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The Independent
19-03-2025
- The Independent
Best VPNs for Amazon Fire TV stick 2025, tried and tested by an expert
Trying to choose one of the best VPNs to use alongside your Amazon Fire TV stick can feel a little overwhelming, as there are lots of options available. However, we're here to help. We've thoroughly tested some of the most popular Fire TV stick VPN apps currently on the market to make your decision a little easier. VPNs stop others from seeing what you're doing online and where you're located. These virtual private networks work by masking key information such as your IP address and encrypting your connection, making it appear as though you're practically anywhere else in the world. In essence, a VPN creates a secure tunnel between your device and a remote server. We've selected five of the most popular Fire TV stick VPN services in 2025 and tested their real-world performance using a UK home wifi connection. The tests were carried out using an Amazon Fire TV stick 4K max over a high-speed full-fibre home broadband connection (via wifi) on a weekday evening – a reasonable reflection of how the majority of users are likely to use Fire TV sticks. How we tested For a fair speed comparison, we established baseline speeds for both wifi and Ethernet connections, using without turning on any of the VPN services. These baseline tests were then followed by testing with each VPN connected, so speed differences for each VPN could then be worked out as a percentage of their respective baseline results. Three main metrics were measured: Download speeds: the rate at which data can be pulled from the internet to your device – crucial for streaming, downloading files, and general browsing. Upload speeds: how quickly you can send data from your device to the internet – important for video calls, cloud backups, and sharing large files. Ping (latency): the time it takes for your device to communicate with a server, measured in milliseconds (ms) – crucial for gaming and real-time applications. All tests were conducted using each app's default settings, as most users want a simple interface. For some extra context, Netflix recommends a minimum of 15 Mbps for 4K content, and 5 Mbps for HD content — a useful benchmark for assessing whether a VPN's impact on speeds will affect video streaming. For each service, we also tested connections to both UK and US servers to evaluate both local and long-distance performance. Every Fire TV stick VPN app we tested managed to successfully connect to every streaming service, including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and more. Why you can trust us Esat Dedazade is a freelance writer, journalist, and content creator with more than 14 years of experience covering tech news and reviews. For The Independent, Esat has conducted considerable research into VPN services, including the ones that are best for Android users as well as for Amazon Fire TV sticks. He's used VPNs to keep his online activity private from intrusive trackers, and also uses the services for work, so he can access county-specific webpages for product information and pricing. The recommendations below are based on his real-world testing, as well as the comparison of each service's features.
The Independent
25-02-2025
- The Independent
Best VPNs for Android 2025: On-the-go privacy at the tap of a button
Choosing one of the best VPNs for Android can be tricky, as there are so many to choose from. That's why we've tested some of the most popular Android VPN apps available, to help make your decision that little bit easier. Before we dive into the details, it might be worth briefly recapping what a VPN is, and why you might want one. A virtual private network (aka VPN) enables you to prevent others from seeing what you're doing online, and from where you're connecting to the internet. It works by masking key information, such as your IP address and encrypting your connection to make it look as though you're browsing from somewhere else in the world, by creating a secure tunnel between your device and the VPN's remote server. The best VPNs even offer independently audited no-log policies, which means they don't store any data on your online activity. Either way, using one of the best VPNs for Android is a sensible way to increase your online security and privacy, at the tap of a button. How we tested We've tested five of the most popular Android VPN apps in 2025, to evaluate their real-world performance across wifi and 5G connections. The tests were carried out on a Nubia Z70 Ultra Android smartphone, using a high-speed full fibre home broadband connection via wifi and a 5G mobile connection – a reflection of how most people are likely to use their Android smartphones and tablets in the real world. Note the 5G (and general mobile signal) in our reviewer's area is pretty poor, hence the lower 5G speeds. To ensure fair speed comparisons, we established baseline speeds for both wifi and 5G connections, using without any VPN active, immediately followed by testing with each VPN connected. These baseline speed tests were carried out prior to each VPN being tested, so speed differences for each VPN could then be worked out as a percentage of their respective baseline results. We measured three key metrics: Download speeds: The rate at which data can be pulled from the internet to your device – crucial for streaming, downloading files, and general browsing. Upload speeds: How quickly you can send data from your device to the internet – important for video calls, cloud backups, and sharing large files. Ping (latency): The time it takes for your device to communicate with a server, measured in milliseconds (ms) – crucial for gaming and real-time applications. All tests were conducted using each app's default protocol settings, to represent an example of typical real-world one-tap usage. For additional context, Netflix recommends a minimum of 15 Mbps (megabits per second) for viewing 4K content, and 5 Mbps for HD content. This gives us a practical benchmark for assessing whether a VPN's impact on connection speeds will affect a common use case such as streaming content from home while travelling abroad. For each service, we tested connections to UK and US servers to evaluate both local and long-distance performance. Security testing included checking for DNS leaks (where your real location might be exposed through domain name requests), which was carried out using We also verified kill switch functionality, where available – which automatically cuts your internet connection if the VPN drops, to prevent any accidental exposure of your real location or browsing activity – by disrupting our internet connection and looking for any changes in the reported IP addresses. Note that every VPN service below passed both the DNS leak and kill switch tests Why you can trust us Esat Dedezade has more than 15 years of experience testing and writing about tech. He's used VPNs to keep his online activity private from intrusive trackers. He also uses a VPN regularly for work, letting him access country-specific webpages for product information and pricing. The below recommendations are based on his real-world testing, as well as the comparison of each service's features.
