Best Free iPhone & iPad VPN

Ranked #1 Free VPN for iPhone

Windscribe is the best free VPN we’ve tested, but that’s not just because of its desktop performance — it’s a good free VPN for iOS, too. 

It’s got a very nice, simple design which puts it to the top of our iPhone and iPad list.

The VPN also works with US Netflix and BBC iPlayer, which is rare for a safe free VPN.

Local speed performance is also very good – Windscribe Free is one of the fastest free VPNs we’ve tested. Online tasks are made smooth and speedy.

And Windscribe Free is going to protect you, too: this is a super secure product in a free VPN market filled with poor choices, encrypted to top standards and using OpenVPN protocol – our favorite.

On the negative side, the VPN kill switch is missing from Windscribe Free for iOS. This is a flaw in its security worth taking into account. If the connection drops, the lack of kill switch could leave your true IP exposed.

You may see Windscribe’s 10GB data cap and be put off by the limitation. But this is actually one of the most generous offerings from a free VPN service.

Windscribe Free is also generous in the way it lets you use the app on multiple devices (with no limit) and it allows you to torrent, too. 

There’s truly nothing to lose if you decide to try Windscribe Free. Windscribe doesn’t even ask for payment details to download its free VPN, meaning there’s no risk of you forgetting to cancel and getting an unwelcome bill in your bank statement. 

Ranked #2 Free VPN for iPhone

Also ProtonVPN offers a free, user-friendly custom app for iOS.  The best thing about ProtonVPN’s free VPN app is that it comes with no speed or data restrictions.

The problem is that you can only connect to three VPN server locations, which is much less than Windscribe’s 10 locations. These locations are: Japan, Netherlands, and the US. 

Also, you can only use the free version of ProtonVPN on only one device, and torrenting is not allowed. Not to mention that ProtonVPN won’t work with Netflix and most other popular streaming services.

On the plus side, ProtonVPN has exactly the same level of privacy and security as its premium version. This makes it one of the safest free VPNs around. It collects very little user information, definitely nothing that can be used to identify you. 

Like Windscribe, there’s isn’t a kill switch for iOS included. However, the ‘Always On’ feature reestablishes a VPN connection automatically should it cut out, rather than kill your internet entirely.

On the whole, ProtonVPN isn’t as complete as Windscribe but if you want a free VPN with an unlimited data allowance, then this free VPN is for you.

Ranked #3 Free VPN for iPhone

The free version of Hide.me VPN is private and secure. It doesn’t log user activity, and its iOS app has a VPN kill switch, which neither Windscribe nor ProtonVPN have.

Hide.me Free comes with the same privacy and security as the premium service. The iOS apps are in fact encrypted with the AES-256 cipher, which is virtually unbreakable. 

While its speeds are fast compared to its rivals, Hide.me is not very good at unblocking US Netflix and torrenting is only allowed on three of its free servers. Hide.me also comes with usage restrictions: a 10GB monthly data cap. This may sound strict, but it’s actually one of the most generous data allowances from any good free VPN service. 

Another limitation is five choices of servers in four countries. These are: the Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, and the US. It’s a decent global spread, but inevitably performance will be affected if any one location gets too busy. 

If you want a VPN just to browse the web on your iPhone and iPad, the Hide.me is a good solution. It provides a secure and ad-free service, with fast speeds. But, anything more than this – streaming Netflix and torrenting large files — and Hide.me will disappoint you.

TunnelBear is a beginner-friendly VPN with distinct apps for popular devices including iOS. 

One of TunnelBear Free’s strengths is the availability of 22 countries to connect to. This gives you more choices than our other top picks for iPhone and iPad. 

The big but with TunnelBear Free is its very low 500MB per month data cap. You won’t be able to do much with TunnelBear Free, other than protect your iPhone on public WiFi every now and again.

This is particularly the case as TunnelBear Free’s privacy policy is clear and trustworthy, verging on no-logs whatsoever. And it’s a pretty quick VPN, too, especially when connecting locally, ensuring that your web browsing won’t be made a struggle.

TunnelBear Free is another free VPN with no kill switch – it’s a rare thing to see, but it’s still a security concern that it doesn’t have one. 

Avira Phantom is a decent free choice if you’re looking to browse safely online on your iPhone or iPad.

Avira Phantom Free is available has a nice iOS app with the basic level of privacy to ensure your online anonymity. 

Avira Phantom Free’s privacy policy isn’t quite zero-logs, but it’s minimal enough to ensure that you’re kept totally unidentifiable.

The free version of Avira’s VPN is restricted to a 1GB per month data cap – that’s twice as much as TunnelBear but still entirely too restrictive.

TunnelBear Free has it beat for speed, but there’s no limit to the number of simultaneous connections you can have. So you can put Avira on both your iPhone and your iPad. 

But you are limited by what servers you can select; Avira Phantom Free connects you automatically and you have no choice. With Avira, you get what you’re given. 

Like a number of its rivals on this page, Avira’s free VPN also doesn’t come with a kill switch – in fact it’s very light on advanced features in general.