Cheapest and Best VPN for iPhone You Should Use This 2025

Speed

Your VPN’s connection speeds can have a major influence on the quality of your streaming, downloading, video conferencing, gaming and general web-browsing activities. All virtual private networks slow down your internet somewhat, simply by nature of encrypting your traffic and sending it through at least one server before moving on to its final destination. To keep things running as smoothly as possible, you’ll want a VPN that will have as minimal an impact on your regular internet speeds as possible. Generally, we recommend a VPN with an internet speed loss of 25% or less. In our testing, we’ve seen as low as an average 11% internet download speed loss. For bandwidth-demanding applications like competitive gaming or 4K video streaming, you’ll want a snappy VPN.

Usability

A good iPhone VPN should run smoothly and be easy to use regardless of your technical expertise. It should have all of the features you need easily accessible with a tap of your finger. Many of the best iPhone VPN apps also include an easy way to get in touch with support directly from the device, which can be helpful if you need assistance on the go. Basically, your iPhone VPN app should be as easy for you to use as your iPhone itself. It should have a large network of servers around the world so you can connect easily and reliably from wherever you may be traveling, and it should be able to help you access geo-restricted content from various regions.

Cost

Depending on your budget, you may want to take into account the cost and overall value of your iPhone VPN before making a purchase. VPN pricing can vary greatly from provider to provider, but you can typically expect to spend about $5 to $13 per month for a monthly VPN subscription plan. If you want to save some money, you can opt for an annual subscription, where prices can range from roughly $30 to $100 per year. You’ll want to be careful with free VPNs because you may end up risking your privacy instead of protecting it with a free VPN. Proton VPN is currently the only free VPN that CNET recommends.

Most premium VPNs offer a money-back guarantee anywhere from a week to 45 days. You can also get a seven-day free trial with many VPNs when you sign up through Apple’s App Store, so you have options to try various iPhone VPNs risk-free before you decide whether to fully invest in one.

Device support

While you’ll want a VPN for your iPhone to work well on iOS and iPadOS, chances are you’ve got a slew of other devices you may want to run a VPN on. Most VPNs work on Windows, MacOS and Linux PCs. In addition to iPhones and iPads, the majority of virtual private networks also offer Android apps. While Android TV and Fire TV apps are common for use on streaming devices, Apple TV apps are still on the rise. Providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, PIA and IPVanish feature Apple TV VPN apps. (Disclosure: IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Think about the devices you want to install a VPN app on and make sure your desired VPN company supports those gadgets.

When we evaluate the best iPhone VPNs, we thoroughly test the features offered on each VPN’s iPhone app to see how they compare to the competition. We carefully consider the look and feel of the app and the overall usability of the software, including how easy it is to establish a connection, bearing in mind the user experience iPhone users are accustomed to. We test the performance and reliability of the VPN connection on each of the protocols available in the provider’s iPhone app. We test for leaks and we pay special attention to each service’s kill switch functionality and ensure it’s working as it should. We test each VPN’s ability to circumvent geographical restrictions and access streaming sites. Finally, we evaluate each provider’s pricing to determine the service’s overall value.

Proton VPN

If you need a completely free VPN for your iPhone, Proton VPN is the way to go. With Proton VPN, you can get access to three server locations without paying a dime. Unlike many other free VPNs, Proton doesn’t put any restrictions on usage or speed. If you want the full, premium version of Proton VPN, it’s $10 per month, $60 for the first year or $108 for the first two years (the one- and two-year plans renew at $80 annually), putting it in the middle of the pack in terms of price. The paid version of Proton offers 9,900-plus servers in 117 countries and 10 simultaneous connections.

Proton VPN is a great option for privacy-minded VPN users thanks to its open-source apps, robust privacy policy and privacy-friendly Swiss jurisdiction. On the entertainment side, Proton works well for geo-unblocking foreign content on apps like Netflix and Disney Plus, making is a great VPN for streaming. With apps for Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV devices, Proton VPN is a solid choice for circumventing geo-restrictions to access movies and TV shows. Proton is the best free option with a solid premium plan and an excellent VPN solution overall.

IPVanish

IPVanish’s iPhone app is fairly easy to use and features a prominent Connect button on the Home screen that’ll get you connected quickly. If you navigate to the Locations screen to select a specific server, you can either connect to the Optimal Location or choose from a list of servers. However, after you’ve connected, there’s no indication of whether you’re connected or not unless you navigate back to the Home screen. Even if you connect to the Optimal Location, the Connect button on the Locations screen still says “Connect” — which can lead to some confusion.

Although IPVanish’s iPhone app isn’t as streamlined as the others on this list, it includes split tunneling functionality—a feature most VPNs don’t offer with their iPhone apps. Even so, it’s difficult to enthusiastically recommend IPVanish to iPhone users, considering that far superior services are available for the same price or cheaper. IPVanish costs $13 per month, $40 for the first year, or $53 for the first two years combined (the one- and two-year plans jump to $90 annually).