I wanted to put a VPN on my TV mainly for streaming, but this turned out to be a little more complicated than installing a VPN on a phone or laptop.

The first thing I found is that there isn't really one best VPN for Smart TV. It depends heavily on what TV you have and what you're actually trying to do.

Some TVs have native VPN apps, some don't, and sometimes using a router or Smart DNS is the easier option.

So here's the comparison I wish I had found before setting everything up.

Quick comparison

VPN / Setup	Best for	Smart TV Apps	Router Support	Smart DNS	Setup Difficulty
NordVPN	Streaming & general use	Yes	Yes	Yes	Easy
Surfshark	Multiple devices	Yes	Yes	Yes	Easy
ExpressVPN	Simple TV setup	Yes	Yes	Yes	Easy
CyberGhost	Streaming-focused users	Yes	Yes	Yes	Easy
Proton VPN	Privacy-focused users	Yes	Yes	No	Easy–Medium
VPN on Router	Entire home network	TV dependent	Yes	N/A	Medium–Hard
Smart DNS	Streaming on unsupported TVs	No VPN app needed	N/A	Yes	Easy

The important part is that you don't necessarily need a VPN app installed directly on your TV.

First: what kind of Smart TV do you have?

This makes a huge difference.

Android TV and Google TV devices generally give you more flexibility because you can install VPN applications directly.

Fire TV devices are also relatively straightforward because many major VPN providers have dedicated apps.

Samsung and LG TVs can be more complicated because their operating systems don't provide the same level of native VPN support.

If your TV doesn't support VPN apps, that doesn't mean you're stuck.

You have a few other options.

Option 1: Install a VPN directly on the TV

This is the easiest approach when your TV supports the VPN you want.

The general process is:

1. Open your TV's app store.
2. Search for your VPN provider.
3. Install the official application.
4. Sign into your account.
5. Choose a server location.
6. Connect.
7. Open your streaming app.

That's basically it.

The advantage is that you only route the TV through the VPN. Your laptop, phone, and other devices continue using your normal connection.

This is probably what I'd choose if the TV supports the VPN app and you're only interested in using the VPN for that TV.

Option 2: Use a VPN on your router

This is the more interesting option if you have several devices at home.

Instead of installing the VPN separately on every device, you configure the VPN on your router.

Then devices connected to that router can use the VPN connection without needing their own VPN application.

For example:

TV → Router → VPN server → Internet

This can be useful for:

• Smart TVs
• Game consoles
• Streaming boxes
• IoT devices
• Devices that don't support VPN applications

The downside is that router configuration can be considerably more complicated.

You also need a router that supports the VPN protocol or firmware you're using.

Option 3: Smart DNS

This is where things get confusing because Smart DNS and a VPN aren't the same thing.

Smart DNS is primarily designed to help with changing how certain services see your DNS/location information.

It doesn't provide the same encryption and privacy protection as a VPN.

So if your main objective is streaming, Smart DNS can be useful.

If your objective is privacy and encrypting the TV's internet traffic, I'd use an actual VPN instead.

One advantage of Smart DNS is that it can work on devices where installing a VPN isn't possible.

Which setup would I choose?

For me, it would depend on the situation.

Android TV / Google TV: Install the VPN directly.

Fire TV: Use the VPN's dedicated app.

Samsung or LG TV: Check whether your provider supports the TV directly; otherwise look at Smart DNS or router setup.

Multiple TVs and consoles: Consider putting the VPN on the router.

Streaming only: Smart DNS can be worth considering if your provider supports it.

Privacy for the TV's entire connection: Use a VPN rather than Smart DNS.

Things to check before choosing a VPN

Don't just look for VPN that works on Smart TV.

I'd check these instead:

TV compatibility

Make sure the provider actually supports your operating system.

A VPN having an Android app doesn't automatically mean it supports every Smart TV.

Streaming performance

Streaming is much more sensitive to speed and stability than normal browsing.

A VPN can technically connect while still being frustrating to use because of buffering.

Server availability

If you're using a VPN for regional streaming, you'll want servers in the locations you actually need.

Simultaneous connections

If your VPN subscription is also being used on phones, laptops, and tablets, check how many devices can be connected at once.

Router support

If you have an unsupported TV, router compatibility can become much more important than having a fancy TV application.

What about free VPNs?

This is one area where I wouldn't expect too much.

Free VPNs can have limited servers, lower speeds, data caps, and fewer supported devices.

A TV can also consume a lot of bandwidth, especially if you're regularly watching HD or 4K content.

So even if a free VPN works for browsing on your phone, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be pleasant for several hours of streaming.

One thing people often forget

If you're using a VPN to access a different regional streaming library, the VPN connection itself isn't always the only thing that matters.

Streaming platforms can use other signals to determine your location or identify VPN traffic.

That's why you can sometimes connect to a VPN server successfully but still see the same content library or receive a proxy/VPN error.

Switching servers may help, but there is no guarantee that a particular server will continue working indefinitely.

My overall recommendation

If your TV supports a native VPN app, that's the route I'd take first because it's the least complicated.

If it doesn't, don't immediately replace the TV or give up on the idea.

A VPN enabled router, compatible streaming device, or Smart DNS can all solve the problem depending on what you're trying to accomplish.

The biggest mistake is treating VPN, router VPN, and Smart DNS as interchangeable things. They solve related problems, but they provide very different levels of privacy, security, and control.

If anyone here has a Samsung or LG TV, I'm particularly interested in how you ended up setting yours up. That's where the options seem to get much less straightforward.