If you’re a diehard Apple user, you probably expect a certain level of security on your iPhone or iPad. But if you’re looking to improve your internet privacy, it’s a good idea to take advantage of a reliable and well-tested VPN. Without a VPN, your internet service provider can track your browsing habits on both MacOS and iOS, and other sites can collect your IP address. By itself, an iPhone can’t prevent either of those things, but the best iPhone VPN can.
While not every VPN service is going to pair seamlessly with iOS’ distinct controls, Apple-focused VPN apps are becoming increasingly popular among leading providers. Keep in mind, however, that there are limits to the privacy VPN clients currently provide to iOS users. Recent independent research revealed that iOS (and some MacOS) users’ browsing and internet data may be sent to Apple despite the protections offered by an encrypted VPN tunnel. We’ll continue to update our VPN recommendations as more information emerges about this issue.
According to the most recent trend reports available, the mobile VPN market has been booming over the past few years. More than 480 million people downloaded a mobile VPN between 2019 and 2020, a report from research firm Top10VPN showed. That’s a whopping 54% increase from the previous year. While 84% of those downloads were free VPN services, we urge you to avoid going with a free VPN, as not only are they limited in their usefulness, but they nearly always come with unforeseen risks. Instead, it’s best to stick with a tried and true paid VPN whenever possible. If you’re opting for a paid service, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. That’s what you’ll find here in our guide to the best iPhone VPN apps.
This list is essentially a subset of our main best VPN list, but specifically focuses on VPN clients for anyone looking for mobile browsing protection for their iPhone or other iOS device. If and when a service is ranked higher here than on our main VPN list, it’s because the mobile app experience was superior.(You can check out our picks for the best Android VPNs, too.) Keep in mind that this is an evolving list: We’re actively working on more research and hands-on testing, so check back regularly as we expect this list to change throughout the year. Here are the top VPN apps for iPhone that we’ve tested so far this year.
