage limits.
Data Cap Unlimited Download SpeedDownload SpeedBased on 100Mbps local test connection 87Mbps Countries with Servers 91 Servers 4,874 Logging Policy No Logs Support Email & Online Resources Only Compatible with
Proton VPN is the second-best free VPN application for Fire TV Stick. It’s the only safe free VPN with no data usage limits, and is also the fastest we’ve tested on our Fire TV Stick.
If it wasn’t for its inability to unblock streaming apps and its ban on P2P traffic, Proton VPN’s free app would be our #1 free recommendation.
No bandwidth restrictions
What sets Proton VPN apart is that it doesn’t have any data usage caps in place. Once installed, you can use the VPN as much as you want.
This unlimited bandwidth policy is the reason why we picked the VPN as the best alternative to Windscribe for Firestick.
In addition to the limitless data allowance, Proton VPN also delivered faster speeds than any other free VPN for Fire TV Stick.
Connecting to nearby server locations, our internet speed only dropped by 2% compared to Windscribe’s 10%.
Very secure and private
Proton VPN comes with AES-256 encryption and built-in IP and DNS leak protection, which kept our true IP and DNS information hidden during testing.
Also, the VPN’s servers don’t log any personal session or web usage data. This has been verified by an independent no-logs security audit.
No Netflix and no P2P activity
Sadly, Proton VPN doesn’t unblock any major streaming app including US Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and BBC iPlayer.
The VPN service also doesn’t allow peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic on its free servers. This is problematic, as it could get in way of streaming some P2P-based Kodi add-ons.
Having said that, it should easily stream IP multicast IPTV apps.
In short, Proton VPN is good for users in need of a free VPN with unlimited data. Just remember that it won’t unblock geo-restricted video apps, and it’ll block P2P activity.
The Overall Best Firestick VPN Apps Analyzed
1. IPVanish: Best Firestick VPN Overall
The #1 VPN for Firestick OverallCheapest Price $2.19/mo over 27 months See all plans Download SpeedDownload SpeedBased on 100Mbps local test connection 95Mbps Countries with Servers 53 Servers 2,200 Logging Policy No Logs Support 24/7 Live Chat Compatible with ChromeOS
IPVanish is the best premium VPN for Amazon Fire TV Stick thanks to its fast speeds, P2P support, and dedicated Fire TV Stick app.
The VPN offers unlimited data, a no-logs policy, and one of the best-designed Fire TV apps we’ve seen. It also has plenty of Firestick and Kodi-specific features.
That said, IPVanish isn’t as good as ExpressVPN at unblocking geo-restricted apps such as HBO Max or Amazon Prime Video, for instance.
Finally, and similarly to ExpressVPN, IPVanish offers a seven-day free trial, as well as a 30-day refund guarantee.
Well-designed app for Firestick
IPVanish’s user-friendly Fire TV Stick app has clearly been designed with Fire TV’s interface in mind. It’s one of very few VPNs that does this well.
Finding the closest VPN server location was simple, taking us mere seconds to successfully connect to our chosen server.
The IPVanish homescreen on Amazon Fire TV Stick.
We also found the apps advanced features like split tunneling, LAN exemption, and obfuscation easy to find and use within the app. They’re great additions for more advanced users, but beginners don’t need to worry about these.
The only nuisance we experienced using IPVanish’s Fire TV app was activating the VPN kill switch to prevent abrupt IP address leaks.
For some reason, the company created a separate kill switch app rather than build it into the actual VPN. For greater protection you’ll have to launch two apps rather than one.
That said, this is still preferable to many other VPNs that don’t offer a kill switch for Fire TV at all. Even IPVanish does not provide a kill switch for its Google TV VPN app.
No-logs servers optimized for Kodi and IPTV apps
IPVanish has clearly been built with anonymous streamers in mind. The VPN’s network of 2,200 no-logs servers always hid our IP address in our security tests.
None of these VPN servers track or store your streaming activity, meaning you can access movie and TV show Kodi add-ons privately and securely.
Using Wireshark, we also verified that internet activity via IPVanish’s connections was always fully encrypted.
IPVanish encrypted the data packets leaving our device.
For these reasons, IPVanish is our most highly-rated VPN for Kodi and IPTV streaming.
Fast short-distance speeds
Expect fast speeds when you’re connected to a nearby IPVanish server. In our recent speed tests, we recorded a download speed drop of under 5% on short-distance connections.
Minimal speed losses in relation to your standard internet connection are ideal for buffer-free streaming on your Firestick.
IPVanish’s long-distance speeds weren’t as fast, though. For instance, we experienced a 14% speed loss connecting from the US into Asia (Japan).
Although these international speeds are fast enough for streaming, we recommend connecting to a local IPVanish server for 4K video quality.
2. ExpressVPN: Best VPN Free Trial for Firestick
Cheapest Price $6.67/mo over 15 Months See all plans Download SpeedDownload SpeedBased on 100Mbps local test connection 97Mbps Countries with Servers 106 Servers 3,000 Logging Policy No Identifying Data Support 24/7 Live Chat Compatible with
ExpressVPN is the best VPN we’ve tested overall, and it’s also an excellent VPN for Firestick. It’s easy to set up, works well with Kodi, and it reliably unblocks most geo-blocked apps at very fast streaming speeds.
However, it misses out on the top spot because its Firestick app lacks some of the advanced features available in the IPVanish Fire TV app.
Like IPVanish, you can use ExpressVPN risk-free via its seven-day free trial or its no-questions-asked refund policy.
Streams US Netflix at fast speeds
ExpressVPN’s Firestick app reliably unblocks 18 Netflix libraries – working particularly well with the American region.
Unblocking American Netflix using ExpressVPN's Firestick app.
Moreover, most US-based ExpressVPN servers unblock streaming apps like Disney+, HBO Max and Hulu. Users outside the UK can also stream BBC iPlayer on its UK servers, too.
Speeds are consistently high across ExpressVPN’s huge network of 160 VPN server locations and 3,000 servers.
Connecting from Europe to the East Coast of the US, we experienced only 17% speed loss.
Similarly, connecting into Singapore the speed loss was just 20%.
Based on the speed results above, ExpressVPN’s international speeds are undoubtedly much faster than IPVanish’s.
Privacy-Friendly logging policy and Fire OS kill switch
ExpressVPN’s logging policy guarantees the provider won’t keep any record of personal internet activity or connection to its service.
The VPN is also headquartered in the British Virgin Islands – a strong privacy-friendly jurisdiction for a VPN company.
Another privacy bonus is the kill switch, which not all VPNs have on Firestick. The kill switch automatically interrupts internet access if your VPN connection fails, ensuring your real IP address isn’t exposed.
Free VPNs We Don't Recommend on Firestick
The majority of free VPNs don’t work well on Fire TV devices because very few have the necessary requirements for easy setup and use: a native Fire OS app, an apk file, or compatibility with routers.
Some free VPNs do have a custom Firestick app, but sadly lack other key attributes that would make them worthy of recommendation.
Below is a selection of popular free VPNs we don’t recommend for use on Fire TV devices:
Hide.me Free
Hide.me offers a very safe free VPN, with many advanced privacy settings, however its speeds are incredibly slow, it doesn’t unblock most geo-restricted apps, and it no longer allows P2P traffic on its free servers.
Avira Phantom Free VPN
Avira’s free VPN doesn’t have a Firestick app, has no router support, and it limits usage to 1GB per month. There is absolutely no reason for using it on your Fire TV device.
TunnelBear Free
TunnelBear’s free service is largely ineffective at bypassing streaming geo-blocks. There is also no Firestick app or router support, so using it on a Fire TV device is unnecessarily complicated.
Hotspot Shield Basic
Similarly to Avira VPN, and surprisingly considering its popularity, Hotspot Shield doesn’t offer a native Fire TV Stick app.
Hola Free VPN
Hola Free VPN logs all your streaming activity, and shares your idle bandwidth with other Hola users. Hola VPN puts your internet privacy at risk, so you must not use it.
How to Set Up a VPN on Firestick
It’s very easy to set up a VPN on your Fire TV Stick, as long as the VPN provider provides a Fire OS native application.
You can install all the VPNs we recommend in this guide directly onto your Firestick from the Fire OS app store in just a few steps.
Here’s a short video to show you how easy it is to set up a VPN (in this instance, ExpressVPN) on your Fire TV device:
Video tutorial on how to set up a VPN on your Fire TV Stick.
How to Install a VPN onto Your Firestick
Below are step-by-step instructions on installing a native VPN application on a Fire TV Stick.
- Search for the VPN on your Firestick via the Amazon App Store.
- Click ‘Get’ to install the free VPN (and if needed, confirm by entering your Amazon account passcode).
- Once the VPN is installed, open it and enter your login details (if prompted).
- Choose a VPN server location and press ‘Connect.’
- Once you’re connected to VPN server, open any other app on your Fire TV device.
The method above is by far the simplest and quickest to set up a VPN on your Fire TV Stick.
If, however, you want to use a VPN that doesn’t have a native Fire OS app, read our Firestick VPN setup guide, which covers additional methods, such as sideloading, using your home router, or your computer.
Free VPN vs Paid VPN: What's Better for Your Firestick?
Sadly, there are many disadvantages to using free VPNs on a Fire TV device. Especially when it comes to streaming quickly and anonymously.
Most safe-to-use free VPNs are limited by restrictive daily/monthly bandwidth caps, slower speeds, and limited free server selection.
Furthermore, even the best free VPNs often don’t work with Netflix, Disney Plus, and other popular streaming apps.
On the other hand, many paid-for Firestick VPNs offer a superior streaming experience with increased privacy and security.
Key features of paid Fire TV Stick VPNs include:
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Faster connection speeds
- Far greater unblocking capabilities
- Large number of VPN servers
- Extra privacy and security settings
- Wider device compatability
If you don’t want to commit to a subscription-based Firestick VPN straight away, you can try one first by using a VPN free trial or taking advantage of a money-back guarantee.
What Is the Cheapest VPN for Firestick?
The cheapest (safe) VPN for Firestick at the moment is Private Internet Access (PIA).
On a multi-year plan, it costs $2.03 per month. This is considerably less than our top recommendations IPVanish ($2.19 per month) and ExpressVPN ($6.67 per month).
PIA VPN’s app for Fire TV Stick doesn’t look great.
PIA’s Firestick app is well-designed and user-friendly, but it fails to unblock as many apps as IPVanish and ExpressVPN. For instance, we could access US Netflix on only 25% of PIA’s US servers.
This fact is surprising and disappointing, given how well PIA VPN performed in our streaming tests on other popular devices.
Having said that, PIA remains a good VPN for Fire TV users on a budget. It continues to offer fast connection speeds, and an impressive suite of effective privacy and security settings.
While not as cheap as PIA, but still affordable, Surfshark is a good alternative to PIA that delivers a better streaming experience on Fire TV devices.
The home screen of Surfshark’s Fire TV app.
In comparison to PIA, all of Surfshark’s US servers unblocked American Netflix, as well as HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and other popular apps.
Do I Really Need a VPN for My Fire TV Stick?
We believe using a VPN on your Fire TV Stick is very important for your internet security, privacy, and freedom.
There are two key reasons for using a VPN with your Fire TV device:
1. Bypassing Video Geo-restrictions
Many official video apps are only available in specific countries, or display different video libraries based on your location.
These applications use your IP address to determine your location. By connecting to a VPN server in a different country, you can appear to be in that geographical location.
Therefore, using a good VPN on Fire TV Stick can unblock geo-restricted video content on streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.
ExpressVPN unblocks Disney+ on our Fire TV Stick with no issues.
2. Streaming Video Content Anonymously
Having a VPN running on your Fire TV Stick masks your real IP address, and keeps your internet activity anonymous.
By hiding your true IP address, a VPN prevents your ISP from seeing what applications and services you’re using. This is especially important if you stream video content using Kodi and IPTV apps.
Using a VPN hides your traffic and online activity from your ISP.
If you don’t use a VPN while using Kodi add-ons and IPTV apps, you may inadvertently watch copyrighted content without authorization.
Your ISP will know which applications you’ve used, and pass the information onto content owners and copyright trolls who request it. In turn, they may then issue you with a fine.
EXPERT ADVICE: If you have a 1st generation Firestick, you won’t be able to install a VPN directly onto it. Therefore, we recommend upgrading to a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation Fire TV stick.
Netflix Error Code When Streaming on a Firestick
If you’re using a free VPN on your Fire TV Stick to watch Netflix, you’ve likely come across this error message:
“Oops, something went wrong… You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy.”
Netflix, and other popular streaming platforms, has been blocking VPN users from viewing video content.
Moreover, free VPNs rarely work with Netflix and other video streaming services.
But, there are some things you can try if your VPN isn’t working with Netflix. These techniques include connecting to a different VPN server, or changing VPN protocol.
If all fails, you’ll have to use a VPN for Netflix that definitely works.
How We Test VPNs for Firestick
We test every Firestick VPN following our bespoke, extensive, and scientific methodology.
Each VPN is tested in five key performance categories. These ratings are then combined to calculate an overall rating.
The table below compares the performance of our most highly-rated VPNs:
VPNs with a data cap receive a reduction to their overall rating.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of exactly how we test the best VPNs for Firestick:
1. Firestick App: 30%
Minimum Requirement: The VPN works on Amazon Firestick.
We Recommend: A user-friendly native application for Firestick.
Having a native app for Fire OS is an important attribute for a top Firestick VPN. Most free VPN services – and even paid ones – simply do not have this feature.
Some free VPNs that do work on Firestick need to be side-loaded, which is a complicated process for adding third-party apps onto the device. Thankfully, there are a few free VPNs that can be downloaded directly from the Amazon Appstore.
For paid-for VPNs, having a native app is a minimum requirement. Sideloading is just not good enough for a paid product. We reward the apps that are well designed, user-friendly, and custom-built for the TV.
2. Streaming: 30%
Minimum Requirement: Works to access YouTube.
We Recommend: Streams Netflix, BBC iPlayer and other streaming services.
We test whether popular streaming services work with VPNs on the Firestick itself.
The absolute minimum requirement for a free option is that a VPN works with YouTube, which almost every VPN is capable of. Top-rated free VPNs are able to stream US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and other services.
The very best VPNs for Fire TV stream multiple Netflix libraries and work with more specialist streaming services, like Crunchyroll.
3. Speed: 20%
Minimum Requirement: Average download speeds above 50Mbps.
We Recommend: Average download speeds above 90Mbps.
A fast free VPN for Firestick should offer average download speed of 50Mbps or faster on local connections. This is enough for smooth streaming on most internet connections.
You’re unlikely to be able to stream in 4K on most free VPNs, but HD will be possible on most connections.
For 4K or HD streaming on Firestick we recommend a paid VPN with a local download speed over 90Mbps. In these services, we also check for a fast upload speed of over 75Mbps to ensure P2P and Kodi activity is as smooth as possible.
We regularly test VPNs on a standard 100Mbps connection to offer fair comparisons between services.
4. Security & Technical Features: 10%
Minimum Requirement: IP and DNS leak protection.
We Recommend: IP and DNS leak protection and a VPN kill switch.
Free VPNs often have very few features on Firestick, if they have an app at all.
We test the apps in-depth and explore their feature menus, then compare the offering to what is available on other platforms.
IP leak protection is an absolute minimum, which keeps your true IP and DNS information from being exposed.
The overall best apps include most of the features from other platforms in the Firestick app, and actively maintain and update it. We look primarily for a kill switch and split tunneling feature.
5. Torrenting: 10%
Minimum Requirement: Supports P2P traffic.
We Recommend: Fully-optimized for P2P and Kodi.
Lots of users combine Kodi with Firestick, so we specifically test Firestick VPN apps for their compatibility with Kodi.
As the bare minimum, you’ll need torrenting support to get many Kodi add-ons working. Our tests ensure every VPN we recommend offers support for P2P traffic and Kodi.
In the best case, you’ll have a well-optimized VPN for P2P, with plenty of server choices and a strong privacy policy.
Data Cap Penalty
Data Cap Penalty
Nearly all free VPN services implement a data cap. As with most limitations on free VPNs, this is used to encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription.
Streaming or running Kodi can be very data-intensive, so a generous data cap is necessary on Firestick. Less generous free VPNs only offer around 500MB per month, which isn’t enough to stream for more than a few hours.
The best free VPNs offer 10GB a month, or 500MB a day for free. This adds up to enough for light streaming throughout the month or a shorter high-intensity period of streaming.
We recommend paid Fire Stick VPNs that come with unlimited data. We also look for services that don’t throttle or limit certain types of traffic, such as P2P.
We apply a penalty to the VPN’s final VPN for Firestick 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 per month: -35% to the overall rating
- 200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
- 500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating