The Best VPN for iPhone in 2025

1. NordVPN - Best for Streaming

SecurityScore:

9.7 /10

View Plans Links to NordVPN

How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Obfuscated Servers	Yes
Kill Switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans Links to NordVPN

Who NordVPN is Good For

NordVPN is the ideal choice for streaming, and there are two reasons for that. First is its NordLynx VPN protocol, which is NordVPN’s proprietary protocol optimized specifically for their servers and app. That means it can offer fast streaming speeds without sacrificing security.

Second is NordVPN’s impressive server infrastructure, with over 7,200 servers spread throughout 118 countries. That’s not the most servers and server locations in the industry, but NordVPN has a good balance of the two. For instance, when we tested HMA VPN, we found servers in over 210 countries, but the VPN itself operates only 1,100 servers in total. With more servers, NordVPN is less likely to get overloaded than HMA, making it more likely to give you a fast streaming experience. We never experienced buffering with NordVPN.

iOS App User Experience

We think NordVPN’s iPhone app is well-designed. Connecting was easy (just one tap!). There might be a slight learning curve for folks new to VPNs, but that’s only because of the sheer number of NordVPN’s features. For example, we spent 10 minutes just exploring the server menu and all the specialty servers it offers. During that time, we also ran WebRTC leak tests to ensure those servers were private.

As for the app’s performance, we are satisfied overall. There were times it failed to connect, but we found that logging out and back in always fixed the issue. It isn’t a perfect app, but it’s as close to perfect as we’ve seen from iPhone VPN apps. For instance, we rarely see Siri integration with iPhone VPN apps, but NordVPN has it. It let us tell our iPhone to connect to NordVPN, so we could go straight to the Hulu app and start streaming.

However, we could only connect 10 devices (iPhones or otherwise) to NordVPN at once. That at least beats the industry average of five to eight simultaneous connections, but we prefer the unlimited connections Surfshark offers.

Server Network & Streaming

All NordVPN servers have a feature called SmartPlay, which is designed to give more reliable access to streamed content. It also combines several VPN technologies to keep streaming fast as well as secure. In fact, when we visited friends in Canada recently, we were able to access Hulu with the help of NordVPN, despite Hulu being one of the U.S.-only streaming apps with strong VPN detection. Check out our list of the best VPNs for Hulu — NordVPN is #1.

It’s not just for Hulu, of course. NordVPN works with a number of streaming apps, and because it has servers in 118 countries, it can unblock geo-restricted content from pretty much any region in the world — not just the U.S. We connected to a U.K. server to get a U.K. IP address, and after figuring out how to change our iPhone’s App Store location to download the BBC iPlayer app, we were able to access the app. That’s the advantage of having servers everywhere.

>> Read About: How to Check if a VPN Is Working

Extra Features

NordVPN is filled with features. Sometimes, it can feel overwhelming — that is, until you get a handle on them and realize how useful each feature is, particularly the Meshnet virtual local area network (vLAN).

You know how handy Airdrop is — it lets you easily move files from your phone to your MacBook and vice versa. Well, that’s essentially what Meshnet does, except it uses NordVPN’s server network to deliver files from one device to another anywhere in the world. You can send files to your own devices (even those not made by Apple) or even add other people’s devices to your Meshnet vLAN. It’s not just for convenience either — it’s also secure because NordVPN’s servers are well-encrypted. In fact, we regularly use Meshnet to exchange files with our colleagues working remotely.

Pricing

We definitely got the most value out of NordVPN by subscribing for a long-term plan. The two-year plan with full access to their VPN averages out to $3.39 per month. But we ended up going with the Complete plan since we needed cloud storage. The malware protection and password manager were nice bonuses, too. That two-year plan averages out to $5.39 per month. That’s over a hundred dollars we paid upfront, but we appreciate that NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee on all purchases. Here’s a quick look at NordVPN’s plans:

2. Surfshark - Best for Privacy

SecurityScore:

9.5 /10

View Plans Links to Surfshark

How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans Links to Surfshark

Who Surfshark is Good For

There’s a reason Surfshark is one of our favorite no-logs VPNs — they barely collect any data. They even let us pay with cryptocurrency so that they didn’t have to store our billing information. Although their data policy allows them to store your iPhone’s IP address when you connect to a server, they assert that they encrypt that data and then delete it within 15 minutes of you disconnecting. We trust this claim because it’s been third-party audited, and they use RAM-based servers, which can’t store data after a restart.

>> Read More: How to Find the IP Address on Your iPhone

iOS App User Experience

We gave Surfshark major points for its usability. It’s one of the handful of iPhone VPN apps that has native widget support. There’s no need to pull up the app — just connect from the home screen. We personally prefer NordVPN’s Siri support, but those native widgets are a close second.

Surfshark also offers a lot of features that we use regularly. Camouflage Mode uses obfuscated servers to hide your use of a VPN. Dynamic MultiHop gives extra protection by routing traffic through two VPN servers of your choosing.

Server Network & Streaming

Surfshark doesn’t have as many servers as NordVPN, but we found it had enough for us to get around any geo-restrictions for streaming on Netflix and Hulu. We tested Surfshark’s streaming capabilities by connecting through a Canadian server to access “The Office” on Netflix. Since Canada isn’t too far away, we didn’t experience any buffering either. And hey, servers in 18 fewer countries is a fair trade off considering Surfshark supports unlimited devices instead of 10 simultaneous connections with NordVPN.

What makes Surfshark easy to use with streaming apps is their native widget support. Everytime we want to watch Netflix, we just connect via the widget to the Canadian server we added to our favorites, then go straight to the Netflix app. It might seem small, but little conveniences like that make a big difference, especially since we used it daily. This all put Surfshark on our list of the best VPNs for Netflix.

Extra Features

iOS used to not allow split tunneling for any VPN app, but that changed this past year. Now, VPN apps can have split tunneling on iPhones. Building and developing those features takes time, but that’s not stopping Surfshark. They already rolled out split tunneling to their iPhone app which we used during our last test. Split tunneling lets you decide which apps or websites get routed through the VPN and which ones go directly through your network. We set our Clash of Clans app to not route through Surfshark to minimize lag.

Pricing

At first glance, Surfshark’s pricing looks high. Their month-to-month plans start at $15.45 and go up to $20.65. That’s a lot more than we want to spend on a VPN. However, Surfshark offers huge discounts for long-term subscriptions, with prices as low as $2.19 per month. We wanted to test Surfshark’s antivirus too, so we went with Surfshark One. Here’s an overview of Surfshark’s prices so you can figure out what fits your budget:

Expert Take

From Subbu Sthanu, Chief Commercial Officer of IPVanish

“A friend’s colleague once connected to what he thought was a secure Wi-Fi hotspot at Holborn tube station in London, assuming it was part of the official TFL network. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a hacker’s spoofed Wi-Fi. Soon after, his iPhone was locked, and he noticed suspicious activity on his online accounts. He already knew about the dangers of using unsecured public Wi-Fi but thought he’d be able to determine if it was a fake network himself; VPN encryption would’ve directly prevented this.”

3. Private Internet Access - Most User-Friendly iOS VPN

SecurityScore:

9.4 /10

View Plans Links to Private Internet Access

How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Obfuscated Servers	Yes
Kill Switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans Links to Private Internet Access

Who Private Internet Access is Good For

Sometimes, we don’t want to get bogged down with features and want a VPN we can just pull up, hit connect, and start streaming geo-locked content. If that’s you on a regular basis, Private Internet Access should be at the top of your list. They don’t have cutting edge features like NordVPN’s Meshnet or Surfshark’s split tunneling on iOS. Instead, their app offers features centered around making your VPN easier to use.

iOS App User Experience

We named Private Internet Access as the most user-friendly VPN for iPhones, but it’s more than just easy to use. It offers features that keep our iPhone safer. For instance, they have automation settings. We used this to have the VPN connect automatically whenever it detects that we’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network. This makes sure our data is never exposed due to a spoofed public Wi-Fi.

Just like NordVPN, Private Internet Access supports Siri too. That’s not the only similarity we found when comparing NordVPN and Private Internet Access. Each of them let us set a personal phrase for connecting and disconnecting, too. We set ours to “encrypt our connection” so it didn’t sound like any of our other Siri phrases. Setting our own phrase made it easier to remember.

Server Network & Streaming

Private Internet Access has the most servers of all the VPNs we’ve tested. They boast over 35,000 servers. Comparing Surfshark to Private Internet Access, that’s about 10 times more servers. And while they don’t have servers in as many countries as either NordVPN or Surfshark, we appreciate that Private Internet Access has servers in all 50 U.S. states. That means there’ll be a server near you, even if you live in rural Wisconsin.

Private Internet Access’ wide server reach also means you can always find one that can get through on streaming apps. Like we mentioned, streaming services try to block VPNs. They do this by blocking the IP addresses of VPN servers. And with 35,000 servers, that’s a lot of IP addresses the streaming service of your choice would need to block. They also offer streaming-optimized servers, which give a higher likelihood of getting through.

Extra Features

Although it’s not a unique feature, we appreciated Private Internet Access’ ad blocker. Most VPNs offer it, but when paired with their automation that lets you connect to Private Internet Access everytime you switch to cellular data, it can save you money. Every time your phone loads an ad, it uses up your data. We don’t have an unlimited plan, so that costs us money. Automatically connecting to Private Internet Access when we switched to cellular data prevented ads from chewing up our monthly quota. And it can do the same for you, too.

Pricing

Another huge benefit of Private Internet Access is its low prices. To get the best deal, you’ll need to subscribe for three years. Their shorter plans are priced well, too, though. For instance, Private Internet Access’ one-year plan costs less per month than NordVPN’s two-year plan. Another big difference is they only have one tier of service. Here’s an overview of Private Internet Access’ prices:

4. ExpressVPN - Great for Securing Logins

SecurityScore:

9.1 /10

View Plans Links to ExpressVPN

How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	No
Obfuscated Servers	Yes
Kill Switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans Links to ExpressVPN

Who ExpressVPN is Good For

The ExpressVPN iOS app comes with ExpressVPN Keys built right into it. In case you didn’t know, ExpressVPN Keys is a password manager that comes with an ExpressVPN subscription. When we tested ExpressVPN Keys, its integration into the ExpressVPN iOS app was one of its standout features. Even our favorite password managers, which have VPN bundles like NordPass, require a separate app. That bundled app came in handy because our iPhone’s storage is almost completely full, to the point where we need to delete an app every time we install a new one.

iOS App User Experience

One of our favorite things about ExpressVPN’s app, aside from its password manager integration, is the customizable shortcuts. Like we mentioned, we like to watch The Office on Netflix, but it’s not available in the U.S., so we use a VPN to connect through Canada, where it is available. ExpressVPN’s shortcuts feature makes this easy. We set a shortcut to the Netflix app, so we can hit connect, press the shortcut, and it brings us right into our Netflix account, connected through Canada, so we can start watching The Office.

>> Learn More: How to Watch Netflix With a VPN

Server Network & Streaming

Like NordVPN, ExpressVPN also developed their own VPN protocol. They call it Lightway, and based on our experience, it works well for iPhones since it’s a lightweight protocol. That means it doesn’t take much processing power to run, so it will work well on older iPhones while using a streaming app at the same time without causing your phone to lag. Just keep your old iPhone up-to-date if you want to use ExpressVPN because they stopped rolling out security updates for iOS 14 and earlier.

Extra Features

Really, the standout feature for ExpressVPN is the password manager we mentioned earlier. That, paired with their shortcuts, made streaming really easy. It let us quickly switch to our streaming app after connecting and then log in without having to input our password. Normally, when we go to our streaming app through a VPN, we get automatically logged out since they think we’re in a different location and using a new device. The built-in password manager shortcuts this process.

Pricing

This is where our problem with ExpressVPN starts. It’s a solid VPN all around, with some unique features that make using it convenient, but it’s more expensive than most other VPNs, even with a long-term subscription. Here’s how much ExpressVPN costs:

5. IPVanish - Great for Fast Speeds

SecurityScore:

9.3 /10

View Plans Links to IPVanish

How We Review

Product Specs

Multihop	Yes
Obfuscated Servers	Yes
Kill Switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

View Plans Links to IPVanish

Who IPVanish is Good For

When you’re looking to stream 4K video with your iPhone, you need a fast VPN. That’s exactly what IPVanish offers. Even though iPhone’s don’t have a 4K screen, streaming a 4K video on the newest models still produces higher quality video than in their native resolution. Or, if you have a Chromecast and stream video from your iPhone, VPN speeds that support 4K resolution definitely come in handy. Competitive online gaming also demands the speeds that IPVanish can offer.

iOS App User Experience

The IPVanish iOS app reflects the VPN’s straightforward and “no-nonsense” approach. The user-experience doesn’t really stand out, but we like that it isn’t overly complicated. Even our office intern, who says has never used a VPN before, had no problem using IPVanish the first try. It reminds us of Private Internet Access, except it doesn’t have as many advanced features like automation. That’s why we think Private Internet Access is one of the best IPVanish alternatives.

>> Learn About: Is a VPN Encrypted?

Server Network & Streaming

This is where IPVanish stood out — well, in one way. After speed testing over 50 VPNs, IPVanish was the second-fastest overall. The fastest VPN, PureVPN, only supports up to five devices. IPVanish’s unlimited simultaneous connections makes us like it more. Plus, the difference in speed between the two is a fraction of a percent. IPVanish lowered our download speed by just 4%.

That is the good news. Now, the bad news is that our streaming apps blocked a lot of IPVanish’s servers. We were always able to find a server that got through, whether we were using Netflix, Hulu, or ESPN+, but it took more tries than the other VPNs on this list.

Extra Features

IPVanish keeps things relatively simple. They still offer a few extra features, though. For instance, they have an ad blocker like Private Internet Access, but without the automation feature, it wasn’t as effective for reducing our monthly data use. In the premium plan, they offer cloud storage. Still, we prefer premium plans with extra digital protections, like Surfshark’s antivirus.

Pricing

We found IPVanish’s prices to be fair, but nothing to write home about. They fit right between Surfshark and Private Internet Access’ prices. We will say that we don’t think their premium plan is worth it, though. It adds cloud storage, but you can get cloud storage by itself for less. We’ve never really found ourselves needing priority phone support either. Here’s how much IPVanish’s plans cost so you can decide which plan best fits your budget: