If you've ever searched for VPNs in the app store, you're surely familiar with the endless trove of services that seem to only exist there and nowhere else. Many of them have tens of thousands of 5-star reviews, but it's hard to be sure whether these services are legit, exist only to log your data and sell it to third parties, or even work at all. That's why it's important to understand what a VPN can and can't do, and that they're just one tool you can use in a layered approach to online security.
In general, a solid VPN from the App Store should have the following:
- A functional app that's up to date and easy to use
- Fast, reliable connectivity and a good server selection
- A clear privacy policy that doesn't collect your data
- Support for modern protocols, like OpenVPN and WireGuard
Be sure to give our R&D article a read if you're interested in learning more about how we score a VPN on privacy.
Below are our recommendations for the best VPNs for iPad and iPhone. For more VPN recommendations, check out our picks for the best VPNs for Mac and the best VPNs for torrenting. Using Android instead? Head over to our guide to the best VPNs for Android.
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 iPhone
Private Browsing9.1Policies & Practices9.2Speed7.4Security8.6Platform Support:10Destinations:9.0See all our test resultsEmail Required:NoMullvad is the best VPN for iPhone we've tested if you're looking for a fuss-free solution that puts your privacy first. The app's interface is clean and easy to use, with all the essentials you'd expect from a mobile VPN: great performance, a good selection of server locations, and powerful security features to help keep your traffic encrypted and difficult to track. You can use the app without providing an email address, and enable its "Force all apps" setting to ensure all of your iPhone's traffic is routed safely through the VPN's encrypted tunnel. As a privacy-oriented provider, Mullvad runs exclusively on WireGuard and doesn't actively optimize its servers to support bypassing geo-restrictions. While results can vary by server and streaming platform, you can expect popular services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and YouTube to block your connection if they detect you're using a VPN.
Mullvad is easy to test out without locking yourself into a long-term plan. You can pay using credit or debit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, cash, Apple Pay, and select cryptocurrencies. If you pay with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, or Monero, you'll get an extra 10% off per month.
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Best Budget VPN For iPhone
Private Browsing9.2Policies & Practices9.4Speed7.4Security8.6Platform Support:10Destinations:9.2See all our test resultsEmail Required:NoWindscribe's Build-a-Plan option is our budget pick for iPhone because it brings the monthly cost below Mullvad's without requiring a long-term subscription. For $3 USD per month, Build-a-Plan provides unlimited simultaneous connections and two server locations, in addition to a standard selection of 10 free servers available to everyone. Each paid server included in your plan comes with 10GB of bandwidth, but you can upgrade to unlimited data any time for an extra $1 USD per month. The iPhone app has a straightforward connection screen, with more granular controls available as part of its customizable dashboard. Windscribe comes with built-in ad blocking, kill switch protection, and support for both WireGuard and OpenVPN. Like our top pick, it's an anonymity-focused VPN service, so you don't need to provide your email to sign up.
User reports show that Windscribe is usually successful at bypassing geo-blocks on major streaming services, but as always, there's no guarantee that access will stay consistent. The company accepts credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, cryptocurrency, and other regional payment options through Paymentwall.
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Best iPhone VPN For Short-Term Use
Private Browsing9.2Policies & Practices9.3Speed7.3Security8.6Platform Support:10Destinations:8.4See all our test resultsEmail Required:NoIf you're looking for an iPhone VPN for a week while traveling, IVPN is our recommendation. The Standard plan costs just $2 USD per week, and includes unlimited data, ad blocking, and simultaneous connections for up to five devices. The app has straightforward connection controls and can turn on automatically when it detects you're on an untrusted or public Wi-Fi network. IVPN supports both WireGuard and OpenVPN, although it currently doesn't include a functional kill switch on devices running iOS 16 or newer. Still, you don't need an email to create an account, and the company backs up its privacy claims with annual security audits. IVPN makes the most sense for everyday browsing rather than streaming, since it doesn't actively rotate its IP pools to bypass regional content blocks.
If you intend to use your VPN for more than a week, you might find better value in Windscribe's Build-a-Plan for $3 USD per month, depending on how often you plan to stay connected. IVPN accepts eligible cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, Monero, vouchers, and in-app payments. You can pay with cash, but that'll require you to sign up for a year or more.
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Best Free VPN For iPhone
Private Browsing7.5Policies & Practices6.3Speed7.2Security8.6Platform Support:10Destinations:4.0See all our test resultsEmail Required:NoProton VPN Free is our choice for the times when you want to avoid another monthly subscription. It effectively conceals your IP address and traffic, has a functional kill switch, and upholds generally transparent communication with its userbase. Those protections give it a considerable edge over the majority of free VPNs available on the App Store. Proton Free doesn't place a limit on how much data you can use, so you can safely leave it running in the background without worrying about hitting a monthly usage allowance. Its iOS app is polished and functional, and you don't need an email to sign up. It supports both WireGuard and Stealth (Proton's proprietary protocol made to help bypass internet censorship), but it doesn't support OpenVPN.
If you want free unlimited data, however, you'll have to accept some other limitations: Proton Free only supports one device at a time, and it doesn't allow you to choose a server location yourself. The Free plan has servers in five countries (Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and the USA), but official streaming and torrenting support is reserved for paying subscribers.
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Best iPhone VPN For Streaming
Private Browsing6.4Policies & Practices4.8Speed7.2Security8.6Platform Support:10Destinations:8.6See all our test resultsEmail Required:YesWe recommend NordVPN if your primary reason for wanting a VPN on iPhone is to stream content from different regions. User feedback often shows success in overcoming regional restrictions on major streaming services; however, no VPN can ensure that a particular library will always be available. The app's one-click connect feature automatically chooses the best server based on your location, but you're able to manually choose and connect to any server from their list. One subscription supports up to 10 simultaneous connections, so you can watch from your iPad or Apple TV, too. The iPhone app comes with a kill switch that's enabled by default, and while Nord's no-logs claims have undergone external audits, its broader data practices scored below Mullvad's and Windscribe's since the company uses personalized ads and analytics to collect your data (unless you manually opt out).
We'd choose it for streaming convenience rather than the strongest privacy score. Nord accepts payment by card, PayPal, cryptocurrency, and Apple Pay, with availability varying by region.
Notable Mentions
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Windscribe Free:
Windscribe Free is a great alternative to Proton VPN Free if privacy is your priority and you don't need unlimited data, although feedback is mixed on the VPN's success at bypassing regional streaming restrictions. You don't need an email to sign up, but if you do add one, your usage allowance increases from 2GB to 10GB per month.
See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 02, 2026:
We've refreshed this article's text for clarity and added pricing information to make each pick easier to compare. We've also added three new VPN categories: 'Best For Streaming,' 'Best For Short-Term Use,' and 'Best Free.'
Aug 07, 2026:
We've reviewed our picks to make sure they're relevant and remain the best options, and haven't made any changes. We've reworked the introduction to help make it easier to decide which VPN to subscribe to.
Jun 11, 2026:
We've reviewed this article to ensure all of our picks remain the best options for their respective categories, but haven't made any changes.
Apr 23, 2026:
We've updated this article to reflect that Windscribe Free now supports hashed account login. We've reviewed and verified that our current recommendations remain the best picks, and have added Windscribe as a Notable Mention.
Jan 08, 2026:
We've updated this article to reflect our findings in Test Bench 0.10 about privacy. Windscribe Free is now our 'Best Free VPN For iPhone,' and we've added a 'Best Free Unlimited VPN' category with Proton VPN as our recommendation.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are currently the best VPNs for iPhone. We strive to recommend VPNs with clear privacy policies, strong security, and verifiable platform support. We also factor in price (a cheaper VPN wins out over a more expensive one if the difference isn't worth it) and community feedback. While we test most of our VPNs on Windows, we expect our findings to remain comparable across platforms, and confirmed that these recommendations work on iPhone.
When choosing a VPN, consider what you need it for and understand its limitations. Depending on your risk profile, using one at all times is probably unnecessary. Modern websites, browsers, and devices have ample built-in security measures to protect you from the most common threats. You can read our explainer on TLS (Transport Layer Security) to learn more about these protections before deciding if you need a VPN at all. You can also learn more about the different encryption algorithms created to protect your data, such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) and Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA).
With that in mind, here's the list of all our VPN reviews.
