If you've searched for VPNs on the Google Play Store, you've probably seen countless apps promising the strongest privacy, safest browsing, and unrestricted access to geographically blocked content. While many of these services are legitimate, a number of free and paid VPNs rely on ambiguous privacy policies, questionable business practices, and aggressive marketing. Since Android also lets you install apps by downloading them directly from a website instead of the Play Store (a process known as sideloading), it's especially important to be mindful of exactly who you're trusting with your data, and how they handle it.
In general, a strong, reputable VPN should:
- Effectively conceal your IP address and DNS requests with no leaks
- Include essential security safeguards, such as a functional kill switch
- Have unambiguous terms that clearly explain what information it collects, and why
- Request only the Android permissions it actually needs to function
- Substantiate privacy and security claims through routine independent audits
- Market their service honestly, and at a reasonable cost
After testing over 20 of the most popular VPNs on the market, these are our choices for the best VPNs for Android. To establish these picks, we evaluated our highest-scoring VPN options across the board and confirmed their availability and support across modern Android devices. We weigh privacy, audits, ownership, and data collection more heavily than most VPN comparisons do. That's why some popular services don't make our main picks, even if they're fast.
On the hunt for more recommendations? Be sure to check out our guides to the best VPNs for iPhone, the best VPNs for Windows, and the best free VPNs.
Since 2025, we've published reviews for over 20 different VPN services. These reviews followed months of research, test development, and collaboration among our engineers, testers, writers, photographers, and editors. Our process for each review involves extensive work behind the scenes, including rigorous checks and balances, to deliver the most accurate and useful test results so you can make the right purchasing decisions for your needs.
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Best VPN For Android
Private Browsing9.1Security8.6Policies & Practices9.2See all our test resultsPlatform Support:Mullvad is the best VPN for Android that we've tested, and a great choice if you want a straightforward VPN from a company with a stellar track record for privacy. The registration process avoids asking for personally identifiable information entirely, instead assigning you a random account number to serve as your login credential. Its Android app is easy to set up and use across a wide range of devices, so you can get connected quickly with minimal hassle. As an added bonus, you can pay for the VPN using privacy-preserving methods such as cash or cryptocurrency.
Its Android app covers the essentials while putting some powerful privacy-first tools at your fingertips. It effectively keeps your IP address and DNS requests hidden inside its tunnel, while a dependable kill switch helps prevent data leaks by cutting off internet traffic in the event of a sudden disconnect. Mullvad supports obfuscation (which makes your traffic harder to detect and block), multi-hop (routing your connection through two servers instead of one), DNS filtering (blocking access to potentially malicious sites), and DAITA (Defense Against AI-guided Traffic Analysis) to make your traffic patterns harder to identify. That's more security than many Android users need on a day-to-day basis, but it makes this one of the strongest picks on the market if you use public Wi-Fi, want to connect through another country, or simply prefer to limit how much activity your ISP can see.
There are a few trade-offs to note, however: Mullvad only supports up to five simultaneous connections, doesn't support port forwarding (which allows certain incoming traffic to bypass the VPN's tunnel), and strictly employs the WireGuard protocol. If you're hoping for more connections or configuration options, check out Windscribe below.
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Best Android VPN With More Features
Private Browsing9.1Security8.6Policies & Practices9.4See all our test resultsPlatform Support:Windscribe is our choice for the best VPN for Android if you want more features and control than Mullvad out of the gate. The company takes a strong commitment to privacy with clear no-logging policies, anonymous registration options, and a history of transparent communication around legal requests and audits. The Android app supports a broad set of tools, including split tunneling, which lets you choose which apps use the VPN; port forwarding, for extra control over incoming traffic; configurable DNS and content filtering; and six protocol options: WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, Stealth, and WStunnel. By default, Automatic mode selects a protocol and port for you, but you can choose them manually for finer control of your VPN's speed, security, and restrictions.
Windscribe supports unlimited connections across your personal devices, making it easier to protect your phone, tablet, Android TV, and other devices with a single account. Its pricing also gives you more ways to tailor your subscription than Mullvad's, with a free tier, customizable Build-A-Plan option, and full monthly and annual plans; however, Mullvad's simpler model charges the same monthly rate regardless of how long you pay for, so you don't have to make a longer commitment to get its best price.
If you want to learn more about VPN protocols and the differences between them, check out our guide to WireGuard vs OpenVPN.
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Best Free Android VPN
Private Browsing9.2Security8.6Policies & Practices9.4See all our test resultsPlatform Support:We recommend Windscribe Free as one of the best VPNs for Android that won't cost you a dime. While many free VPNs out there impose restrictive data limits, leave out important security features, or rely on vague privacy policies that make it difficult to know how your data is used, this one offers a rare combination of transparent company practices and the same essential privacy and security protections as the paid version. It effectively conceals your IP address and DNS requests inside its encrypted tunnel, and blocks internet access with its functional kill switch if your connection is disrupted. You can choose from servers in 11 countries and use the service without providing an email address, though you'll only get 2GB of data per month; confirming your email raises the monthly limit to 10GB.
That data limit makes it best for occasional browsing or protection on public Wi-Fi rather than streaming, handling large downloads, or torrenting. It also gives you fewer server locations and features than the paid version. If you're in the market for a free VPN with no limit on how much data you can use, take a look below.
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Best Free Unlimited Android VPN
Private Browsing7.5Security8.6Policies & Practices6.3See all our test resultsPlatform Support:Proton VPN Free is the best free Android VPN we've tested if unlimited data is your number one priority. With excellent security and a functional kill switch, you can browse the web securely without worrying about hitting a monthly cap. The free version of this VPN supports two protocols: WireGuard (optimized for lower latency and faster speeds) and Stealth (optimized to bypass strict government censorship and firewalls). You can download and use the polished Proton VPN app freely on Android without creating an account.
The trade-off is flexibility: it supports only one active connection at a time and automatically assigns you to a free server in one of 11 countries, so you can't select a location yourself. Support for torrenting and streaming services is also reserved for paid users. While Proton is a far more reputable entity than many free VPN providers, its policies and business practices are only passable. The company publishes regular third-party audits and is generally transparent with its user base, but its fine print is deliberately unclear, allowing it to collect far more data than necessary for a VPN to function. Their marketing tactics are also somewhat pushy, with frequent promotional emails, pop-ups, and aggressive discounts on auto-renewing paid plans for new members.
Notable Mentions
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IVPN:
IVPN is an excellent privacy-focused VPN that's similar to Mullvad. You can set up an account with a randomly generated number, pay with cash and crypto, and connect easily through the Android app. IVPN has excellent privacy policies and company practices, but it has servers in comparably fewer countries than Mullvad, and its speed and latency results are weaker.
See our review -
Proton VPN:
Proton VPN is a reputable service with a polished mobile app, a large server network, and plenty of features. The paid plan supports more simultaneous connections than Mullvad, but its terms of service are hard to parse and allow the collection of more personal information than necessary.
See our review
All Reviews
These picks represent the best Android VPNs we've tested for everyday use. We only recommend VPNs with clear and digestible privacy policies, a proven track record of protecting user privacy, transparent ownership, strong security, and verifiable platform support. We also factor in price, user feedback, community reputation, and whether each service offers sufficient value compared to similar alternatives.
While we generally test VPNs on a Linux-based VPS (Virtual Private Server), we expect our findings to remain largely comparable across platforms. If you want to learn more about how we test VPNs, check out our step-by-step breakdown.
When choosing a VPN, consider what you actually need it for; depending on your risk profile, using one all the time is probably unnecessary. A VPN can improve security on public networks and reduce how much of your activity your ISP can see, but it can't make you fully anonymous online. Modern websites, browsers, and devices already have built-in security measures that protect you from many common threats when surfing the web. With that in mind, have a look at our table tool below to explore all the VPNs we've tested.