The best Kodi VPN in 2019
If you're looking to add a VPN to your Kodi box, you've come to the right place! For those not familiar with Kodi, it’s one of the most, if not the most popular media players around thanks to its excellent interface, not to mention the fact that it’s free and open source – and boasts some impressive capabilities when it comes to add-ons which support various streaming services.
Some of those add-ons are perfectly legal, and others – not so much. Naturally, we, at TechRadar, we don’t endorse any form of piracy or illegally viewing copyrighted material.
- Check out the best VPN
The best Kodi VPN in 2019
IPVanish provides superb performance levels complemented with a wide range of server locations. In testing, our download speeds improved by around 15% compared to our normal rates. The provider supports a whopping 10 simultaneous connections on multiple devices. This is ideal for larger families or family/friend gatherings, as there will be plenty of free slots available for other internet activities, even if several people are streaming content.
The service offers native clients for Windows and Mac, along with Android and iOS, plus it has setup instructions for other platforms. The native Windows client, in particular, is a sterling effort with an intuitive interface and a bundle of advanced features (although on the downside, we found it could potentially be susceptible to more network issues than rival VPN software).
IPVanish has a strict no logs policy and all the necessary security in place for a smooth and carefree VPN experience. If there’s one thing that somewhat spoils the fun, it’s the cost of the service as it’s a bit on the pricey side. There is no free trial available, but the three plans include a 7-day money-back guarantee. The 1-year subscription is the best and most affordable option. The packages available are:
This British Virgin Islands provider has an impressive collection of servers spread across 94 countries with some great performance. In our tests, we recorded good speed consistency with no fluctuations of any kind.
Setting up a VPN can be complicated even for an expert, but ExpressVPN does a great job to help you out. Their site is packed with various tutorials that will help with any common tasks and issues you might have and there is always the excellent live chat support to help you out.
The provider offers quality clients for every major platform with setup instructions for various other devices. iOS and Android (which you can also install on Android TV) clients are especially well made and are very user-friendly.
On the security and privacy front, the service doesn't disappoint either. The 256-bit encryption is available and you can choose from OpenVPN via UDP, OpenVPN via TCP, L2TP - IPSEC, PPTP or SSTP protocol. The service has a favorable privacy policy with zero logging of any kind.
The service is a bit pricier than most and there is no free trial, but you do get a 30-day money back guarantee. There are three plans available, with the yearly plan being the most affordable (you also get an extra three months). The packages available are:
- [$12.95 a month] 1-month
- [$9.99 a month] 6-months - $59.95
- [$6.67 a month] 12-months (plus 3 free months) - $99.95
NordVPN offers an impressive level of overall server coverage, being one of the largest VPN networks around. Its performance is far from shabby, too, providing consistently fast connections throughout much of that expansive network.
The provider has a Kodi specific page on their website, if you need more information about unblocking Kodi. That being said, NordVPN does a good job support-wise, with their guides being right on point without being too technical so even newbies won't have any trouble understanding. The great example of that is this blog post, which shows you how to watch movies on Kodi.
This provider also has user-friendly applications for all major operating systems (there is also a dedicated app for Android TV). These are packed with useful features, along with plenty of beef on the security front. There’s Double VPN (double encryption) for maximum privacy, Onion over VPN, a CyberSec feature for blocking intrusive adverts and malicious online threats, an automatic kill switch, and more besides. NordVPN has a clear ‘no logs’ policy, too.
There is a free 3-day trial to take this VPN for a test spin, but it’s rather hidden away on the website. With the monthly billing being rather pricey, the cheap 3-year subscription provides the best value for your money. The packages available are:
Streaming content requires a fast connection and it doesn’t get much better than VyprVPN in this respect. Our performance tests revealed that this provider offers superb download speeds – twice as fast as the rates we get with the VPN turned off, in fact. Add the firm’s widespread server coverage and you have a service tailored for HD and 4K content.
While there might not be an obvious Kodi support, the website has a bunch of support resources. For instance, in the TV section of the website, you can find a guide for OpenELEC, a common Kodi platform. You can also find a web forum where VyprVPN users can post about their experiences or ask about some particular issues.
There are easy-to-use clients for all relevant platforms and devices, supported by strong security aspects. Along with the expected range of protocols and encryption, the provider’s own Chameleon technology aims to defeat VPN blocking and throttling for a faster connection. A kill switch, NAT Firewall, and VyprVPN’s own DNS solution complete the efforts on the security front. On top of that, there is no logging of traffic or online activities, but there is some logging occurring in the form of recording connection times and IP addresses.
Would-be users have a free 3-day trial at their disposal, which is particularly useful as VyprVPN doesn’t allow refunds. Commercial plans are based on monthly and annual billing, with the monthly plans carrying an expensive price tag. Your best bet is the Premium plan with annual billing as it includes all the bells and whistles (like the Chameleon protocol) for a reasonable price. The packages available are:
Performance is always a priority when streaming content and PureVPN delivered. In our testing, the provider achieved good speeds, although, on long distance servers, performance suffered, but that's nothing unusual. Combine the solid performance with a large number of servers and you shouldn't have trouble finding a good connection.
The provider offers many clients for desktop and mobile users, as well as an add-on for Kodi. If you need any help configuring Kodi with PureVPN, you can find many helpful tutorials and guides for both desktop and mobile platforms.
As for the privacy, there have been some issues in 2017 but that seems like it's all in the past as the privacy policy looks very clear and straightforward, stating that there is no logging of any kind.
Although the provider doesn't offer a free trial, you do get a 31-money back guarantee and the yearly plans are quite cheap. Speaking of cheap, the limited 5-year plan is one of the most affordable plans you can find anywhere and it offers the best value by far. The packages available are:
How to choose the best Kodi VPN
As ever when it comes to streaming content – particularly if it’s HD – you want one of the best VPNs which gives you fast download speeds to avoid those dreaded pauses while the ‘buffering’ icon hogs the screen. A large web of server locations also helps as you’ll have more options to find the fastest connection possible.
And as always, you’ll want good levels of security and a ‘zero logs’ privacy policy. An intuitive dedicated client is highly desirable as there might be some initial tweaking and fiddling required. Those who prefer viewing on the go should look out for mobile device support, and preferably native clients for iOS/Android.
- We’ve rounded up the best free VPN
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