Best VPN for iPhone: the 3 references, free and paid

iPhones are becoming more and more efficient and Apple is working to ensure that the privacy of its customers is respected. For example, Safari blocks trackers, the Maps application does not associate your data with your Apple ID, or your iMessage and FaceTime conversations are encrypted. Are all these features sufficient for your security and to allow you to enjoy the internet without limits? Nothing is less certain.

Only a powerful VPN can allow you to browse securely and anonymously. For this, it is essential to equip your iPhone with the best VPN for iOS. How does such a device materialize? This is a mobile application that runs in the background and will encrypt all your data when you browse the internet. Neither Apple, nor your ISP, nor hackers will be able to know what you are doing on the web.

Today, we are going to share with you our analysis of the best VPNs for iPhone. The best iOS VPN costs money, but its price is very reasonable for the level of security it provides. To give you a complete picture, we will discuss two other paid alternatives (one more expensive and one even cheaper) as well as three other completely free solutions. If you really want to focus on security, opting for the best VPN for iPhone is the best choice. Confidentiality is priceless, and we know that.

Before going into detail about each free or paid VPN for your iPhone, here is the list of software that we recommend in 2024. You need to know the difference between free and paid tools. These will bring you real comfort (you will forget about them) and unlimited bandwidth. On the other hand, the free versions are much more difficult to use. If you want to use a VPN for iPhone in the long term, it's better to spend a few euros per month; It's money well spent protecting your Apple device.

List of the best VPNs for iPhone in 2024:

• NordVPN
• ExpressVPN
• CyberGhost VPN
• Proton VPN
• Hide.me VPN
• PrivateVPN

In this selection, we have deliberately omitted other paid VPNs that are of high quality. For example, there is the Surfshark VPN for iPhone which is very good and very affordable. That said, it is not part of our Top 3 best VPNs for this phone. However, it remains much better than all the free solutions that we will present below.

We are convinced thatpaid VPNsare the best solution to effectively protect your iPhone. At the same time, they allow you to avoid restrictions in terms of speed, bandwidth or even location. Below, we will go into detail about the best performers at the moment. Among them are NordVPN, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN.

1. NordVPN

The first VPN we offer is NordVPN. Duringour complete NordVPN review, we found it to provide great online privacy with encryption, IP and location hiding, and other cutting-edge features.

NordVPN guarantees you an end-to-end encrypted connection with the 256-bit Advanced Encryption System algorithm, which will protect all web traffic passing through your iPhone (applications and websites visited). You will no longer have any fear when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network (at the airport or in a hotel) from your iPhone. NordVPN is very well known thanks to its numerous advertisements, but it is above all by the quality of its service that it shines.

With NordVPN on your iOS device, you can connect to over 6,700 servers located in 111 countries. For a quick connection, consider using the Instant Connect or Auto Connect button. Thanks to its intelligent algorithm, NordVPN chooses the most appropriate optimized server according to your location. If you feel like NordVPN is slowing down your iPhone connection, don't hesitate to change the protocol to NordLynx. This is the provider's new VPN protocol and the speeds it offers are exceptional.

Its anti-threat protection is a “new thing”. By enabling it, you will be protected from malicious sites and online trackers. This function is free and completely integrated into the tool so don't hesitate to use it. It will only increase your anonymity online. NordVPN even offers its users multi-factor authentication to secure account access.

The provider also provides customer support that can be reached at any time to resolve your problems. However, you will need to express your request in English. It's a bit of a shame, especially when you know that other VPNs for iPhone are available in French. That said, that's the only complaint we can have against him.

You can install the NordVPN application on different iPhone models as well as iPad tablets by going to the App Store. In total, a single account allows you to use it on 10 different devices. After subscribing, the technology provider gives you the right to test its application for 30 days thanks to its money-back guarantee. Do not hesitate to use it if you are not satisfied with the service.

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2. ExpressVPN

The second VPN in our selection is none other than ExpressVPN. It has a very stable and intuitive French application, perfect for iPhone users used to sober and refined interfaces. To use it regularly, this application is ideal. It's very easy to forget, and it secures all web traffic that passes through the iPhone (whether 4G, 5G or Wi-Fi). This is, in our opinion, a VPN for iPhone that makes no compromises.

From this application, you will have access to 3,000 servers spread across 105 countries, a huge choice of geographic locations to simulate. If you are used to watching videos (or even films) from your iPhone, you will be won over. By obtaining an IP address in one of these locations, you will unblock all content in the country. If you go abroad, it's the same principle. You will be able to simulate a location in your country of origin and watch French TV channels without limits.

This second best VPN for iPhone will allow you to bypass censorship and access sites blocked in certain countries restricting internet access. This is for example the case of China, the Middle East or Russia. These are locations that are quickly limited, and that few VPNs currently support. With NordVPN, ExpressVPN is the one that offers the greatest openness, and that is a strong asset.

ExpressVPN is compatible on all iOS versions (from iOS 13) and downloads from the App Store in seconds, like any other application. It is also available on iPad. And if you have both, you won't need to choose because the provider allows unlimited installations and up to 8 simultaneous connections. Plus, you'll have 30 days to try it for free before you're actually committed.

Its prices are justified by rare performances, particularly in terms of speed with very minimal deterioration in flow rates. In any case,following our ExpressVPN test, it is truly one of the best VPNs on iPhone.

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3. CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhostis also one of the favorite VPNs for Apple smartphone users. It has a French interface that is quick to use and very good speed performance. But CyberGhost is best known for its strong security in line with military-grade encryption applied to your iPhone traffic. It uses the same as NordVPN and ExpressVPN, while being a little less expensive.

In terms of the interface, its VPN application for iPhone has evolved through regular updates. Dark mode is still present, but the controls are much more refined, for a modern look. Design remains a matter of taste (difficult to be perfectly objective) but our experts really appreciate the result of the latest modifications made by the editor.

With over 12,000 servers across 100 countries and servers dedicated to streaming, CyberGhost is ideal for VoD on all your iOS devices. Its servers benefit from a rather high connection speed without buffering, allowing you to watch very good quality videos. To date, CyberGhost manages to unblock more than fifteen Netflix libraries including the American and English catalogs, more complete than those to which we are accustomed in France. And if you're one of the many people who listen to music from your iPhone, you'll be able to access your Spotify account no matter where you are.

With CyberGhost, you will benefit from support available 24/7. You will even be able to speak with advisors in French who will answer all your questions about how the CyberGhost application works on iPhone.

If you are hesitant to subscribe, the free 45-day test should clear up your doubts. It is thanks to CyberGhost’s “satisfied or refunded” guarantee that you will be able to test the CyberGhost application on iPhone without risk. Indeed, until the end of this month and a half of testing, you will be able to obtain full reimbursement of your costs upon simple request addressed to the technical teams. With this very generous period, you will be able to convince yourself that CyberGhost undoubtedly deserves its place on the podium of the best VPNs for iPhone.

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The Top 3 Free VPNs for iPhone

After reviewing the best VPN for iPhone (paid), we will discuss the free offers. Before going any further, expect to have to make some sacrifices in terms of speed and data volume because no-cost plans are significantly less advantageous in terms of performance.

Also note that the three best free VPNs that we offer on your iOS phone also have paid plans, but it's the free versions that we're looking at here. So if you want to switch from free to paid, it's entirely doable. Be careful, however, because even their paid offers are not at the level of those mentioned above. Each free version is obviously intended to take you there, be careful not to be tempted…

1. Proton VPN

Recently, more and more Internet users looking for a free Virtual Private Network solution are turning to the Swiss provider Proton VPN. This VPN has almost everything to please and if it is first in this selection it is because its application is very well designed on iPhone and it guarantees optimal confidentiality. For a free tool, this is probably the best VPN for iPhone you can have.

The Proton VPN application on iPhone is very successful. The tabs (Country, Map, Connection/Disconnect, Profiles and Settings) make it very easy to navigate, without instructions. The provider explains the meaning of each feature which might seem abstract, which is very nice for beginners.

Proton VPN's free offer has the advantage of not placing any limits on bandwidth. No matter how much data is transferred from your iOS device each month, the VPN service will remain free and unlimited. In other words, you will not have to monitor your data consumption on the internet, which would be really regrettable in 2024.

On the other hand, everything is not so rosy. You will have to expect fairly low connection speeds and high latency times. To watch streaming videos and even play online games, you will need to be patient. If you really want to watch videos, you will absolutely have to migrate to a paid offer.

Proton VPN Free will give you access to only 5 countries (United States, Japan, Romania, Poland and Netherlands). This very limited number of locations will certainly not allow you to browse freely as you would with NordVPN or ExpressVPN. Especially since the application does not let you choose the country in which you connect. The foreign IP obtained is imposed according to your location and the saturation conditions of all the servers. You can already forget about watching TV channels from your iPhone when you are abroad but also accessing foreign catalogs on Netflix or Prime Video.

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2. Hide.me

Hide.me is also a very good choice, without being the best VPN for iPhone. Like its competitor above, Hide.me also offers paid subscriptions but it is its free subscription that we are going to talk about here.

Hide.me VPN has focused on simplicity and you can see it at first glance. Its application is simple to use and translated into French. Without being particularly refined, the design is worked with the aim of being functional and the VPN does the job (correctly).

Hide.me offers Apple smartphone users an application to secure any incoming and outgoing connection to the device and to provide them with total anonymity by hiding their IP address. You will then be able to simulate a location in 7 different countries (the United States, Germany, Finland, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands) with its free plan. Note that Canada (shown in the screenshot above) is no longer available at this time.

Before creating your Hide.me account, remember that servers dedicated to streaming and those capable of multihop are reserved for paying subscribers. You have to make do with classic servers. However, you are entitled to the Kill Switch to stay safe at all times and several protocols are offered to you from the control panel.

Here, there is no limit on the quantity of data but the speeds are very limited... We grant you, it is not practical for daily use but it is the counterpart of opting for a 0 service €. That said, certain customer profiles will be happy with it.

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3. PrivateVPN

With its free offer, Privado is a recommended VPN for iPhone. It is relevant for all small budgets because it allows you to benefit from most of the advantages of the VPN without paying.

With PrivadoVPN, you will have a secure connection on your iPhone. All your activities and visited sites will be impossible to trace. The PrivadoVPN subscription gives access to servers in 10 countries, including France, Brazil, the United Kingdom and the USA. It's a little more than with Proton VPN but we're still a long way from NordVPN's 111 countries. Your experience will very quickly be limited, especially when you know the number of customers using the service. Here, the slowness will still be there.

As for the PrivadoVPN application on iOS, it is relatively intuitive. The interface is intuitive and relatively easy to understand. We find the list of available countries but also the server and the recommended (nearest) location. The application displays the remaining data volume and allows you to choose between the most common protocols. In this regard, we recommend that you opt for WireGuard.

As we said, free VPN plans are limited most of the time. PrivadoVPN is no exception to this rule since it limits the bandwidth of its Free plan users to 10 GB per month. If you usually go to YouTube with your iPhone or play connected games, this restriction may not suit you at all. In fact, it will only take 4 or 5 hours to exhaust your data quota... after which you will have to wait 30 days for the package to be recharged.

Now that you know all the pros and cons of this VPN, it's up to you to see if you're ready to install it on your iPhone.

If you are looking for other free VPNs, you can look atour comparison of the best free VPNs.

Conclusion: NordVPN, the best choice of VPN for iPhone

The best choice of VPN for your iPhone is undoubtedlyNordVPN. In our opinion, this VPN has everything to please on iOS mobiles: it is fast, stable, has incomparable geographic coverage and protects all your data. In addition to its performance, it has a 30-day free trial version. So you can test it for yourself to judge if it is the best VPN for iPhone.

To discover this VPN, click here:

Testing NordVPN

If NordVPN is the best VPN for iPhone, it is also the best VPN in our overall ranking. The company has been known for over 12 years with a high quality product, which has never had a fault. If it holds this place in our ranking, it is also because it is less expensive thanExpressVPN. If your budget is not restricted, you can also turn to the latter's very good VPN. Conversely, for the cheapest premium VPN for iPhone, remember that it isCyberGhostthat you need.

iPhone VPN FAQs

To find out everything about VPNs for iPhone and make the right choice, watch this FAQ which contains the most asked questions on the subject. Over time, we will add new questions based on those asked to us by the community. If you still have any questions, you can contact us by email to find out more.