Best VPN for iPhone & iPad

We’ve actually created a page dedicated to the very best free VPNs for iOS – you can read all about the top five picks here.

Want to cut to the chase? The best free VPN for iPhone and iPad is Windscribe Free.

Ordinarily, free VPNs come in one of two varieties: a stripped-back version of a big-name product with a limited data cap, or an unrestricted but inferior product from a potentially untrustworthy provider.

Windscribe Free manages to be neither.

Its 10GB monthly data cap is by far the most generous we’ve seen from any free VPN we’ve tested.

Windscribe Free doesn’t hold back on the VPN servers either – you still get access to 20 different locations across 10 different countries.

The custom iOS app is super easy to use, and you don’t need to enter any payment details to use it for free. If you’re reading on your iPhone or iPad then you can tap to download it here.

Not only is it perfectly safe to use a VPN on iPhone, we would go as far as to say it’s unsafe not to use one.

Using a VPN on a mobile device is super important as it’s constantly reaching out for and connecting to strange new WiFi hotspots.

If you’ve ever logged on to the WiFi at a train station, cafe, fast food restaurant, hotel, or anywhere else – your phone has been left exposed to hackers.

A VPN is a quick, cheap, and extremely effective way to protect your iPhone and iPad from potential hackers and spies.

The only danger of using a VPN on iPhone?

Using a bad one.

There are plenty of (usually free) VPNs out there that can’t be trusted. They might access your iPhone’s files, sell your personal data, or even contain malware.

We’ve reviewed 78 VPNs, plenty of them free and even more available on the iPhone – you can be sure that our recommendations will keep you safe.

Before you start using a VPN on your iPhone, you’ll need to decide whether you’re going to install the software at router level or directly onto the iPhone that you’re going to use.

There are advantages to both options, but most people tend to install individual apps on their devices as it makes switching servers a great deal easier. However a downside of this is that you’re often restricted as to how many devices you can protect simultaneously, usually around 3-5.

You then need to choose which protocol you’re going to connect with. We recommend OpenVPN in most cases as it strikes the best balance between speed and security, however popular providers will offer other options should you need them.

In order to ensure you’re getting the best possible speeds, you should try and connect to a server close to your physical location – most providers will have an ‘automatic’ setting which does this for you.

Once you’re connected, the VPN will run in the background, so you can carry on using your iPhone as you normally would.

Make sure your kill switch is turned on, as this will cut off all internet activity should the VPN connection be interrupted for any reason. This saves you having to constantly check that you’re still protected and ensures that your true IP address won’t be accidentally leaked.

Check out our user-friendly guide on how to install a VPN on iPhone, complete with step-by-step instructions and loads of helpful screenshots.

This is a fair question – your smartphone’s battery is precious, and some apps can be super battery-intensive.

A VPN will use up your iPhone’s battery, but only slightly.

First of all, there will only be a difference when the VPN is actually being used to encrypt and transfer data (like when you watch YouTube, for example).

Secondly, the difference will be so minor that you it’s extremely likely you won’t even notice it at all, which is a good thing.

The benefits of using a VPN to keep your iPhone secure far outweigh the potential extra battery usage.

While Apple may not have every put out a statement or a press release clarifying how it feels about iPhone owners using a VPN, we can make some assumptions about its stance on them by looking at the iPhone itself.

The most recent versions of iOS are all very accommodating towards VPNs. If you open the Settings app then browse to General > VPN you’ll see the ability to manually configure a VPN – a feature deliberately included by Apple.

What’s more, if you have a VPN already downloaded and set up you’ll see a toggle switch there, allowing you to quickly and easily turn it on and off. You can even have more than one installed and use that settings menu to manage them.

When your iPhone VPN is connected you’ll see a small ‘VPN’ icon at the top of the screen when you swipe to open Control Centre.

On your iPhone or iPad it is totally fine to leave your VPN on all the time.

As clarified above, it’ll have very little effect on battery life and can only make you more secure.

There may be some instances where you’ll need to turn it off (like if your free VPN is running low on data, or if you’re trying to use websites and services that don’t allow VPNs), but unless one of those situations arises then there’s no reason to turn it off.

No, your iOS VPN will not use more mobile data.

We get it – you’ve not got much data left on your plan for the month and it costs a fortune to buy more, but there’s no need to worry.

Your VPN will encrypt all the data sent and received from your handset, but it won’t add to it. Your mobile data consumption will be exactly the same as if you weren’t using one.