VPNforFireTVStick.com is operated by The HK Online, a digital media company. Here at VPNforFireTVStick, we provide comprehensive guides on several VPN services available online. VPN services do not pay for our reviews about them. We provide honest reviews about VPNs and don’t provide any false or promotional information. However, we do include affiliate links for VPNs that function better on Fire TV Stick.
Our team consists of 24 people, each with over 6+ years of expertise in working under several VPN companies. So, you need not worry about reliability or credibility, as all the information is provided by experts.
Our blog aims to provide valuable information to readers. We do not just share information found online. We rigorously test each VPN service with our experts to ensure the article is based on real results.
Our Research and Evaluation Process for Choosing the VPN
Our VPN team at The HK Online conducts numerous tests on VPNs to provide an in-depth analysis. Before featuring a VPN in our articles, we evaluate it using several criteria mentioned below to ensure that our reviews are reliable and provide value to Firestick users.
- App Compatibility Test
- Pricing
- Server Network
- Speed
- Bypassing Censorship
- Security
- Usability
- Customer Support
App Compatibility Test
The first thing we took into consideration was the availability of the VPN app on the Amazon App Store of Firestick. Currently, the Amazon App Store holds only a few VPN apps. So, you cannot find all the apps on its App Store.
If the VPN app we have chosen is unavailable, we use APK installers, like Downloader, to sideload it. Mostly, the sideloaded VPN apps would be less responsive on the TV, and it is difficult to navigate as they are made for handheld devices. So, we perform tests on the sideloaded app’s user-friendliness and its compatibility on the Fire TV’s big screen.
Even though sideloading apps on Firestick is legal, it is a long process and has some limitations. So, we provide higher ratings to the VPNs, which are available on the Amazon App Store.
Pricing
The next crucial thing we should look into is the VPN’s pricing. The free version of VPN has limited features and several restrictions. So, it is always recommended that you choose the premium VPNs for Firestick to experience a secure streaming experience. This doesn’t mean that all free VPNs are less functional. However, there are exceptional cases where some free VPNs perform better than the premium VPN services. We give equal importance to both free and paid VPNs to provide honest and reliable results.
When speaking about the pricing, most VPNs offer monthly, half-yearly, and yearly plans. Normally, the monthly plan costs more than other plans per month. This is because most VPN services offer discounts on prices for users who choose long-term plans, like 6 months and 12 months. If you are planning to use a VPN on Firestick for a long term, then 6-months or 12-months plan is the wise choice.
Also, we prefer and rate the VPN higher with a free trial and refund policy, as it allows users to test out its premium features for a particular duration.
Server Network
When it comes to VPNs, the number of servers and the countries determines the worth of the VPN. Most VPNs provide thousands of servers from different countries. First, we will do a live test of whatever VPN we have chosen by connecting it to random server locations for up to 30 minutes to see whether it is working properly or not. Next, we will look at whether the VPN’s server network performs well in major countries, such as the US, UK, Canada, India, Australia, and South Africa.
If the VPN has more servers from different countries and if its server network functions well during our 30-minute live test, we would most likely rate it higher.
Speed
The most important factor to consider while reviewing a VPN is its speed. Generally, the Internet speed will be reduced when the VPN is enabled on your Firestick. We perform the speed test to calculate the speed loss percentage of a VPN.
First, we will use Firestick’s built-in speed test tool or Internet Speed Test App by Redmango Analytics to test the normal speed of the Internet. The Internet speed data, includes several factors, like Download Speed, Upload Speed, and Ping. After recording this data, we will enable the VPN on our Firestick and calculate the Internet speed in different circumstances mentioned below.
- Connecting the VPN to the nearest server
- Connecting the VPN to the US server
- Connecting the VPN to the farthest server
After performing these tests, our team will compare these data with the speed test value taken without a VPN. If there are only minor variations in the data value, it indicates that the VPN has less impact on the Internet speed. On the other hand, if there are major variations in the value, it means that the VPN has a huge impact, and it affects the Internet speed on your Firestick. The VPNs with fewer data variations will be scored higher.
Bypassing Censorship
Another important thing we do is the streaming test. Mostly, Firestick users install and use VPNs to tackle geo-restriction problems. So, it is important to check whether it performs its major function as expected. In the streaming test, we will connect the VPN to the required server location and access geo-restricted content or apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, ITVX, and more on our Firestick.
We have subscribed and have accounts on 125 popular streaming apps worldwide. We perform the streaming test on almost all these apps to determine whether the VPN is worth installing on your Firestick, and we assign ratings based on its capability to unblock the geo-restrictions.
Security
Generally, most VPNs offer AES 256 encryption with different protocol technologies, such as OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec. If a VPN has all these factors, then perform a DNS leak test. There are many websites online where you can perform a DNS leak test. You can use the Silk browser on Fire TV Stick to visit online and perform a data leak test.
The next thing we look at on a VPN is whether it offers features like Split tunneling, Kill Switch, Double VPN, No-logs policy, etc. We give higher ratings to the VPNs if it satisfies all the above criteria.
No matter how big the VPN brand is, we provide low ratings to the provider if it has a previous record of data breaches or data leaks. Also, some VPNs work with the government and share users’ data. We also provide low ratings to these VPN services as they are less trustworthy.
Usability
Most users prefer VPN apps with a clean and user-friendly interface. After installing the app on our Firestick devices, our team tests it by trying out every functionality of the app. A good VPN for Firestick offers smooth navigation and will be responsive to even bigger screens. If there is any reduction in these factors, the VPN rating will be reduced.
Customer Support
Customer support is the most crucial thing to consider when choosing a VPN. Most free VPNs lack customer support; even though they have customer care, they will not be as responsive as the premium VPN services. We will see whether the VPN service offers customer support via Live Chat, Email, and Call.
If there is any problem with the VPN, we will contact the support team using the options above. Then, we will evaluate their effectiveness by testing the response times and quality of resolutions. Based on these results, we will provide a suitable rating for the VPN.
How We Rate VPNs
After evaluating all those factors discussed above, we will assign star ratings to the VPN services for the criteria, such as Servers, Speed, Security, App Support, and Pricing. In addition, we have included a User Ratings section, which allows the users to rate the VPN based on their own experience and usage. Finally, the overall percentage rating for the VPN is calculated by the average of all five criteria.
We constantly update our testing methods based on new trends and ensure users get reliable & valuable information to choose the best VPN.