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Apple is good at protecting its mobile platform from the worst malware. However, a VPN, or virtual private network, goes beyond malware protection by making it harder for advertisers, ISPs, and snoops of all sorts to monitor your online activities. Here at PCMag, we've been writing about VPN connectivity for more than 25 years. Currently, Proton VPN is our Editors' Choice winner thanks to its free and reliable service, but it isn't the only one we recommend. Keep reading for more of the best iPhone VPNs we've tested, followed by the factors you should consider when you're choosing one for yourself.
Our Top Tested Picks
Proton VPN
NordVPN
Surfshark VPN
TunnelBear VPN
CyberGhost VPN
ExpressVPN
IPVanish VPN
Windscribe VPN
Mullvad VPN
Hide.me VPN
Mozilla VPN
The Best VPN Deals This Week*
- ProtonVPN — PCMag Exclusive: $2.99 Per Month (70% Off 2-Year Plan)
- Surfshark VPN — $2.19 Per Month + 3-Months Free (86% Off 2-Year Plan)
- NordVPN — $3.39 Per Month + 1GB Saily eSIM Data (Up to 72% Off 2-Year Plan)
- ExpressVPN — $6.67 Per Month 1-Year Plan + 3-Months Free + 1-Year Free Backblaze
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
- RELATED:
- Best VPNs
- Fastest VPNs
- Best Free VPNs
- Best Mac VPNs
Best Overall
Proton VPN
- The best free VPN subscription
- Numerous advanced privacy tools
- Strong customer privacy stance
- Slick, accessible client
- Excellent speed test scores
- Awkward ChromeOS implementation
Proton VPN has the best free subscription we've yet seen, and its paid offering has a host of excellent features for iOS users, such as a kill switch, a VPN accelerator, NetShield, the always-on VPN feature, and the option for alternative network routing to reach Proton sites, all at an affordable price. The iPhone app is easy to use.
Anyone looking for an excellent VPN on a budget will appreciate Proton VPN. You can download the free version and, once you're familiar with it, upgrade to the paid version.
Best Premium VPN
NordVPN
- Multi-hop, split tunneling, and Tor connections
- Excellent design
- Traffic routing and file-sharing with Meshnet
- Built-in antivirus tools
- Expensive
- Lackluster malware-blocking results
- Limited utility of free Meshnet traffic routing
While expensive, NordVPN offers a hefty collection of privacy tools and a large number of servers worldwide. The company does an excellent job translating its snazzy VPN app and many of its privacy tools to the iPhone.
If you're looking for a multi-purpose product that includes a VPN, NordVPN may be your best option. You can use a static IP address, enable split tunneling, try a multi-hop connection, or route your traffic through the company's Meshnet.
Best for Unlimited Licenses
Surfshark VPN
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Large global server presence
- Multi-hop and split tunneling tools
- Intriguing potential in Surfshark Nexus
- High monthly price
- Some issues with IP rotator feature in testing
- Privacy policy needs clarification
Surfshark VPN may cost a lot, but it's a quality product. The product smartly adapts its desktop design on the iPhone for a familiar and highly polished mobile experience.
If you need to protect many devices with a VPN connection, Surfshark VPN may be the best value for you. The product supports unlimited simultaneous VPN connections.
Best for VPN Novices
TunnelBear VPN
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Excellent privacy policies
- Annual independent audits
- Friendly, approachable design (with bears!)
- No multi-hop connections
- Split tunneling not available on all platforms
- Data limit on free subscription
Don't let its cuteness fool you—TunnelBear VPN is serious about privacy and transparency. The app's bright colors are especially welcoming on iOS. One feature of note is SplitBear, which allows you to browse selected websites without your traffic being routed through the VPN.
Tunnelbear is an excellent product for people who haven't used a VPN before. The app's design makes learning how to use the product easy, even for people unfamiliar with this type of privacy tool.
Best for Frequent Travelers
CyberGhost VPN
- Large, well-distributed server fleet
- Allows up to seven simultaneous connections
- Several add-ons, including antivirus
- Outstanding speed test scores
- Newly completed third-party audit
- Expensive
- Confusing privacy policies
CyberGhost offers a massive collection of servers, and its new visual design is now available on the iPhone. CyberGhost has also expanded its reach beyond VPNs with other security tools.
CyberGhost is expensive, so the ideal customer is someone who will take advantage of the company's large server fleet scattered around the globe, such as a world traveler.
Best Interface
ExpressVPN
- Large, diversely distributed fleet of servers
- Strong privacy and security practices
- Split tunneling
- Stylish interface
- Expensive compared with VPNs with similar feature sets
- No multi-hop connections
ExpressVPN boasts a large and robust network of servers. A visual redesign thoroughly elevates the look of the app across all platforms, including iOS. We also like ExpressVPN's excellent privacy practices.
Globetrotters (or location spoofers) with an eye for good app design will most appreciate ExpressVPN. The app has reliable servers scattered around the globe, which is helpful for people who travel often and want to keep their online activity under wraps.
Best for Connecting Multiple Devices
IPVanish VPN
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Good geographic diversity of servers
- Transparent privacy policy
- Small impact on throughput speeds in our testing
- Expensive
- Free trial only offered on annual plans via mobile app stores
We enjoyed IPVanish's quick yet thorough product tutorial for new users, which shows how to access key tools within the app. Split tunneling, ad and tracker blocking, and a kill switch are IPVanish's most notable features. There's also an option called Connect On Demand, which allows you to connect to the VPN only in certain circumstances, such as when using public Wi-Fi.
People with lots of devices and a large budget. IPVanish is a great option for simultaneously connecting multiple devices to a VPN server, but it's pricey and doesn't offer add-ons like browser extensions.
(Note: IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com's parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.)
Best Transparency Policy
Windscribe VPN
- Industry-leading company transparency and communication
- Large number of payment options
- Best free plan of any VPN we've tested
- Helpful AI support bot
- Open Netflix access in all regions benchmarked
- Unlimited number of simultaneous connections and devices
- Anonymous signup allowed
- Middling speed results
We admire Windscribe for its near-excessive transparency regarding the company's policies on everything from user data to the state of our VPN review industry. Add a stellar iOS experience to this, and you have a recipe for success.
If privacy is your primary concern and you're looking for a VPN app that shines on both iOS and Android thanks to its mobile-first design ethos, Windscribe is a secure and stylish option.
Best for Bargain Hunters
Mullvad VPN
- Affordable
- Requires no email or account information
- Radically transparent
- Multi-hop, split tunneling, and port forwarding
- Awkward desktop interface
- Servers in a small range of countries
- Pay-as-you-go system may confuse some customers
Mullvad VPN offers excellent features at a very affordable price. Its iPhone app includes content blocking for popular websites, similar to parental control applications. The iOS app is simple and a little easier to use than Mullvad's desktop client.
If you're looking for top-notch privacy protection for less than you'd pay elsewhere, you should consider Mullvad's iOS VPN. It doesn't offer a huge variety of servers or a breathtaking interface, but it offers excellent online privacy.
Best Free VPN
Hide.me VPN
- Ten simultaneous connections
- Good server distribution
- Strong speed test scores
- Supports anonymous payments
- Affordable
- Speed limitations on free tier
We like Hide.me VPN on every platform because it has a generous free subscription tier that is as good as what many VPNs offer for money. On iOS in particular, Hide.me VPN's app offers a feature-rich experience, which isn't the norm. Features include auto-connect, a kill switch, and network connection choices. There's also a feature called SmartGuard, which is an all-in-one ad blocker, parental control app, and website filter.
Anyone who wants to protect their iOS traffic without spending a penny should consider Hide.me VPN. Those interested in a budget-friendly and highly customizable VPN app will appreciate the service for iOS devices.
Best Open-Source VPN
Mozilla VPN
- Helps support nonprofit Mozilla
- Powered by privacy hawk Mullvad VPN
- Simple, classy design
- Multi-hop and split tunneling
- Few server locations
- Gathers some user information
- Expensive compared with Mullvad VPN
The Mozilla VPN app is powered by privacy hawk Mullvad VPN and supports the new WireGuard protocol. Its simple and snazzy interface looks great on iOS. In testing, we appreciated Mozilla VPN's strong privacy protections.
People who want a smooth video streaming experience while supporting one of "the good guys" in the online privacy space will go for Mozilla VPN on iOS. While testing the app, we were able to stream video without interruptions. If you enjoy using Mullvad's VPN service and want to support Mozilla's message simultaneously, this is the service for you.
Do You Need an iPhone VPN?
In short, yes. Advertisers track your movements across the web and can create detailed records of your preferences that they can transmute into cash with the dark alchemy of targeted advertising. Facebook, Google, and other big-name companies have driven an industry built on hyper-specific ad targeting. Even your internet service provider (ISP) can aggregate and sell anonymized information about online activity.
Data privacy is exchanged every second of every day for access to free apps, games, and online accounts, but it's worth holding onto. If you'd like to take some of that privacy back (or not give it away so cheaply), a VPN can help.
How to Use iPhone VPNs for Encryption and Location Spoofing
When your VPN is active, all your network traffic—whether from browsers, apps, or iOS itself—gets encrypted before leaving your phone. This encrypted data travels to a server owned by the VPN provider, where it's decrypted and sent on its way. With a direct, no-VPN connection to a website, your IP address reveals your geographic location. When you're using a VPN, however, the IP address others see is that of the VPN server.
Beyond protecting your traffic, VPNs can also let you spoof your location and tunnel past local internet restrictions. Journalists and political activists working against repressive regimes have long relied on VPNs to communicate safely with the outside world. Just know that in some countries, you may break local laws just by using a VPN. For example, Russia has banned VPNs, claiming a need to block terrorist activities. China has also banned most VPNs, though some still manage to connect.
How a VPN Works
Spoofing your location can also get around restrictions of another kind. It's not uncommon for online streaming services to offer content in one region but not another. Offerings from Netflix and Hulu differ by country. Brits can watch BBC shows for free, while the same shows require a subscription in the US.
Spoofing your location with a VPN can get you access to shows not normally available to you. But take care: Location spoofing may violate your terms of service. In addition, companies like Netflix are cracking down on VPN users. Streaming is often not an option when your VPN is running.
What an iPhone VPN Can't Do
Remember that using a VPN doesn't make you invincible to online threats. We highly recommend enabling multi-factor authentication wherever possible, creating unique logins with a password manager, and creating passkeys.
What Is Two-Factor Authentication?
Although a VPN makes it harder for you to be tracked online, advertisers have numerous tricks to gather data on your activities. Adjusting the privacy settings in your mobile browser can also go a long way toward keeping advertisers blind to your activities. For desktop users, we highly recommend using a tracker blocker like the EFF's Privacy Badger.
While the data going to and from your VPN server is encrypted, using a VPN doesn't give you the level of anonymity obtained by connecting through the TOR network, nor does it give you the concomitant ability to dive into the scary depths of the dark web. On the plus side, some VPN services include TOR-specific servers.
Does Using a VPN Slow Down Your iPhone's Internet Connection?
A VPN will almost certainly increase the latency of your internet connection and make your uploads and downloads slower. Anecdotally, the already limited speeds of mobile devices seem to be especially adversely affected by VPNs. We also have noticed, but have not confirmed with testing, that VPNs seem to disconnect and reconnect more frequently with mobile devices than desktop machines.
To get a sense of the impact a VPN may have on your internet connection, we compare the results from a series of Ookla speed tests with and without the VPN active. (Note: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com's parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.) Network speeds can vary greatly depending on the time of day, the network conditions, and your location, so we consider our results to be a snapshot for comparison rather than the final judgment on a service's performance. The latest data is in the chart below:
We rely on a Windows desktop and wired connection for testing because we've found it more reliable than testing on individual mobile devices. But as we said above, there appear to be some unique issues with VPNs on mobile. Also, not all VPN providers use the same protocol on every platform, which can impact performance.
Can You Trust Your iPhone VPN Service?
If you're using a service to route all your internet traffic through its servers, you have to be able to trust the provider. We're not cryptography experts, so we can't verify all the encryption claims providers make. Instead, we give special attention to the privacy practices of VPN companies and not just the technology they provide. We read the privacy policies in our testing and discuss company practices with VPN service representatives. We seek a commitment to protecting user information and a hands-off approach when gathering user data.
As part of our research, we also determine where the company is based and under what legal framework it operates. Some countries don't have data-retention laws, making it easier to promise that "We don't keep any logs." Knowing what personal information the VPN collects and under what circumstances a VPN provider will hand over that information to law enforcement is also useful.
The best VPN services have a privacy policy that spells out what the service does, what information it collects, and what it does to protect that information. Some companies explain that they collect some information but don't inform you how they intend to use it. Others are more transparent.
We also like to see policy backed up by some verifiable effort. Transparency reports and audits are imperfect tools, but we prefer services that have at least tried to prove their worth to the public.
Which Free VPN Is Best for Your iPhone?
Finally, there's the bang-for-your-buck factor. While it's possible to get a VPN for free, even the best no-cost services have some limitations, such as draconian bandwidth caps. The average price for a paid subscription among the evaluated services is about $10 per month. These usually offer five simultaneous connections, which would cover most individuals and some households. If the service you're looking at costs significantly more or offers significantly less, it's important to make sure it's justifying its value some other way.
Proton VPN offers the only free service without data restrictions, making it the only truly free VPN on our list. However, the free tier limits your server location to the Netherlands, Japan, and the United States, and you can only use the free VPN service on one device at a time.
What Is the Best iPhone VPN?
Using a VPN isn't about protecting your device; it's about protecting your privacy and network connections. That means any type of device that connects online can benefit from a VPN, making it an enormously versatile tool for your privacy toolkit. Read our reviews, check our ratings, and select the best VPN for you. Once you've chosen a service, read our guide on how to set up and use a VPN.
