EXPERT ADVICE: Most free iPhone VPNs are less effective than paid ones. ExpressVPN, our top-rated iPhone VPN app, is very private, secure, and unblocks most geo-restricted iOS apps. Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days.
The best iPhone VPN apps secure your cellular and WiFi network connections through highly secure encryption ciphers and VPN protocols.
They also change your IP address to hide your web activity from internet service providers and mobile carriers. The very best VPNs even unblock geo-restricted iOS apps.
What’s the Best Free VPN for iPhone?
Based on our iOS-specific tests, the best completely free (safe) iPhone VPNs are:
- Proton VPN Free: Best 100% Free VPN for iPhone
- Windscribe Free: Best Streaming VPN for iPhone
- Hide.me Free: Most Private Free VPN for iPhone
The best free VPN for iPhone in 2024 is Proton VPN. This high-performing free iOS VPN app delivers quick, private, and secure connections across 3 server countries. It sets itself apart from its rivals by offering unlimited bandwidth completely free.
There are hundreds of free VPN apps on the App Store, but most log your internet data, slow down your internet speed, or leak your real IP address. The free iPhone VPNs we recommend are 100% safe, and won’t cost a dime.
However, even the best free VPNs have significant limitations, including slower speeds, limited server choice, or data usage caps. For the best VPN experience, you’ll need a paid VPN.
What’s the Overall Best VPN for iPhone in 2024?
Our tests confirm that the best overall VPN apps for iPhone are:
- ExpressVPN: Best VPN for iPhone Overall
- NordVPN: Fastest VPN for iPhone
- Private Internet Access: Most Advanced iPhone VPN
The overall best VPN for iPhone in 2024 is ExpressVPN, with a rating of 9.6/10. The VPN’s highly intuitive iOS app performed formidably in our mobile privacy, security, and streaming tests. Connecting securely to any of its 160 global server locations was immediate, and without sudden connection drops.
All the VPNs we recommend in this guide have native apps for iOS 17, 16, and older versions. They’re also compatible with Apple iPad and iPad Pro.
They will deliver fast and secure connections on cellular data networks like 5G and 4G LTE, as well as WiFi networks.
The Best VPNs for iPhone Compared
The table below compares the most highly-rated free and paid iPhone VPN apps, based on their download speeds, logging policies, access to US Netflix, and more.
Why Trust Top10VPN.com?
We’re completely independent and have spent 8 years reviewing VPNs for iPhone using our unbiased testing process.
Our ratings are based on our own data, and are unaffected by financial incentives.
| iOS VPNs Investigated | 100+ |
| Test Devices | iPhone 14 Pro & iPad Air |
| Total Hours of Testing | 30,000+ |
| Weekly Speed Tests | 3,000+ |
| IP & DNS Leak Tests Performed | 9,500+ |
| Money Spent on VPN Subscriptions | $25,000+ |
WARNING: While VPN kill switches have been blocking network traffic from iOS 14 onward, some DNS queries still leak outside the VPN connection. This is an issue Apple is refusing to fix, and is still happening in iOS 17.
Other iOS VPNs We Tested
Since 2016 we’ve investigated over 100 iOS VPN applications, many of which turned out to be dangerous to install and use.
Of the safe ones we identified, some came very close to being included in our top VPN rankings for iPhone, others didn’t.
Below is a selection of popular iPhone VPNs that fell short of the mark:
Surfshark
Overall Ranking: #4 out of 65 VPNs
Overall Rating: 9.2/10
What we don’t like: Surfshark’s iOS app is easy to use and good for unblocking content, however it’s considerably slower than ExpressVPN, NordVPN and PIA.
IPVanish
Overall Ranking: #6 out of 65 VPNs
Overall Rating: 9.1/10
What we don’t like: The design of the IPVanish iOS application is not as intuitive as we expect it to be.
CyberGhost
Overall Ranking: #7 out of 65 VPNs
Overall Rating: 9.0/10
What we don’t like: Slow speeds are the main problem with CyberGhost. The VPNs speeds have worsened over the years, both locally and internationally.
Atlas VPN
Overall Ranking: #11 out of 65 VPNs
Overall Rating: 8.6/10
What we don’t like: Atlas VPN’s iOS app is well-designed, but it lacks advanced settings. It’s small server network also doesn’t unblock popular streaming services.
Avira VPN
Overall Ranking: #38 out of 65 VPNs
Overall Rating: 4.7/10
What we don’t like: While popular, Avira VPN is not the best iOS VPN. It’s slow, has a limited server network, lacks advanced security settings, and doesn’t unblock many streaming platforms.
Are Free iPhone VPNs Safe?
Over the years we’ve conducted several investigations into the privacy and security of free VPNs for iPhone, with some alarming discoveries.
Many popular free iOS VPN apps earn money by collecting user data and selling it to third-parties.
We also found many free VPNs leaked our true IP address in our tests. This makes these VPNs useless for internet privacy and security.
In 2021, we analyzed 49 VPN applications ranked in the top 20 positions in the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia Apple App Stores.
We found that 95% of these top-ranked iOS VPN apps had inaccurate privacy labels.
We also uncovered that 29% of the 49 VPNs we analyzed failed to disclose the fact they collected your real IP address.
Also in 2021, we investigated VPN services’ compliance with ‘Request to Track’ permissions introduced by Apple, as part of its App Tracking Transparency initiative.
Since April 2021, iOS apps must in fact ask permission to track you across other apps and websites for the purpose of delivering targeted ads.
We specifically looked at 20 popular free VPNs, and found that only 15% (3 VPNs) respected users’ ad tracking choices.
Moreover, 80% shared users’ IP addresses with advertisers before asking for permission to allow ad tracking.
Based on our findings, our view is that many free VPNs ranked highly in the Apple App Store are not completely safe to use.
For added internet privacy and security, we strongly recommend using one of the safe free iOS VPNs listed on this page, instead.
Free iPhone VPNs to Avoid
While many premium iOS VPNs are safe to use, as we explained above most free ones aren’t. You must avoid using risky free iPhone VPNs at all costs.
We listed below several very popular free VPNs that contain security and privacy flaws.
Make sure you don’t download these free iOS VPN apps:
- Flash VPN: Caught storing user data, despite claiming to be a no-logs provider.
- Hola VPN: Logs websites visited, IP address, and connection timestamps.
- Larva VPN: Logs IP addresses.
- SkyVPN: Logs IP addresses, device name and model, and location information.
- Touch VPN: Leaked our DNS and IP address, also logs network information, location, and your ISP.
- VPN 360: Logs IP addresses, connection timestamps, and aggregated URLs visited.
- VPN Proxy Master: Has sent user information to China, and logs IP addresses.
- Yoga VPN: Leaked our DNS and IP address, no transparency about its logging practices.
How to Choose an iPhone VPN
Below are four key features to consider when choosing a VPN for your iPhone.
1. User-friendly and iOS-compatible Apps
The simplicity of iOS is one of the main benefits of using an iPhone or iPad, so your VPN app should be just as intuitive and enjoyable to use.
Your VPN should be tailored to beginners and experienced VPN users alike. For instance, the app should be available through the App Store, have a large connect button, and settings that are easy to find and configure.
For a VPN app to work seamlessly on your iOS device, it also needs to integrate well with Apple’s system-level features.
We favor VPNs that have support for Siri Shortcuts, iOS 17 widgets, and that offer payment through the iOS App Store.
Also, if the VPN has a native macOS client, a dedicated iPadOS app, and support for Apple TV via Smart DNS, it will be compatible with the wider Apple ecosystem, which is a nice bonus.
2. Fast and Mobile-friendly VPN Protocols
Fast speeds are an essential aspect of VPN apps, especially when you’re connected to patchy and slow mobile data networks.
Moreover, when using an iPhone VPN on the go, you’re likely to switch between many cellular networks every day.
This is different from using a VPN on a computer, where you typically remain connected to the same WiFi network.
Therefore, it’s necessary for the VPN protocol on iOS to connect instantly as you change cellular networks, otherwise you may compromise your internet privacy and security.
In our experience, WireGuard and IKEv2 are currently the best mobile VPN protocols when it comes to connection times.
When we tested it against OpenVPN, a popular and secure protocol, WireGuard was twice as fast and consumed 15% less bandwidth.
Importantly, avoid using the L2TP/IPSec protocol, which is slower and less secure than WireGuard and IKEv2.
3. Advanced Security Settings & Encryption
Many VPN apps available on the App Store do not have the required level of security and encryption features.
For instance, Hola VPN does not have any encryption at all, and Touch VPN leaked our DNS and IP address.
To ensure your internet activity on your iPhone is more secure and private, choose a VPN with a no-logs privacy policy, AES-256 encryption, DNS and IP leak protection, and a kill switch, ideally.
Kill switches are not always available on iOS VPN applications, but premium providers like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Private Internet Access all come with one.
ExpressVPN’s iOS app is one of a few that includes a kill switch feature.
4. Good Unblocking Capabilities
If you want your VPN to unblock geo-restricted video content on your iPhone, you must make sure your chosen VPN has a history of bypasssing streaming content geo-blocks.
Many VPNs fall at this hurdle, especially free VPNs that aren’t able to invest resources into beating strict VPN connection blocks.
Over the years, ExpressVPN and NordVPN have consistenly worked well with most popular streaming iOS apps, including Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max.
ExpressVPN unblocked Netflix on iOS.
Limitations of iPhone VPNs
An iOS VPN is an excellent application to enhance your internet security and privacy while using your iPhone.
However, VPNs come with certain limitations that all iPhone users must know about.
Below are the main drawbacks of VPN software for iPhone, and other devices, too. VPN apps don’t:
- Make you 100% completely anonymous. VPNs don’t fully protect against web trackers, cookies, and browser fingerprinting. Also, logging into web services like your email provider reveals who you are to them.
- Protect against malicious websites/apps. Some VPNs offer malicious app/website detection, but it’s extremely rare.
- Don’t store your passwords securely. Some VPNs do offer password managers as an extra, but we suggest using established ones like 1Password.
- Don’t increase your internet speed. Except when your ISP or mobile carrier throttles your internet connection.
- Don’t block ads. More and more VPNs are adding ad blocking technology to their VPN software, however many still haven’t.
How We Test iPhone VPNs
With so many VPN apps in the iOS App Store, we’ve created a VPN testing methodology to ensure we only recommend the very best iPhone VPN apps.
We maintain full reviews of 65 VPN services and their iOS app features and performance. We regurarly update this information to ensure it’s always accurate.
To find the best VPNs for iPhone, we measure:
- How well the VPN app integrates with iOS system-level features.
- Whether the VPN is usable on other Apple devices, such as Mac, iPad, and Apple TV.
- What type of data is collected by the VPN and how it’s stored.
- How fast the VPN is across its server network.
- Whether it works with Netflix and other streaming apps.
- If the VPN uses AES-256 encryption and other security features.
We’ test iPhone VPNs in six key categories, rating each category out of 10. We then combine these ratings to calculate an overall rating for iPhone.
In the table below, we summarize how the best iPhone VPNs performed in each category, as well as their overall rating:
VPNs with a data cap receive a reduction to their overall rating.
Below, we’ve listed a detailed explanation of the attributes we analyze when rating the best VPNs for iPhone. You’ll also see the weighting of each attribute:
1. iOS App: 25%
Minimum Requirement: Native app for iPhone and an optimized app for iPad.
We Recommend: An easy-to-use app for iPhone and iPad with support for widgets and Siri Shortcuts.
For a VPN to be great on iOS, it needs to integrate well with Apple’s system-level features.
When evaluating the best iOS VPN apps, we looked for VPNs that had support for Siri Shortcuts, iOS widgets, and offered payment through the iOS App Store.
We also verified all the VPNs we recommend can be easily used by beginners and by experienced VPN users.
An iOS app must be easily downloadable through the App Store, have a large connect button, and settings easy to configure.
2. Apple System Integration: 20%
Minimum Requirement: Has native apps for macOS.
We Recommend: Mac app available on the App Store and a free Smart DNS tool for Apple TV.
We test every VPN on the full range of Apple devices. In total, we test the VPNs using an iPhone 14 Pro, an iPad Air, a 27-inch Mac, and an Apple TV 4K.
As well as iPhone and iPad, we analyze each VPN’s app on macOS and check whether it includes Smart DNS functionality for use on Apple TV.
We give preference to VPNs compatible with the wider Apple ecosystem. In particular, we look at whether the VPN service’s Mac app is available on the Mac App Store, whether it can run on Apple’s M1 chip, and how good its Smart DNS tool is.
3. Privacy & Logging Policy: 15%
Minimum Requirement: Collects only aggregated and anonymized data.
We Recommend: Collects no data.
Without a privacy-first logging policy, your web activity may be stored and passed onto third parties. In practice, this nullifies a primary reason for using a VPN.
This is especially true for free iOS VPNs, where many rely on selling user data to cover running costs. For example, we discovered popular VPNs like Hola, Larva, and SkyVPN, all logged user IP addresses.
As part of our research, we analyze every VPN’s privacy policy to understand what data is collected, how the information is used, and how long it is stored.
Even for the free services on this page, we only recommend the ones that retain the absolute amount of logs. For example, this includes aggregated connection timestamp data. The best premium VPNs are true ‘no logs’, meaning they don’t collect any user data at all.
4. Speed: 15%
Minimum Requirement: Average download speeds above 70Mbps.
We Recommend: Download speeds of at least 80Mbps and server connections under 3 seconds.
Fast speeds are an essential feature of VPN services, especially when connecting to patchy and slow mobile data networks.
Without a fast VPN, your internet will often be unusable even for basic web activities.
We run weekly speed tests on our test iPhone and iPad to server locations across five continents. We then calculate the average speed loss on our 100Mbps internet connection. The smaller the speed loss, the higher we rate the VPN.
In addition to raw download speeds, we measure how long it takes for the app to connect to a VPN server.
On your iPhone, you’re likely to switch between multiple networks every day. It’s therefore crucial the VPN protocol connects instantly as you change networks, otherwise, you may compromise your browsing activity or security.
5. Streaming: 15%
Minimum Requirement: Works with US Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
We Recommend: Works with many Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
Using a VPN on your iPhone will let you mask your IP address and watch content on geo-blocked streaming apps.
We test every iPhone VPN with popular content platforms, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
We track how each VPN performs over time, with results spanning multiple years. This means we know how consistently the VPN works with each streaming app, not just that it worked at a single point in time.
The best VPNs for iPhone unblock multiple Netflix regions, along with many more popular streaming apps. The worse-performing VPNs only work with US Netflix.
6. Security & Technical Features: 10%
Minimum Requirement: AES-256, OpenVPN, leak protection, and a VPN kill switch.
We Recommend: AES-256, WireGuard, leak protection, and a VPN kill switch using firewall rules.
Many VPN apps on iOS don’t have sufficient security and encryption features. For example, Hola VPN doesn’t have any encryption at all, and Touch VPN leaked our DNS and IP address.
Using a VPN with high encryption secures unsafe public WiFi networks, and safely hides your web activity from your ISP.
To secure and anonymize your web activity on your iPhone, the VPNs we selected use gold-standard AES-256 encryption, have built-in DNS and IP leak protection, and use private DNS servers.
To verify these security features are as robust as the VPN services claim, we perform tests using Wireshark, a packet-capturing software. If we spot any unencrypted traffic, we downgrade the VPN severely.
Data Cap Penalty: Up to 50% Reduction
Almost all free VPNs come with a data cap. Like with most limitations of free VPNs, this is imposed to encourage you to upgrade to a premium subscription.
If you choose an iPhone VPN we recommend that has a data cap then you’re going to be restricted in terms of just how often you can use it, and what for.
If you do a lot of streaming on the go, or if you want to leave your VPN connected while using the WiFi on a long train journey or flight, then a small data cap can be a serious inconvenience.
That’s why we apply a penalty to the VPN’s final overall rating for iPhone based on its data cap:
- Unlimited bandwidth: No deduction to the overall rating
- 10GB per month: -20% to the overall rating
- 500MB per day: -25% to the overall rating
- 5GB per month: -30% to the overall rating
- 1GB per month: -35% to the overall rating
- 200MB per day: -40% to the overall rating
- 500MB per month: -50% to the overall rating
iPhone VPN FAQs
Is iCloud Private Relay the Same As a VPN?
iCloud Private Relay is a feature that first appeared in iOS 15. It works more as a proxy service and not a fully-featured VPN.
Here are the key drawbacks of using iCloud Private Relay compared to an iOS VPN:
- It only works in the Safari browser. Any internet traffic sent outside of Safari, such as on Google Chrome or FaceTime, is not encrypted or anonymized.
- It’s slower. iCloud Private Relay sends internet traffic through two separate servers. In turn, speeds are noticeably slower compared to a VPN service, which usually only uses one server.
- You cannot change your virtual location. iCloud Private Relay provides you with an IP address from the country you’re located in. As a result, you won’t be able to bypass any geo-blocks, such as accessing US Netflix from outside America.
Overall, iCloud Private Relay is a fine choice for casual users who want more privacy online. However, for users who want the fastest experience with more features, a top iPhone VPN is the better option.
Does an iPhone VPN Use More Mobile Data?
You will use more data using an iOS VPN than you would if you were browsing the internet without one.
Our research into VPN data usage revealed mobile data consumption can increase by 4%-20% when you use a VPN, depending on the VPN and protocol you use.
4%-20% consumption may not sound like a lot, but over time it can add up quickly.
If you’re about to reach your data limit, or if you’re traveling abroad and paying roaming charges, consider switching to a lower-consumption VPN protocol like WireGuard or IKEv2.
Does the iPhone Have a Built-in VPN?
The iPhone comes with great native support for VPNs. VPN is included as a prominent toggle in the Settings app, from which you can manually configure an IKEv2/IPSec and L2TP/IPSec connection.
Although this saves space on your iPhone, as no third-party app is required, it doesn’t work with OpenVPN or WireGuard, it doesn’t include a kill switch, and you’ll still need to subscribe to a VPN service.
We’re glad to see Apple support VPN technology within iOS, but it’s still worth downloading and installing a VPN from the App Store.
