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

An LG smart TV shows the streaming catalog of whatever country your internet connection appears to be in. Move abroad or travel with your subscriptions, and the TV keeps serving the local version, with some shows missing and some apps unavailable.

A VPN or Smart DNS changes that location, but on webOS, LG’s TV software, neither installs like an app on a phone. That leaves workarounds: a DNS setting on the TV, a VPN on the router, or a connection shared from another device. Not every VPN supports each of them, so we compared five methods an LG TV can use in 2026.

LG TV VPNs Compared

With no VPN app on webOS, the first two rows determine how each VPN connects to the TV. The streaming row counts the services each one unblocked through its regular servers, out of 13 we tested.

	Smart DNS	Router setup	Speed loss	Streaming services unblocked	Two-year price
NordVPN	Yes, US	Setup guides	7.8%	13 of 13	Under $3.50/mo
Proton VPN	No	Configuration files	10.2%	10 of 13	About $3/mo
ExpressVPN	Yes (MediaStreamer)	Own router and router app	7.8%	13 of 13	About $3/mo
CyberGhost	Yes	Setup guides	13.3%	11 of 13	About $2/mo
Private Internet Access	Yes, several countries	Setup guides	12.7%	8 of 13	About $2/mo

The Best VPNs for LG Smart TV in 2026

Nothing is installed on the television itself, so the model year makes no difference to any of these five. Every one of them has a money-back guarantee, which leaves time to try your own streaming apps.

1. NordVPN: Best VPN for Most LG TV Owners

NordVPN supports the two methods most LG owners use. Smart DNS comes with every plan: you register your home IP address in your NordVPN account, enter two DNS addresses on the TV, and American streaming apps load their US catalogs. In our tests, its Smart DNS unblocked Netflix US.

Its Smart DNS offers US locations only, however. For BBC iPlayer, Netflix Japan, or another country’s catalog, set NordVPN up on your router instead. Through its regular servers, it unblocked every streaming service we tested. Its 7.8% speed loss also tied with ExpressVPN for the smallest, leaving far more bandwidth than 4K requires.

For router installs, NordVPN publishes setup guides for popular firmware, including Asus, DD-WRT, and OpenWrt. NordVPN’s Basic plan is priced under $3.50 a month for two years, with a 30-day refund window if the TV setup doesn’t work out.

Visit NordVPN

2. Proton VPN: Best for Encrypting Your Whole Home Network

Proton VPN is the one to use if you want the whole home network encrypted. It has no Smart DNS, which leaves three ways onto the TV: your router, a computer’s shared connection, or an HDMI cable. The upside is that the TV, phones, and laptops on that network use the same encrypted connection.

Proton VPN’s no-logs policy has also been independently audited. Streaming results were mixed, though. Through its servers, it unblocked Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Netflix US, but it couldn’t unblock Hulu, ITVX, or Pluto TV. So if Hulu is the reason you want a VPN on the TV, NordVPN or ExpressVPN is the safer choice.

On the two-year term, VPN Plus comes to about $3 a month, and Proton VPN supplies WireGuard and OpenVPN configuration files for routers that accept them. In our speed tests, it lost 10.2% on average. Its free plan can’t choose a country and doesn’t unblock streaming services, so it isn’t an option for the TV.

Visit Proton VPN

3. ExpressVPN: Best for a Plug-and-Play VPN Router

ExpressVPN is the only VPN here that sells its own router. Aircove arrives with ExpressVPN installed, so the LG TV joins its Wi-Fi like any other network and requires no setup of its own. If you’d rather keep your current router, ExpressVPN also offers a router app for selected Asus, Linksys, and Netgear models.

In our tests, it unblocked every streaming service on our list, although ITV and Prime Video detected it now and then. On the Smart DNS side, MediaStreamer unblocked Netflix US for us too. That helps with a single TV in a rented apartment, where the router isn’t yours to change.

Speed matched NordVPN’s, with a 7.8% speed loss. Its Basic plan works out to about $3 a month over two years. Renewal is pricier, and Aircove is a separate purchase, so a router setup costs more up front than Smart DNS.

Visit ExpressVPN

4. CyberGhost: Best Budget Smart DNS for LG TVs

CyberGhost is the cheapest of these five with Smart DNS. Its account dashboard lists DNS addresses meant for smart TVs, and the company publishes a webOS guide for entering them. On a router, CyberGhost’s server list names the streaming service each location is meant for, such as Netflix US or BBC iPlayer.

So, choosing a location takes no guesswork.  In our tests, it unblocked most services, including ITVX from its dedicated UK server. On the other hand, it couldn’t unblock Netflix Japan, so anime fans should look at NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

Speed was the weakest of the five, at a 13.3% speed loss, but that still leaves enough for 4K on a typical home connection. CyberGhost’s longest plan is about $2 a month, with refunds available for 45 days.

Visit CyberGhost

5. Private Internet Access: Best for Smart DNS in Several Countries

PIA’s Smart DNS goes beyond the US. You choose a country when you generate the DNS address in your account. The list includes the UK and Japan, so one setup can change your Netflix region to a British or Japanese catalog. With the US location selected, its Smart DNS unblocked the American Netflix catalog.

Through the full VPN, however, results were weaker: it unblocked BBC iPlayer and Netflix US, but couldn’t unblock Hulu, HBO Max, or Prime Video. For those three, NordVPN or ExpressVPN is the better choice. PIA costs around $2 a month on its long plan.

Its desktop app looks dated, but on an LG TV you set everything up in the browser dashboard, so you rarely open it.

Visit Private Internet Access

Why There’s No VPN App for LG TVs

LG doesn’t let VPN companies build apps for webOS, so NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and the rest can’t offer one. That’s different from Android TV, Google TV, and Fire TV devices, where VPN apps install from the app store like any other. You may still find apps labeled as VPNs in the LG Content Store, such as Hola VPN.

Hola works as a peer-to-peer network, which means your traffic goes through other users’ devices, and their traffic can go through yours. That’s a privacy risk on a device signed in to your streaming accounts, so we’d avoid it. There’s also a workaround with a streaming stick.

Plug a Fire TV Stick into the LG’s HDMI port and install a VPN app on it. You then have a full VPN on the big screen without touching the router.

How to Set Up a VPN on an LG TV

The right method depends on how much setup you’re willing to do. Smart DNS is done in minutes and only changes your location. A router or a shared connection is more work, but it encrypts the traffic as well.

Smart DNS: The Quickest Setup

Smart DNS reroutes only the lookups streaming apps use to check your country. It doesn’t encrypt anything, so it adds no privacy, but it also doesn’t slow the TV down.

1. Choose a VPN with Smart DNS, such as NordVPN, and sign in to your account on its website.
2. Activate Smart DNS, register your home IP address, and copy the DNS address it generates.
3. On the TV, open Settings > All Settings > General > Network (just Network on older models).
4. Select your Wi-Fi or wired connection, then Advanced Wi-Fi Settings > Edit.
5. Untick Set Automatically, enter the DNS address, and select Connect.
6. Restart the TV so the streaming apps check your location again.

If your ISP changes your home IP address, Smart DNS stops working until you register the new one in your account.

A VPN Router: Encryption for Every Device

A VPN on the router covers the LG TV and everything else on your Wi-Fi, with no settings to change on the TV. You have three options. First, check whether your current router supports VPN connections, which many Asus models do. Second, flash a compatible router with open firmware like DD-WRT or OpenWrt.

Finally, buy a router that comes with the VPN preinstalled, such as ExpressVPN’s Aircove. Routers supplied by ISPs rarely support VPNs, so plan for a second router if that’s what you have. Encryption also happens on the router’s processor, so an older model adds to the slowdown every VPN causes on a fast fiber connection.

For streaming in 4K, a recent mid-range router is enough.

Share a VPN From a Windows PC

This works on Windows 10 and Windows 11, as long as the PC remains on while you watch.

1. Start the VPN on your PC and connect to a server in the country you want.
2. Under Network & Internet in Windows Settings, select Mobile hotspot.
3. Enable Share my Internet connection with other devices and note the network name and password.
4. On the TV, open Settings > Network and join the PC’s hotspot.

If the TV connects but still shows your local catalog, open the VPN adapter’s properties in Control Panel’s network connections, and allow the hotspot to share its connection.

Share a VPN From a Mac

A Mac can share its VPN connection over Wi-Fi only while it’s connected to the internet by Ethernet.

1. Plug the Mac into your router with a cable, then connect the VPN.
2. Go to System Settings > General > Sharing and select the information button next to Internet Sharing.
3. Share your Ethernet connection with devices using Wi-Fi, then set a network name and password.
4. Enable Internet Sharing, then join that network from the LG TV.

Some VPN apps don’t send shared traffic through the tunnel on macOS, so check the catalog on the TV before you rely on this method.

AirPlay or Screen Share From Your Phone

LG TVs from 2018 on support AirPlay 2, after a software update on the 2018 models. Connect the VPN on your iPhone first, open the streaming app, then use Screen Mirroring in Control Center and select the TV. Android phones work the same way with Cast or Smart View, which LG’s Screen Share accepts.

Use full-screen mirroring for this. Many streaming apps have their own cast button, and pressing it makes the TV fetch the video itself, bypassing the VPN on your phone. Some apps also show a black screen during mirroring, so test yours before a long evening.

HDMI From a Laptop

The simplest method is a cable. Connect the VPN on your laptop, plug it into one of the TV’s HDMI ports, and switch the TV to that input. Then open the streaming site in the laptop’s browser, for example, to watch BBC iPlayer abroad, and the TV shows it full screen.

Can You Use a Free VPN on an LG TV?

In practice, rarely. Free VPNs rarely offer Smart DNS, and few supply router configuration files, so there’s no way to use them on webOS in the first place. The ones that appear in the LG Content Store work as peer-to-peer networks, with the privacy risks described earlier.

Even on a router, a free plan brings other limits. Most cap monthly data, which a few evenings of HD streaming use up, and their small server lists are often blocked by major streaming services. Proton VPN’s free plan, for example, chooses the server for you and didn’t unblock streaming services in our tests.

So you’re better off with a paid VPN and its money-back guarantee. CyberGhost and PIA cost about $2 a month on their long plans, and if one doesn’t work for your TV, you can ask for a refund within the guarantee period.

Conclusion: Which VPN Should You Use on an LG TV?

Choose the method first, then the VPN. If you only want US catalogs on one TV, Smart DNS is the quickest option, and NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and CyberGhost include it. If you want British or Japanese catalogs without touching the router, PIA’s Smart DNS covers more countries.

For encryption on every device at home, a router setup with NordVPN or Proton VPN is the better long-term choice. We’d start with NordVPN, because one subscription covers both methods and it unblocked every streaming service we tested.

Try NordVPN on Your LG TV

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