The Best VPN Apps 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 and ChaCha20 encryption and trusted VPN protocols like OpenVPN, along with its own open-source Lightway protocol.

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.

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 over 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’s Android app is quite busy-looking. There’s a map, quick connect button, devices tab, and specialty servers, all 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 (based on 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 7,837 servers across 118 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 HBO 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 $1.99 per month on a two-year subscription. This is significantly less than ExpressVPN and NordVPN ($4.99 and $2.99 per month respectively).

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

• Brazil
• Canada
• France
• 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.

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.

Proton VPN’s free app 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.

The 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.

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 only 5 countries. Even worse, you can’t select a server location and the app only lets you connect to the closest free server.

Proton VPN’s free app disappointingly doesn’t let you choose a server location.

Features like split tunneling, NetShield (ad, tracker, and malware blocker), and VPN accelerator are also annoyingly paywalled.

Plus, the VPN doesn’t stream geo-restricted content and it doesn’t allow torrenting and P2P traffic on its free servers.

Windscribe’s Android app is simple and easy to use. Tap on the large 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 VPN servers are conveniently placed at the top of the list, but the rest are annoyingly buried in the server list. It would be better if they were grouped together.

Windscribe provides free servers in 10 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, and we would prefer the app to use WireGuard or OpenVPN by default, with the option to switch to IKEv2 via 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’s standout feature is its ability to unblock multiple Netflix regions (including the UK and France), and many more content platforms, on its free servers.

This is partly thanks to its free server network spanning across Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, the UK and the US.

Unlike Proton VPN, Windscribe lets you switch between these free server locations as much as you like.

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

Importantly, you won’t be able to unblock as many streaming services as with subscription-based VPNs like ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

Also, Windscribe fails to unblock JioHotstar and US Netflix.

We also experienced some buffering and blurriness when streaming live content (which we also noticed using the paid version).

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

The VPN service also slower than some of its main competitors, and its customer support needs improving. The main issue is that there is no human live chat support — just a chatbot called Garry.

We were equally disappointed to find out that Windscribe hosts its official .apk file on APKMirror — a third-party website known for unsafe downloads.

It’s unclear why Windscribe is doing this, since most trusted VPNs host .apk files on their official website or GitHub, to help users avoid potentially dangerous imitations.