VPN for your device

How do I get a VPN on my device?

Use the VPN's app where your device takes one: phones, computers, Fire TV, Apple TV and Google TV. As of 7 October 2026, Roku, Samsung and LG TVs and consoles need a router with a VPN client, and a TV can also use a PC that shares its VPN connection. Smart DNS does not change your IP address.

Which way to put a VPN on your device

A VPN reaches your device in one of three ways: an app on the device, a router, or a PC that shares its VPN connection. Smart DNS is a fourth option, but it does not change your IP address.

Source: platform makers' help pages and VPN providers' guides. Checked October 2026.

Find your row, then open the card above that matches your device.

Fire TV, Apple TV and Google TV take VPN apps, with none listed for Roku, Samsung or LG

The system inside a TV or stick decides whether it takes a VPN app. Fire TV, Apple TV and Google TV take apps from their own stores, and none of the seven VPNs we cover lists an app for Roku, Samsung or LG TVs.

• Fire TV Sticks install VPN apps from the Amazon Appstore on both Fire OS and Vega OS, Amazon's newer system. Some Vega OS apps lack features, which our page on the best VPN for a Fire TV Stick lists.
• Apple TV takes VPN apps from the App Store, per Apple's tvOS 17 release notes, and six of the seven VPNs have one. The guide to VPN apps for Apple TV names the exceptions.
• Google TV and Android TV take apps from Google Play, and all seven VPNs have an Android TV app. Our page on the best VPN for Google TV ranks the seven apps and also covers sideloading.
• NordVPN says its app cannot be installed on Roku OS, and ExpressVPN and IPVanish point Roku owners to a router. Read about a VPN on a Roku before you buy a stick.
• Surfshark says most Samsung TVs cannot install VPN apps, because Samsung's Tizen system does not allow traditional VPN app installs. The guide to a VPN on a Samsung TV includes the DNS menu path.
• Surfshark says LG webOS TVs do not natively support VPN apps. The guide to a VPN on an LG TV includes LG's own DNS steps.

For Roku, Samsung and LG, the VPN companies point to a router with a VPN client or a hotspot shared from a PC. Surfshark also suggests a separate Fire TV or Android TV device for Roku.

Phones and computers: apps from all seven VPNs, with gaps on Linux and Chromebooks

All seven VPNs we cover have an app for iPhone and iPad, one for Android phones and tablets, and Windows and Mac apps. Open the iPhone and iPad, Android or Windows and Mac card above for the minimum versions, which differ by VPN. Proton VPN's own pages disagree on its minimum Android version.

• Linux: five of the seven VPNs have a desktop app, CyberGhost's is command-line only, and the pages we read for IPVanish name none.
• Chromebooks: they use the VPN's Android app, which some older models cannot run.
• Built-in settings: iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and Mac can add a VPN by hand, using server details from your provider.

PlayStation and Xbox: ExpressVPN says neither supports a VPN natively

ExpressVPN says neither the PS5 nor the Xbox supports a VPN natively. It offers its MediaStreamer DNS service instead, and says you cannot change locations with it.

• A VPN on the router covers a console too, and both consoles let you set DNS by hand. The guide to a VPN on PlayStation and Xbox gives each menu path.
• Smart DNS does not encrypt traffic or change your IP address, according to CyberGhost, NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
• NordVPN's SmartDNS needs your IPv4 address allowlisted, and Private Internet Access lets you generate a Smart DNS address for each device and country.

A router with a VPN client covers every device behind it

Router makers say a VPN client on the router encrypts traffic for every connected device, including TVs and consoles that cannot run a VPN app. Look for a client, not a server. Netgear's built-in VPN Service is a server for reaching your home network, and NordVPN says Netgear routers on stock firmware cannot act as OpenVPN clients.

• All seven VPNs we cover support routers, mostly by manual setup. The router setup steps show where GL.iNet, ASUS and TP-Link put the VPN client.
• Some routers let you pick which devices use the VPN. ASUS says VPN Fusion assigns different devices to different tunnels, with other devices on the normal connection, so only the TV needs to use the VPN.
• After any setup, run the tool to check if your VPN is working on the device you watch on.

ExpressVPN leads our device ranking, ahead of NordVPN and Surfshark

As of 7 October 2026, ExpressVPN ranks first across devices in our ranking, ahead of NordVPN in second place and Surfshark in third. The ranking across devices shows every score. It leaves out Roku, Samsung and LG, because none of the seven VPNs lists an app for them.

The VPN provider profiles cover each company, and this page is part of our VPN guides.