Best VPN for LG Smart TV: Five That Work With webOS

Search the LG Content Store for a VPN, and the result is empty. LG’s webOS system has no VPN apps, so the download-and-connect routine from a phone or laptop doesn’t exist on the TV. Meanwhile, the streaming apps on it still check your location, and the shows that are blocked abroad stay blocked.

A VPN can still fix that, but only by working at the router or through another device on your network. That narrows the choice, because some VPNs suit a webOS TV far better than others. Out of the 25+ VPNs we’ve tested, five do, and the setup steps are further down.

What a VPN Does on an LG Smart TV

Streaming apps on an LG TV pick the catalog to show from your IP address, the number that tells websites where you are. A VPN swaps it for one from another country, so the TV loads that country’s catalog instead of your own. That’s how Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, ITVX, or SBS On Demand become watchable from abroad.

The same swap covers three common situations:

• Unblocking regional libraries on Netflix, HBO Max, ESPN+, and YouTube TV (our guide on how to change your location on YouTube TV covers the account side).
• Following live sports and news from your home country while traveling.
• Unblocking whole services, such as BBC iPlayer, Hulu, or Canal+, that aren’t offered in your current country.

A VPN installed on the router also encrypts your traffic, which hides your viewing from your ISP and makes it harder to throttle your bandwidth at peak hours.

That suits a setup built around Plex, Kodi, or IPTV. Smart DNS, the other method, unblocks apps but adds no encryption.

LG Smart TV VPNs Compared

Because webOS can’t install a VPN app, Smart DNS and router support determine how each VPN works on an LG TV. All five work with older and newer LG models, since the setup happens outside the TV.

	NordVPN	ExpressVPN	PIA VPN	Proton VPN	Surfshark
Speed Loss	7.8%	7.8%	12.7%	10.2%	9.6%
Smart DNS	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Router Setup	Setup guides for most routers	Custom firmware and its own Aircove router	Manual setup, broad router support	Manual setup on a router	Manual setup, step-by-step guides
Unblocked	Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer	Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer	Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Channel 4	Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max	Netflix US, Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer
Didn’t Unblock	None	None	Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video	Hulu, Pluto TV, ITVX	ITVX
Countries	152	113	112	149	100
Free Trial	3 days	3 days	7 days	No	7 days
Free VPN	No	No	No	Yes	No
Starting Price	About $3.50/mo	About $3/mo	About $2/mo	About $3/mo	About $2.50/mo
Connections	10	10-14	Unlimited	10	Unlimited

Speed loss is the average drop in download speed across UK, US, and Japanese servers compared with a connection without a VPN. The unblocking results come from the same tests on 14 streaming services.

Best VPNs for LG Smart TV

1. NordVPN: Best for Most LG TV Setups

NordVPN is where we’d begin, because it supports both ways around webOS. Smart DNS is a setting you enable in your account: it reroutes only the lookups that tell a streaming app where you are, so the TV loads another country’s catalog without a VPN connection.

A router setup goes further and encrypts everything, which is the method we prefer. In our tests, Smart DNS worked with ESPN Select outside the USA. A router connection also unblocks more than 25 Netflix libraries.

That’s enough to make NordVPN the best VPN for Netflix. Its site has setup guides for most routers, and the NordLynx protocol keeps streams free of buffering at every resolution. The Basic plan costs about $3.50 a month on a two-year term, and the money-back guarantee leaves time to check your streaming apps before you commit.

Visit NordVPN

2. ExpressVPN: Best for Router Setups

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs to set up on a router, with custom firmware for popular models. Once the router is connected, the TV and every other device on your Wi-Fi go through ExpressVPN, and the LG itself requires no changes. Firmware exists only for certain models, so check ExpressVPN’s supported router list before buying a new one.

Its Lightway protocol was built in-house for speed. The two-year plan costs about $3 a month and has no data cap, so a long 4K evening doesn’t use up an allowance. For a TV that can’t install an app, MediaStreamer, its Smart DNS feature, unblocks US services such as Netflix US, Pluto TV, and ESPN+.

Sports fans can use the same setup to watch Wimbledon for free or follow MotoGP. The feature list is short, and an LG TV uses none of the extras anyway. The apps are simple, which makes the initial router setup less intimidating from a phone or laptop.

Visit ExpressVPN

3. Private Internet Access: Best Low-Cost Option

Private Internet Access is the low-cost choice, at about $2 a month on a two-year term, and it puts no limit on simultaneous connections. Smart DNS unblocks streaming services without any VPN setup.  A router install adds encryption and a new IP address for services Smart DNS can’t unblock.

In our tests, we streamed Channel 4 in the USA, watched ESPN in Europe, and used Netflix, and its dedicated streaming locations worked well. WireGuard, a modern protocol, keeps speeds high, and its MACE feature blocks ads and trackers. If one server feels slow, switch to a closer one.

If you ever switch to an Android TV, PIA also has a dedicated Android TV app. Privacy is strong too, with 256-bit encryption and a no-log policy that has been independently audited, as our full PIA VPN review explains. The interface looks dated, but with a router doing the work, you rarely open it.

Visit Private Internet Access

4. Proton VPN: Best for Privacy

Proton VPN works with an LG TV only through a router or a shared connection, because it has no Smart DNS. A router install covers every device, while a LAN cable from a PC suits a quicker setup. However, if you’d rather skip router settings, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and PIA offer Smart DNS instead.

In our tests of Proton VPN, it unblocked Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and HBO Max abroad, and WireGuard kept speeds high with no data or bandwidth cap, across servers in 149 countries. Privacy is the other draw, thanks to an independently audited no-log policy, and it also blocks trackers, ads, and malicious sites.

On an LG TV, use a paid plan, because free accounts can’t unblock streaming services such as Netflix US. It costs about $3 a month on a two-year term, and our Proton VPN vs NordVPN comparison explains where it falls behind our top pick.

Visit Proton VPN

5. Surfshark: Best for Netflix Libraries

Surfshark unblocks more than 30 Netflix libraries, a good match for viewers who switch countries to find a particular show. It doesn’t offer Smart DNS, so an LG TV connects through a router or a shared PC connection instead. Install it on a router, and the TV can unblock US streaming sites like any other device on the network.

Its LG setup guides are easy to follow, and while the apps take some learning, you use one only for the initial setup. If your router isn’t supported, sharing a PC’s connection works as a fallback. If a Netflix library doesn’t load, try another server in the same country.

The two-year plan costs about $2.50 a month, and for viewers traveling to countries that block VPNs, Surfshark is also the best-rated VPN for China at that price.

Visit Surfshark

How to Install a VPN on an LG TV

LG TVs use webOS, LG’s own system, and its app store has no VPN client. Android TVs and Google TVs are different, since VPN apps install straight from Google Play. On an LG TV, you have four options: Smart DNS, a VPN on your router, a shared connection from a PC, or mirroring your phone’s screen.

Changing the LG Services country in the TV’s settings (All Settings, General, System, then Location on 2021 and later models) switches which apps the LG store offers. Streaming apps still check your IP address, so the setting doesn’t unblock anything on its own.

Option 1: Use Smart DNS

Smart DNS doesn’t encrypt your traffic like a VPN. It reroutes only the DNS lookups that tell a streaming app where you are, so the app loads a catalog from another country. It’s the quickest fix for webOS, because nothing is installed on the TV.

• Log in to your VPN’s dashboard (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or PIA) and open the Smart DNS section.
• Register your current IP address.
• Copy the primary and secondary DNS server addresses.
• On your LG TV, go to Settings > Network > Advanced Wi-Fi Settings.
• Switch from automatic to manual DNS entry, and enter the two addresses.
• Restart the TV.

Once the TV restarts, services such as Netflix US and BBC iPlayer load their local catalogs, even where they’re normally unavailable. Smart DNS adds no encryption, so it adds no privacy either.

Try NordVPN Smart DNS

Option 2: Install a VPN on Your Router

A router setup covers every device on your Wi-Fi, the LG TV included, and encrypts the traffic as well.

• Check that your router supports VPNs, since many ISP-supplied routers don’t. If it does, log in to its admin page (the address is usually printed on the router).
• Find the VPN section and enter the server address, username, and password from your VPN’s setup guide for your router model.
• If the router has no VPN support, buy a pre-configured VPN router or install firmware such as DD-WRT, Tomato, or OpenWRT.
• Once the VPN is enabled on the router, connect your LG TV to the home Wi-Fi.

The router’s processor sets the speed once the VPN is enabled. On my test router, a gigabit connection ended up at about half, and even so, that is far more than 4K streaming requires.

Option 3: Share a VPN Connection by Hotspot

Sharing a connection from a computer is a quick fix when you don’t want to change router settings or want a temporary setup while traveling.

How to do it on Windows

• Connect your PC to the VPN using the desktop app.
• Open Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile Hotspot, and enable it.
• Under “Share my Internet connection from,” select your VPN adapter.
• Connect your LG TV to the new hotspot.

How to do it on macOS

• Connect your Mac to the VPN.
• Go to System Settings > Sharing > Internet Sharing.
• Share your VPN-connected interface over Wi-Fi.
• Connect your LG TV to the Wi-Fi network you’ve just shared.

The computer has to stay on and connected while you watch, so this suits a single movie better than a weekend of streaming, but it requires no networking knowledge.

Option 4: Mirror Your Phone’s Screen

All five VPNs have phone apps, so you can connect the VPN on your phone, open a streaming app there, and mirror the screen to the TV. Mirroring sends exactly what the phone shows, so the TV displays the unblocked catalog.

Some streaming apps black out during mirroring, so test your app before settling in for a long watch.

How to do it from an iPhone (AirPlay)

• Connect the VPN on your iPhone, then connect the iPhone and the LG TV to the same Wi-Fi network.
• On the TV, open the Home Dashboard and go to AirPlay and HomeKit Settings > AirPlay to enable it, if it isn’t already.
• Swipe down from the top-right corner of the iPhone to open Control Center and tap Screen Mirroring.
• Select your LG TV and enter the passcode shown on the TV screen.

How to do it from an Android phone

• Connect the VPN on your phone, then connect the phone and the LG TV to the same Wi-Fi network.
• Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings.
• Tap Cast, Smart View, Screen Share, or Wireless Display, depending on the phone brand.
• Select your LG TV, then accept the connection prompt on the TV if it appears.

Use full-screen mirroring. The cast button inside a streaming app can hand the stream to the TV, which then loads it through your home connection without the VPN.

Verdict

An LG TV can’t install a VPN, so the VPN has to work through Smart DNS or your router. Smart DNS takes a few minutes and unblocks streaming apps, while a router setup takes longer and also encrypts everything on your network. These methods work on older and newer LG models. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and PIA support both methods, which makes them the easiest to use.

Proton VPN and Surfshark suit viewers who are comfortable with a router, since neither offers Smart DNS. And honestly, for most people with a single TV and no interest in router menus, NordVPN with Smart DNS is the simplest way to get started. If a streaming app still shows the wrong catalog afterward, restart the TV so it picks up the new settings.

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