What is Kodi?
Kodi is a free, open-source, multi-platform media player that features tons of useful plugins and allows you to enjoy streaming multimedia content on a variety of devices – from computers and mobile devices to smart TVs and even Amazon’s FireStick TV.
Why use a VPN with Kodi?
Before we tell you about the best Kodi VPN addon options, let’s first explain why you need one. There are plenty of reasons to add a VPN to Kodi. While the app itself is doing nothing illegal, and the developers have said they do not condone piracy, there is a thriving online community based around sharing copyrighted material. This can get you in trouble in the United States or the European Union, so using Kodi with a VPN is highly recommended.
Even if you’re not worried about streaming content that may get you in trouble, VPN streaming is still recommended for several other reasons. One, by using a good VPN for Kodi you can access geo-restricted content and plugins that may not be available in your country.
Two, when you use a VPN with Kodi, all your data is encrypted, so hackers, advertisers, and even your ISP won’t be able to tell what you’re doing. A good Kodi VPN setup can also protect you from security vulnerabilities found in Kodi itself or one of its numerous addons.
Finally, VPNs can allow you to bypass ISP throttling, which some providers may do when they have particularly congested traffic.
How we rate VPNs
Streaming speed
The most important consideration for a lot of people is how much their streaming will be affected when using a VPN. Top VPN services for Kodi offer excellent speeds, but you’ll still be connecting to a server in another country, quite possibly on the other side of the world. Furthermore, you’re not just connecting through another server and calling it a day – encrypting your data also takes a toll on the speed of your connection. Some VPN providers also tend to limit your connection speed after a certain amount of data has been used up, much like mobile operators do. That said, for streaming purposes you don’t necessarily need the fastest VPN service around.
Privacy and security
In the search for the best Kodi VPN, security and privacy should be considered even more important than speed. Data encryption is the cornerstone here – look for 128-bit as a base line or 256-bit for maximum security. Consider this: a potential hacker would need to sift through a 78-digit pool of potential numbers to crack a 256-bit encryption key. Chances are that anyone short of a government agency won’t have the time, energy, or resources for that.
What about privacy, though? After all, what you watch on your Kodi is something only you should know. The best VPN services for Kodi will keep no logs of your activities and can also help you avoid online surveillance and censorship in countries such as China and Saudi Arabia. Another consideration is where the company is located. If it’s based in the United States or a European Union country that is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance, it may be forced to divulge your streaming data to the government despite a no-logging policy.
Bonus features
Speed, privacy, and security are important, but there is more to being the best VPN provider around. First off, does your provider give you unlimited monthly bandwidth, or is there a cap after a certain amount of data has been used up? Furthermore, good VPNs for Kodi will have an automatic kill switch, which ensures that if you lose connection to one of the servers, your internet will automatically be cut off.
By using the best VPN for Kodi, you’ll also be able to make use of advanced security features such as double encryption or protection from DNS leaks. Another annoying aspect of streaming services is advertising, and a good Kodi proxy can deal with that, too. Finally, using a Kodi VPN addon can get around geo-locked content and apps, giving you unlimited access to region-locked streams such as Hulu and specific Kodi addons that only work in certain countries.
Ease of use
When it comes to choosing the best VPNs Kodi works with, ease of use is another factor you should consider carefully. How hard is it to set up the VPN for Kodi? Is the interface user-friendly and suited to whatever device you are using Kodi on? A good VPN service for Kodi will tick all these boxes and using it should be seamless. Finally, should something go wrong, customer support should be there to answer all your questions and concerns.
Price and value
VPN cost is a big factor for many consumers. While generally not an expensive investment, VPNs do differ in what they offer for the price, so the value that a service provides can be a decisive factor in picking the best VPN service for Kodi. The best VPN for the money will have a good mix of security, privacy, speed, and price. Many people also search for free trials or even completely free VPN solutions. This is generally a bad idea, as even the best free Kodi VPN options are much slower and less secure than your average paid solution. We’ll get into more detail about that in our FAQ below.