Finding the best VPN for your iPhone and iPad isn’t easy.
There are a ton of VPN (Virtual Private Network) services out there for the iPhone, and truth be told, most of them are pretty good. In fact, a lot of them look pretty similar from the outset. While that means there are a lot of high-quality options to choose from, it also means bad services disguised as good ones. Some of those services are even downright malicious. That’s just cruel when you consider VPNs are supposed to be about security.
It’s a rough world out there for people looking to use VPN on their phone, but it’s not a hopeless one. The truth is that your biggest problem will often be deciding which great service to go with. Of course, that comes with its own problems. How are you supposed to separate the good apps from the great one? That’s where things get tricky, and where we come in. There is no shortage of VPN services out there, but there is only a select group of them that you should consider if you’re looking for the best of the best VPNs. If you’re unfamiliar with how a VPN works or why you would use one, check out our primer on how to use a VPN on your iPhone.
Here are the best VPN services for iPhone and iPad in 2019.
10. ProtonVPN Free
Pros:
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- Unlimited free VPN bandwidth
- Values user privacy
Cons:
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- Servers are usually busy
- Only allows you to connect to a few locations
To be honest, it’s easy to be skeptical of ProtonVPN Free. After all, it’s a free VPN service with no bandwidth restrictions that was designed by one of the top email encryption services in Switzerland. Surely, there has to be a catch, right?
The bad news is that there is. As a free user of ProtonVPN, you are pretty low on the service’s priority list for a good connection. It’s not that the company is trying to throttle your speeds – it’s actually possible to get a perfectly good connection as a free user – but rather that the service’s premium subscribers get priority access to the best servers. This issue is complicated by the fact that you can only connect to a few server locations.
Still…we’re talking about a very well-made VPN service that offers no bandwidth restrictions and doesn’t ask you to pay a dime. Any service that offers unlimited bandwidth for free is at least worth considering. The service’s connection issues are frustrating, but they don’t kill its appeal.
9. HideMe
Pros:
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- 2GB a Month Free Service
- Great Privacy Options
Cons:
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- Iffy Support Options
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- Expensive Premium Upgrade
- Speed isn’t the best
We can’t tell you what you use a VPN for. Some people use it for their primary browser, some people use it to protect themselves when using public internet, and some people use it to protect themselves in general against those who might be looking at their browsing habits.
If you are part of the last category, then HideMe might be the best free option for you. Just as its name suggests, this is a service that values privacy above all. To be perfectly honest, that even means that they don’t discriminate against things like users who value their service because it allows them to download things like torrents privately.
There is a small price to pay, though. Well…there’s a large price to pay if you upgrade to premium as HideMe is a pretty expensive option for those who might want to upgrade to its premium options. The service’s sped also leaves something to be desired. All and all, though, there’s something to be said for security in your VPN service, and HideMe is one of the best out there in that respect.
8. HotSpot Shield
Pros:
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- 1GB a Day Free Service
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- Fast
- Antivirus Protection
Cons:
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- A limited number of servers
- The free version is a little bare bones
HotSpot Shield boasts one of the more generous VPN offers out there that we can think of. For the low price of absolutely nothing, you get 1Gb of free data a day. Not a month…a day. That’s some serious data allowance.
Best of all. HotSpot doesn’t seem to restrict its free users in terms of speed. At least it doesn’t appear to. HostSpot shield is a pretty fast service, which is all the more surprising when you consider that it also offers built-in virus protection. That alone should slow the service down, but it moves quite well.
There is one slight problem, though. HotSpot doesn’t try to fool its free users into thinking that they’re getting full service. They are not. The problem is that you could make the argument that even premium users aren’t getting full service. HotSpot’s number of available servers is oddly limited and the sanctity of its security is somewhat questionable. It is, however, a generous and affordable option for those who may not be power users.
7. Windscribe
Pros:
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- 10 GB a Month Free Data
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- Many Servers
- International Service Options
Cons:
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- Support is good, but not great
- A bit slow for free users
Windscribe is, generally speaking, pretty awesome.
This service doesn’t exactly have a calling card in the same way that some other services value privacy or speed, but it’s the perfect option for those looking for generally great service. For one thing, it allows even its free users to take advantage of accessing many different services. That’s especially true of those servers traveling internationally who are allowed to easily access high-profile servers wherever they may roam.
On top of this, Windscribe offers some special features such as its link shortening service which monitors every shortened link you might visit to make sure you’re going exactly where you intend to go. Actually, the service is pretty big on online protection in general.
For everything that Windscribe does well, though, it does come with a couple of catches. For one thing, the service’s support options aren’t 24/7. That may or may not be a big deal to you, but we’re willing to bet that its slightly slower than average speeds will probably mean more to the average user. All in all, though, it’s a great service.
6. IPVanish
Pros:
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- A Ton of Servers
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- Advanced Torrenting Features
- Excellent For Professionals
Cons:
- A Little Complicated For Casual Users
More complicated VPNs aren’t always inherently better, but IPVanish is certainly worth learning.
Actually, IPVanish isn’t really that complicated. When you boot it up, you’ll be greeted with familiar VPN features. You can choose a server, receive a new IP address, play with settings, and check your connection speed. The only thing that makes this part more complicated is the somewhat bare-bones interface.
Beyond that IPVanish offers some welcome advanced features. At the top of that list is the service’s emphasis on not tracking your data. In fact, you can’t even connect to countries that don’t allow untracked data. Considering how many people use VPNs as an added form of cybersecurity, that’s a welcome feature. IPVanish also offers things like automatic IP cycling that makes staying secure that much easier.
All things considered, IPVanish makes a compelling case for a VPN upgrade.
5. VyperVPN
Pros:
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- Excellent App
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- Great Server Selection
- Incredible Speeds
Cons:
- No Subscription Cancellation
- Limited Free Trial
Speed isn’t something one usually considers when choosing a VPN, but VyperVPN does bring a smile to our face.
Seriously, VyperVPN is fast. The service’s desktop version is known for its speed, and the iPhone app is no different. VyperVPN touts their “upgraded servers” as the source of this speed, and they most certainly work. Seriously, there’s almost no speed dropoff when using this app. You even get to choose from a nice selection of global servers. On top of that, VyperVPN’s app has been updated often and looks fantastic.
What’s the catch? There really aren’t many. We suppose that other services place a greater emphasis on security, but that shouldn’t be a worry here. What’s a little more troubling is the service’s no cancellation policy. If you would need to cancel for any reason, that might be a bit of a problem. Thankfully, the service is reliable and certainly comparably affordable.
VyperVPN is just an all-around great service.
4. Private Internet Access
Pros:
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- Built-In Ad Blocker
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- All About Privacy
- Very Affordable
Cons:
- Speed Is Just Ok
- App Needs Some Work
Enhanced privacy and an affordable price tag are usually two different selling points with VPNs. With Private Internet Access, though, they’re part of the same package.
As you can tell by the name, Private Internet Access emphasizes user privacy. While the service’s features aren’t too elaborate in that respect, it’s really all about the complete package. Private Internet Access’ blend of IP vanishing and decrypting techniques ensures that you can feel pretty confident about your online security. On top of that, you get a built-in ad blocker (for malicious ad content). It’s a fantastic security offering made better by Private Internet Access’ very affordable price point.
There aren’t many real downsides to Private Internet Access. Its speed isn’t quite on the level of some other VPNs, and it’s app isn’t the prettiest out there, but we wouldn’t say either of those are a deal breaker. It’s just that you might want to look elsewhere based on your preferences/needs in a VPN. Even then, we’d say that PIA is worth at least a brief shot if you’re interested in a new service.
For a great, secure, and highly-usable VPN service on a budget, Private Internet Access is a fantastic option.
3. VPN Unlimited
Pros:
- Streaming Features
- Reliable Security
- Zero Log Policty
Cons:
- No built-in Ad blocker
We’ve spoken about VPN Unlimited in-depth before (which you can check out here), but the long and short of it is that this is a great mobile VPN option.
VPN Unlimited is a particularly great option for those who like to use VPNs for streaming as it boasts seeral features designed to enhance that expeirence. It also allows you to purchase a private server which greatly enhances your speed and security.
VPN Unlimited’s $39.99 a year option is also incredibly competitive for those willing to make the commitment. You also get some incredible security features as well as some top-of-the-line privacy options.
It’s approrpirate that VPN Unlimited is made by KeepSolid, because this really is just a solid overall VPN option for your mobile browsing needs.
2. NordVPN
Pros:
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- Incredible Security
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- Tons of Servers
- Includes Ad Blocker
Cons:
- A Little Expensive
For quite some time, NordVPN has been one of the premier names in VPN services. Through a series of updates, they’ve managed to retain that title despite some incredible competition.
NordVPN is something of a “set it and forget it” VPN service. It’s the kind of VPN you never really have to worry about or struggle with. First off, NordVPN utilizes a consistent and practical “no logging” policy that means they cannot and will not track your data. That’s great for those who worry about how secure their VPN connection really is. NordVPN also boasts a generally great series of security protocols that protect you against data intrusion. NordVPN is also one of the only mobile VPN services that features an automatic kill switch. That means it will shut itself down if a data incursion is detected.
However, the service’s biggest selling point is its selection of global servers. They help ensure that travelers are able to access a series of specific servers that give them the best connection possible. Even those who are not traveling will benefit from being able to find the perfect server. That’s very good news for anyone willing to scan multiple servers for the fastest connection.
NordVPN is a little more expensive per month than the industry average, but it might just be worth the price.
1. TunnelBear (Best VPN Overall)
Pros:
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- Easy and Fun to Use
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- Good Speeds
- Support for Multiple Devices
Cons:
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- 500MB a month data cap
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- No Torrenting Support
- Limited Support Options
Tunnelbear has quickly become one of the more popular VPN service options out there. Even a little time with the service will show you why that is the case.
First off, Tunnelbear rightfully prides itself on its user interface experience. Tunnelbear is the rare VPN service that doesn’t make you feel like you’ve just used some dark part of the internet that you weren’t meant to access or something along those lines. It boasts a fun set of features – and an odd sense of humor – that is made all the better by the service’s multi-device support and fairly good speeds.
The big downside with Tunnelbear as your primary free service is its 500MB a month cap. Again, if you’re not really concerned with using a VPN all the time, that’s not the worst thing in the world. However, you could argue that other services make up for their lack of niceties in terms of the raw amount of data that they give you.
