SmartDNS vs a VPN: why it's faster

SmartDNS operates at the DNS layer, which is fundamentally different from how a VPN works.

A VPN routes all of your traffic through an encrypted tunnel, which adds overhead and can slow down streaming. SmartDNS routes only the DNS lookup for geo-sensitive domains. Your actual streaming data travels directly from the streaming server to your device at full speed, with no tunnelling and no encryption overhead.

What this means for you:

• Zero impact on streaming quality — no buffering penalty from tunnelling.
• No app to install — no VPN client, no certificates, no configuration files.
• Setup in seconds — you change two DNS addresses and you're finished.

In short, SmartDNS gives you the geo-unblocking benefit of a VPN for streaming, without the speed cost that comes from routing every packet through an encrypted tunnel.