Best VPNs for the Firestick 2023

As much as we love biking and walking around Brooklyn, we have to admit: nothing beats a day hanging out on the couch and binging our favorite shows. Most of the time, we do this with the help of our trusty Fire TV Stick, which is basically a magic wand to stream content from all our favorite services like Hulu and Netflix. We want to make sure that we’re protected and that our Internet activity isn’t compromised while we’re vegging out, so we’ve rounded up the best VPNs for a Fire TV Stick in 2023. First, we’ll outline each VPN at a glance, and then get into the details.

Best VPNs for Fire TV Stick Statistics

How We Test VPNs: Methodology

It’s our top priority to test each VPN thoroughly and spend a lot of time doing so. We want you to know exactly what goes into our recommendations, so we’re laying it all out for you. The first thing we look at is functionality, so things like encryption standards, how they deal with IP addresses, and split tunneling. Then we delve into other elements of the company, like where they are located, which impacts if our information is at risk of being shared with the government, and how their customer service stacks up to competitors. Lastly, we look at cost because we know that the bottom line is important, no matter how great a service is being offered. We’ll take you step by step through our process below.

Speed

Most of the time, our VPNs will get tested from our Brooklyn office. We have a private Optimum network there, but on every now and again, we test VPNs when we’re in the Philippines, and sometimes even Poland.

Our Internet speed without a VPN serves as our control, and even though we can connect multiple devices when using a VPN, when we test, we only connect one device. We want to make sure that we are testing for the different experiences that come with different types of computers so we test on a Macbook Air or Pro and a Windows Vivobook or an Acer Aspire 5. We use the website SpeedTest.net.4 to test download speed, upload speed, and ping (latency).

First, we perform tests with the VPN, and then, without. Download and upload speed are measured in megabits per second, while latency is measured in milliseconds. Once we take these two measures, we identify the difference in terms of a percentage to account for any discrepancies between the greatly varied natural speeds of Macs and Windows computers.

Distance to the server, operating system, and device all impact speed, but it’s ideal that VPNs have no more than a 40 percent difference in any of our categories (ping, download speed, or upload speed).

Security

We use VPNs to be safe while using the Internet, so safety is a top priority in our testing framework. We never want our domain names (website names) or our IP address to be visible to anyone, not even the government. It’s also important for us to know that users’ IP addresses aren’t being leaked due to WebRTC, which allows browsers to communicate directly with each other and is the default on browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera.

We use DNSLeakTest.com to test for DNS leaks. By comparing our computer’s IP address with the IP addresses that the website shows, we can tell if there was a DNS link while using the VPN or not. Then, we test for WebRTC leaks by leveraging a tool available on ExpressVPN’s website. We use a similar tactic where we look at the local and Public IPv4 IP addresses to see if there were any WebRTC leaks.

We also get into the weeds of companies’ privacy policies so that you don’t have to worry that there’s something hidden in the fine print. We outline what is included in their data-logging policies and take note of where a company is headquartered, because it dictates if they are members of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes. Those are international surveillance alliances that have the potential to legally force companies to surrender customer data. While it’s ideal for a company to not be located in a country impacted by such agreements, we also prefer they log minimal user account information. We find things like name, email, and payment information acceptable, but are less accepting when a company logs additional data like when customers use their VPNs, how long they use it for, how much data they’ve transferred, their private IP addresses, what servers they use, and what websites they have visited.

How a company handles IP addresses impacts our likelihood of being tracked, so we pay special attention to these details. It’s best if a company offers dynamic addresses that change each time we log on, making it even harder to track what we are doing. Static IP addresses stay the same and that makes them less desirable and easier to track. Finally, we make sure that each VPN has a kill switch. This function shuts down Internet browsers in the unlikely event that a VPN fails. If a kill switch isn’t in place, our activity could become exposed, which would be the worst-case scenario for us.

Torrenting, Fire TV Stick Compatibility, and Netflix

A lot of our digital time is also spent watching movies and television, especially when using our Fire TV Stick, and we want to do that safely by using a VPN. We make sure to keep track of which VPNs offer torrenting and access to Netflix, as well as which VPNs work directly with the Fire TV Stick as opposed to with a router. The Netflix part gets tricky, as Netflix is always trying to block VPNs, so even though we test our ability to access Netflix, we can’t guarantee that it will always work.

Split Tunneling and Encryption

Split tunneling lets us use both the VPN, and a public network at the same time, so we’re always on the lookout for this feature. When it comes to encryption, we prefer double or multi-hop VPNs, because then, our data is encrypted multiple times through multiple servers.

In our unabridged reviews, we conduct full analyses of VPNs encryption methods and Internet protocols to make sure they meet the industry standards. We prefer VPNs with AES-256 encryption and OpenVPN, which are some of the highest standards of security we can get.

Subscriptions

They don’t call it the bottom line for nothing. We know that cost plays a big role in what VPN our readers ultimately choose, so we try to outline it as simply as possible. Some VPNs are super cost-effective, with monthly fees of less than a dollar if you sign on for a long-term commitment. Alternatively, certain companies offer subscriptions as expensive as $15 per month. It’s ideal when a company offers several options in their pricing structure, like the ability to pay month-to-month, or pay less monthly for a longer-term contract. If that seems overwhelming, don’t worry, we spend lots of time looking at VPNs and will make sure to call out a great deal when we see one. We also look for the option to give a VPN a test run through a free trial or money-back guarantee period. After we let you know about the cost options, we carefully lay out the features that are included so you can easily cross-compare.

Customer Support

After you leave our site and become a customer of one of our recommended companies, we want to make sure you remain happy with your purchase. We check what resources are available in the event that issues pop up. In most cases, companies offer a live chat option, email support, and a searchable database of past questions. Every once in a blue moon, a company will offer an over the phone support line. This is rare and shows us that they take customer service seriously.