NordVPN for streaming in 2026: its Netflix scores, TV apps and SmartDNS

As of October 2026, NordVPN works for streaming. It has the highest Netflix US and Germany research scores of the seven VPNs we cover. It scores 100% with BBC iPlayer (UK) and HBO Max, but 69% across all Netflix libraries. This profile covers each service's score, NordVPN's TV apps, SmartDNS for TVs without one, its own fixes, prices and who should pick it.

NordVPN is second in our streaming ranking, but its Netflix US lead does not carry over to our Netflix ranking, where it is sixth. That ranking uses the research score across all Netflix libraries, and there NordVPN has 69%. On Fire TV it is fourth: NordVPN says its Vega OS app is temporarily missing some features. Surfshark, third there, has Vega OS gaps too, but no device limit and cheaper plans as of 6 October 2026.

Positions among the seven VPNs we cover, scores out of 10. A VPN with too little research data for a use case is not ranked there. Our research, 19 October 2026.

The score combines how well each VPN works in practice in our research, device compatibility, features, and price and refunds. How we rank explains how rankings work on this site.

NordVPN's research scores for each streaming service

NordVPN scores 94% or more with BBC iPlayer (UK), Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu (US) and ESPN in our research (October 2026). Netflix is its most uneven service. A library is one country's catalog of a service, and NordVPN's Netflix scores run from 81% to 100% by library, and 69% across all of them.

Each research score sums up the recent evidence we gathered for NordVPN with one service, in one country or across all of them. A score of 100% means all the recent evidence we gathered says the VPN works. A lower score means some of it says the service blocked NordVPN, or that NordVPN worked only on some servers, and no score promises that every server works. The scores cover NordVPN's VPN on any device, not one app, and they do not cover SmartDNS.

Source: whatworks.tech research, October 2026. 100% means all recent evidence says NordVPN works with that service or library. "Not enough data" means too little recent evidence for a score. Checked October 2026.

NordVPN scores 100% with HBO Max (in the US and across all libraries) and BBC iPlayer (UK), 98% to 100% with Disney+ and 98% with Hulu (US). Its weakest score, 69% across all Netflix libraries, is lower than four of the VPNs we cover, led by IPVanish at 83%. Our research does not yet have enough data for a NordVPN score with YouTube TV, Peacock or Paramount+. Our HBO Max page lists NordVPN's seven fixes for HBO Max.

Under Disney's US agreement, Hulu and ESPN are available only in the United States and some of its territories. Their scores are for the US library, so use a US server for them.

NordVPN with Netflix: the top US and Germany scores

NordVPN works with Netflix in our research (October 2026), and its US (87%) and Germany (88%) scores are the highest of the seven VPNs we cover. It also leads for France with 82%, just above Proton VPN at 81%, and scores 100% for Australia and Canada.

NordVPN trails for the UK and Japan, at 85% and 81%. Proton VPN scores 91% and 85% there, ExpressVPN 88% for the UK and IPVanish 83% for Japan. If one of those libraries matters most, compare every VPN's Netflix scores, library by library.

Whichever VPN you use, Netflix says VPNs are not supported on its ad plans or for live events. When Netflix blocks a NordVPN server, NordVPN's Netflix help advises a different server in the same country, among the other steps listed further down.

NordVPN's TV apps, and the gaps on Vega OS, Roku, Samsung and LG

As of 6 October 2026, NordVPN has TV apps for Fire TV, Android TV and Apple TV, and none for Roku, Samsung or LG TVs.

• App available
• App with limits NordVPN documents
• No app
• Not documented by NordVPN

Source: NordVPN's help pages and app store listings. Checked October 2026.

On Fire TV, NordVPN's app comes from the Amazon Appstore, and NordVPN says first- and second-generation Fire TV Sticks and the Basic Edition cannot run it. Some newer sticks, such as the 4K Select, run Amazon's Vega OS instead. AFTVnews says a version starting with 1 or 2 in Settings › My Fire TV › About means Vega OS. NordVPN has an app for them too, but says it is temporarily missing some features and that Dedicated IP is not supported on Vega OS. So NordVPN has an app for every Fire TV Stick except those three older ones.

NordVPN's Apple TV app is in the tvOS App Store and needs tvOS 17.0 or later. On Android TV, NordVPN offers a native app through Google Play, and both its Android TV and Fire OS apps have split tunneling, which lets chosen apps skip the VPN. The research scores above are not broken down by app.

Roku, Samsung and LG TVs need another route. NordVPN says you can't install its app on Roku, and it suggests the last three options below for TVs without an app:

• a streaming device that runs the NordVPN app, such as a Fire TV Stick, an Android TV box or an Apple TV, plugged into the TV;
• a VPN router, which NordVPN supports on many router systems;
• a computer that shares its NordVPN connection with the TV as a hotspot;
• SmartDNS on some TVs, including LG's. It changes only the TV's network settings, and NordVPN lists eight services for it (see the SmartDNS section below).

NordVPN's streaming features in 2026: SmartDNS, split tunneling and routers

As of October 2026, NordVPN still offers SmartDNS for TVs without its app. It also has split tunneling on Android TV and Fire OS, 10 devices at once and several router options.

NordVPN SmartDNS, now part of SmartPlay

SmartDNS, which NordVPN now includes in a feature called SmartPlay, changes only the DNS servers in a TV's network settings. DNS looks up web addresses, so lookups for the listed services go to NordVPN's servers instead. It does not encrypt your traffic or change your IP address.

Our research has no score for SmartDNS, so we cannot say how well it works in practice. Its list of eight services, mostly US ones, is NordVPN's own. To use it, you allowlist your home connection's public IPv4 address, the address websites see, with NordVPN, which does not support IPv6 yet. NordVPN says to use SmartDNS only on devices that cannot run its VPN app, and that it may not work with every service the VPN does.

Source: NordVPN's SmartDNS help page, with the service names as NordVPN writes them. Checked October 2026.

BBC iPlayer and Hulu are not on the list, and Netflix appears only as "Netflix Originals". Nothing we read from NordVPN says SmartDNS gives a TV a particular country's Netflix catalog, so it is no reason to choose NordVPN for Netflix. If the service you want is missing, use one of the other routes in the TV apps section above.

Split tunneling, devices, protocols and routers

Split tunneling lets a TV keep one local service off NordVPN while the rest stays on it.

Source: NordVPN help pages, pricing page and Amazon Appstore listing. Checked October 2026.

If two TVs connect to the same NordVPN server, set them to different protocols, such as NordLynx on one and OpenVPN on the other. A protocol is the method the app uses to connect, and in the Fire TV app, that setting is in Settings, the cogwheel at the bottom left. GL.iNet routers on firmware 4.7 or later have NordVPN built into their WireGuard client.

Which NordVPN server to pick, and NordVPN's own steps when Netflix blocks it

To stream with NordVPN, connect to a server in the country whose catalog you want, then open the streaming app. A VPN makes your device look as if it is in the server's country, and Netflix shows the catalog of the country it places you in.

On Fire TV, NordVPN's app connects with Quick Connect or from a Countries section that lists recent, popular and A-to-Z locations. The guide to choosing a server on a Fire TV Stick shows where to pick the country. When Netflix blocks the server, NordVPN's Netflix help includes these steps, in this order:

1. Run an online DNS leak test with NordVPN connected: every DNS server it shows should belong to the VPN, not to your internet provider.
2. Close Netflix, connect to a different server in the same country, and open Netflix again.
3. Clear the Netflix app's cache on Android, or reinstall the app on iPhone and iPad.
4. Turn off any third-party web protection, and turn off DNS over HTTPS (also called Secure DNS) in your browser.
5. If Netflix still shows the wrong region, connect to the server you want and create a new Netflix profile. NordVPN says switching regions often on one profile can lock that profile's region.

The VPN steps for Netflix error E106 set these next to other VPN companies' advice. If BBC iPlayer stops playing, NordVPN's own iPlayer help starts with a DNS leak test, then another server in the same country. The BBC says iPlayer will not play when it detects a possible VPN. In the UK, split tunneling in NordVPN's Android TV or Fire OS app can keep iPlayer off the VPN while the rest stays on it.

YouTube TV says it will not stream while a VPN or proxy is connected, and our research (October 2026) has too little data on NordVPN with it. If YouTube TV stops playing at home in the US, keep it outside the VPN with split tunneling on Android TV or Fire OS. Otherwise, disconnect NordVPN while you watch. Our guide to YouTube TV's verify location prompt and VPN problems sets out what NordVPN's help page says about it.

What NordVPN says about streaming, and how it presents SmartDNS

NordVPN's Netflix help page discusses changing the region Netflix shows you. Its SmartDNS and SmartPlay articles present them as ways to get content from another region or from home. Neither its Netflix nor its Prime Video help page tells you to use a server in your current country. These are NordVPN's own positions rather than a description of what works.

Source: NordVPN help center. Checked October 2026.

Other VPN companies' help pages are stricter. ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access and Proton VPN say to use a server in the country where you are, and Surfshark says to use your home country's. The research scores above show what NordVPN's servers do in practice.

NordVPN prices: three plans, and the priciest includes a Dedicated IP

NordVPN sells three plans, and the most expensive one includes a Dedicated IP. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on first purchases, time enough to check the services you watch on your own TV. The price table shows all three plans as an EU visitor saw them on 6 October 2026, on the 2-year term with 3 extra months, with their yearly renewal prices.

NordVPN also has a 7-day free trial on 1- and 2-year plans in 15 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. The trial needs a card or PayPal. Renewals are billed yearly and cost more per month than the first term, so check the renewal price before you buy.

Introductory prices shown to a visitor in the EU on 11 October 2026. VAT may apply.

NordVPN is a Nord Security product, and Surfshark says it merged with Nord Security

NordVPN is a product of Nord Security, and the seller named in app stores is Nordvpn S.A. Surfshark's profile notes that Surfshark says it merged with Nord Security in 2022 and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Who owns each VPN is set out side by side for all seven VPNs we cover.

Netflix US and Germany viewers get the most from NordVPN

NordVPN fits you best if you watch Netflix US or Germany on Fire TV, Android TV or Apple TV. It is a weaker choice if you need more than 10 devices at once, or a Vega OS app with no features missing.

Source: whatworks.tech research, October 2026; provider help and pricing pages. Checked October 2026.

For streaming as a whole, only ExpressVPN ranks above NordVPN. In our research (October 2026), ExpressVPN scores 95% or more with BBC iPlayer (UK), Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and Hulu (US), and 78% across all Netflix libraries.

Where to go next

• What Netflix and the VPN companies officially say: Netflix's rules and each provider's help-page advice, side by side.
• Fix Netflix error E106: what the message means, with fixes for VPN users and for everyone else.
• What Vega OS VPN apps leave out: NordVPN's Vega OS gaps beside the other providers' apps.
• Our seven ranked streaming VPNs: the whole ranking, with picks by service and device.