Privacy
If you want to keep your viewing activities on your Fire TV Stick hidden from your ISP, then you’ll want a VPN that delivers on privacy. Generally, you want to use a provider that offers AES-256 over OpenVPN, or ChaCha20 over Wireguard, to be sure that your internet traffic is being encrypted in a secure way. Be sure to check the VPN provider’s privacy policy to see what personal information may be collected, who it’s shared with and how it’s protected. Do some research into any privacy or security incidents that the VPN company may have dealt with in the past. Look into the provider’s no-logs policy and check for any third-party no-logs audits or real-life cases where the provider’s no-logs claims were put to the test. Also, you’ll want to make sure the VPN has a kill switch and DNS leak protection to ensure your traffic doesn’t leak unencrypted.
Speed
Nothing’s worse than constant buffering when you’re trying to stream movies or shows with your Fire TV Stick. You’ll need a fast VPN to ensure a smooth streaming experience, especially if you’re streaming in 4K. Keep in mind that a VPN will slow your internet speeds, sometimes by 50% or more — although, the fastest VPNs we benchmarked only dipped download speeds by an average of 20% or less. With a VPN that cuts your internet speeds by 20% or less, you’ll probably hardly notice the speed reduction, and your speeds should be sufficient for streaming on your Fire TV Stick (provided your base internet speeds are fast enough to begin with). Netflix recommends that you’re running a connection of at least 5Mbps for high-definition streaming, whereas 4K content needs at least 15Mbps. With a faster VPN, you’ll be able to stream more content simultaneously — even on a slower connection — because less of your bandwidth is being taken up by the overhead from the VPN protocol.
Streaming and unblocking capabilities
Most VPNs advertise that they’re great for streaming, but the reality is that there are only a few out there that are truly great streaming VPNs. It’s more than likely that you’ll be spending a lot of time streaming TV shows and movies using your Amazon Fire TV device, so you need a VPN that can keep up. This doesn’t just mean that it’s fast — you’re also looking for a VPN that has plenty of servers around the world to give you more choice when it comes to unblocking streaming services around the world. You’ll also want to make sure that a VPN has the ability to unblock streaming services. The best way to do this is to test it out by taking advantage of a money-back guarantee. If the VPN works and unblocks the stream you want, great. If not, you can ask for a refund and try a different VPN provider.
Usability
Just because a VPN has a dedicated app for Amazon’s Fire TV Stick, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a good VPN for the device. You’ll want your VPN to be easy to use on your Fire TV Stick. The app should be similar to its desktop and mobile counterparts and should be just as simple to navigate, apply settings and connect to a server. It should also connect quickly and remain connected throughout your streaming sessions.
Cost
If you’re on a budget, cost will be an important consideration in choosing a VPN for your Fire TV Stick. VPN prices can vary from provider to provider, but you’ll typically save more money in the long-run when you commit to a longer timeframe. You can expect to pay anywhere from $30 to $100 per year for an annual VPN subscription, and anywhere from $5 to $13 for a monthly VPN subscription, depending on which VPN you go with.
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