Best VPN Apps For The Mobile Devices in 2024

NordVPN is one of the most popular service providers in the world, with an estimated 10 million users. This is due in part to the company's aggressive marketing, which includes a social-media campaign and an array of search-related pop-ups. The product itself backs up the advertised claims: NordVPN is known for its large server farm, blazing speeds, advanced features, and top-notch customer service. It's highly effective at unblocking geo-restrictions imposed by streaming services, and its dedicated P2P servers make torrenting easier. There are special servers for Tor and P2P, and for a small fee you can purchase a dedicated IP address.

The Android and iOS version of the NordVPN mobile app are both quite good, with the iOS slightly edging out the Android in terms of graphics (as is often the case with Apple products). Both versions offer NordVPN's proprietary WireGuard-type protocol: NordLynx. Using the mobile app, you'll be able to active the "Threat Protection" feature, which blocks ads, phishing attempts, and malicious sites. You can even activate a split-tunneling feature, so that you can use the VPN on specific apps while remaining in "standard" mode on others. The app also has a Dark-Web scanner that crawls the Dark-Web looking for indications your data has been breached and leaked.

In general, 9Ranks recommends you avoid the monthly VPN plans, as they are far more expensive than the long-term alternatives. If you're worried you might not like the product, take advantage of the money-back guarantee (30 days). The longest term NordVPN offers is 2 years, with the "Standard" plan costing $3.99 per month. If you want the data-breach scanner, you'll have to get the "Plus" plan, which runs $4.69 a month, and if you're looking for a cloud service, you can get the "Complete" plan for $5.99 (for 1 terabyte). Unfortunately, once you're 2 years are up, you'll have to renew at more than double the price.

PureVPN has one of the largest collections of servers in the world, and because they're distributed across nearly 80 countries, the likelihood of finding a server near you is much higher. Proximity affects speed, given the reduced distance the data needs to travel. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that PureVPN boasts excellent speeds. In addition, a few of PureVPN's servers are virtual servers, which makes it all but impossible to extract data from them. PureVPN also offers servers optimized for peer-to-peer file sharing. Unfortunately, streaming with PureVPN isn't great: You might have trouble unlocking Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Hulu.

PureVPN's Android mobile version offers all of the features available on the desktop version, including a kill switch and split-tunneling, but unfortunately neither of these is available on the iPhone version. In general, iPhone users should understand that iOS restrictions make it slightly more difficult to create a sophisticated VPN app. There are only a handful of great VPNs for iPhones, and while PureVPN's isn't "great," it does provide the basics at a reasonable price. Regardless of which operating system you use, you'll get the most overall efficiency using the WireGuard protocol, but slightly faster speeds from the IKEv2.

Pricing is one of PureVPN's strong points. They offer a 27-month plan for just $53.95, which comes out to $1.99 a month. They also offer a 12-month plan at $3.24 a month, which is still competitive, though there are a few VPNs that offer more features for the same price. If you're interested in addition features, you can purchase those at check out. For example, there is a DDoS Protection plan for an additional $3.99 a month, Port Forwarding for $0.99 a month, and a Dedicated/Static IP for $2.99 a month. You can even purchase a Dedicated IP with Port Forwarding package as a discounted price. If you get all the add-ons, however, you'll pay nearly $10 a month, so make sure you actually need all of those features.

ExpressVPN is the kind of VPN you seek out when you want all the major features, and don't mind paying for them. This is one of the most popular VPNs among gamers, streamers, and torrenters. In other words, people who are plugged in for hours at a time and need to be certain their connection will not slow down. If you play high-end video games, you know how devistating "lag" can be. If your character is frozen on the screen for even a moment, it might be "dead" by the time it unfreezes. If you've invested money on a high-definition TV or monitor so you can enjoy the best possible picture quality, you need a VPN that can support that kind of streaming. That's ExpressVPN.

You'll find that every version of ExpressVPN is excellent. Whether you're looking for a router client, a version for your desktop, or for your mobile device, you'll be happy with the product. They even have a VPN for Android TV. The mobile app allows you to enable Auto-Connect, and you can choose the level of network protection you want. For example, you can allow access to LAN, and block all internet access when the VPN is unable to connect. You can control the split-tunneling, and select your preferred protocol, including ExpressVPN's proprietary "Lightway -UDP" and "Lightway TCP." There are shortcuts for apps, and there's a long list of servers from which to choose, including recommended servers.

The problem with having so many features and options is that you have to pay a hefty price for them. The annual subscription is a whopping $6.67 a month, which is among the highest prices you'll find for a VPN. Were they offering unlimited device access, we'd have nothing to complain about, but as one subscription only entitles you to 5 devices, there's no way to deny that this is an expensive product. That being said, you really are getting a great product, and if you're a full-time VPN user you should take a serious look at ExpressVPN.

The most advanced VPN systems can feel overwhelming to new or part-time users. Having to decide which protocol to activate, whether to turn the split-tunneling on or off, and whether to "Multi-Hop" can start to feel like a major commitment. What if you just want a safe and secure VPN with no bells and whistles? The choice, in that case, is TunnelBear. It's an excellent VPN in terms of security, but it doesn't weigh you down with tons of complicated features only full-time expert users need. It will hide your internet "identity," known as your "IP" and that's it. The system even picks the best VPN location for you, so all you need to do is turn it on, select "auto," and off you go.

The mobile version, like the desktop version, is straightforward and easy to use. On the Apple App Store, the mobile version scores well over 4.5 out of 5, and on the Android store it stands at around 4.4 of out 5. Users seem to enjoy the cheeky bear theme, which includes things like honey pots for VPN locations, and more bear-related puns than you can imagine. For example, there's a password manager titled..."Remembear." The iPhone app has several in-app purchase options, for things like "unlimited data," and additional devices, but the costs quickly add up and in our opinion this isn't the VPN on which to spend a lot of money. Use it for its simplicity and pay accordingly.

Speaking of pricing, the mobile apps themselves are free, and there is a free version of TunnelBear, though it's limited to 500MB per month. The least expensive unlimited subscription is $3.33 a month, but that requires a 3-year commitment. The one-year plan is a bit more expensive, and there's also a business plan with a dedicated account manager. Every account allows you to access 5 devices, and you can use as much data as you'd like on each of them.

ProtonVPN is part of a larger cyber-security suite designed by some of the brightest minds in the business. ProtonMail, is the email-of-choice for those who absolutely cannot afford to be hacked, such as journalists, political activists, and attorneys. ProtonCalendar, ProtonDrive (cloud-storage), and ProtonVPN round out the suite. The complete suite is pricey, but if you just want the VPN you don't need deep pockets. There's even a free version of ProtonVPN that suffices for the occasional user. ProtonVPN is extra-secure because the company owns its servers, unlike many VPNs that rent and even share servers. In addition, the company in based in Switzerland, which has enshrined the right of digital privacy into law.

The mobile versions of ProtonVPN work perfectly. The server list includes a speed indicator, in case you want to select your server manually. On the other hand, you can allow the app to auto-select the server, and you even create a "Profile," which saves your connection preferences. If you're not satisfied by the speeds you're getting, activate the "VPN Accelerator," which can boost speeds by as much as 400%. If you're an iPhone user, you'll be glad to know that the iOS app offers just about every feature found on the Android version. The only thing missing is split-tunneling, but that's due to iOS, not ProtonVPN.

If you're an occasional user, you might find the free version of ProtonVPN is good enough. The paid versions are not terribly expensive, though their not the cheapest by any means. There's an annual plan for $5.99 a month for the first year and $9.99 a month after that. There's also a 2-year plan for $4.99 a month, but it also jumps to $9.99 after that. You should also know that the complete Proton suite, "Proton Unlimited," costs the same as the post-discount plan: $9.99 a month. That gets you 500GB of cloud storage, 15 email addresses, the calendar, and up to 10 VPN connection. In between those is "Mail Plus," with 15GB, 10 emails, and 1 VPN connection.

Since entering the market in 2018, Surfshark has quickly risen to the top of the VPN charts, thanks to its sophisticated features, easy-to-use design, and attractive long-term subscription prices. Surfshark uses the latest AES-256-GCM encryption, and offers several protocol options, including a high-speed WireGuard protocol and a facile OpenVPN protocol. In addition, Surfshark has some of the most advanced tools on the markets, such as a GPS "spoofing" tool that hides the location of your mobile phone, and "double" VPN that sends your IP through a masked IP and then an unmasked one as well.

The mobile version of Surfshark offers all of the functionality and features of the desktop version, with one small exception: There is no geo-spoofing option for iPhones. In every other way, however, the mobile app is great. You can even use it to stream from your phone. For example, if you have a Netflix app on your phone, connect to the VPN first, and then open a new "user profile." Then, open that profile and you'll find all sort of content not otherwise available in your region. We wouldn't advise using the same profile, however, because you might end up with some confusion in your library (especially if a foreign language is involved).

At $12.95, the Surfshark monthly plan is simply too expensive to justify. To be perfectly frank, no VPN justifies that price. Instead, always look for the long-term offers, such as the 2-year Surfshark plan, which costs only $2.49 a month. Take advantage of the first 29 days to test the product, and if you're really unhappy with it, simply cancel your subscription and get your money back. We don't expect that to happen, though, as Surfshark really is one of the best VPNs for mobile devices. Some iPhone users, however, might prefer one of the other providers, as the functionality of the iOS version is slightly below the standard of the Android version.

PrivateVPN is a boutique VPN with just 200 servers. That's not nearly enough to compete with the major providers, but they have managed to carve out a place for themselves. For one thing, the servers are strategically distributed over 60 countries. Also, they're carefully designed to allow for geo-spoofing, torrenting, and gaming. The system's "Stealth Mode" not only hides your IP, but hides the fact that your IP is hidden. That means you're not likely ever to get flagged as a VPN when watching Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. You'll also get impressive speeds using PrivateVPN, making it a decent choice for gamers.

The PrivateVPN phone apps are quite popular, and feedback is very positive. Their Apple App Store rating is over 4.5 out of 5, and their Google Play Store rating is 4.7 out of 5, with over half a million downloads. It's interesting to note that their developers also run the customer-service department, so when you register a complaint, you're talking to someone who actually knows how to fix the problem.

If you want to save money, try out the free version of PrivateVPN, which gives you access to about a dozen locations and up to 10GB of data per month. That's more than enough to test the product, and if you like it you'll be happy to know the prices are quite low. The 17-month plan costs only $3.39 a month for the first 17 months, though after that it goes up to $4.80 a month. You'll get access to 10 devices with unlimited bandwidth, and each of the plans comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.