Best VPN for Android

ExpressVPN is the best VPN on the current market, and it’s a fantastic choice for Android users, too.

Its custom VPN app for Android devices – not only for smartphones but for tablets and TVs too – is very easy to install and use.

Not only that, but ExpressVPN’s Android app provides consistently quick, reliable speeds.

Whether you connect to nearby VPN servers or those located further away, ExpressVPN’s speeds remain stable, which is ideal for HD streaming on Netflix.

ExpressVPN maintains a safe minimal-logs policy and the company is based in the British Virgin Islands, far away from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.

While there isn’t a Network Lock setting (ExpressVPN’s term for a kill switch), there is a ‘Block internet when unable to connect or reconnect to VPN’ setting within the Android app, which works very similarly.

In addition to the Android app, there are also ExpressVPN apps for Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS, iOS, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Linux, and routers.

ExpressVPN also comes with full-featured VPN browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

And you can use ExpressVPN on up to five devices at one time.

So, are there any flaws?

Well, it is a little more expensive than our other top picks but ExpressVPN is hands down the best VPN around, so it’s worth the extra couple of dollars a month.

NordVPN is a very good VPN service for Android users, even if it can’t quite compete with the exceptional package offered by ExpressVPN.

It is cheaper, though.

NordVPN’s Android VPN app is simple and user-friendly, and it can be installed in a matter of minutes.

It comes with dedicated VPN servers for P2P/torrenting, Tor, and there are special obfuscated servers for high-censorship countries like China.

NordVPN is an incredibly quick VPN service – in fact it’s one of the fastest VPNs on the current market. You’ll experience the best speeds if you connect to a nearby VPN server.

However, NordVPN isn’t perfect.

NordVPN doesn’t include a built-in VPN kill switch for Android users (which is fairly common). But you can set up a similar security feature manually from within your Android device settings (see below).

But if you’re not willing to alter those settings, you should reserve torrenting for your PC or Mac where NordVPN provides ample protection.

NordVPN does have an integrated kill switch for Windows, MacOS, and iOS, though.

There’s also VPN apps for Linux and Fire TV Stick, as well as browser extensions Chrome and Firefox.

Another slight drawback is the lack of VPN protocol choice within the Android (and Windows) app. If you want to use an alternative protocol you have to manually configure it.

We also feel it’s important to make you aware of a security incident involving NordVPN. In October 2019 it came to light that a NordVPN server had been breached by a hacker.

No user information was taken, no data was logged, and the VPN encrypted tunnel wasn’t compromised. That said, it exploited a worryingly simple vulnerability, and we were disappointed by NordVPN’s delayed response.

NordVPN is still a very good VPN, but it’s something to consider before you buy.

CyberGhost is the ideal choice if you love to stream on your Android phone or tablet.

CyberGhost’s custom app for Android is sleek and intuitive, and it comes with VPN servers dedicated to accessing content on popular streaming platforms.

You can watch Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and more by tapping on the ‘Streaming friendly’ tab and connecting to your desired VPN server.

With very fast VPN connection download speeds (on local servers), CyberGhost will allow you to watch your favorite shows in HD with little buffering.

There’s also custom VPN apps for Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and more.

CyberGhost maintains a strict no-logs policy, and an always-on integrated VPN kill switch for Android, keeping your online data safe and private.

So that must mean it’s great for torrenting, right?

Unfortunately, not. The Android app isn’t very torrent-friendly. While CyberGhost’s Windows and MacOS apps clearly label which VPN servers can be used for torrenting, the Android one doesn’t.

This leaves Android users to guess which of CyberGhost’s servers will work with P2P traffic, which isn’t ideal. Torrenting isn’t permitted on the Australian servers (and a host of others).

Aside from that, CyberGhost is a great VPN service for Android users, and its custom app for smartphones is more visually pleasing than our top picks, if that’s what you’re after.

PrivateVPN is our #4 VPN for Android thanks to its secure, super-fast, and feature-packed Android app.

Android users are treated to PrivateVPN’s stealth protocol (which is ideal for high-censorship countries like China), port connection options, and the choice to block IPv6 requests, making it a super safe VPN to use.

It also keeps absolutely no user VPN logs.

The Android app is sleek and easy to use, with a modern-looking, intuitive interface.

Like CyberGhost it comes with VPN servers dedicated to accessing streaming platforms like Netflix and BBC iPlayer.

But are there any cons?

Unfortunately, yes.

PrivateVPN comes with a very small VPN server network, which amounts to a total of 150 individual servers. This could lead to congestion at peak times.

However, it’s definitely still worth considering – we consistently experienced impressively fast download speeds. It’s one of the fastest VPNs out there.

IPVanish is a good choice for those who want lots of configurable options on their Android VPN, but don’t mind a lack of streaming support.

IPVanish’s Android app – while in great need of a makeover – comes with advanced settings like split-tunneling, OpenVPN scrambling, and port selection.

If your Android device doesn’t support VPN apps, you can download IPVanish’s APK file from your account and sideload the VPN into your device (as long as it has access to the Google Play store).

We recorded fast download (and upload) speeds on nearby VPN servers.

And from a privacy perspective, IPVanish operates a strict no-logs policy so web activity logs won’t be stored on its VPN servers.

This makes IPVanish an excellent choice for torrenters and Kodi fans (which you can use with IPVanish’s Fire TV Stick app, too).

The other custom VPN apps in IPVanish’s offering are: Windows, MacOS, and iOS. Unlike the other top VPN services, there isn’t a native Linux app.

Want to unlock video content? IPVanish does work with US and UK Netflix, but it’s a little fiddly to get it working. And, it doesn’t unlock BBC iPlayer or Disney+.

Like NordVPN, there’s no VPN kill switch on the Android app – but you can manually configure your Android device to provide the same protection.

Another drawback is that the refund period is quite short (seven days).

However, IPVanish’s strong security and fast speeds will win over those who aren’t fussed about one-click streaming.