3 Best VPNs for iPhone (2025), tested and reviewed
Other iPhone VPNs We Tested
Surfshark: Surfshark was a strong contender for the main list. Even its Starter plan comes with extra features like a hidden email generator. Features like ad and tracker blocking, as well as unlimited simultaneous connections, come as standard in the apps. However, it was a bit slower than my top picks, averaging about 20 percent slower, compared to about 15 percent for the top picks.
Born: Mauled is popular among privacy enthusiasts, and for good reason. No fuss with multi-year discounts or referral programs, and you don’t even need to provide an email to sign up for an account. You can even pay a fixed monthly fee by sending Mavold cash. If privacy is your top priority, this is a great service, but it trades off speeds and features in the process. VPN services like Nord and Proton have quickly evolved into complete privacy and security suites, while Mullvad is more focused on building a strong VPN. In the context of an iPhone, the scales tip more towards those security suites, but Mullvad is still a great privacy-focused option to consider.
ExpressVPN: By the numbers, ExpressVPN should be at the top of the list. It has loads of servers, features that can match the Nord, and is just a touch slower than Proton. However, ExpressVPN has found itself in a spiral of increasing controversy over the past four years, and the brand has yet to bounce back. After being acquired by Kape Technologies – the company behind the infamous Crossrider adware company – former US intelligence official Daniel Griek took over as CTO and held the position for two years, even after being fined more than $300,000 by the US Department of Justice for hacking activities on behalf of a foreign government. Gericke left in 2023, but that same year, ExpressVPN experienced a slew of layoffs and Kape, its parent company, was delisted from the London Stock Exchange. The vast majority of shares went to Unikmind Holdings Limited, a company owned by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, who started out by creating gambling software Playtech. This is a very condensed version of what ExpressVPN has been going through for the past few years. The company hasn’t done anything nefarious, but the revolving door of executive control tied to controversial names doesn’t inspire confidence.
Private internet access: Private Internet Access, or PIA, is also owned by Kape Technologies and follows the same playbook as ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, which Kape also owns. After the buyout and the community reaction, there is very little clarity about what is going on at the company. Connecting to Kape certainly raises questions, but that doesn’t immediately disqualify a service from inclusion. Unfortunately for PIA, it had significantly slower speeds than other VPN services I tested, so it’s not a top pick for iPhone VPNs regardless of ownership.
Comparison of iPhone VPN features
You might be surprised how similar the three VPNs I chose are when I break down their features, but that’s no coincidence. Given how limited I was with who made the final cut, there is a very high bar for inclusion. Although there are slight differences, I designed this list so that you can pick one of my options without reading a word and still come out the other side with a great VPN for iPhone.
How we tested
To earn the title of best iPhone VPN, a service must meet three criteria. It should be safe, fast and easy to use. This may sound simple enough, but there is more to it. For ease of use, I only looked at VPNs that offer a one-tap connection. If you need to configure anything, this is a disqualification. This still includes many of the most popular iPhone VPNs, so I’ve further narrowed the field by focusing on apps that balance usability and power. You should have all the relevant features in the iOS app that are available in the desktop app, organized in a way that doesn’t disrupt the One Tap experience.
Speed testing is where I focused most of my testing time. Speed testing is highly variable and trying to come up with a single number to cover the speed of thousands of servers is a fool’s errand. The numbers I compiled for this guide are the result of 20 tests I performed for each VPN and then averaged.
I tested five locations for each VPN, measured my unprotected speed immediately before testing, and ran three passes before averaging. Each location was tested at a different time of day, and I removed each spot before averaging. For this guide, this means if there is more than a 10% deviation between two of the three passes. After averaging the speed drop for each location, I added all those numbers together and averaged them for the final speed drop.
After all, the conventional wisdom with VPN security is that at some point you have to trust the company that its privacy policy is strict and that it isn’t lying about its login methods. That didn’t do it for me. Again, I set a high bar for inclusion.
Every VPN I’ve included here has not only been independently audited, but has also been legally bound by its no-logging policy. You really need to trust that the VPN provider you’re using is telling the truth, but the options I’ve included all have excellent records of transparency.
Electricity with unlimited access to wired. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to miss. Subscribe today.
