Apple puts a strong emphasis on the security of its devices, knowing that security is paramount to a good user experience. So when you buy an iPhone, you probably expect a certain level of protection to come with your device. Still, if that base protection just isn’t enough for you, it assuredly can be improved upon.
That’s why using a VPN service can be worthwhile. Without a VPN, your internet service provider can track your browsing habits on both MacOS and iOS, and websites can still collect your IP address. By itself, an iPhone can’t stop either of those things. But the best VPN for iPhone can.
While not every VPN service is going to pair flawlessly with iOS, Apple-focused VPN apps are becoming increasingly popular among the top VPN providers. That means you have more iPhone VPN options available than ever before.
Over the past few years, the market for mobile VPNs has been booming, according to the most recent trend reports available. The VPN market was estimated at $49 billion in 2022 by Precedence Research, which expects that market to grow to $359 billion by 2032 — an increase of seven times over the next 10 years. While free services will make up a portion of those VPN downloads, we strongly urge you to avoid using a free VPN. Free VPNs nearly always come with unforeseen risks and are limited in their usefulness. Instead, it’s in your best interest to stick with a tried-and-true paid VPN whenever possible. That’s what you’ll find here in our guide to the best iPhone VPN apps.
A caveat here is that there are currently some limits to the privacy that VPN clients provide to iOS users. Recent independent research showed 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.
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 recommendations 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 periodically. Here are the top VPN apps for iPhone that we’ve tested.