Best VPN for iPhone 2026: Improve 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 features to look for when choosing the best VPN for iPhone:

Privacy

The most important thing to consider with any VPN privacy. You should not use a VPN provider if you do not trust that it takes your privacy seriously, or hide nothing. Every VPN worth its salt should offer AES 256-bit or ChaCha20 encryption, depending on VPN protocol who uses it.

Your VPN should also have basic privacy features such as kill switchDNS leak protection and a strict no-logs policy are regularly audited. We recommend that you check the provider’s privacy policy and read their research reports closely, as it will give you a good understanding of whether the VPN provider is serious about your privacy. If you see mentions of data collection or sharing practices in a VPN’s privacy policy that don’t sit well with you, then it’s best to trust your gut and look for a different provider.

If your privacy needs are important, you’ll need to look for a provider that goes beyond standard privacy considerations. Your VPN should be based in an environment with strict privacy laws that do not mandate data storage or logging. Choosing a provider obfuscation it’s also necessary if you’re in a region or network that specifically limits or prohibits VPN use because it can help hide the fact that you’re using a VPN in the first place.

Many excellent VPNs are also coming out post-quantum protection which helps protect against potential future threats from quantum computers, which is important for privacy-critical users now and in the future. Finally, your provider should provide a RAM-only server infrastructure or use full disk encryption on its hard drives, both of which can help ensure that your data remains secure. There are other less important but still useful privacy features, such as ad blockers, Tor over VPN and multihop communication.

Speed

The speed of your VPN connection can have a significant impact on the quality of your streaming, downloading, video conferencing, gaming and general web browsing activities. All VPNs slow down your internet somehow, in the nature of encrypting your traffic and routing it through one or more remote servers. To keep things running as smoothly as possible, you’ll want a VPN that will have as little impact on your normal internet speed as possible. In general, we’ve found that the best VPNs for iPhone only slow down your internet download speed by an average of 25% or less. In our testing, we saw as low as a 3% speed loss. For bandwidth-intensive applications such as competitive gaming or video streaming, you’ll want a fast VPN.

Usability

A good VPN for iPhone should work well and be easy to use, no matter how technical you are. It should have all the features you need easily accessible with the tap of your finger. Many of the best iPhone VPN apps include an easy way to contact support directly from the device, which can help if you need help on the go. Basically, your VPN app should be as easy for you to use as your iPhone itself. It should have a large network of servers around the world so you can connect easily and reliably wherever you go and be able to help you access geo-restricted content from different regions.

Server network

Think about the cities, states and countries you visit a lot, or want to make it look like you’re connected to them. Most of our top-rated VPNs include thousands of servers in over 100 countries. Larger server networks are beneficial for travel, as you can find a server closer to where you are for a faster, more reliable connection — generally, the closer you are to a VPN server, the less speed you’ll lose. Additionally, an open VPN server network is great for unblocking streaming content, as you have a better chance of finding servers in the countries you need to make it look like you’re inside. Also, more servers can help maintain better internet speeds, because servers that are overloaded by users may slow down.

Along with the total number of servers and countries, consider dedicated servers. Some VPN providers, including ExpressVPN, allow it torrent on any servers, and some VPN providers, such as NordVPN and Proton VPN, have P2P servers configured for peer-to-peer file sharing.

Some VPN providers offer servers with enhanced privacy. For example, you might get a double VPNor multihopVPN servers add a second VPN connection to make it more difficult to trace your web traffic back to you. Similarly, other VPN companies have Tor over VPN, or Onion over VPN servers, which achieve the same benefits, the main difference is that multihop depends on the VPN connection, while Onion VPN uses a combination Tor and VPN connection at the same time.

Streaming content is on

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 coming 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 across the pond. Many streaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer and CBC Gem, rely on your IP address to load content. Depending on your IP address, which contains general location information, the library may be very different or you may not be able to access it at all. But with a VPN, you can bypass regional restrictions to unlock content Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other services. Using a VPN for streaming can mean we help you save money.

Costs

Depending on your budget, you may want to consider the cost and overall value of your iPhone VPN before purchasing. VPN prices can vary greatly from provider to provider but you can 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 about $30 to $100 or more per year.

You’ll want to be careful with free VPNs because you could end up compromising your privacy instead of protecting it. Most free VPNs have slow speeds or unreliable connections that often crash due to overloaded servers. Some even compromise your privacy, log any internet activity through a VPN to sell to third parties or insert ads into your browsing sessions. Proton VPN is currently the only one free VPN that CNET recommends.

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

Device support

While you will be looking for a VPN for iPhone that works well on iOS, you may have other devices that you want to use a VPN on. Most VPNs work on Windows, MacOS, Linux PC and Android devices. While Android TV and Fire TV apps are commonly used on streaming devices, Apple TV apps are still growing. Providers such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, PIA and IPVanish are on offer Apple TV VPN applications. (Disclosure: IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Think about the devices you want to install a VPN app on and make sure your desired VPN provider supports those devices.