The right VPN can help you ensure that you’re protected online, with the privacy you need and the ability to access content from all around the world. However, when choosing a VPN, you want to ensure that it’s equipped to do everything that you need it to. For a lot of people, that means being able to handle streaming.
Streaming has become one of the most popular forms of online entertainment across the globe. The immediate access it provides to all manner of entertainment is replacing the traditional TV-watching experience more and more, whether it’s movies and shows on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, live sports events, or your favorite YouTube and Twitch personalities.

The right Virtual Private Network (VPN) can enhance your streaming experience, allowing you to enjoy your favorite entertainment with peace of mind. That said, not all VPNs can handle streaming well. Here, we’re going to look at how you select the best VPNs for streaming, the features they should offer, and how they can improve your experience across the board.

Why Use a VPN For Streaming?

VPNs encrypt your internet connection, redirecting it through a secure server in a location of your choice, which can include entirely different countries. This offers a safer online experience in general, but with some specific benefits for streaming in general, as well:

1.   Bypass Geo-Restrictions

A lot of the most popular streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer have content that is region-specific due to licensing agreements. Although some platforms may have provisions against it, a VPN allows you to connect to a server in a different country, which can help you access content not normally available in your region.

This ability to access region-exclusive content can also apply to sports streams, gaming streams, and even certain video platforms you might not be able to use.

2.   Prevent ISP Throttling

Although most do not admit to it, the customers of internet service providers (ISPs) have noticed that they can sometimes throttle your internet connection when they detect high-bandwidth activities such as streaming. This means that they intentionally slow your download speed. With a VPN, your ISP cannot see your online activity as clearly, which prevents throttling and the endless buffering that can come with it.

3.   Enhanced Privacy & Security

With a VPN, you can effectively mask your IP address, encrypt your data, and protect your identity from potential cyber threats. This is just as important when you’re streaming content as when you’re doing anything else, especially as your streaming accounts may be tied to personal and financial information. This is especially important if you stream using public or semi-public WIF networks which are often unsecured.

Important Factors When Choosing A VPN For Streaming

When you’re looking for the best VPN for streaming, you need to make sure that you’re choosing one that works effectively with them. Here, we’re going to look at some of the features you should ensure your VPN of choice brings to the table before you start paying for it:

High-Speed Performance

While some VPNs may be well suited to helping you browse the net and access regular web pages, they might not offer the connection speed to keep up with the demands of streaming. Streaming is a data-intensive activity, so you need a VPN with fast servers to keep up the download speed. Otherwise, you’re going to see a lot of buffering and lag. Look for VPN providers that offer unlimited bandwidth and dedicated high-speed servers specifically set aside for streaming.

An Extensive Server Network

If you’re looking to use a VPN so that you’re able to access the wide world of content from other regions, then you should check the server network that your provider offers, first. The more server locations a VPN has, the better your chances of being able to bypass those geo-restrictions. A good VPN provider will have servers across multiple continents, including the US, UK, Europe, and Asia. What’s more, each of these locations will offer high-speed servers. Some providers only have low-speed servers on locations they don’t expect their customers to use as often.

Streaming Service Compatability

Many streaming services and platforms are making efforts to prevent bypassing their geo-restrictions. As such, not all VPNs are able to successfully unblock major streaming platforms. You should check your PVN provider to see if they explicitly state which services they are able to help you access. Otherwise, you could end up blocked from streaming services no matter which server you try to use.

No Data Caps or Bandwidth Limits

Some VPNs, especially those that are free or particularly low-cost, may impose data limits, allowing you to use certain amounts of data per day. These can make it impossible to watch HD or 4K streams. Instead, choose a VPN provider that offers no data caps and unlimited bandwidth.

Multi-Device Compatability

Do you stream across several devices, like your smartphone, laptop, tablet, smart TV, or gaming console? In that case, you should choose a VPN that allows you to seamlessly activate it on any of these devices and even offers simultaneous connections across several at once.

Security Features

Security is one of the primary reasons to use a VPN in the first place, so you should make sure that it provides the features that you need. This includes strong security protocols, like AES-256, a no-log policy (meaning they don’t keep data on you,) and features like a kill-switch, which disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly.

What is the Best VPN for Streaming?

VPNPro is a strong choice for streaming, providing excellent speed, security, and reliability. With a wide-reaching server network, it focuses on providing a great streaming experience, working with a wide range of streaming platforms, providing fast and reliable speeds, as well as strong security tanks to AES-256 encryption and a strict no-logs policy. There’s even a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out and see if it meets all of your needs.