The Best VPN for iPhone

ExpressVPN is recognized around the tech world as the single best VPN for iPhone users. It has a dedicated iOS app that is fully compatible and adapted to the needs and requirements of iPhone and iPad users, and it has everything that users need to protect their privacy and hide their location online.

With quality AES 256-bit encryption, a strict no-logging policy, British Virgin Islands jurisdiction, and a myriad of security and content protection features, not to mention full Netflix and BBC iPlayer compatibility, ExpressVPN is the favorite VPN of iPhone users, not only to bypass censorship but also to stream content around the world.

ExpressVPN manages more than 1,000 total servers in 160 locations, spread in 94 nations around the globe. It is one of the broadest networks in the industry. Its iPhone app is slick and easy to use, and it has all the necessary menus and configurations just one tap away.

Encryption and protocols

ExpressVPN is known for fiercely protecting the user’s content. First of all, it has a hassle-free no-logging policy, so you can be sure that it won’t spread or sell your data and connection details around. Secondly, it implements the military-grade AES-256 bit encryption, with an RSA-4096 handshake and SHA-512 HMAC hash authentication. The Elliptic Curve Diffie–Hellman (ECDH) key exchanges for data channel encryption offer perfect forward secrecy, too.

As for protocols, ExpressVPN has one of the broadest collections of the industry: users can implement both versions of OpenVPN (TCP and UDP,) as well as L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, IKEv2, and SSTP,) The company also protects the person’s content with DNS leak protection, a kill switch, and split tunneling. The service is super speedy, user-friendly, and has a live chat feature.

iPhone app

ExpressVPN, besides offering compatibility with other known operating systems like Windows, Android, or MacOS, offers a dedicated iOS app, just for iPhone and iPad users. The client has everything they look for. It is compatible with iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE; iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, and the iPad Mini 4.

The interface shows a big button, and when you tap it, your connection will be encrypted. Below the button, you can change the area if you want. The system recommends “smart” locations and also shows you the most recent ones you connected to. The available protocols for the iOS app are OpenVPN UDP, TCP, IKEv2, and IPSec.

Pricing

The price of the ExpressVPN monthly subscription is $12.95, which is clearly above the industry average. However, the cost comes down to the equivalent of $9.99 per month if the user chooses to hire the six-month plan and $8.32 for the annual plan. All of them come with a month-long money-back guarantee.

If you are looking for a VPN with advanced configuration options that is fully compatible with iPhones, IPVanish should be your preferred choice. It has almost a thousand servers spread around 60 nations around the world, it is fast, and it has several security features that will reinforce your iPhone traffic and protect your privacy.

Encryption and protocols

With American jurisdiction, IPVanish users may feel the need to worry about data retention and law enforcement agencies. But the reality is that the company does not keep logs, as stated in its privacy policy. Sharing them around the web is, therefore, not an option.

The company implements the robust AES 256-bit encryption, among the best in the market. Additionally, it has a kill switch and DNS leak protection to protect your traffic anytime, anywhere.

The speeds are impressive, and the brand offers several protocols as well: OpenVPN TCP and OpenVPN UDP, IKEv2 and IPSec (IKEv1,) with additional legacy support for L2TP and PPTP. For iPhone, though, only IKEv2 and IPSec are available.

iPhone app

IPVanish, like ExpressVPN, also has an iPhone app, which can be obtained in the App Store. There are guides in the website to install the IKEv2 and IPSec protocols. IPVanish offers supports for iOS 9 and newer versions.

In the iOS app interface, the user can find several configuration options: startup behavior, updates, kill switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, port number, IP disguising frequency, DNS configuration, local client log, and others.

Pricing

 

IPVanish is not cheap, but it has average prices, which become good when you consider the fine offerings. The monthly cost is $5.00, but there is a discount right now that takes the price all the way down to the equivalent of $3.25 for the one-year plan. The quarterly plan checks in at roughly $4.50 per month (in one payment).

Many of the features found on other operating systems work in the iPhone app: the AES 256-bit encryption, more than 1,200 servers in 80 locations and 60 nations, the SOCKS5 web proxy, unlimited bandwidth, more than 40,000 IP addresses, torrenting, ten simultaneous connections, and others. It doesn’t unblock US Netflix, though.

CyberGhost VPN is one of the best VPNs for iPhone. It has more than 3,500 total servers in 55 nations around the world, with a strict no-logging policy, a 45-day money-back guarantee, military-grade encryption, and seven simultaneous connections with one account. Its fast speeds and Netflix compatibility make CyberGhost VPN a preferred option among streamers, as well.

Encryption and protocols

CyberGhost VPN maintains a no-logging policy that helps protect iPhone users against third-parties looking to gain a hold on their connection details and usage patterns. The encryption (AES 256-bit) is the top standard in the industry, and the presence of a kill switch makes the package more enticing.

There are, also, several protocols to choose from: OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec and PPTP are available. The company’s headquarters are in Romania, outside of the dreaded 14-eyes group.

iPhone app

CyberGhost VPN comes with compatibility with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and some routers. The iPhone app is a wonderful tool, with an intuitive design that makes most of the work for you.

It runs on iOS 9.3 or later, it is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and it comes optimized for iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max. The speeds are quite high; there are DNS and IP leak protection, and 24/7 customer support.

Pricing

If you are going to judge CyberGhost VPN by the cost of its monthly plan, we can tell you that it is quite expensive at $12.99. However, the yearly plan checks in at $63 (the equivalent of $5.25 per month,) and the three-year version cost $89.9, an 81 percent discount ($2.5)!

All plans come with a 45-day money-back guarantee, with unlimited bandwidth and traffic, support for seven devices, live chat support, and other offerings.

Are you looking for a budget VPN app? Private Internet Access, or PIA, offers numerous features, more than 3,200 servers, and robust encryption for a fraction of the cost of the so-called “elite” VPN brands. On top of that, PIA is versatile, fast, secure, and perfectly compatible with iPhones.

Encryption and protocols

Content encryption is one of PIA’s strong points. It uses default AES 128-bit encryption, but you can upgrade to 256-bit. The data authentication is SHA-1 or SHA-256, and handshakes are set up with RSA-2048 public-key encryption with the ability to increase it to RSA-4096. Content protection measures include secure VPN account, encrypted WiFi, P2P Support, no logs, ad, trackers, and malware blocking.

Users can choose between PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec. As for the privacy policy, it is of the no-logging variety. “PrivateInternetAccess.com does not collect or log any traffic or use of its Virtual Private Network (‘VPN’) or Proxy. For more details, go to the Support part. According to the company, PIA “does not keep any logs, of any kind, period.”

iPhone app

PIA’s iPhone app requires the user to have the iOS 9.0 version or better. It comes with a Safari Content Blocker, which blocks ads, trackers, and malware while browsing with Safari. The interface is user-friendly, and the process of downloading, setting up, and installing the client is very straightforward.

PIA provides approximately 3,245 servers in 33 nations around the world, with a secure service, a seven-day money-back guarantee, and the opportunity to unblock content and bypass censorship.

Pricing

The monthly service costs $6.95, which is way cheaper than most of the elite options (PIA has a strong case to belong in that group.) The yearly plan comes with a 52 percent discount and checks in at $3.33, but the real deal is the two-year mode: you would have to pay the equivalent of $2.91 per 30 days.

Users can pay with Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, PayPal, gift cards, Bitcoin, Zcash, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Cashu, OKPay, PaymentWall, Mint, AmazonPay, and more.

The Panama-based NordVPN is one of the most resourceful VPNs in the industry, with sound content protection measures and tools, a no-logging policy, a friendly jurisdiction with no data retention laws to speak of, and one of the biggest networks: it has more than 5,000 servers in 61 nations around the world! NordVPN, fortunately, has a dedicated iOS app.

Encryption and protocols

NordVPN is very good at protecting people’s content and privacy: it is one of the few brands that implement the double VPN feature for enhanced effectiveness. It has a strict no logs policy, an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, Onion over VPN, and the military-grade AES 256-bit encryption.

Its jurisdiction and no-logging policy can also provide peace of mind to privacy-conscious users. As for protocols, it has OpenVPN for Windows, Android, and other operating systems, while iOS implements IKEv2/IPsec as the default protocol.

iPhone app

The use of the IKEv2/IPSec protocols provides iPhone users with an extra layer of security that makes hacking attacks and data logging virtually impossible. Users can also enjoy specialty servers, like P2P, Onion Over VPN, or Double VPN servers depending on what they may need.

The app is extremely light and easy to use: it has a “Quick Connect” feature that takes you the most recommended server. It allows six simultaneous connections, 24/7 customer service, and all the offerings explained above.

Pricing

The monthly plan is expensive, at $11.95. However, the prorated price of the yearly plan checks in at $6.99 that of the two-year plan would be $3.99 and that of the three-year plan would be $2.99!

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and payment options include all the major credit cards, PayPal, and crypto payments.