Best VPN for iPhone 2026: Boost your privacy on the go

With so many iPhone VPN apps available, it can be difficult to choose the right one. Based on our extensive research and hands-on testing of VPNs over the years, these are the factors you should pay attention to when choosing the best VPN for iPhone:

privacy

The most important factor to consider with any VPN is privacy. You should never use a VPN service provider if you do not trust that they take your privacy seriously. Even if you have nothing to hide. Every noteworthy VPN should offer 256-bit AES or ChaCha20 encryption, depending VPN protocol Which you are using.

Your VPN should also have basic privacy features such as Kill switchDNS leak protection and a strong no-logging policy that is audited regularly. We recommend checking any provider’s privacy policy and reading their audit reports closely, as it will give you a good understanding of whether a VPN provider is serious about your privacy. If you notice a mention of data collection or sharing practices in a VPN’s privacy policy that doesn’t work for you, it’s best to trust your gut and look for a different provider.

If your privacy needs are critical, you’ll need to look for a service provider that goes beyond standard privacy considerations. Your VPN must be located in a jurisdiction that has strong privacy laws that do not require data retention or logging. Choose a provider that offers Jamming It is also essential if you are in a region or network that restricts or completely prohibits VPN use because it can help hide the fact that you are using a VPN in the first place.

Many of the best VPNs are also coming out Post-quantum protection This helps protect against potential future threats from quantum computers, which is essential for users who care about privacy now and in the future. Finally, your service provider should either offer a RAM-only server infrastructure or use full disk encryption on their hard drives, both of which can help ensure your data stays secure. There are also some other privacy features that aren’t as vital but are still useful, like ad blockers, Tor over VPN, and multihop connections.

speed

Your VPN connection speeds can have a big impact on the quality of your streaming, downloading, video conferencing, gaming, and general web browsing activities. All VPNs Slow down your internet To some extent, simply by encrypting your traffic and routing it through one or more remote servers. To keep things running as smoothly as possible, you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN) that will have as little impact on your normal internet speeds as possible. Overall, we’ve found that the best VPNs for iPhone reduce your internet download speed by 25% or less. In our tests, we saw an average speed drop of up to 3%. For bandwidth-hungry applications like competitive gaming or video streaming, you’ll need a fast VPN.

provider	Loss of speed
Surfshark	21%
ExpressVPN	18%
NordVPN	3%
Pia	49%

Ease of use

A good VPN for iPhone should work smoothly and be easy to use, regardless of your technical expertise. It should have all the features you need and be easily accessible with the tap of your finger. Many of the best iPhone VPN apps also include an easy way to contact support directly from the device, which can be useful if you need help on the go. Basically, your VPN app should be as easy to use as your iPhone itself. It should have a large network of servers around the world so that you can easily and reliably connect from wherever you travel and be able to help you access geo-restricted content from different regions.

Server network

Think about cities, states, and countries that you travel to often, or want to make it look like you’re connected from. Most of our top-rated VPNs feature thousands of servers in over 100 countries. Large server networks benefit from travel, as you can find a server close to where you are to get a fast and reliable connection – typically, the closer you are physically to the VPN server, the less speed loss you will experience. Additionally, a VPN’s generous server network is great for unblocking streaming content, since you have a better chance of finding servers in the countries you need to make it look like you’re located there. Additionally, more servers may help maintain better internet speeds, as servers that are overloaded with users may slow down.

Besides the total number of servers and countries, consider specialized servers. Some VPN providers, including ExpressVPN, allow you to do this torrent on any servers, while other VPN providers, like NordVPN and Proton VPN, have P2P servers optimized for peer-to-peer file sharing.

Some VPN providers offer servers with enhanced privacy. For example, you may find a Double VPNor multihopVPN servers that feature a second VPN connection to make it more difficult for your web traffic to be traced back to you. Likewise, some VPN companies have Tor over VPN, or Onion over VPN servers, which tout similar benefits, with the main difference being that multihop relies on a pair of VPN connections, while onion VPN uses a combination of Tor and VPN connection simultaneously.

Streaming blocked content

Because VPNs route your web traffic through a remote VPN server and change your IP address, the apps you use and the websites you visit will register your connection as originating from a different location. For example, if you’re in New York City but connected to a VPN server in the UK, apps like Netflix will think you’re on the other side. Many streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer and CBC Gem, rely on your IP address to upload content. Depending on your IP address, which contains general geographic information, your content library may be very different or you may not be able to access anything at all. But by using a VPN, you can bypass regional restrictions to unblock content Netflix, Amazon Prime Video And other services. A VPN can be used for streaming as well Help you save money.

It costs

Depending on your budget, you may want to consider the cost and overall value of your iPhone VPN before making a purchase. The price of a VPN can vary greatly from one provider to another, but you can usually expect to spend around $5 to $15 per month for a monthly VPN subscription plan. If you want to save some money, you can opt for an annual subscription, where prices can range from around $30 to $100 or more per year.

You’ll need to be careful when using free VPNs because you may end up risking your privacy rather than protecting it. Many free VPNs have slow speeds or have unreliable connections that frequently drop due to overloaded servers. Some even actively undermine your privacy, recording any online activity through the VPN to sell to third parties or inserting ads into your browsing sessions. Proton VPN is currently the only one Free VPN Recommended by CNET.

Most premium VPNs offer a money-back guarantee anywhere from a week to 45 days. You also get a free seven-day trial with several VPNs when you sign up through the Apple App Store, so you have options to try out several iPhone VPNs risk-free before deciding if you want to invest fully in one. Fortunately, there are many Ways to save money on your VPN subscription.

Device support

Although you’ll need an iPhone VPN that works well on iOS, you may have other devices that you want to run the VPN on. Many VPNs work on Windows computers, MacOS, Linux, and Android devices. While Android TV and Fire TV apps are popular on streaming devices, Apple TV apps are still on the rise. Providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, PIA, and IPVanish offer Apple TV VPN apps. (Disclosure: IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Think about the devices you want to install your VPN app on and make sure your desired VPN provider supports those devices.

	IPVanish	Surfshark	Pia	ProtonVPN	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Windows	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Mac	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
linux	✔️	✔️ (with GUI)	✔️ (with GUI)	✔️ (with GUI)	✔️ (with GUI)	✔️ (with GUI)
Android/Android TV	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
iOS/iPad OS	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Fire TV	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Smart TV*	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Apple TV	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Router	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Browser plugin **	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Synchronous connections	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	10	8	10