Apple has long built its ecosystem with security in mind, and iPhones have privacy features designed to secure the device against attacks that may hitch a ride on incoming data. But while iPhones do offer you fine control over the permissions you give apps, these protections won’t secure the outgoing information that you put out onto the internet. A VPN helps fill these gaps by making it harder for outside entities to monitor your mobile connection. We’ve been testing VPNs for more than 10 years, so we know which ones are best for just about any platform, including the iPhone. Currently, Proton VPN is our Editors’ Choice winner thanks to its free and reliable service, but it isn’t the only service we recommend. Read on for all of the best iPhone VPNs we’ve tested, followed by the factors you should consider when choosing one for yourself.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
September 28, 2025: With this update, our lineup of recommended VPNs for iPhone remains unchanged. The existing picks have been vetted for currency and availability. Since our last update, we reviewed and evaluated three new VPNs for potential inclusion in this roundup and our other VPN roundups.
- Best free VPN subscription yet
- Numerous advanced privacy tools
- Strong customer privacy stance
- Large server network
- Slick, accessible client
- Excellent upload speed scores
Proton VPN has the best free subscription we’ve yet seen, and its paid offering has a host of excellent features for iOS users, such as a kill switch, a VPN accelerator, NetShield, the always-on VPN feature, and the option for alternative network routing to reach Proton sites, all at an affordable price. The iPhone app is easy to use.
Anyone looking for an excellent VPN on a budget will appreciate Proton VPN. You can download the free version and, once you’re familiar with it, upgrade to the paid version.
Simultaneous VPN Connections
10
Supported Protocols on iOS
WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2
Learn More
Proton VPN Review
- Large, diverse, widely distributed fleet of servers
- Fast speed test results
- Strong privacy and security practices
- Support for post-quantum encryption protocols
- Expensive monthly and annual plans
- No multi-hop connections
- Ad blocking is spotty
- Ownership with a sketchy past
ExpressVPN boasts a large and robust network of servers. A visual redesign thoroughly elevates the app’s look across all platforms, including iOS. We also like ExpressVPN’s excellent privacy practices.
Globetrotters (or location spoofers) with an eye for good app design will most appreciate ExpressVPN. The app has reliable servers scattered around the globe, which is helpful for people who travel often and want to keep their online activity under wraps.
Simultaneous VPN Connections
8
Supported Protocols on iOS
OpenVPN, IKEv2
Learn More
ExpressVPN Review
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Excellent privacy policy
- Annual independent audits
- Friendly, approachable design
- No multi-hop connections
- Unimpressive customer support
Don’t let its cuteness fool you—TunnelBear is serious about privacy and transparency. The app’s bright colors are especially welcoming on iOS. One feature of note is SplitBear, which allows you to browse selected websites without your traffic being routed through the VPN.
TunnelBear is an excellent product for people who haven’t used a VPN before. The app’s design makes learning how to use the product easy, even for people unfamiliar with this type of privacy tool.
Simultaneous VPN Connections
Unlimited
Supported Protocols on iOS
WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2
Learn More
TunnelBear VPN Review
Best Transparency Policy
Windscribe VPN
- Industry-leading company transparency and communication
- Large number of payment options
- Best free plan of any VPN we’ve tested
- Anonymous signup allowed
- Unlimited number of simultaneous connections and devices
- Helpful AI support bot
We admire Windscribe for its near-excessive transparency regarding the company’s policies on everything from user data to the state of our VPN review industry. Add a stellar iOS experience to this, and you have a recipe for success.
If privacy is your primary concern and you’re looking for a VPN app that shines on Android and iOS thanks to its mobile-first design ethos, Windscribe is a secure and stylish option.
Simultaneous VPN Connections
Unlimited
Learn More
Windscribe VPN Review
Best for Bargain Hunters
Mullvad VPN
- Affordable
- Requires no email or account information
- Radically transparency
- Open Netflix access in all regions tested
- Awkward desktop interface
- No transparency report or warrant canary
- Servers in a small range of countries
Mullvad offers excellent features at a very affordable price. Its iPhone app includes content blocking for popular websites, similar to parental control applications. The iOS app is simple and a little easier to use than Mullvad’s desktop client.
If you’re looking for top-notch privacy protection for less than you’d pay elsewhere, you should consider Mullvad. It doesn’t offer a huge variety of servers or a breathtaking interface, but it offers excellent online privacy for the price.
Simultaneous VPN Connections
5
Supported Protocols on iOS
OpenVPN, WireGuard
Learn More
Mullvad VPN Review
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The Best VPNs for iPhones in 2025
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Buying Guide: The Best VPNs for iPhones in 2025
Do You Need an iPhone VPN?
Regardless of device, advertisers can track your online habits. This data is valuable, and companies sell it to each other all the time. These aggregators and data brokers take your data and use it to target users like yourself with advertisements. It’s not just a few bad apples plundering user data. It is common for companies to wheel and deal with user data until they get slapped with an injunction or fine that says otherwise. Even then, most do not stop entirely.
Even your internet service provider (ISP) can aggregate and sell anonymized information about online activity. Social media has been built on the back of customer data. Every algorithm you engage with uses your preferences and choices to target you. These powerful companies do not want their house of cards to come crumbling down and will fight until the end to maintain their ability to collect your information. So, it is up to you to take measures to safeguard your personal data.
You can limit some of this information exchange on the iPhone through the Ask App Not to Track feature. Just keep in mind that the feature needs to be manually enabled for every app you install on your device. This feature won’t stop all information from being collected either. Apps can still collect “first-party data,” which includes in-app purchases, account details, and interactions within the app.
For example, TikTok can’t use your phone’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) number to track your behavior. However, it can still see what you’re doing on its own app. TikTok can then transmit that activity back to home base for use in third-party advertisement targeting. If you’d like to take back some of that privacy, a VPN can help.
How to Use iPhone VPNs for Encryption and Location Spoofing
When your VPN is active, all your network traffic—whether from browsers, apps, or iOS itself—gets encrypted before leaving your phone. This encrypted data travels to a server owned by the VPN provider, where it’s decrypted and sent on its way.
Without a VPN connection, information such as your IP address and location can be obtained by anyone spying on your connection or aggregating data from users in your area. Encryption makes that data unreadable on its way to the VPN’s server. After that, the decrypted data is linked to the VPN’s server, thus removing your connection to it entirely.
How a VPN Works
Since VPNs route your data to a different location, you can spoof your location and tunnel past local internet restrictions. Journalists and political activists working against repressive regimes have long relied on VPNs to communicate safely with the outside world. Just know that in some countries, you may break local laws just by using a VPN. For example, Russia and China have banned most VPNs.
Spoofing your location can also circumvent regional streaming restrictions. Online streaming services often offer content in one region but not another. A VPN can get you access to shows not normally available to you. However, location spoofing may violate the terms of service for that platform. Platforms like Netflix have been blocking VPNs left and right, and there is no telling if this back-and-forth content war will ever end. What this conflict means for you is that what your VPN can access may change overnight. Even the best VPNs need time to reassess new blocking technologies that streaming services implement.
What an iPhone VPN Can’t Do
Even when paired with an iPhone, a VPN doesn’t make you invincible to online threats. We highly recommend enabling multi-factor authentication wherever possible, creating unique logins with a password manager, and creating passkeys.
What Is Two-Factor Authentication?
Aside from apps, you should take the time to read the privacy policy for the services you use and adjust your privacy preferences on your mobile browser. Removing permissions does work, and that will mean there is less data for apps and sites to pull from.
Consider a VPN with multi-hop connection support, such as Proton VPN. Multi-hop connections repeat that initial routing step through multiple VPN servers, making it even harder to track back to you.
Does Using a VPN Slow Your iPhone’s Internet Connection?
A VPN almost always increases the latency of your internet connection and slows your uploads and downloads. To understand the impact a VPN may have on your internet connection, we compare the results from a series of Ookla speed tests with and without the VPN active. (Note: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag.com’s parent company. For more, see the ethics policy in our Editorial Mission Statement.)
Network speeds vary greatly depending on the time of day, the network conditions, and your location, so we consider our results to be a snapshot for comparison rather than the final judgment on a service’s performance. The latest data is in the chart below:
Recommended by Our Editors
We rely on a Windows desktop and a wired connection for testing because we’ve found it more reliable than testing on individual mobile devices. Also, not all VPN providers use the same protocol on every platform, which can impact performance.
Can You Trust Your iPhone VPN Service?
Trust is best lent to a VPN service and not handed over entirely. VPNs change. We’ve seen once great services fail to deliver as the years go on, and we’ve seen once dubious providers correct course. We can’t verify all the encryption claims providers make. Instead, we give special attention to the privacy practices of VPN companies and not just the technology they provide. We read the privacy policies in our testing and discuss company practices with VPN service representatives.
As part of our research, we also determine where the company is based and under what legal framework it operates. Some countries don’t have data-retention laws, making it easier for them to follow through on their no-logs policy. Knowing what personal information the VPN collects and under what circumstances a VPN provider will hand over that information to law enforcement is critical. The best options won’t collect any data that could be handed over in the event of a search. If it is kept long enough to hand over to law enforcement, it is kept long enough to be at risk of a data breach. We look for services with privacy policies that spell out what the service does, what information it collects, and what the company does to protect your data.
We also like to see policy backed up by some verifiable effort. VPN providers can do this by undergoing third-party privacy audits to verify their privacy and security claims. These audits, while imperfect themselves, do provide some peace of mind.
Which Free VPN Is Best for Your iPhone?
While it’s possible to get a free or cheap VPN, even the best no-cost services have some limitations, such as bandwidth caps. However, data caps will likely be the least of your worries with a free service. Payment is often in the form of your personal data, which is precisely what a VPN is supposed to prevent. If you must use a free service, it is best to use a free trial version of a premium, reputable VPN instead.
Proton VPN offers the only free service without data restrictions, making it the only truly free VPN on our list. However, the free tier limits your server location to five random countries, and you can only use the free VPN service on one device at a time.
