Unlocator is a Danish streaming service that pairs a Smart DNS unblocker with a full VPN in one subscription, and most people buy it to watch geo-restricted Netflix and other platforms from abroad. People leave because Smart DNS does not encrypt anything and the VPN side is thin for what it costs, with about 43 servers and average speeds of only about 44 Mbps.
To find better replacements, we ran the alternatives through the same checks we use in our full VPN reviews. We looked at streaming unblocking, speed loss, whether Smart DNS is included, device limits, logging and price. The scoring details sit in "How we chose these Unlocator alternatives" further down.
Four of the seven picks still give you a Smart DNS option for TVs and consoles, and one of them is a Smart DNS-only service. The others trade Smart DNS for stronger privacy, a free plan or unlimited devices.
Quick picks: the best Unlocator alternatives at a glance
If you only have a minute, these are the four services we would move to first. We ranked every pick by its score in our full reviews, and NordVPN breaks its 9.0 tie with Proton VPN because it keeps Smart DNS. Unlocator itself scores 6.8/10 on the same scale.
1. NordVPN - best overall Unlocator alternative (SmartPlay Smart DNS built in)
NordVPN is the most direct replacement for Unlocator, because it also bundles Smart DNS with its VPN. Smart DNS: yes. Inside the apps, a feature called SmartPlay runs Smart DNS through the encrypted VPN connection automatically. For a TV that cannot run the app, standalone SmartDNS swaps the DNS servers instead, and NordVPN is clear that this mode does not encrypt traffic or hide your IP.
Getting SmartDNS onto a smart TV took us two steps. From a laptop on the same home network, we pressed Activate in Nord Account (go to Services → NordVPN → SmartDNS → Activate). That step allowlists your current IP. Then we typed 103.86.96.103 and 103.86.99.103 into the TV's DNS settings, and the TV was ready to stream.
The full VPN is where NordVPN pulls ahead of Unlocator. Nearby servers lost only single-digit percentages of speed in our runs, and 4K streams played without buffering. Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max unblocked reliably, and our connections held without unexpected drops. When a tunnel did fail, the kill switch cut traffic as it should.
Basic costs about $3.09 to $3.49 a month on the two-year plan. That introductory rate moves with promotions and renews higher. You get 10 devices, 9,000+ servers and a 30-day money-back guarantee, with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV and Android TV. NordVPN is based in Panama, and NordVPN's sixth Deloitte no-logs assurance report was announced in February 2026. We score it 9.0/10 in our NordVPN review.
2. Proton VPN - best for privacy and a usable free plan
Proton VPN ties NordVPN on our score but takes the opposite approach to Unlocator. Smart DNS: no. It covers TVs with native apps for Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV, or with a router install, so every device stays inside the encrypted tunnel.
We started on the free tier, which showed no throttling and no data cap but chooses the server location for you. Once we moved to the paid plan, nearby servers cost us under 10 percent of our download speed. Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, HBO Max and Hulu all unblocked without any server hopping.
VPN Plus costs $9.99 on monthly billing, or about $3.49 a month on the two-year plan. The two-year rate moves with Proton's seasonal sales and renews at a different price. It covers 10 devices across 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Proton is based in Switzerland, and Proton's fifth annual Securitum no-logs audit was published in June 2026. We score it 9.0/10 in our Proton VPN review.
3. ExpressVPN - best for streaming on smart TVs and consoles (MediaStreamer)
Where Proton skips Smart DNS, ExpressVPN leans into it for game consoles and TVs. Smart DNS: yes. Its MediaStreamer feature is included with every plan, and ExpressVPN publishes setup guides for Apple TV, PlayStation 3, 4 and 5, LG and Samsung TVs, Nintendo Switch and Xbox.
MediaStreamer behaved much like Unlocator's Smart DNS in our hands. We registered our home IP on the DNS settings page, and MediaStreamer stayed tied to one fixed region. Even with automatic IP registration switched on, it still needed an occasional sign-in or app launch on the home network to notice a changed IP. ExpressVPN itself says MediaStreamer "is not a VPN and does not offer the privacy and security benefits of a VPN".
The VPN apps were the most polished of the group. Netflix libraries in several countries, ESPN+ and Hulu streamed without issues, but downloads fell by roughly 37 to 39 percent on nearby servers. The starting rate depends on the current promotion, because ExpressVPN changed its featured term and intro price within weeks. At the time of writing, Basic is about $4.99 a month on a 12-month plan with 3 months free, renewing at $99.95 a year.
Basic covers 10 devices, Advanced 12 and Pro 14, across servers in 113 countries, with a 30-day guarantee. The company is based in the British Virgin Islands, and KPMG assessed its TrustedServer setup and privacy policy in 2025. We score it 8.8/10 in our ExpressVPN review.
4. Surfshark - best budget pick with unlimited devices
If ExpressVPN is the premium route, Surfshark is the cheap one, and it removes the device limit entirely. Smart DNS: no longer. Surfshark retired the feature on February 2nd, 2026, saying demand was very limited. TVs still pointed at its old SmartDNS addresses lose internet access until you restore their original DNS settings.
For TV users, Surfshark now offers native apps, and they work well. Setup on Android TV, Apple TV and Fire TV was painless for us, and Netflix worked across regions without VPN detection. Download speed dropped about 17 percent on Windows and about 31 percent on macOS, with steady latency on both.
Starter costs $2.49 a month on the two-year plan and renews at $79 a year. You can connect unlimited devices across 4,500+ servers in 100 countries, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark is based in the Netherlands and passed Deloitte no-logs assurance in 2023 and again in 2025. We score it 8.6/10 in our Surfshark review.
5. Mullvad VPN - best for anonymous, no-account privacy
Surfshark tries to cover every screen in the house, but Mullvad sits further from Unlocator than any other pick here. Smart DNS: no. It has no smart-TV or streaming-device apps either, and its DNS options block ads and trackers rather than unblock content.
Signing up took us seconds. Mullvad generated a random 16-digit account number, and that number was the only login, with no email, username or password. Local servers cost only around 6 percent of our speed, while distant ones slowed downloads noticeably. Streaming was hit or miss, since some servers reached Netflix and others were detected.
Mullvad charges a flat EUR 5 a month on any term, covers 5 devices and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee (cash payments excluded). Its no-logs claim held up during a 2023 police raid that found no user data to seize, and Mullvad's 2024 Cure53 infrastructure audit followed. The company is based in Sweden and runs WireGuard only. We score it 8.5/10 in our Mullvad VPN review.
6. CyberGhost - best for beginners who want streaming-optimized servers
CyberGhost brings back the Smart DNS that Mullvad lacks and wraps it in the easiest apps on this list. Smart DNS: yes. Smart DNS is part of the subscription, but CyberGhost says the feature does not hide your IP or encrypt your connection.
Setup on desktop was quick, and switching protocols took about four seconds. Through the dedicated streaming servers, Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime Video unblocked on the first try. For a TV, we copied the Smart DNS addresses for each streaming service from the account dashboard and entered them by hand.
Nearby servers lost little speed, roughly 5 to 19 percent, but long-distance servers dropped by about 44 to 59 percent. The Windows app looks dated next to newer rivals, while the mobile apps are cleaner. Monthly billing is $12.99, and the two-year plan runs about $1.99 a month, though that rate shifts with CyberGhost's rotating promotions.
You get 7 devices, servers in 100+ countries and a 45-day money-back guarantee on longer plans (14 days on monthly). CyberGhost is based in Romania, is owned by Kape Technologies and completed its third Deloitte no-logs assurance in Q4 2025. We score it 8.4/10 in our CyberGhost review.
7. Smart DNS Proxy - best Smart DNS-only replacement for Unlocator
Unlike the six VPNs above, Smart DNS Proxy is built around Smart DNS first. Smart DNS: yes, as the core product, with a Smart VPN add-on for paid subscribers. It claims support for 400+ services on routers, computers, set-top boxes, consoles and smart TVs. We have no full HTS review of it, so it carries no score here.
Smart DNS added virtually no speed drop, and Netflix, Hulu and BBC iPlayer unblocked on a smart TV and through a router without issues. The catch is the same one Unlocator has. Every IP change meant revisiting the website to re-register, though a bookmarkable page updates the IP automatically. A leak-test site also showed our real IP, because Smart DNS does not tunnel traffic. The bundled VPN was slow, averaging around 17 Mbps.
The monthly plan costs $6.79, and 24 months costs $68.39 in total, with a $200.00 lifetime option. There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and a 30-day money-back guarantee under its terms of use. Smart DNS covers unlimited devices on one registered IP, so a second home needs a separate account. Smart VPN, by contrast, allows 5 connections. The company lists an address in Seychelles and logs your IP to lock Smart DNS to your location. On Trustpilot it holds a 4.9/5 TrustScore from 5,830 reviews.
Unlocator vs the alternatives: side-by-side comparison
The table puts all seven picks next to Unlocator, which sits in the last row as the baseline. Prices marked "about" are promotional rates that move with each provider's sales.
| Provider | Buy | Smart DNS included | Netflix/streaming unblocking | Simultaneous devices | Smart TV/console support | No-logs/audit | Jurisdiction | Free plan | Starting price | Money-back guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Check price → | Yes (SmartDNS + SmartPlay) | Reliable across major services | 10 | Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV apps; SmartDNS for others | Deloitte (2025-26) | Panama | No | About $3.09-$3.49/mo on 2 years | 30-day |
|
Check price | No | Major services on paid plans | 10 (1 on Free) | Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV apps; router | Securitum (2026) | Switzerland | Yes: no data cap, 1 device, 10 countries | $9.99/mo; about $3.49/mo on 2 years | 30-day |
|
Check price | Yes (MediaStreamer) | Netflix in several countries, Hulu, ESPN+ | 10 / 12 / 14 by tier | Fire TV, Apple TV apps; MediaStreamer for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, LG, Samsung | KPMG (2025) | British Virgin Islands | No | About $4.99/mo (12 + 3 months) | 30-day |
|
Check price | No (retired February 2nd, 2026) | Netflix across regions | Unlimited | Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV apps; router | Deloitte (2023, 2025) | Netherlands | No | $2.49/mo on 2 years | 30-day |
|
Check price | No | Hit or miss | 5 | Router only | Cure53 (2024) | Sweden | No | EUR 5/mo flat | 14-day |
|
Check price | Yes (SmartDNS) | Streaming servers, first-try unblocks | 7 | Fire TV, Android TV apps; SmartDNS for others | Deloitte (Q4 2025) | Romania | No | $12.99/mo; about $1.99/mo on 2 years | 45-day (14 on monthly) |
|
Check price | Yes (core product) | Netflix, Hulu, iPlayer via Smart DNS | Unlimited Smart DNS on one IP; 5 VPN | TVs, consoles, routers via Smart DNS | Logs IP; no audit found | Seychelles | No (14-day trial, no card) | $6.79/mo; $68.39 for 24 months | 30-day |
 |
Yes (core product) | Netflix, Disney+, iPlayer on first try | 5 VPN (site also says 10); unlimited Smart DNS | TVs, consoles, routers via Smart DNS; Fire TV app | 24-hour identifiable usage logs; no audit | Denmark (14 Eyes) | No (7-day trial, no card) | About $4.96/mo on 2 years (varies by store) | 30-day |
What about TunnelBear, Betternet, Hola and other directory picks?
Beyond the seven picks in the table, several names show up on every alternatives list, so here is why none of them made our cut. Most lack Smart DNS, and the free ones come with limits that matter for streaming.
TunnelBear (7.5/10 in our TunnelBear review) has no Smart DNS. It passed its 8th annual Cure53 security audit in November 2025 and has been owned by McAfee since 2018. Streaming was hit and miss for us: HBO Max and Peacock tended to work, while Netflix US, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer were often blocked.
Betternet (4.2/10 in our Betternet review) is a Pango brand now owned by Point Wild, and its free tier shows ads. A 2016 CSIRO-led study of 283 Android VPN apps found 14 third-party tracking libraries in Betternet, the most of any app studied. In our testing, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer stayed blocked across every server we tried, and the connection dropped more than once a session.
Hola (3.5/10 in our Hola VPN review) runs its free service as a peer network. On the free desktop app, other Hola users browse the web through your IP address and system resources, and that traffic also eats into your upload bandwidth. Whether a Hola product turns your device into a peer depends on the version installed. Hola is based in Israel and keeps log data for up to 12 months.
AirVPN (7.2/10 in our AirVPN review) is a privacy tool from Italy with servers in 23 countries, but no Smart DNS. Netflix worked on some regional servers while Hulu and BBC iPlayer failed. Its Eddie client also paused roughly 10 to 30 seconds on every connect and disconnect.
cryptostorm sells token-based access with no account or email. It costs about $6 a month, though token prices vary by length and reseller. Its security is strong, but its setup is among the least user-friendly of any VPN. Getflix is the closest match to Unlocator's model, a Smart DNS plus VPN bundle whose lifetime plan covers unlimited Smart DNS devices and 5 VPN devices. It is mostly sold through rotating deal-site promotions, so there is no stable list price.
Free VPNs pay their costs somehow. Betternet's free tier relies on ads, and Hola's free desktop app routes other users' traffic through your connection. If a free service is the only option, read its privacy policy before installing it on a device you use for banking or work.
Free Unlocator alternatives
Two of those directory names, Proton and TunnelBear, are also where the real free options live. Unlocator has no free plan, only a 7-day trial for new customers, so the free options are all VPNs rather than Smart DNS. Proton VPN Free is the one we would keep long term. It has no data limits, no ads and no credit card requirement, but it is limited to 1 device and to servers in 10 countries. Streaming and P2P are not part of the free plan, so it will not replace Unlocator for Netflix.
TunnelBear Free gives you 2GB of data a month with no credit card. That allowance was gone after roughly an evening or two of video. Since a January 26, 2026 update, free users also cannot choose a country, which rules it out for region-specific streaming.
Smart DNS providers have to keep your home IP registered and run region-specific DNS servers, so none of the ones we would recommend is free. If you want to try one without paying, Smart DNS Proxy's 14-day trial is the longest no-card option among our picks.
Why people look for an Unlocator alternative
All seven picks exist because of the same two gaps in Unlocator. The first is that Smart DNS only changes the DNS lookups that reveal your region. It leaves your traffic unencrypted and your IP visible, which is fine for streaming but not for public Wi-Fi. When people want that protection, they turn to Unlocator's VPN, and that is where the second gap shows.
The VPN runs on about 43 servers. In our testing, nearby servers cost about 5 percent of our baseline speed, while distant ones past roughly 7,000 km cost closer to 18 percent. Over OpenVPN the average was about 44 Mbps, with Europe the slowest region at around 27 Mbps. The percentage loss is modest, but the absolute throughput is the weak point, and a 1.32 GB torrent took over two hours on most servers.
Smart DNS also stopped unblocking whenever our ISP changed the home IP address. Streams fell back to the local library until we registered the new address in the Unlocator dashboard. There is no split tunneling either, so you cannot route a single app through the VPN alone.
How we chose these Unlocator alternatives
We started from the gaps we found in our Unlocator VPN review and looked for services that close them. Six picks have a full HTS review, and we ordered them by those scores, from 9.0/10 down to 8.4/10. NordVPN and Proton VPN tie at 9.0, and we put NordVPN first because it keeps Smart DNS. Smart DNS Proxy sits at #7 as the Smart DNS-only option.
For each service we compared the things we measure in every VPN review. That means speed loss on nearby and distant servers and whether the major streaming platforms unblocked. We also checked whether Smart DNS is included and how it registers your IP. Then we compared the price at signup and renewal, device limits, the refund window, jurisdiction and whether a named firm has audited the no-logs policy.
What to look for in an Unlocator replacement
Unlocator bundles two different tools, so the right replacement depends on which half you actually used. Start with that question, then check streaming, devices, privacy and price.
Smart DNS vs VPN: which one you actually need
Smart DNS reroutes only the DNS requests that reveal your location, so a streaming app sees a supported region while the rest of your traffic goes out normally. Unlocator's own site pairs its VPN with Smart DNS for exactly this reason: Smart DNS needs no app and works on TVs and consoles. Instead, a VPN routes all of your traffic through its own server, and that needs an app on each device or a router.
Every Smart DNS service we looked at authorizes your home IP. Unlocator, NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Smart DNS Proxy all need your current public IP on file, and you must update that IP whenever your ISP changes it. With Unlocator, that also means changing DNS servers by hand on each device.
Smart DNS does not encrypt your traffic or hide your IP address. Use it for the TV, and use a VPN on phones and laptops that join public networks.
Every Smart DNS service is tied to your home IP, so the more often your ISP changes that address, the more a TV app with a VPN will save you.
Streaming unblocking (Netflix and other platforms)
Streaming is the reason most people bought Unlocator, so unblocking matters most. NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and CyberGhost all reached Netflix in our testing, while Mullvad was hit or miss. For a ranking built only around Netflix, see our guide to the best VPN for Netflix.
Device support: smart TVs, consoles and routers
Smart DNS covers devices that cannot run a VPN app, such as many smart TVs, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. Native TV apps are now common on Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV, and those apps are how Proton VPN and Surfshark handle the living room. Mullvad has no TV apps, so a router is the only way to put it on a television.
Privacy, logging and jurisdiction
Unlocator is based in Denmark, a 14 Eyes member, and its privacy policy says it keeps usage logs "at a personal identifiable level" that are purged every 24 hours. It has no independent audit of that policy. Every VPN pick here has a named audit from Deloitte, KPMG, Securitum or Cure53, and Proton's Swiss and NordVPN's Panama bases sit outside the 14 Eyes group.
Price, free plans and money-back guarantees
Introductory prices are low and renewals are not, so check both. Surfshark's $2.49 a month becomes $79 a year at renewal, and ExpressVPN Basic renews at $99.95. Most picks give you 30 days to claim a refund, CyberGhost gives 45 on longer plans, and Mullvad gives 14.
Is Unlocator still worth using?
Those gaps do not make Unlocator a bad service, and it still does its core job well. Smart DNS covers unlimited devices, Unlocator ships apps for iOS, Mac, Windows, Android, Amazon Fire, Huawei and Apple Vision Pro, and the service carries a 30-day money-back guarantee. Pricing is harder to pin down: the two-year plan has worked out to about $4.96 a month, but Unlocator's pricing page shows no per-month rates and prices differ by store, region and VAT. Its own pages also give two VPN connection limits, 10 and 5, so plan around 5.
The weak points are the VPN and the support. The kill switch has to be turned on manually and is missing from the mobile apps, although our DNS and IPv6 leak checks came back clean once the desktop kill switch was on. Support is email-only, and our replies took more than 48 hours. Reliable access from China is also off the table, because the only option offered is a custom WireGuard config with no obfuscation.
We score Unlocator 6.8/10. Keep it if you only need Smart DNS on a TV and like the bundle. Switch if you want a bigger, audited VPN with split tunneling and a kill switch on mobile. The full breakdown is in our Unlocator VPN review.
Unlocator alternatives FAQ
Can I use a free VPN instead of Smart DNS on my TV?
Is Smart DNS better than a VPN for streaming?
Does Unlocator still work with Netflix?
Is Unlocator safe?
Can I use Smart DNS on a smart TV or console?
Final verdict: which Unlocator alternative should you choose?
With Unlocator's strengths and gaps laid out, your choice comes down to which half of it you relied on. Pick ExpressVPN if consoles are the priority, Proton VPN if privacy or a free plan comes first, and Smart DNS Proxy if you never touched the VPN at all. For everyone else, our pick is below.
