The Best VPNs for Android

Simply install the app on Android, log in and tap the large power button to connect to a nearby server. You’ll know when you’re connected when the app turns from red to green.

At the bottom there are multiple tabs for easy navigation between the VPN, password manager, helpful guides, and app settings. The VPN launches and connects in seconds, making it our VPN of choice when traveling with your phone.

ExpressVPN has loads of features to keep you safe online, including: an ad blocker, malicious website blocker, adult website blocker, split tunneling, auto-connect, and a custom Android kill switch.

The app is extremely secure, with open-source software to improve transparency. It uses virtually unbreakable AES-256 encryption and trusted VPN protocols like OpenVPN and Lightway.

ExpressVPN is a trustworthy VPN service that doesn’t log your IP address, browsing activity, or device information. It also doesn’t share your data with third-party advertisers, like so many other Android VPNs do.

ExpressVPN server list on iOS (left) and Android (right).

If you want to try it out risk-free, ExpressVPN offers a 7-day free trial on Android and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

When it comes to streaming, ExpressVPN is the unrivalled champion among VPNs. The VPN unblocks 95% of streaming platforms we’ve tested it with, including Netflix, Disney+, Hotstar, Max, Amazon Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer.

In total, it can unblock 18 Netflix regional libraries, giving you access to a huge selection of TV shows and movies. In each streaming test, ExpressVPN assigned us a server that worked with that country’s streaming services.

Using a Samsung Galaxy S9, we connected to an ExpressVPN server in just one second. This is faster than any other Android VPN we tested.

Connected to a local ExpressVPN server, we experienced minimal 3% download speed loss. Even on long distances, ExpressVPN’s download speeds hold up against its competitors.

ExpressVPN is reliable and fast enough for full HD streaming and online mobile games, like PUBG and COD Mobile.

Compared to ExpressVPN, NordVPN has a lot more elements in the Android app. There’s a map, quick connect button, devices tab, and specialty servers on the home screen.

To connect to a VPN server, simply drag up the server menu and tap on a country. Unlike most Android VPNs, NordVPN doesn’t have a specific connect button (though there is a quick connect button).

NordVPN offers specialized double VPN, P2P, and obfuscated servers on Android.

Settings are tucked away in the Profile tab. You can use auto-connect, split tunneling, Threat protection, tapjacking protection, multifactor authentication, and even switch between light or dark mode.

Disappointingly, NordVPN doesn’t offer a custom kill switch for Android, like ExpressVPN and Surfshark do. But there is Android’s native kill switch you can use.

Beyond extra features, you can choose between the lightweight Nordlynx protocol (WireGuard) for faster speeds and trustworthy OpenVPN for optimum privacy — both with highest encryption standards.

The service also undergoes regular independent security and privacy audits, which is the best guarantee of network safety.

NordVPN has the largest server network among our top 10 rated VPNs, with an impressive 6,328 servers across 111 countries.

There are plenty of city-level servers to choose from, so you can connect to your closest city or specific location to bypass geo-restrictions.

Across this expansive server network, NordVPN’s consistent local speeds make it a great choice for buffer-free mobile streaming.

The VPN unblocks loads of popular streaming apps, including 17 Netflix libraries, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and Max.

If you want to try out the service before committing, NordVPN has a great 7-day free trial on Android.

What makes NordVPN stand out most is its exceptionally fast global speeds. On average, our download speed dropped by only 5% on local connections.

This means if you want to watch US Netflix from Europe, or Japanese Netflix from the US, you can expect a much smoother experience than from most other VPN services, even when streaming in HD.

Surfshark is one of the best VPNs for Android, but we found the app to be cluttered and slightly overwhelming for a beginner.

You can connect in seconds using the auto-connect button, select a recommended server location, or go through to the server list yourself for more locations. Once connected, you’ll be prompted to turn off battery optimization as it can slow down your connection, which is a nice touch.

There’s a ton of technical features like auto-connect, an ad, tracker, and malware blocker, a custom kill switch, split tunneling, rotating IP, and a small packet mode for increased compatibility with mobile networks.

Surfshark’s unique selling point is its Override GPS location feature. This spoofs your GPS location, preventing apps from detecting your real location, which is great for accessing geo-blocked streaming services. Not even ExpressVPN or NordVPN offer this feature.

Surfshark lets you override your device’s GPS to match your VPN location.

Surfshark also offers an Alternative ID feature on Android, which generates a random name, address, and email for anonymous online browsing. It comes up with a random country, state, city, and even postal code details — which is a pretty unique feature among VPNs.

Surfshark only costs $2.29 per month on a two-year subscription. This is significantly less than ExpressVPN and NordVPN ($6.67 and $3.29 per month respectively).

With its servers and fast speeds, you can watch content from 9 Netflix libraries, including:

• Brazil
• Canada
• India
• Italy
• Mexico
• Singapore
• UK
• US

Surfshark VPN also works with Disney+, Hotstar, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video.

Compared to lightning-fast VPNs like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, Surfshark does slightly struggle to keep up. This is most evident with the time it takes to actually connect to a server.

Connected to a local server, we measured 5% speed loss, which is still fast enough for HD streaming and lag-free online gaming — provided your internet speeds are fast enough.

Proton VPN Free is extremely quick and easy to set up. Simply install the app from the Play Store and tap on “Continue as guest” to use the VPN without registering.

Proton’s Android app is thankfully much simpler and more intuitive than its desktop counterparts. The home screen has three tabs, letting you easily switch between a server list, a map, and your profile.

However, we don’t like that the connect button is Proton VPN’s logo. Most VPNs go with a simple button labeled ‘connect’, which is much more intuitive. That’s the only major issue we have with the app’s design.

Proton VPN Free offers servers in three countries: the US, the Netherlands, and Japan.

Unlike other free Android VPNs, Proton VPN takes your privacy very seriously and doesn’t collect any information that could compromise user anonymity.

All connections are secured with strong AES-256 or ChaCha20 encryption, and you have secure protocols (WireGuard and OpenVPN) to choose from.

The app is also completely open-source, meaning its code is open for all to scrutinize and find bugs. The security of its Android app has been proven in multiple independent audits.

As with most free VPNs, Proton VPN imposes restrictions to encourage users to upgrade to its paid service.

You’re limited to 200 servers in the US, Netherlands, and Japan. Features like split tunneling, NetShield (ad, tracker, and malware blocker), and VPN accelerator are also annoyingly paywalled.

And despite its fast speeds, the VPN doesn’t work for streaming or torrenting. In our Android tests, it didn’t unblock any Netflix libraries, Disney+, Hotstar, or any other popular streaming platforms. All torrenting traffic is completely blocked on the VPN’s free servers.

Windscribe’s mobile apps are simple and easy to use. Tap on the large connection button to connect to a nearby server. The flag of the country you’ve chosen will display in the background.

The free US and Canada servers are conveniently placed at the top of the list, but the rest of the free servers are annoyingly buried in the server list. We would prefer it if they were grouped together.

Windscribe Free provides servers in 11 countries.

The VPN uses IKEv2 by default on Android, which is a fast protocol built for switching between cellular data and WiFi seamlessly. However, it’s not the safest option, so we would prefer Windscribe default to WireGuard or OpenVPN, with the option to switch to IKEv2 in settings.

In our testing, we occasionally got pop-up prompts to invite friends for an additional free 1GB per month, which got annoying over time, but it’s a good way to get additional free data.

Other than that, Windscribe’s Android app has some great benefits. It has a huge amount of technical features which are all available on the free tier.

Settings are split into three main categories. In appearance, you can pick light or dark mode, set custom images to show you’re connected to the VPN, and even adjust haptic feedback.

In connection settings, there’s split tunneling, auto-connect, packet size adjuster, GPS spoofing, and much more. There’s also an IP blocker (called R.O.B.E.R.T) that can block websites known for ads and trackers, social networks, porn, gambling, clickbait, or custom websites you choose.

Windscribe Free’s standout feature is its ability to unblock multiple Netflix regions (including the UK and France) and many more streaming platforms.

The ability to unblock streaming platforms like BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Prime Video, and Hulu, is incredibly rare among free VPNs.

It’s important to note it can’t unblock as many streaming services as paid VPNs. Windscribe Free fails to stream Hotstar India and US Netflix. We also did notice some buffering when streaming live content, which wouldn’t have happened if we paid for a subscription.

Unlike paid VPNs, free VPNs usually enforce a restrictive monthly data cap. Windscribe Free users can only use 10GB of data per month using the service.

It’s also slower than its competitors — both paid and free. You’ll find the free VPN is prone to occasional buffering when streaming.

Windscribe’s customer support also needs improving. It doesn’t offer human live chat support — just a chatbot called Garry.

In our research, we were disappointed to find Windscribe hosts their official .apk on APKMirror — a third-party website known for unsafe downloads potentially infected with malware.

Most trustworthy VPNs host .apk files on their official website or GitHub, so customers can avoid potentially dangerous imitation apps on .apk websites.