If you own an Apple product, chances are you bought it either because of its reliability, efficiency, security, or simply because of a few features that you just can’t do without. Whatever the case, one of the biggest benefits you’ll get to enjoy stems from the fact that Apple products provide their customers with one of the highest levels of security in the market. This alone is among the biggest reasons why so many people around the world continue to rely on an Apple device for all of their computing and lifestyle needs. However…
The security provided only does well to take care of the information you store on your phone. If you happen to be a heavy internet user, it’s highly likely that you tend to leave a lot of your personal information on the internet whenever you’re going through with an online transaction, filling in a contact sheet or even just communicating with someone through some insecure medium.
The problem with this is that you leave yourself completely vulnerable to individuals who scour the Internet for people’s personal information; looking to hack their devices and get a hold of all your private credentials. If this happens to you, the effects can be really devastating. You would have your identity stolen, and with details such as your credit card information in someone else’s hands, you might even have your bank account drained down to the last cent.
The best way to prevent unfortunate occurrences such as these is to ensure you access the Internet through a private server. This can best be done by subscribing to a Virtual Private Network service. This kind of service will allow you to do two key things:
- Hide your identity whenever you’re online.
- Encrypt your Internet connection.
Once you connect to a private server, your IP address changes from the one that reflects your current location to one that reflects the location of one of your VPN’s servers. This way your location is concealed, and as an advantage, you’ll be able to access websites and channels that normally have a restriction on where you can access them from.
In terms of encryption, a decent provider should be able to hide your browsing traffic from anyone who might want to eavesdrop on your Internet use, your ISP included. You’ll also be able to block any of the avenues through which a hacker might use to gain access to your phone.
Now that you have a good idea of what a VPN service can do for you, let’s have a look at some of the best VPN apps you could use for your iPhone.
Best VPN Apps for iPhone
Photo: vpnftw
ExpressVPN
Touted as one of the best VPN services in the world, ExpressVPN goes the extra mile to ensure its customers get to enjoy the best encryption services in the market. The company has more than 1500+ servers in over 94 countries, and this also makes it one of the most expansive networks around. At a cost of $8.32 per month, here are the kind of features you stand to enjoy:
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- Top tier encryption services.
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- 30-day money back guarantee.
- Large network with a lot of servers.
ExpressVPN has arguably the highest quality servers in the market; the type that don’t easily break down even when swamped with a lot of traffic. The 1500 servers in its network make it almost impossible for customers to lose their connection, or get vulnerable attacks from hackers hoping to steal their information.
The only drawback would be the relatively higher rate that they charge for a subscription. Other than that, they have an existing zero logs policy where none of their subscriber’s history is stored anywhere within their systems, and a security mechanism that automatically picks the best protocols to ensure that you and your data stay protected. The 30-day money back guarantee should be enough encouragement to try out the service since even if you don’t like it, you can always get your money back.
Photo: pcmag-au
IPVanish
Second on our list is IPVanish; a provider that is well known for their easy to use VPN client. Most customers will agree that the pricing guide offered by IPVanish compares well to the level of quality that they receive in return. The service offers three payment plans; the first option allowing you to try out their service at $10 for the first month, then, if impressed, move on to $8.99 for every three months, or just decide to pay $77.99 upfront for a whole year. With their type of service you should expect:
- Up to 5 VPN connections under one account
- A Zero Log Policy
- Up to 5 security protocols in use
The choice to have up to 5 simultaneous connections under one subscription can save you a good amount of money, especially if you use more than one device to connect to the Internet. You’ll also rest assured that none of your device’s browsing history will be logged since IPVanish has a well defined zero log policy in place. The service also has the highest number of applied security protocols; all put to work together and enhance the level of security of your connection.
Photo: nathan beers
VyprVPN
Launched in 2010, VyprVPN continues to woo new customers into subscribing to its service due to it’s innovative and highly unique features. Two of it’s most popular include ‘Chameleon’, a feature that provides a unique encryption protocol, and ‘Cyphr’, it’s encrypted messaging service. Here are even more features that you might get to benefit from if you subscribe to their service:
- Dump Truck Cloud Storage (SpiderOak & Digital Safe)
- NAT Firewall
- 24/7 customer support
From what we’ve seen, VyprVPN is well structured to work best as a B2B solution. It provides their customers the option to safely store their data through a service called Digital Safe, and to also back up their data through another service known as Spider Oak. The NAT Firewall provides online security by blocking all unrequested inbound traffic, thus removing the need for any additional configuration after connecting to VyprVPN under it. In case you run into any problems while using these tools, you’re able to contact the customer care team at any time of day through their live chat service and you’ll be immediately assisted.
Photo: pcmag-uk
PureVPN
Based in Hong Kong, PureVPN is one of the few providers in the market that only gives prospective customers 7 days to decide whether the service works for them, and this is after they’ve already put down a payment. If as a customer you decide not to go through with their service, you receive a full refund as long as you decided within those initial 7 days. Here are a few things we think you’ll enjoy if you subscribe to their service:
- Their VPN App has the most aesthetic appeal
- Purpose selection tool
- One click server selection
As soon as you start navigating around the PureVPN app, you’ll get to see that the developers really put in a lot of work to make sure it looks and feels just right. We can go ahead and claim that it is by far the best-designed app client in the market, and on top of that it’s quite easy to use. Once you’re done with the installation and initial setup procedures, you get to decide how you want the service to work for you. You might be looking for optimum security and anonymity, general internet surfing, or unblocking websites that have restricted access based on your current location. If all this setting up seems like a handful, you can always let the service choose a server that’s closest to you, and get on with your work.
Photo: nordvpn.com
NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the most trusted VPN services on the market. Users who just want the best VPN regardless of price or visual flair have turned to NordVPN. Of course, that’s because NordVPN is quite expensive compared to other services and isn’t exactly the best looking VPN on the market. However, it does offer the following
- 1100 remote servers across 60 countries
- One tap server access
- Incredible internet speeds
In short, NordVPN offers speed, security, and plenty of servers. It has everything you’re really looking for in a VPN minus the style of some of its competitors. As for the price, NordVPN does offer a 7-day free trial. If you find that the service offers everything you need, you’ll need to pay NordVPN’s $11.99 a month fee to continue enjoying it. That’s a big price tag compared to the competition, but NordVPN is designed for power VPN users. If you’re truly concerned about your online security, then the price that NordVPN asks is a relatively small one to pay. Factor in its ad-blocking and BitTorrent support, and you may be looking at the best VPN on the market.
Photo: tunnelbear.com
TunnelBear VPN
You shouldn’t buy a VPN based solely on its visual design. There are many more important factors to consider given the nature of these services. However, there’s something to be said for a VPN service that offers all of the fundamental features you need a little personality to boot. That’s basically the mindset that’s helped TunnelBear VPN become one of the most popular iOS VPN services on the market today. Here are just a few of the things it offers:
- Lots of Bear-related jokes
- No user activity logging
- Servers in over 22 countries
Once you get over TunnelBear’s pleasant visuals and casual humor, you’ll find that it’s actually a very reliable service. Everything is designed to be easy to use – connections occur with a single touch – but TunnelBear offers professional grade security options. It’s not quite as robust as other services in terms of server availability, but users in major markets will likely never know the difference. Best of all, TunnelBear is very affordable for what it offers. It offers 500MB of free browsing every month (which includes all features) and unlimited access for $9.99 a month. Alternatively, you can pay for an entire year of service up front for $4.99 a month.
Photo: crunchbase.com
SaferVPN
While there are a number of all-in-one VPNs out there, there’s something to be said for one that specifically caters to businesses and professionals. SaferVPN is such a service. It’s been designed from the ground up to cater to more professional clients. Unfortunately, that means that it doesn’t allow for user features like torrent support. Fortunately, it also means that SaferVPN includes some of the following features:
- 24/7 Support
- Bank-grade encryption protection
- Unlimited bandwidth
It’s SaferVPNs encryption that makes it so appealing. This is one of the most secure services on the market from a technological standpoint. SaferVPN guarantees that its 256-Bit encrypted connection will provide secure browsing. That makes it a fascinating option for those who are using a VPN to transfer secure data. SaferVPN also promises to not track that data, though it may log usage times and connection dates. The one downside to the services fast and secure connections is that you won’t have as many to choose from. SaferVPN mostly lets you choose a country rather than individual servers. Still, this is a great option for the right users.
Photo: privateinternetaccess.com
Private Internet Access VPN
There’s nothing wrong with factoring in price when looking for a VPN. If you’re not a power user, you probably don’t’ need the biggest, baddest, and most expensive VPN out there. However, you always want to make sure that the VPN you choose is reliable and safe regardless of the price point. So far as budget options go, Private Internet Access VPN may just be the best available. Here’s a brief look at what it offers:
- $6.99 monthly pricing ($3.33 a month annual pricing)
- Public Wi-Fi security options
- Supports up to five devices simultaneously
Yes, you can get a year of Private Internet Access VPN services for less than $4 a month with its annual plan. The trade-off is that Private Internet Access doesn’t necessarily excel in any one service area. It allows you to connect to a country rather than specific servers. Its encryption protection is strong, but not as strong as the best services. Even its interface is sparse. However, when you factor in its reliability, speed, and user-friendly policies regarding ad blocking and P2P transfers, it’s hard not to consider Private Internet Access your best bet if you just want an affordable and reliable option.
Best VPN Apps for iPhone – Conclusion
The eight VPN providers we’ve listed above are all unique both in terms of the set of features provided, and in the quality of service you should expect to receive from them. This might make it really difficult to choose the provider that is best suited to cater to your needs. The best way to go about this is to read user reviews from the people that have subscribed to each service before even paying for the initial trial period. This way, you’ll be able to form an idea of what to expect from your provider before you even choose to subscribe to their service.
