Best VPN for Kodi in 2020

Kodi is a mainstream streaming media player and one of the leading in home entertainment. Besides, accessing your local content, Kodi gives you the ability to stream content from the internet. To experience the full potential of Kodi, you need to pair it with the best VPN for Kodi. The VPN ensures that you get access to a plethora of online entertainment content and even unlock geo-restricted content. With the recent copyright crackdowns and ongoing bans, it is sensible to use a VPN to keep your privacy and security intact.

What is Kodi?

Kodi is an open-source media player from the XBMC Foundation. It is one of the most popular media players for streaming content from the internet. Kodi can handle movies, TV shows, music, photos, PVR, files, and so much more. Additionally, it comes with many customization options, a sleek and intuitive user interface, and also works with gamepads, remote controls, and support many integrations. Kodi is compatible with most computing and smart TV platforms including, Windows, OSX, iOS, Android, Linux, and Raspberry Pi.

Besides compatibility, its real streaming power comes from its ability to support various streaming add-ons. Kodi supports both official and unofficial add-ons. The third-party add-ons offer users more content, and this is the major reason why Kodi is very popular. Moreover, content from these third-party add-ons has also attracted various other attention from authorities such as copyright agencies. To avoid treading on the gray areas and unlock the full steaming potential of Kodi, you need to use the best VPN for Kodi.

Pros and Cons for the best VPNs for Kodi

What to look for in the best VPN for Kodi

There are many VPNs in the market that claim to work smoothly with Kodi. The bad news, not all VPNs can handle the feat of unlocking the full potential of Kodi. Here is what we considered when picking the best VPN for Kodi.

• Kodi Compatibility: Kodi is compatible with almost all computing devices and platforms. The best VPN for Kodi should also be compatible with Kodi devices and offer extensive compatibility via routers.
• Privacy and security: Kodi add-ons get content from various sources on the internet. The best VPN for Kodi should, therefore, have the ability to offer internet privacy and security. This is through secure encryption, a strict no-log policy, a kill switch, and other security and privacy-centric features.
• Streaming Performance: The best VPNs for Kodi should offer the best streaming experience with no lags or buffering whatsoever. These VPNs should have unlimited bandwidth, fast speeds, and overall balanced performance between speed and security.
• Servers and Locations: To be able to unlock content and access geo-restricted content, the best VPN for Kodi should have wide server coverage. Moreover, these servers should also be customized to support fast speeds and heavy loads.
• Support P2P traffic: P2P is one of the various sources where Kodi pulls content. P2P content makes a large percentage of steaming content available on the internet. To fully unlock the potential of Kodi, the best VPN for Kodi must support P2P traffic and have other obfuscation features that make sure ISPs do not detect the P2P traffic.

As a bonus, the best VPNs for Kodi should also have excellent customer support or support tutorials. These are essential, especially when installing the VPN to various Kodi streamers.

Best VPN for Kodi

After doing thorough testing on various VPNs, the following VPNs offered the most satisfying VPN and Kodi experience.

1. CyberGhost VPN – Fully featured VPN for Kodi

Max devices supported: 7

Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, browsers and routers

Server location: 90+

No of servers: 6000+

Cost: $2.75/month (3 years plan), $5.99/month (1 year plan), and $12.99/month (Monthly plan)

CyberGhost is a Romanian based VPN, a great jurisdiction with pro-privacy laws. When paired with Kodi, CyberGhost delivers a buffer-free, secure, and private streaming Kodi experience. It has a strict no-log policy and the VPN blocks trackers. You do not have to worry about your Kodi privacy with this VPN service. CyberGhost VPN supports P2P traffic through most servers, and it is fully compatible with Kodi.

This VPN service has an extensive server network of 6000 plus VPN servers across 112 locations in more than 90 countries. This makes it the only VPN service with the largest server network. These servers are optimized for unlimited bandwidth and highest speeds. Its features include military-grade 256-bit AES Encryption, malware blocker, DNS and IP Leak Protection, Automatic Kill Switch, and secure protocols. It also great functionalities that can be realized in its apps.

CyberGhost VPN sports intuitive apps, which feature in-built profiles suitable for various functions such as steaming. This makes it easy when choosing streaming servers for Kodi. It has an excellent 24/7 multilingual customer service, set up tutorials, and it has a CLI app for Linux. CyberGhost offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.

2. IPVanish – Excellent performance for Kodi

Max devices supported 10

Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, browsers and routers

Server location: 75+

No of servers: 1300+

Cost: $6.99/month (1 year plan), $8.99/month (3 months plan), and $10.00/month (Monthly plan)

IPVanish is a top tier VPN service – owns and manages its server network. Top tier VPN services are known for their privacy and incredible speeds. This is what a Kodi VPN looks like. The incredible speeds make IPVanish offer a smooth and buffer-free streaming experience for Kodi. IPVanish is also great at gaining access to most content, including geo-restricted content from various Kodi add-ons. Despite having a US jurisdiction, IPVanish offers privacy to users, it has a strict no-log policy, and it manages its network for privacy purposes.

This VPN service offers over 40,000 plus shared IP addresses via its bare metal server network of 1300 plus servers that span over 75 plus locations. The server network delivers unlimited speeds. Server switches and unlimited bandwidth suitable for an excellent Kodi streaming experience. Its features include Split tunneling, XOR obfuscation, a NAT firewall, 256-bit AES encryption, SOCKS5 web proxy, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and fast, secure protocols. Additionally. P2P traffic is allowed.

IPVanish offers native apps for various platforms. The apps are easy to use, and they offer a user-friendly interface with a bundle of features. It has an excellent customer service with 24/7 customer support and various tutorials on how to set up the VPN apps on multiple platforms. Its subscription plans carry a 7-day money-back guarantee.

3. NordVPN – Advanced security for Kodi

Max devices supported: 6

Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, browsers and routers

Server location: 58+

No of servers: 5600+

Cost:  $3.49/month (3 year plan), $4.99/month (2 year plan), $6.99/month (1 year plan), and $11.95/month (Monthly plan)

Besides fast speeds and unlimited bandwidth, streaming on Kodi also requires impeccable security. NordVPN is known for its top-notch performance when offering advanced security and privacy. Headquartered in Panama, NordVPN service enjoys great jurisdiction with no mandatory data retention laws. Furthermore, Panama is not under the direct influence of privacy breaching and spying agencies. Combining the jurisdiction with the VPN’s strict no-log policy, Nord VPN ensures your privacy, and you only know your Kodi streaming activities.

This VPN service has security and privacy-centric features that complement its network. Its large server network comprises of 5600 plus servers geographically spread in 58 countries. The servers support P2P traffic and offer fast speeds. The remarkable features include next-gen AES 256 bit encryption, double VPN encryption, XOR obfuscation, Kill switch, Cybersec, onion over VPN, dedicated IP, and DNS leak protection.

NordVPN offers extensive support regarding on how to use the service on Kodi and related devices. Its unified native apps are straightforward and easy to use. Its award-winning customer services also ensure your problems with NordVPN are Kodi are always solved on time. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on its subscriptions.

4. ExpressVPN – A great overall Kodi streaming experience

Max devices supported: 5

Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, browsers, consoles, and routers

Server location: 94+

No of servers: 3000+

Cost:  $8.32/month (1 year plan), $9.99/month (6 months plan), and $12.95/month (Monthly plan)

ExpressVPN is an all-round VPN performer with one of the best Kodi experience. It is known for gaining access to various content and bypassing various restrictions easily and quickly. This VPN service offers excellent speeds, balanced performance, and it offers native VPN apps to most platforms compatible with Kodi. Based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), ExpressVPN enjoys a great jurisdiction with no mandatory data retention laws. Additionally, this jurisdiction is also unreachable by privacy breaching agencies. With its strict zero log policy, ExpressVPN offers reliable privacy.

The VPN service has a great server coverage with a network of 3000 plus servers across 160 locations in 94 countries. The servers are optimized for unlimited bandwidth, speed and can handle P2P traffic. Furthermore, this VPN services sports impressive features that help it in delivering an excellent service. The features include the best in class AES encryption, split tunneling, automatic kill switch, Trusted Server technology, Zero-knowledge DNS, and DNS & IPv6 Leak protection.

ExpressVPN has excellent customer service, and its support page has setup instructions for compatible devices. Its native apps are easy to use, and they sport an intuitive, user-friendly interface. The desktop apps feature an inbuilt speed tool, which identifies the fast servers. The VPN service offers a risk and hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee on its subscriptions.

5. VyprVPN – Well optimized for Kodi streaming

Max devices supported: 5

Supported platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and routers

Server location: 70+

No of servers: 700+

Cost: $2.50/month (2 year plan), $3.75/month (1 year plan), and $12.95/month (Monthly plan)

VyprVPN is another top-tier VPN with a proprietary Chameleon security protocol. This combination gives VyprVPN the capability to offer fast speeds, incredible security, and the recommended level of privacy suitable for Kodi since it is a no-log VPN. Additionally, VyprVPN unblocks restricted content with easy, and it can scramble your VPN traffic, a nifty security feature that thwarts ISPs, prying eyes, and copyright agency trackers.

Although its server network is not as vast as the rest of the VPNs in this list, what it lacks in size, VyprVPN makes up for it in terms of performance. Its network comprises of 700 plus servers spread across 70 plus locations. These top tier servers offer unlimited bandwidth and lightning-fast speeds for HD Kodi streaming. Its features include 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, NAT firewall, VyprDNS, and VyprVPN cloud.

VyprVPN has a well-informed multilingual customer service backed up by various setup and troubleshooting guides. It has one-click easy to use apps with a user-friendly interface. Its pricing plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Conclusion

Kodi streaming is one of a kind; it brings your entertainment in one place. With its ability to offer content via third-party add-ons, your home entertainment will never be the same. To fully enjoy Kodi and maximize its potential, it’s recommended to use the best VPN for Kodi; this ensures your privacy is secure, guarantees a secure internet connection, bypass ISP throttling, and unblock various geo-restricted content.

FAQs

Is Kodi Legal?

Yes, Kodi is legal and free to use. Things become complicated when Kodi is used for illegal streaming via unofficial add-ons. Copyright infringement is a serious crime. Always use a VPN.

Can I use a free VPN for Kodi?

Free VPNs are not suitable for Kodi streaming. They have limited bandwidth, poor speeds, few servers, and some bombard you with ads and even malware. Although there are great free VPNs, they still have limitations.

Is a VPN kill switch necessary for Kodi?

Yes, a kill switch ensures your connection is secure and private when the VPN connection temporarily drops. This feature ensures no traffic transits your system while the VPN is down.

Will a VPN improve my internet speeds?

Generally, no, a VPN reduces your speeds by a certain percentage due to the encryption overhead. At times, your speed may improve if your ISP is throttling it.

Why do I need a VPN for Kodi?

A VPN for Kodi is necessary for security, privacy, avoiding ISP throttling and prying eyes, and finally, to access geo-restricted and blocked content.