Unlocator is a Danish service built around Smart DNS, with a VPN sold alongside it. The Smart DNS part is what most people buy it for, because it works on smart TVs, games consoles and streaming boxes that can't run a VPN app. The details below come from Unlocator's own site and help center, checked on November 4, 2026.
What DNS has to do with streaming
Every time an app opens a website or a streaming service, your device first asks a DNS server to turn a name like netflix.com into a numeric address. Your internet provider normally runs that DNS server for you, and you never see it.
Streaming services license shows and films country by country, so they check where each viewer appears to be before deciding which catalog to show. They work that out mainly from the IP address your connection comes from. Smart DNS works by changing the answer to that first lookup, so the location check goes somewhere other than your home connection.
What happens when you switch to Unlocator's DNS
Setup means replacing the DNS servers on your device or router with Unlocator's. For people who don't need a guide, Unlocator gives the two addresses on its setup page: 185.37.37.37 and 185.37.39.39.
From then on, your device sends its lookups to Unlocator. For most sites, nothing changes and you get the normal answer. For the streaming services on Unlocator's list, Unlocator says its system picks out "the exact parts of the streaming traffic" tied to location checks and routes them through the country you need. That is the general approach Smart DNS services take: the lookup for a streaming service's location check returns the address of a relay server in another country, so the check sees that country instead of yours. The video itself still comes to you over your normal connection.
Because only those lookups change, Unlocator can place you in several countries at once. Its Smart DNS page gives the example of watching US Netflix and UK BBC iPlayer from Germany without switching anything. For a few services that share the same systems, such as ESPN+ and MLB, plain Smart DNS mode lets you choose which one takes priority. The channel list on its site had 194 entries when we checked, including US Netflix, UK Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney Plus and Crunchyroll.
Why Unlocator needs your IP address
Unlocator answers these lookups only for connections it recognizes, so your home IP address has to be registered on your account. Unlocator adds it automatically when you sign up, which is why it asks you to set up your computer first and then check the status page in your account.
If your internet provider changes your IP address, Smart DNS stops working until the new one is registered. You can update it from your account, or automate it: your account holds a private API key and an update link, and Unlocator's help center explains how to call that link on a schedule from iOS and macOS Shortcuts, a macOS cron job or a DD-WRT router.
What Smart DNS does not do
Smart DNS changes where some lookups go. It does not encrypt your connection. Unlocator's own comparison says traffic that is already encrypted stays encrypted and traffic that isn't stays unencrypted. Your internet provider can still see what you do, and most of your traffic still shows your real IP address. The old claim that Unlocator's Smart DNS makes you anonymous is wrong. If privacy is the reason you want this, you need a VPN.
The upside is speed. With nothing encrypted and the video coming over your own line, Unlocator says Smart DNS causes no speed reduction, while a VPN sends everything through a remote server.
Smart DNS also has a weak spot when you travel. Unlocator's help center says many hotels use DNS hijacking, forcing every guest onto the hotel's own DNS servers, and public Wi-Fi in airports often behaves the same way. On those networks Smart DNS will not work, and Unlocator tells you to switch to its VPN.
How the Unlocator VPN and Hybrid mode differ
The Unlocator VPN works like any other VPN. Its apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Huawei phones and Fire TV encrypt everything your device sends and pass it through an Unlocator server, using WireGuard or OpenVPN (IKEv2 is also offered on Windows and iOS). Websites see the server's address, and your internet provider sees only encrypted traffic going to Unlocator. The Windows and Mac apps add a kill switch and a feature called Shield, which cut your internet if the VPN disconnects.
Hybrid mode combines the two. Connect to any Unlocator VPN server and your traffic is encrypted while Smart DNS still handles the streaming services, so you don't have to pick a server in the right country for each one. Unlocator says 99% of streaming services work in Hybrid mode, with one trade-off: Hybrid mode drops the per-service settings that plain Smart DNS offers, so for ESPN+ and MLB Unlocator suggests a US server for ESPN+ and a server outside the US for MLB.
Which devices it works on
Smart DNS works on anything where you can change the DNS settings. Unlocator's setup page has guides for Windows, macOS and Ubuntu, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, Google TV and Nvidia Shield, PlayStation 3 to 5 and Xbox 360 to Series X, smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips and others, and more than 20 router brands and router firmwares. Setting it on your router covers every device in the house, and Unlocator puts no device limit on Smart DNS.
The VPN needs an app or manual setup, so it suits computers, phones, tablets and Fire TV. To cover a TV or console with the VPN, you would need a router that runs VPN firmware.
What it costs
Prices checked November 4, 2026, in US dollars:
| Plan | Monthly | 6 months | 1 year | 2 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart DNS | $6.99 | $29 | $49 | $69 |
| VPN + Smart DNS | $11.99 | $49 | $79 | $119 |
Unlocator advertises a 7-day free trial, and its Smart DNS page says you don't need a credit card to start it. Every subscription also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plans renew automatically.
Should you use Smart DNS or a VPN
Use Smart DNS if your goal is a foreign catalog on a TV, console or streaming stick at home, on a connection with a stable IP address. It costs less and doesn't slow anything down.
Pick a VPN, from Unlocator or a VPN-first provider such as ExpressVPN or Surfshark, if you want privacy, stream on hotel or public Wi-Fi, or your IP address changes often. ExpressVPN also has a DNS feature called MediaStreamer for TVs and consoles that can't run its app.
Before you start, read the terms of the service you plan to watch. Netflix's terms, for example, say you may watch "primarily within the country in which you have established your account" and only where it has licensed the content. A service can block Smart DNS and VPN servers whenever it finds them, so a channel that works today can stop working without notice. Our Unlocator listing covers the plans and the alternatives in more detail.
