As the world moves more toward mobile computing, Android emulators are growing increasingly popular. However, one of the oldest, best, and most well-known is Bluestacks. With over 145 million users, it’s not hard to see why. What it does is turn your desktop or laptop into an Android machine. Because it emulates the operating system, you can do all kinds of things. That includes gaming, testing out mobile software, and others. With all of the functionality, there are still reasons to connect to a VPN. We’ll be glad to tell you why after looking at our list of the best VPNs for Bluestacks.
| Rank | VPN Service | Our Score | Server Locations | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 9.8 | 160 |  |
| 2 |  | 9.4 | 87 | |
| 3 |  | 9.2 | 95 | |
| 4 |  | 9.0 | 110 | |
| 5 |  | 8.8 | 73 | |
Why Use a VPN with Bluestacks?
Gaming is a big part of using Bluestacks. As we mentioned, world trends are heading toward mobile computing. While most mobile games are not at the levels of their high-end counterparts, a growing number are. Unfortunately, some of the best game makers limit their games to a specific region of the world. That may be for testing or other reasons.
Other considerations come from apps that the media companies lock. These include the BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Disney+, as well as music streaming apps like Spotify, Pandora, and many others. Often, those companies geo-lock their content to prevent users outside the targeted area from viewing. Of course, you can use them all with Bluestacks, providing you connect to a VPN.
If you are someone that travels or has friends or family in other countries, VoIP apps are your friend. While some offer a desktop version as well, many of them are mobile only. Just as you can connect to a VPN on your Android to unblock government banned VoIP services, you can so the same with Bluestacks. The advantage to using a VoIP app on the emulator is because of the difference in potential sound quality. Often, USB headsets or speakers can far outmatch the quality of your smartphone.
All of the extra attention to mobile devices and emulators means that when using Bluestacks, you may be vulnerable to your apps getting compromised. Because it has 145 million users, that means perhaps a majority of the people using it have not updated it recently. That could pose a problem if the most recent patch or version plugged a hole. To help, connecting to a VPN is a good idea to add a layer of protection to your use of Bluestacks.
Can I Use a Free VPN With Bluestacks?
Because Bluestacks is an Android emulator, there are plenty of free options available in the marketplace. However, those are not good choices. Many of the free VPNs have slow server speeds. If you are gaming or streaming, those speeds will cause you to buffer. You’ll find a whole host of other problems as well. That includes data caps, poor server selection, and even malware. A study found that nearly 80% of all free VPNs contained malware. That means you could be trying to protect yourself and doing the opposite. Although you may find a rare option that does what it is supposed to, you are better off not taking the chance.
How to Use a VPN with Bluestacks – Method 1
There are two ways you can connect to a VPN with Bluestacks. Just follow these steps for method 1.
- Sign up for ExpressVPN (includes a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee).
- Download and install the ExpressVPN app on your machine.
- Connect to the desired VPN server, wherever it is.
- Open Bluestacks and use it like you normally would.
How to Use a VPN with Bluestacks – Method 2
The second method works, but may not be as efficient as the first one.
- Sign up for ExpressVPN (includes a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee).
- Open Bluestacks.
- From the Google Play Store inside Bluestacks, download and install the ExpressVPN app.
- Connect to the server you want to use.
- Once you do that, you’ll be able to access the zones you want.
- If you have any questions or run into issues along the way, the ExpressVPN support team is available 24/7 to help.
What is the Best VPN for Bluestacks?
There are several important factors to look at when trying to decide what the best VPN for Bluestacks is. Here are the criteria we used.
- Strong military grade encryption to help protect your privacy and secure Bluestacks so it is safer
- Multi-platform device support for mobile apps
- Strict no-logs policy for users
- Ability to get around geo-restrictions for Bluestacks
Let’s take a more in-depth look at the best VPNs to use with Bluestacks.
1. ExpressVPN
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A benefit that you can take advantage of when connecting to a VPN is to help you access sites like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video in different areas. Because of licensing rights, not everything is available in every country. As connected as the world is, ExpressVPN feels you should be able to see your favorite movies and TV shows everywhere. To do so, you would need to connect to a VPN in the country that offers the content. That way, you’ll be able to see it no matter where you are.
Founded in 2009, ExpressVPN has a long track record of being one of the top VPN providers in the industry. Experts often tout them for the size, consistent speed, and quality of their network. With the addition of several features that the service offers, it is not hard to see why they are regularly one of the top choices in the community. Even though their service may be at a higher cost than some others, we feel the value, speed, and features more than make up for the difference.
ExpressVPN is our top-rated VPN service of 2023. Regardless of your goals for using a VPN, ExpressVPN combines a robust network with privacy features to keep you protected. We commonly use it to protect our privacy while traveling and to access our favorite streaming services back home. While you can sign up for monthly access, we recommend you take advantage of this exclusive deal that gives you 3 extra months free when you sign up for a year. You can also get a full refund within 30 days if you’re not completely satisfied, so you can test their network with ExpressVPN’s money-back-guarantee.
2. NordVPN
While NordVPN isn’t the oldest player in the VPN community, they have certainly made a splash in the space. They are very popular, and the company took its name from the Nordic ideals of trust, confidence, and innovation. Since their founding in 2012, you can not visit any type of media without seeing an advertisement of some sort. They mention that they have 12 million users worldwide. Given that, you are in great hands if you choose NordVPN. They manage a large network to help meet your goals for using a VPN.
Gamers spend quite a bit of time and money on their gaming accounts. However, sometimes players don’t pay enough attention to security. If you are trying to keep your account safe, you’ll want to connect to a server by using NordVPN. By doing so, it will help you ensure that your achievements, finances, time spent, and inventory are safe from harm. Of course, you will want to take other precautions as well, but that is an essential step if you are a gamer.
3. Private Internet Access
An advantage of using a VPN server from Private Internet Access if you are a gamer is to help protect you from Distributive Denial of Service attacks. For those that are not aware, they can quickly cause problems when you are gaming. Since it shuts down access to your favorite games, playing them becomes difficult. Private Internet Access will help stop those types of attacks from happening to you. That way, you can enjoy the games you want to, whether you are playing casually or competitively.
If you are a big sports fan, you may find yourself watching sports you would have never thought of watching previously. While that may not be true for all, many have discovered that to be the case. For everyone that has developed a fondness for other sports than the normal, connecting to a VPN server from Private Internet Access is a good idea. By doing so, you don’t have to miss out on some of your new favorite sports and can cheer on the participants.
4. CyberGhost
While getting set up with CyberGhost is easy to do, there are several ways that they can help you if needed. Those include in-depth guides to help you with getting everything set up and an email system. They also offer 24/7 live chat support if you would like quicker service or would rather speak to a customer service representative right away. The team states that they can handle requests in English, German, French, and Romanian. As you can see, CyberGhost has you covered with whatever help you may need.
If you enjoy streaming sports from a particular country or region, you may need to connect to a VPN like CyberGhost. For more than 80 years, sports fans have enjoyed watching sports on their TV. These days, however, you can also watch them on your favorite mobile device or computer. If you follow a sport that is not available in your region, you simply need to connect to a VPN server where it is. That way, you can stream it live instead of only seeing the highlights online.
5. IPVanish
No sports fan should have to miss out on their favorite sport if they are traveling abroad. That is why we suggest you connect to a VPN from IPVanish. When you do, you won’t have to worry about that. Just choose your sport, connect to a server in your home country (or a different city than yours if you are restricted), log in to your sports streaming site, enter your credentials, and there you have it. You should be able to stream and enjoy your sport no matter where you are.
Unfortunately, not all countries are as free with letting their citizens see content as others are. Some countries openly admit to monitoring the online behaviors of anyone using the internet. That is why you need to connect to a VPN server from IPVanish. If you visit a country like China and view the wrong thing online, you could end up speaking with the authorities. However, connecting to a VPN server will provide you with a layer of encryption that will help keep you safe online no matter where you are.
