For most of the Apple TV’s life you simply could not put a VPN on it. tvOS had no place to install one, so the only ways to cover an Apple TV were to run the VPN on your router or to AirPlay from an iPhone or Mac that had one. That changed with tvOS 17 in 2023, which finally let developers ship real native VPN apps for the Apple TV 4K — and the experience went from a fiddly workaround to a one-tap connect.
Our pick is NordVPN. It was among the first with a proper tvOS app, it was the fastest VPN in our 2026 tests — which matters when you are pushing a 4K stream — and it reliably unblocks the services Irish viewers want. ExpressVPN is the close second, an early mover on tvOS with an app that is just as easy to drive from the Siri Remote. CyberGhost and Surfshark round out the top of the table, with Proton VPN and IPVanish behind them.
If your provider has not shipped a tvOS app yet, you are not stuck: AirPlay from a VPN-connected iPhone or Mac still works for casting, and a router VPN still covers the Apple TV the old way. Below we explain both routes and how to get one connected.
The big change: Apple TV finally runs VPN apps (tvOS 17)
This is the one thing worth understanding first, because it rewrote how you cover an Apple TV. For years tvOS had no support for VPN apps at all — no toggle in Settings, no App Store category, nothing. That barrier came down with tvOS 17, released in 2023, which added the APIs for native VPN apps. The leading providers moved quickly, and you can now download a real Apple TV app and connect from the sofa with the Siri Remote.
One hardware caveat that catches people out. The native-app route needs an Apple TV 4K running tvOS 17 or later. The older Apple TV HD cannot run these apps — Apple did not extend the feature to it — so on that box you are back to AirPlay or a router. Check your model in Settings > General > About.
In short: before tvOS 17, an Apple TV could not run a VPN at all. Since tvOS 17, an Apple TV 4K can — via a native app — while an older Apple TV HD still falls back to AirPlay or a router.
The two ways: native tvOS app vs AirPlay
There are two genuinely different ways to get a VPN working with an Apple TV, and it is worth knowing the trade-offs.
The native tvOS app (the easy way)
Here the VPN runs on the Apple TV itself. You install the provider’s app from the tvOS App Store, sign in, choose a location and connect. From that point the Apple TV’s own traffic is tunnelled — every streaming app on the box sees the new location. This is the cleanest experience by a distance, but it is only available on the Apple TV 4K with tvOS 17 or later, and only from providers that ship a tvOS app.
AirPlay from your iPhone, iPad or Mac (the alternative)
Here the VPN runs on a different Apple device. You connect the VPN on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, start the content there, then AirPlay it to the telly, and the stream reflects that device’s location. It is less seamless — it relies on the source device staying awake, leans on your local Wi-Fi, and not every app casts cleanly — but it is the right route when your provider has no tvOS app yet, or you are on an older Apple TV HD.
Rule of thumb: if your provider has an Apple TV app and you own an Apple TV 4K, use it. Reach for AirPlay only when there is no native app, or on an older Apple TV.
Which VPNs have a real Apple TV app
This is the field that decides whether you get the easy route or the AirPlay one, and it is still filling in. Because tvOS only opened up in 2023, native Apple TV apps are newer than their Fire TV counterparts, so not every provider has one.
- Has a native Apple TV app — NordVPN and ExpressVPN were the early movers and are the two we would point most Irish viewers to, with Proton VPN having since followed. Download it on the Apple TV 4K, sign in, connect.
- No Apple TV app (yet) — you fall back to AirPlay from a VPN-connected iPhone or Mac, or to a router VPN covering the whole network.
Others are following, so it is worth checking the tvOS App Store for your provider before you assume. If you want the native experience, picking one that already ships a tvOS app saves you the hassle. Our best VPN for Ireland ranking weighs the wider picture if the telly is only part of what you need.
Setting up a VPN on your Apple TV, step by step
With an Apple TV 4K on tvOS 17 or later and a provider that has a tvOS app, this is a two-minute job from the home screen:
- Open the App Store on the Apple TV — the device’s own store, not your phone’s.
- Search for your VPN by name and select the official app, then download and open it.
- Sign in with your existing subscription. Use the same login as on your other devices. Most apps also let you sign in with a short code shown on the TV, so you can authorise it from your phone instead of typing.
- Choose a location and connect. Pick an Ireland server for Irish TV while abroad, or a UK one for BBC iPlayer and ITVX. The whole Apple TV is now tunnelled.
- Open your streaming app as normal. If a stream was already loaded, quit and reopen it so it re-checks your location.
One speed note for 4K. A VPN costs a little throughput, so choose the nearest fast server and a modern WireGuard-based protocol (NordLynx, Lightway); the top providers here then hold more than enough speed for a steady 4K stream on a typical Irish line. Our best VPN for streaming guide goes deeper on which service lives where.
No Apple TV app? Router and AirPlay fallbacks
If your provider has no tvOS app, or you are on an older Apple TV HD, you have two solid fallbacks — neither as slick as a native app, but both do the job.
AirPlay from a VPN-connected device
The quickest fallback, as covered above: connect the VPN on your iPhone or Mac, then AirPlay the content to the Apple TV. An Ireland connection on your phone lets RTÉ Player play on the telly while you are abroad. Good for a specific show; less so for an evening of channel-hopping.
A VPN on your router (whole-home coverage)
The original Apple TV solution, and still the most thorough. Install the VPN on a compatible router and every device on the network is covered at once — the Apple TV included — without using up your connection slots, since the router counts as one. It is more technical to set up, and you change location for the whole house rather than per device. If you also run a Firestick, note that the stick takes a native app even where an older Apple TV cannot — see our best VPN for Firestick guide.
Order of preference: a native tvOS app if one exists; AirPlay for casting a specific show; a router VPN when you want everything on the network covered, including an older Apple TV HD.
How we ranked the VPNs for Apple TV
An Apple TV is a streaming box you drive with a remote from the sofa, so our order leans on what matters on the big screen, in rough order of weight:
- A real, working tvOS app — the thing that gets you the easy route, so providers with a polished native app rank above those that leave you on AirPlay or a router.
- 4K-ready speed — the Apple TV 4K is built for high-bitrate streaming, so a fast nearby server and a WireGuard-based protocol matter. NordVPN was fastest in our 2026 tests, a big part of why it tops this table.
- Unblocking reliability — does it actually get into RTÉ Player, Netflix and BBC iPlayer on the Apple TV app, and keep working when the platforms tighten up?
- Remote-friendly design and device slots — a quick-connect you can drive with the Siri Remote, plus enough connections for the household.
NordVPN tops the order; ExpressVPN is a very close second. CyberGhost and Surfshark follow on streaming and value, with Proton VPN and IPVanish completing the six.
Our top picks for Apple TV
NordVPN — best overall for Apple TV
Our number one. NordVPN was an early mover with a proper tvOS app, so you get the easy native route on an Apple TV 4K, and it was the fastest VPN in our 2026 tests — exactly what you want for a steady 4K picture. It reliably unblocks RTÉ Player, Netflix and BBC iPlayer, with 50+ Irish servers for a dependable Ireland IP abroad. The NordVPN review has the full detail.
ExpressVPN — the close second
Right on Nord’s heels. ExpressVPN was also early to tvOS, and its Apple TV app is just as easy to drive, with Lightway keeping speeds high for 4K and strong unblocking. It costs a little more, the main reason it sits second — the ExpressVPN review weighs that up.
CyberGhost — streaming-focused pick
CyberGhost leans hard into streaming, with location-labelled servers and reliable unblocking on the telly. It rounds out the top three for viewers who mainly want their Apple TV to reach the libraries and broadcasters they pay for.
Surfshark — best value for the household
The value pick. Surfshark unblocks the services Irish viewers want, runs a genuine Dublin server for an Irish IP abroad, and — the deciding factor — offers unlimited simultaneous devices at budget pricing, so one plan covers the Apple TV plus every phone and laptop in the house. The Surfshark review has the specifics. Proton VPN and IPVanish complete the six.