Watching Netflix with a VPN on a Firestick is a little trickier than it is on a laptop or smartphone.
Firestick doesn’t support every VPN out there and this can make it tricky finding a VPN that works well with Netflix.
IF you’ve been watching Netflix on your Firestick with a VPN and it’s suddenly stopped working, your VPN is no longer getting around Netflix’s VPN blocking methods.
Luckily there are a couple of things you can do. Continue reading to find out what to if Netflix is not working with your VPN on a Firestick.
See also:
- VPN not working with Hulu on your Firestick? Try these EASY fixes (September 2023)
- Surfshark not working on Firestick? Here’s how to FIX that! (September 2023)
Netflix not working with VPN on Firestick: Fixes
Follow these fixes in order, if one doesn’t work, move onto the next one until you can watch Netflix on your Firestick with a VPN again.
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Clean your Firestick cache/data
Cleaning your cache is essentially the “turn it off and turn it on again” solution for your Firestick apps.
If your VPN has stopped working, it may have run into an error that can be fixed with a restart.
Cleaning your cache will restore your VPN to its default settings and this could fix the error that’s making it not work on your Firestick.
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Change to a different protocol
VPNs use different protocols. These are a set of rules that the VPN follows when providing you with a anonymous internet connection.
Some of these protocols prioritise security while others prioritise speed.
Your VPN might not be working on your Firestick because the protocol you’re using is no longer providing a secure anonymous connection.
Try changing to a different protocol to fix this issue.
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Reinstall your VPN
While not the most technical or in-depth solution, if it works, it works.
Reinstalling your VPN will give you a fresh install of the app and any errors your current installation may have, will be erased.
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Change to a different server
If your VPN has suddenly stopped working on your Firestick, Netflix has blocked the IP address your VPN has given you.
Changing to a different server will give you a different IP address and if that one hasn’t been blocked, Netflix will work with your Firestick again.
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Upgrade to a better VPN
If you’ve made it this far then unfortunately Netflix has identified and blocked all the IP addresses your VPN can provide.
This has happened because the measures your VPN uses to stay ahead of Netflix’s IP blocks are no longer working.
Your VPN will need to fix this issue on its end, however this could take a long time and there’s always a possibility that your VPN won’t fix the issue.
The easiest and best way to resolve this is to upgrade to a better VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month). ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) has measures in place that prevent you from running into the same problems you’ve come across with your current VPN.
When a streaming service identifies and blocks an IP provided by ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) the VPN will close that IP and open a new one. This ensures you can watch Netflix reliably on Firestick anywhere in the world.
Why Netflix has stopped working with your VPN on a Firestick?
I spoke to a couple of VPN providers to find out why some providers might struggle to unblock Netflix on the Firestick. The response I got wasn’t very detailed, or clear – probably to protect their company’s intellectual property.
However, the problem seems to be that the Firestick is unique in how it lets third-party apps access core information about the device. Which makes it easier for makes it easier for apps to detect that a VPN is being used in the background.
Before we go any further, it’s important to state the obvious. The Amazon Firestick is a budget device with budget specs. If you’re looking for the best streaming experience while using a VPN, a laptop and an HDMI lead is the best option.
That said, the convenience the Firestick provides is unrivalled. So, if you want to keep using your Firestick with a VPN to watch Netflix, then the single best thing you can do is use a good VPN.
I recommend ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) as these two providers always have (fast) servers that work with US, UK, Canadian – and many other region’s – Netflix’s.
How does Netflix block VPNs?
Streaming services block VPNs by monitoring for an abnormal amount of connections coming from the same IP address provided by the VPN.
VPNs are incredibly popular and due to their popularity they have a lot of customers. For lesser VPNs this can be a problem because they cannot provide enough IP addresses so each customer has their own IP. When this happens customers are forced to share IP addresses.
Normally, only 8-10 devices or a small household worth of devices will connect to Netflix via the same IP address. Because lesser VPNs force their customers to share IPs, hundred or even thousands of devices now use the same IP and Netflix deems that as abnormal.
Once the IP address has been identified as abnormal it’s blocked and you’ll no longer be able to access Netflix using that IP.
Over time Netflix is able to identify all of the IP addresses your VPN can provide and your VPN will no longer work on Firestick.
Do VPNs still work on Firestick?
The VPNs that still work on Firestick are the ones that have measures to get around these VPN blocks.
The best VPNs for Firestick are ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month).
When a streaming service blocks an IP address that has been provided by these VPNs, ExpressVPN ($6.67/month) or Private Internet Access ($2.03/month) will close that IP and open a new one.
This simple measure will allow you to reliably use a VPN on your Firestick, and it ensures that you never run into the same issues you’ve come across again.
The best VPNs on Firestick
1. ExpressVPN 🥇
Why You Should Use ExpressVPN? It’s the fastest and MOST reliable VPN of 2023
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
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Number of servers: 3,000+ | Speed: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 160 in 94 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $6.66/month for 15 months
- $9.99/month for 6 months
- $12.95/month for 1 month
ExpressVPN ($6.66/month) is still the best VPN. And importantly, it ALWAYS has servers that are open with major streaming sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
ExpressVPN is usually very good at playing Cat and Mouse with online streaming sites. Meaning, whenever one of its servers is blacklisted it creates a new one – giving its users a constant stream of servers that aren’t blocked. Needless to say, this is a valuable attribute if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock streaming sites.
Its app is easy-to-use and free to download on pretty much any device you can think of. Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, FireStick, Android TV, Roku, PS4, Xbox, Linux, even Apple TV (with a workaround). It’s got it all covered.
The app is another main reason this VPN is so good at unblocking TV streaming sites (that claim they block VPNs) is that its software takes a pragmatic approach to user management. While other VPNs tempt customers by promising them access to hundreds/thousands of servers in multiple countries, ExpressVPN does things differently.
With ExpressVPN you only have a handful of server locations to choose from. Once you select your location the app takes care of the rest. Assigning you to the fastest available server that’s not oversubscribed. This simple technique is so important, as it keeps ExpressVPN’s servers operating at lightning-fast speeds and prevents its IPs from getting blacklisted for “abnormal” usage in the first place.
Check out our full ExpressVPN review.
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2. NordVPN 🥈
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ No logs
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 6-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 5,000+ | Speeds: >80% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 62 countries | Devices supported: 6 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $3.49/month for 2 years
- $6.99/month for 1 year
- $11.95/month for 1 month
NordVPN is the most widely-used VPN in the world. And it’s easy to see why. It’s a polished app that delivers fast connections (more on this later) to a massive network of VPN servers.
It’s the most reliable at unblocking popular streaming services too – US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. This is because NordVPN hired a full-time technical team (that’s responsible for monitoring its servers’ connections with popular TV streaming services) and has been aggressively investing in its network of IP addresses in key locations.
Another interesting thing to note is that NordVPN is an industry leader in its development of Nordlynx technology. Nordlynx is built using the WireGuard, a new VPN tunneling protocol designed to outperform current standards (OpenVPN and IPSec). The benefits, according to NordVPN, are dramatically faster transfer speeds while connected to a VPN. My tests – New Zealand to London – confirm that Nordlynx is currently the fastest VPN on the market. However, the difference isn’t dramatic, a few Mbps is all.
Read our NordVPN review.
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3. Private Internet Access
The BEST low-cost VPN for streaming!
Pros
- ✅ Fast and reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 10-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- ❌ Only 48 server locations
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for a 3-year plan with Private Internet Access and save 83% + 3 months free. That works out at $2.03/month.
Number of servers: 25,000+ | Speed: >75% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 70 in 74 countries | Devices supported: 10 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.03/month for 3 years
- $7.50/month for 6 months
- $11.99/month for 1 month
Private Internet Access is one of the leading no-log VPN services with over 1-million paying customers.
This VPN is one of the best in the industry at beating streaming sites’ VPN bans. It provides reliable connections with US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+ Amazon Prime Video, etc. It also allows 10 simultaneous devices to be connected to its servers at the same time, so you can share the account with your close friends.
If – for whatever reason – you’re not happy with Private Internet Access, there’s a 24/7 live chat support available to assist you with your problem. PIA also offers the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee.
From my tests (from New Zealand) I was able to get download speeds of 70 Mbps while connected to a UK server using the Private Internet Access VPN (my non-VPN speed is 100 Mbps).
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4. Ivacy
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ Fast servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ Dedicated streaming servers
- ✅ 5-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ 24/7 Live Chat
Cons
- ❌ Only 5 devices
- ❌ Sometimes runs slow
- ❌ Occasionally block by streaming sites for several days
Special Offer for you!
Sign up for Ivacy and enjoy a 7-day trial with no strings attached
Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $1.16/month for 5 years
- $3.50/month for 1 year
- $9.99/month for 1 month
If you’re looking for an excellent VPN, with an even better price tag, Ivacy ($1.16/month) is a great option.
This VPN has all the features you need to stream BBC iPlayer, in HD, from any country in the world. I’ve been testing the app recently on Mac, PC, Android, iOS and FireStick and the results have been impressive – unlocking BBC iPlayer, US Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, etc. with ease.
The Ivacy app is a little different in regards to its UX (user experience). Instead of just selecting a UK server, you need to select the specific BBC iPlayer server. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bad thing – by connecting to a dedicated BBC iPlayer server, it simply means that you’re connecting to an IP address that Ivacy knows works with BBC iPlayer.
For an extra $1.99/month (£1.74) you can add-on a dedicated IP. This will buy you sole access to an IP address in a country of your choice, meaning you won’t have to share your IP (and speeds) with any other use. I don’t recommend this though, using the regular Ivacy servers is enough 95 per cent of the time.
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5. CyberGhost
A very quick and trustworthy VPN
Pros
- ✅ 1-day free trial
- ✅ Reliable servers
- ✅ Thousands of IP addresses
- ✅ 7-simultaneous connections
- ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee
- ✅ Easy-to-use app
Cons
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Average speed scores
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Number of servers: 1,000+ | Speed: >65% | Bandwidth: Unlimited | IP locations: 275 in 100 countries | Devices supported: 5 | Live chat: Yes | 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
- $2.75/month for 3 years
- $3.69/month for 2 years
- $5.99/month for 1 year
- $12.99/month for 1 month
CyberGhost is one of the more established VPNs on the market. It has a well-established, and well-tested global network of servers that perform well.
From my tests over the past several months, CyberGhost has no trouble at unblocking major streaming services – US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max etc. This VPN performed well at maintaining download speeds, well above 65 per cent of my regular (non VPN) ISP speed.
That said, there’s nothing really unique about the service. Which forces you to look at its price-point. And there’s nothing special here. Its short-term $12.99/month price tag puts is well above the industry average of $10.10/month. Similarly, its long-term $2.75/month for 3 years deal isn’t much of a “deal” either.
Oddly, CyberGhost’s most unique feature is its a 1-day, no obligations, free trial. This is an appealing offer to customers who are new to VPNs. However, it’s important to remember that most reputable VPNs will offer customers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so try not to be too seduced by the offer.
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Is watching Netflix with a VPN legal?
In most countries, using a VPN is legal. There are only a handful of countries (spot the authoritarianism link) where using a VPN is illegal; these are: China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, North Korea, Iraq, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Seychelles, Suriname, Namibia, Slovenia, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
If you’re outside these countries and are using a VPN, you’re legally allowed to do so. However, it’s important to know that using a VPN with some streaming services may breach that service’s terms of use.
If you subscribe to a streaming service, you automatically accept its terms of use. If we look at Netflix’s terms of use, it states, “You may access the Netflix content primarily within the country in which you have established your account and only in geographic locations where we offer our service and have licensed such content.” And “You also agree not to circumvent, remove, alter, deactivate, degrade or thwart any of the content protections in the Netflix service; use any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means to access the Netflix service… We may terminate or restrict your use of our service if you violate these Terms of Use or are engaged in illegal or fraudulent use of the service.”
This means, Netflix can stop your subscription and ban you from the streaming service if you try to access its content with a VPN turned on.
However, given the wide-spread use of VPNs, plus the many legitimate and legal use cases for VPNs, it’s fair to suggest that banning customers for using a VPN would be a heavy-handed and financially costly policy for Netflix (and other streaming services) to enforce.
If you’re trying to watch Netflix in a region where it does not traditionally operate or you’re trying to change the location of the Netflix library, you risk having your account banned. In theory. However, as the best VPNs for Netflix use military-grade encryption it is impossible for Netflix to trace where you’re physically accessing its content from.
There’s one final thing to note on the subject: Netflix has never banned anyone for using a VPN to access its service.
For more information you can check out our article answering Is streaming with a VPN legal?
