Best VPN for iPhone: Why VPNs are a Must-Have for iOS Devices

Are You Worried About Your Privacy When You’re on Your iPhone?

A VPN connection secures your online traffic and data against eavesdropping, constant ad-tracking, Wi-Fi spoofing, and cybercriminals, especially when you’re connected to public WiFi networks.

A VPN on an iPhone encrypts the data and routes it via a VPN server, thus making your data more secure and helping you overcome censorship and firewall blocking. A VPN for iPhone also allows you to access geo-blocked content, tunnel through restricted apps, and get better deals on services and products.

Additionally, when you go abroad, websites and services from your home country might not be available due to geo-restrictions set up by those websites, and a VPN can change that.

How to Choose an iPhone VPN

To choose a VPN for iPhone, look for a VPN service that has strong encryption, leak protection, and a VPN kill switch, so your data won’t be exposed should the VPN connection falter for any reason. It should also have custom apps for iOS that are secure and offer a varied feature set. Be careful when using most free VPNs as they are often compromised in some way and may not provide the necessary security features.

The Best iPhone VPN Providers in 2023

 

1. ExpressVPN (Best High-Performance VPN For iPhone)

Rank: 1 | Servers: 3,000+ | Speed: Download: 87 Mbps | Countries: 90+ | Encryption Type: L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN (TCP), OpenVPN (UDP), PPTP, IPsec, and IKEv2, Lightway | Max devices:5 simultaneous, but unlimited installations | 24/7 support: ✅| Free trial: ❌ | Money-back guarantee: ✅ | Apps & Devices: Win~Linux~Mac~Android~iOS~Router~LGTV~Samsung TV~Amazon Sticks~Xbox | Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands (BVI)

Unblocks: Netflix US | BBC iPlayer | Amazon Prime Video | Hulu | FuboTV | Showtime | Disney+ | ESPN | HBO Max

Ease of Use:  1  (super easy)

Kill switch:  ✅

No Logs:  ✅

3rd-party audit:  ✅

Torrenting:  ✅

Best & Worst:

  • Best feature for use with iPhone: Excellent encryption protocols.
  • Worst feature for use with iPhone: Doesn’t allow for multi-hop, which is a feature that could offer additional privacy and security.
Strengths Weaknesses
+ Impeccable history & AES 256-bit encryption Premium price
+Fast speeds No multi-hop
+94 countries / 3,000+ servers
+30-day money-back guarantee
+Works in China

ExpressVPN is one of the few high-performance VPNs out there. It has a wide range of servers across 94 countries including the US, UK, Germany and Japan. With ExpressVPN, you can connect to any server you want and enjoy unthrottled speeds and outstanding performance.

Secure

You can use it to protect your privacy and security while you use your iPhone. ExpressVPN has a strict no-log policy, and does not keep any data about online activity.

Alongside these features, ExpressVPN has a huge server network that, along with military-grade security, makes it one of the top VPNs for iPhone in 2023.

Fast Speeds

ExpressVPN has has fast connection speeds with more than 3,000 servers in over 90 countries. It is one of the fastest secure VPNs on the market. 

You can use this VPN on up to five devices at the same time, so you can use it on your computer and tablet, as well as on your phone simultaneously. ExpressVPN is compatible with several operating systems and devices. This includes Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android and is one of the VPNs with the best device compatibility on the market today. 

Features

ExpressVPN employs a responsive customer support team that replies quickly to all your queries. You can contact them if you have any problems setting up the VPN or should you need any help while using it. ExpressVPN is one of the most reliable VPNs on the market today and is trusted by over 2 million users, including travel enthusiasts, business executives, and privacy fanatics. 

One of the most significant advantages of using ExpressVPN is that it offers you unlimited bandwidth. This means you can use this VPN for as long as you want without worrying about exceeding the data limit. It is a top pick because it offers unlimited speed and bandwidth. It is one of the fastest VPNs available on the market today, so you can stream movies, listen to music, or enjoy online games without worrying about getting disconnected from the internet. 

Pricing

The yearly plan is $6.67 and you get three months free. The 6-month plan is $9.99 per month, and the monthly plan is $12.95 per month.

Read our full ExpressVPN review.

2. NordVPN – Best iPhone VPN for Travel

Rank: 2 | Servers: 5,000+ | Speed:1 Mbps | Countries: 50+ | Encryption Type: AES 256-bit, OpenVPN | Max devices: 6 | 24/7 Support: ✅| Free Trial: ❌| Money-Back Guarantee: ✅ | Apps & Devices: Win~MacOS~ Linux~Android~iOS~Router~LGTV~Samsung TV~Amazon Sticks~Xbox | Jurisdiction: Panama |

Unblocks: Netflix US | BBC iPlayer | Amazon Prime Video | Hulu | FuboTV | DAZN | Disney+ | Apple TV+ | HBO Max

Ease of Use: 2.  (average)

Kill switch:  ✅

No Logs:  ✅

Third-party audit:  ✅

Torrenting:  ✅

Best & Worst:

Best feature for use with your iPhone: They are a very trusted VPN service with several servers in South Korea, and CyberSec ad blocker is included.

Worst feature for use with your iPhone: No split tunneling feature, so you cannot choose for some of your apps to access the internet without a VPN.

Strengths Weaknesses
+ No-log policy 6 simultaneous connections instead of unlimited
+ 5000+ servers in 62 countries
+ Works with nearly every Netflix server
+ Low-cost pricing

NordVPN is a great choice for travelers. It has apps for almost all platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. The experienced team at NordVPN has also rolled out a set of detailed tutorials on setting up their service on a router. You can configure it to work with several devices at once, so you don’t have to switch it on and off every time you want to secure your connection. 

Secure

This is one of the safest VPNs for an iPhone. NordVPN has more than 5,000 servers across 50 countries, the network has good speeds, and it enables you to watch movies on streaming sites without any issues.

NordVPN Teams: In addition to protecting your device from hackers, NordVPN encrypts your network messages. This means anyone intercepting your company’s private conversation, even someone sitting on the same network, cannot de-encrypt it. 

Features

NordVPN has all the features you would expect, including a kill switch to ensure your private information never gets exposed. That means that even if your VPN connection drops, all of your sensitive data is still protected. They also offer a Double VPN option, which will encrypt your data twice by routing it through two servers instead of one. This isn’t an option you’ll likely want to use all the time as it can slow your data and may not work with some features, but it’s nice to have the option to add an extra layer of encryption when you need it.

Pricing

You can use the 30-day money back guarantee to test it out on your iPhone before you commit. 

The pricing for NordVPN starts from $3.99 per month for two-year plan and can reach up to $15.69/mo when playing on a monthly basis.

Read our full NordVPN review.

3. Surfshark (Best Budget VPN for iPhone)

Rank: 3 | Servers: 3,200 | Speed: 80.08 Mbps | Countries: 100 | Encryption Type: AES-256 GCM, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | Max devices: Unlimited | 24/7 support: ✅| Free trial: ❌| Money-back guarantee: ✅ | Apps & Devices: Win~Mac~Linux ~ Android ~ iOS ~ Router ~ LGTV ~Samsung TV~Amazon Sticks~Xbox~ PlayStation | Jurisdiction: Netherlands |

Unblocks: Netflix US | BBC iPlayer | Amazon Prime Video | Hulu | Disney+ | Apple TV+ | HBO Max

Ease of Use:   1  (super easy)

Kill switch:  ✅

No Logs:  ✅

Third-party audit:  ✅

Torrenting:  ✅

Best & Worst:

Best feature for use with your iPhone: Very easy to use, and has several VPN apps and tutorials for those new to using a VPN, or just new to using Surfshark.

Worst feature for use with your iPhone: Split tunneling is not available for Apple products.

Strengths Weaknesses
+ Unlimited users with 1 account Relatively new provider
+ Fast speeds
+ No logging or DNS leaks
+ Low pricing
+ 30-days money-back guarantee

Surfshark is an exceptional VPN for iPhone. It has a very user-friendly user interface, and it offers good performance. It is ideal for streaming and Torrenting, and has over 3,000 servers in a variety of locations. It is a very reliable VPN for iPhone that allows you to avoid ISP throttling and censorship, and offers CleanWeb feature  Chrome, Firefox, and others, available in multiple operating systems, including iOS. CleanWeb protects your device against malware infections, phishing scams, and ransomware attacks.

Private

Its best feature is its no-log policy which means the Surfshark team or third parties cannot log your IP. Besides, Surfshark VPN has one of the best mobile apps out there. It allows you to bypass regional restrictions and unblock content and media at work or any other region. 

Supports Netflix & P2P

It is ideal for streaming and Torrenting. It also has over 1,000 servers in other countries.

Besides, one can also use Surfshark with third-party applications like Mozilla Firefox, but the performance might vary. Surfshark VPN for iPhone is a great option for iPhone users who want to stream TV shows, movies, and sports events from online streaming channels.

Price

Surfshark has been listed on our overall best VPNs list of 2023 as one of the best VPNs overall when looking for a budget choice.

The monthly subscription costs $12.95, while the two-year plan is only $2.49 per month with two months free. The year plan is $3.99 per month.

Read our full Surfshark review.

4. TorGuard (Best iPhone VPN For Beginners)

Rank: 4 | Servers: 3,000+ | Speed: Download: 84.3 Mbps | Countries: 50+ | Encryption Type: AES-256, SHA-512, Stunnel, OpenVPN, Wireguard, and IKEv2 | Max devices: 8| 24/7 support: ✅| Free trial:✅ | Money-back guarantee: ✅ | Apps & Devices: Win~Mac~Android~iOS~Router~LGTV~Samsung TV~Amazon Sticks | Jurisdiction: USA |

Unblocks: Netflix US | BBC iPlayer | Amazon Prime Video | Hulu | Disney+ | Apple TV+ | HBO Max

Ease of Use:   2 (Average)

Kill switch:  ✅

No Logs:  ✅

Third-party audit:  ❌

Torrenting: ✅

Best & Worst:

Best feature for use with your iPhone:  Optional Streaming Bundle that provides 2 dedicated IPs so you can easily stream your favorite TV shows.

Worst feature for use with your iPhone: Many users complain of a cluttered iPhone interface.

Strengths Weaknesses
+ Supports P2P Slow customer support
+ Fast upload speeds Based in a 14-Eyes country
+ No-log policy
+ Great customer support with live chat

TorGuard is compatible with a wide array of devices, including iPhone, macOS, and Windows PC. 

Strong encryption

TorGuard is a VPN service with enhanced encryption. This VPN supports multiple devices at once, so you can use it on both your phone and desktop. It is also one of the few VPNs for iPhone that supports the OpenVPN protocol.

Features

TorGuard VPN offers unlimited bandwidth, so you can send as many messages or download as much data as you want without any restrictions. TorGuard also offers Stealth VPN servers, which are servers that make your VPN traffic look like normal web traffic. This helps you avoid VPN blocks and censorship in countries where free access to information over the internet is tricky.

However, the only downside with this VPN is that it does not have double hop encryption. This means that if your WiFi is compromised, your connection won’t be secure. 

Pricing

Monthly plans for TorGuard Anonymous VPN begin at $9.99 per month for the standard plan, or $12.99 per month for the pro plan, which includes a dedicated IP address, streaming optimization, and 12 simultaneous connections for your devices, as opposed to 8 on the standard plan.

7-Day Refund

Although TorGuard pricing is on the higher side, you can always test it out and you have exactly 7 days from the date you subscribe to the service to request a refund if it’s not the right fit for you.

Read our full TorGuard review.

5. ProtonVPN (Best Free iPhone VPN)

Rank: 5 | Servers: 1,900+ | Speed: 84.15 Mbps | Countries: 67+ | Encryption Type: AES-256-GCM, IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, and WireGuard | Max devices: 10 | 24/7 support: ❌| Free trial: ✅| Money-back guarantee: ✅ | Apps & Devices: Win~Mac~Android~ Linux~iOS~Router~LGTV~Samsung TV~Amazon Sticks~Xbox | Jurisdiction: Switzerland|

Unblocks: Netflix US | BBC iPlayer | Amazon Prime Video | Hulu | Disney+ | Zattoo | HBO Max

Ease of Use:   1  (super easy)

Kill switch:  ✅

No Logs:  ✅

Third-party audit:  ✅

Torrenting:  ✅

Best & Worst:

Best feature for use with your iPhone: They are registered in a data friendly jurisdiction.

Worst feature for use with your iPhone: Streaming isn’t supported with their free version.

Strengths Weaknesses
+ Fast speeds No browser support
+ No-log policy   Customer support only via tickets
+ Free limited option available
+ 1,900+ servers based in 67+ countries

ProtonVPN is a great choice for anyone who wants to secure their iPhone. They offer a wide range of servers in 67 countries across the globe. You can connect to any server you want to enjoy an outstanding performance. 

Secure

ProtonVPN is a premium VPN service for iPhone with a super-fast and secure network using 256-bit military-grade encryption standards. All connections via ProtonVPN are designed to be super-fast, powerful, and secure. It is a premium VPN service with a secure network using 256-bit military-grade encryption standards.

Free Servers

One of the best things about ProtonVPN is that there is a free VPN version available for a secure and fast connection. It features a beautiful user interface, and it is easy to install. Taht means that you can enjoy the free VPN service anytime, anywhere in the world, for an unlimited period. Also, ProtonVPN has no data limit on the free VPN server, which means you can use the free VPN server in a similar way to their paid plans, although speeds are lower compared to the paid options.

Don’t let this fool you into thinking that ProtonVPN is just for free. It is a highly secure and fast VPN service that includes a free VPN server to give you the best experience. The ProtonVPN paid options are also very affordable.

Features

Along with a host of standard features, ProtonVPN offers a unique feature that can be used as a Tor/Tor2 network for additional privacy and security. Proton is also one of the most secure and reliable free VPN services. 

Pricing

Plans begin at 4.99 per month if you sign up for the 24-month plan, 5.99 if you sign up for the year plan, and if you choose to pay monthly, it is 9.99 per month.

Read our full ProtonVPN review.

Why do You Need a VPN for Your iPhone?

In public areas, such as cafes or parks, or anywhere where you use Wi-Fi networks, there’s a risk of your iPhone being intercepted. Anyone can easily steal your phone data, and the only way you can avoid it is to use a reliable VPN. 

Methodology

How to Get Started Using a VPN for iPhone

Here’s a step-by-step guide to set up ExpressVPN on your iPhone:

1. Begin by signing up for an ExpressVPN account and downloading the app from the App Store.
2. Open the app and tap on “Sign In.”
3. Enter your ExpressVPN account email address and password, then again tap on “Sign In.”
4. When prompted to add VPN configurations, simply tap on “Allow.”
5. For added security, you can use Touch ID or enter your passcode to add the VPN configuration.
6. To connect to the VPN, simply tap on the “On” button.
7. If you wish to connect to a different server location, tap on the “Selected Location” button and select your preferred server.
8. To disconnect from the VPN, tap the “On” button again.

Please note that these instructions are suitable for iOS 12 and above.

Conclusion

An iPhone VPN provider is a must-have tool for iPhone users to protect their privacy while connected to the internet.  They can also protect their iPhones from potential hacking attempts, and they can browse the Web safely and anonymously.  Most iPhone VPNs are free. 

However, their subscription plans range from low to high, depending on how much data your iPhone can consume. Therefore, you should always check if the VPN service provider is trustworthy and has hidden charges before signing the contract.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which VPN works best on iPhone?

All five of the VPNs on this list will work well for iPhone, but the first choice is ExpressVPN. The quality of the VPN service, the bandwidth and speed of your internet connection, and the specific VPN protocol used by the service will all play a part in how well the VPN works for your phone. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, TorGuard, and ProtonVPN all offer great VPN protocols for iPhones.

Do VPNs Actually Work on iPhone?

Compared to their desktop or Android versions, many VPNs lack feature-rich iOS apps and may miss out on useful features such as split tunneling, kill switch, leak protection, or custom protocols. Also, some VPNs may struggle with connection issues on iOS devices, as Apple’s app restrictions can cause disconnections or an inability to automatically reconnect.

Unlike some other devices, the iPhone does not come with a built-in VPN feature. As a result, you will need to either download a third-party VPN app from the App Store or configure a manual VPN connection using the iOS settings.

Therefore, it is best to choose a VPN that offers a reliable and user-friendly iOS app, a large and fast server network, a strict no-logs policy, and excellent customer support to ensure optimal performance and security on your iPhone.

How Can I Find a VPN for My iPhone?

When choosing the best VPN for iPhone, you should pay attention to these factors:

  • Speed: A VPN should deliver fast and stable connections on your iPhone, especially if you use it for streaming, gaming, or downloading. You can measure the speed of a VPN by using a speed test app or website and comparing the results with and without the VPN on.
  • Security: A VPN should safeguard your data and identity from hackers, snoopers, and ISPs by using strong encryption, a kill switch, a no-logs policy, and leak protection. You can verify the security of a VPN by using a leak test website and reading the privacy policy of the provider.
  • Support: A VPN should have a dependable and user-friendly iOS app that works well with your iPhone. It should also provide customer support via live chat, email, or phone in case you face any problems or have any queries. You can evaluate the support of a VPN by reading reviews like this one, contacting the provider, or testing the app yourself.
  • Based on these factors, some of the best VPNs for iPhone are NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN. These VPNs offer fast speeds, advanced security features, unlimited device support, simple and effective iOS apps, and excellent customer service.

What is the best VPN to use on an iPhone?

There are more than 3,000 VPNs available on the internet. They range from free VPNs to premium ones. The best VPN for iPhone possesses some of these essential features: speed, encryption, no logs policy, kill switch. Based on the above features, NordVPN and ExpressVPN are the most recommended VPNs for iPhones.

What are the Best Free VPNs?

ProtonVPN: an excellent choice for a free VPN for iPhone. It is known for its zero logs policy, and it also uses different encryption standards like AES-256 and RSA 4096.
PrivadoVPN: another great option if you are looking for a free VPN for your iPhone. It is also known for its zero logs policy.

How to Set Up a VPN on iPhone?

There are many VPNs available on the internet. However, most of them have a high connection limit. Here are some of the easy steps on how you can set up a VPN on your iPhone:

  • Download a iOS VPN app from the App Store
  • Tap on the app to navigate through the onboarding page to choose a location and enable your iPhone VPN connection.
  • On the settings page, you will be required to create a password
  • You can also manage your iPhone VPN settings from the VPN app.