If you’re an iPhone owner who uses social media, connects to the internet, or simply sends text messages, you need a reliable Virtual Private Network (VPN) to ensure your data stays protected. A VPN encrypts your internet connection, hiding your IP address and location from prying eyes. I tested 30+ VPN iOS apps and found 3 with premium security features to safeguard your iPhone data. ExpressVPN is the best option due to its TrustedServer technology, which never stores any of your data. You can try ExpressVPN’s iOS app risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied, you can get a full refund in less than 5 days. Protect your iPhone with ExpressVPN
Quick Guide: 3 Simple Steps To Get a VPN on Your iPhone
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The Best VPNs for Your iPhone in January 2023
1. ExpressVPN — TrustedServer Technology Ensures Anonymity When Using an iPhone to Browse the Internet
ExpressVPN currently has over 3000+ servers in 94 countries, incorporating TrustedServer technology to hide your IP address and encrypt your internet connection. These RAM-based servers provide an added layer of protection by deleting all data after every reboot — leaving nothing for hackers to find. In addition to protecting your data privacy, ExpressVPN excels at accessing your home catalog on your favorite streaming platforms. While testing the service, I connected to its New York server and streamed The Witcher in Ultra-HD on my Netflix US account using my iPhone. ExpressVPN was also about to unblock the following platforms for myself and my colleagues around the globe: ExpressVPN protects iPhone users from prying eyes such as ISPs, hackers, and other governmental agencies using a dedicated iOS app. During the testing process, I found that ExpressVPN is compatible with any iOS device currently running iOS 12 or higher. Additionally, its iOS compatibility ensures that you’re protected whenever you use your iOS device to send and receive data over the internet. Your information is kept secure when using a WiFi connection or mobile data, including 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G. ExpressVPN provides an abundance of advanced security features and protocols such as:
AES 256-bit military-grade encryption, An automatic kill switch IKEv2 and Lightway protocols Split-tunneling for unlimited flexibility And a strict no-logs policy.
Besides protecting your data using end-to-end encryption, I found that ExpressVPN’s proprietary Lightway is one of the best VPN protocols. It’s considerably faster than IKEv2 and equally as secure as OpenVPN and WireGuard. Additionally, ExpressVPN allows you to leverage its no-logs policy and automatic kill switch in combination with Lightway — increasing your privacy by collecting no identifiable data and disconnecting you from the internet until your VPN connection restarts. ExpressVPN’s iOS app also benefits from a DNS-based traffic blocker called Threat Manager, which prevents malicious third party websites and trackers from communicating with your iPhone. While Threat Manager is bit limited since it doesn’t block ads and only shields you from servers that are on ExpressVPN’s “blocklist,” it’s worth turning on as an added security tool (Threat Manager is also available on ExpressVPN’s Mac and Linux apps). The only minor con I identified while testing ExpressVPN was its premium pricing, making it the most expensive VPN on this list. However, I found a great deal for you to get 49% off when purchasing an ExpressVPN subscription ($6.67/month on a 1-year + 3 months plan), saving you quite a lot of money without sacrificing your privacy or security. If you’re looking for premium security and privacy against hackers and ISPs, ExpressVPN’s dedicated iOS app, military-grade encryption, and Lightway protocol are the best option. If you’re not ready to commit to a subscription, you can download ExpressVPN on your iPhone risk-free as it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied, you can message its 24/7 customer support via its live chat and get a refund in less than 5 working days. Protect your iPhone with ExpressVPN
2. CyberGhost — Optimized Servers for Fast iPhone Streaming
Cyberghost offers a range of optimized servers that boost your iPhone’s speed and performance for activities like streaming and torrenting. Even if you can’t find an optimized server for a specific streaming service, you should still be able to access it with CyberGhost. I successfully accessed my Peacock account to watch Just Go With It on my iPhone by connecting to a US server optimized for Netflix. Cyberghost had no issues granting access to the following platforms as well: If you’d prefer increased security over speed, CyberGhost also includes NoSpy servers on all of its subscription plans. These servers are physically located and operated within CyberGhost’s Romanian headquarters — ensuring zero logs or access from third parties who profit from selling your data. To access these servers on iPhone, simply select Romania from the country list and you’ll automatically be connected to a NoSpy server. CyberGhost offers an integrated ad and malware blocker to protect your iPhone from malicious websites, trackers, and advertisements. For example, while testing CyberGhost, I didn’t experience any annoying ads and felt much more secure than before the testing process. It’s also easy to turn this feature on, reducing the risk of your iPhone falling prey to phishing schemes, spyware, and viruses. CyberGhost provides best-in-class encryption and protocols. You can take advantage of the following security features on any annual plan:
AES 256-bit military-grade encryption IKEv2, OpenVPN, and WireGuard protocols A kill switch NoSpy obfuscated servers
Additionally, a differentiator I found was CyberGhost’s WiFi protection, which detects when you use public WiFi and automatically connects you to one of its secure servers. This feature is handy, allowing you to remain safe and secure even when using public, unsecured WiFi — a nesting ground for hackers and other third parties who want to steal your data. The only minor con I identified while testing CyberGhost was its lack of independent security audits on its privacy policy and overall network security. However, CyberGhost isn’t subject to any data retention laws since it’s headquartered in Romania. It’s also outside the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance — an intelligence-sharing network between the US, the UK, Canada, and more. CyberGhost has no legal obligation to share your data, reinforcing the effectiveness of its no-logs policy. At $2.19/month on a 2-year + 2 months plan, CyberGhost is an excellent VPN that leverages AES 256-bit encryption and WiFi protection to keep your iPhone secure against cyber threats. You can even download CyberGhost’s iOS app before committing to a long-term subscription. Its 45-day money-back guarantee works like a free trial — if you’re not satisfied, you can contact its 24/7 customer support and receive a full refund in less than 7 days. Protect your iPhone with CyberGhost
3. Private Internet Access (PIA) — Protect Up to 10 iOS Devices Simultaneously With International Servers Ordered by Latency
PIA is an excellent VPN for iPhone users with multiple iOS devices, allowing you to simultaneously protect up to 10 iOS devices. I installed PIA on all of my household’s iPhones and iPads and was able to connect on every single device using just one account. Additionally, PIA puts a strong focus on usability and convenience by ordering its encrypted servers by latency — fastest to slowest. Thanks to its user interface, I was easily able to connect to servers more than capable of protecting my data without sacrificing my internet connection speed. Many VPNs struggle to balance and speed on long-distance servers so I was pleased to find that PIA excelled at this. Surprisingly, PIA offers more than the standard OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols. You can manually configure PPTP, L2TP/IPsec, ShadowSOCKS, and SOCKS5 proxy protocols depending on your needs. ShadowSOCKS and SOCKS5 proxy provide an added layer of protection, allowing your internet traffic to travel through two intermediary servers simultaneously rather than just one. Although this feature is unnecessary for most users, you may want to consider it when protecting valuable data stored on your iPhone. During my tests, I found that PIA offers Perfect Forward Secrecy encryption in addition to the standard AES 256-bit encryption. Perfect Forward Secrecy is a feature all iPhone users should consider when trying to ensure their privacy, as it uses unique, private keys to prevent hackers from accessing past and future data exchanges. Private keys are essential, protecting your data even when hackers break one encryption key. While not as robust as the other options on this list, PIA does have the added benefit of being able to access the following streaming platforms: The only minor con I identified is that PIA is headquartered within the US — the heart of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance. However, you’ll be happy to know that PIA doesn’t hold any connection logs and cannot share your data with the authorities. At $2.19 per month on a 2-year + 2 months plan, PIA is an affordable option if you’re looking for an added layer of iPhone protection and require multiple simultaneous connections. However, before committing, I recommend you download PIA’s iOS app using its 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied, you can contact its 24/7 customer support and get a full refund in less than 7 working days. Protect your iPhone with PIA
What Is a VPN and Why You Need One on Your iPhone
Although Apple’s built-in security is good, iOS devices are still prone to exploits that leave your data vulnerable to hackers and other nefarious groups. An iPhone VPN encrypts the data your phone sends and receives, enabling you to browse the internet freely without third parties tracking your activity. A VPN protects your iPhone by hiding your IP address and location from the websites you visit, allowing you to use unsecured public WiFi safely, travel internationally without restrictions, and ensure your privacy when using the internet. When you connect to an iPhone VPN like ExpressVPN, you minimize the risk of hackers or third-party apps stealing your data. Your ISP, third parties, and hackers will be unable to see what you do on your iOS device, giving you peace of mind. Download ExpressVPN on your iPhone
What Are the Benefits of Using an iPhone VPN?
A VPN is a valuable tool for anyone using an iPhone, providing advanced security features within a dedicated app that can hide your internet history from your ISP, bypass geo-restrictions, and protect yourself from hackers using military-grade encryption.
Hide Internet History on Public Wi-Fi or Local ISPs
One of the most significant risks associated with stolen internet history is a “history sniffing” attack, where hackers steal your activity and develop a “fingerprint” in seconds. Surprisingly, hackers use this information to create smart phishing schemes, testing thousands of URLs per second to redirect victims to customized web pages. Examples include banks, social media platforms, google searches, and even Craigslist ads — depending on the victim’s internet history. iPhone VPNs enable you to overcome these threats using automatic kill switches, no-logs policies, advanced encryption, and even split-tunneling to protect your privacy. Without these features, your ISP and hackers leveraging unsecured WiFi can instantly gain access to your internet activity.
Access Geo-Restricted Websites
Besides increased privacy and security, iPhone VPNs allow you to access local websites when traveling abroad. For example, you’ll be able to watch US Netflix outside the US. The most powerful VPNs even help you avoid content restrictions in countries like China that significantly censor internet activity.
Protect Yourself From Hackers With Military-Grade Encryption
Each of the top VPNs I tested has advanced encryption to protect you from hackers. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is almost impenetrable and significantly more secure than other encryption standards. For example, the US government has implemented AES 256-bit encryption to protect confidential information from prying eyes — proving its ability to protect you from hackers. AES encryption works by leveraging SPN (Substitution Permutation Networks) algorithms to create multiple rounds of data encryption, making it difficult for hackers to break its encryption keys. Without encryption, hackers require less time, money, and other resources to access your data, significantly increasing the risk of getting hacked. However, this is much more important when using an iPhone due to Apple only patching discovered vulnerabilities, leaving you unprotected and susceptible to hackers who will instantly exploit any vulnerabilities within iOS. Hide your internet history using ExpressVPN
How to Choose the Best VPN to Keep Your iPhone Secure
You risk leaving your iPhone and other iOS devices susceptible to hacks and prying eyes without the following features. To successfully hide your internet activity while traveling abroad or using public WiFi, look for:
Advanced security protocols — OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, and Lightway are the best protocols to ensure fast speeds and a secure, stable internet connection. AES 256-bit military-grade encryption — AES encryption is almost impenetrable, using uniquely long encryption keys to reduce the chances of getting hacked. Automatic kill switch — Drops your internet connection automatically when your VPN is disconnected, significantly enhancing the security of your iPhone. No-logs policy — The VPN will collect no information about you or your internet usage and cannot share this data with your ISP, third parties, or the 5/19/14 Eyes alliance. A variety of international servers that cover multiple regions — VPNs with many servers reduce the risk of overcrowding and slowing down your iPhone’s internet connection. Multiple device connections simultaneously — Protect more than one of your iOS devices at the same time without compromising your privacy or security. 24/7 customer support — VPNs with 24/7 customer support allow you to solve issues instantly, without waiting for long periods to receive a response.
Keep your iPhone secure with ExpressVPN
How to Get A VPN on Your iPhone (Step-by-Step Guide)
Reinforce your security with ExpressVPN
Do I need a VPN for my iPhone on top of its inbuilt iOS encryption?
Yes. Without one of the top VPNs on this list, your iPhone’s inbuilt iOS encryption is not enough to protect you from hackers using advanced methodologies. For example, app developers can bypass your iPhone’s HTTPS encryption — allowing hackers and government agencies to see the data you send and receive.
What else can an iPhone VPN do?
The best iPhone VPNs provide an added layer of protection that overcomes known iOS vulnerabilities. For example, ExpressVPN has advanced security protocols and a strict no-logs policy to ensure your iPhone is secure from security flaws like the AirDrop vulnerability that shared users apple pay transactions. In addition to this, iPhone VPNs allow you to bypass geo-restrictions and protect your data while using unsecured public WiFi.
Does an iPhone VPN use mobile data?
Yes, connecting to a VPN will consume more mobile data on your iPhone — but the amount can vary quite a bit. Depending on the protocol, a VPN will increase your iPhone’s data usage by 4-20%. This may not sound like much, but you can quickly burn through your data if you regularly stream HD quality movies or download large files. If you’re concerned about your data usage, avoid high-bandwidth activities like those listed above and connect to a mobile-optimized protocol such as IKEv2 or Wireguard.
Are there any drawbacks to using an iPhone VPN?
Yes, but not enough to outweigh the security benefits. For example, when using one of the best iPhone VPNs, you may experience slower internet speeds due to overcrowded servers and inefficient encryption processes. However, top VPNs like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and PIA use thousands of ‘Tier 1’ servers that provide lightning-fast speeds and military-grade encryption. You can install ExpressVPN on your iPhone risk-free and gain access to over 3000 super-fast servers in 94+ countries.
Why is my iPhone VPN not working and how do I fix it?
There are many reasons why a premium iPhone VPN may not be working; here are the methods most likely to solve your problem.
Force your iPhone to restart: You can do this by simply holding down the power button and the home button simultaneously. Alternatively, you can hold down the power button and then quickly press the volume up and volume down buttons. Update, delete and re-install your VPN: You can visit the Apple store on any iOS device using iOS 13 or above. However, iOS apps usually update automatically, making re-installing much easier. Try another VPN server: If your VPN isn’t working, connect to another server within the same country to solve the problem. Check for account issues: If you can’t log in to your VPN on its dedicated website, it may be because your password or username is incorrect. Additionally, you can check that your VPN account is still active — if not, you will need to renew your subscription to regain access. Reset your WiFi settings (if applicable): You can reset your iPhone’s WiFi configuration by navigating to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Reset your device-level IP address: You can do this by accessing your iPhone settings and clicking “WiFi.” Next, tap the “i” button to find out more and view the settings for your local network. At the bottom of the page, click “Renew lease” to reset your IP address and restart your device. Set up your VPN’s DNS address manually: You can do this by contacting your VPN provider for assistance or repeating step 6 and clicking “Configure DNS.” Select “Manual,” “Add Server,” and enter the provided DNS address.
Can I use a free iPhone VPN?
Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Even the best free VPNs fall well short of the privacy and security protection offered by premium services. For example, many free VPNs lack no-log policies, while some evensell your data to third parties to generate revenue. In addition, hackers require fewer resources, time, and money to break a free VPNs encryption, making it more likely for cyberattacks to occur. If you still want to use a free VPN, I recommend you download CyberGhost for iPhone. You can use its 45-day money-back guarantee like a free trial. As long as you make a refund request within 45 days of purchase, you’ll get your money back, no questions asked. Overcome iOS vulnerabilities with CyberGhost
Protect Yourself With the Best iPhone VPN Today
If you’re looking to protect the thousands of emails, messages, photos, and login details stored on your iPhone, you need a premium VPN with AES 256-bit military-grade encryption and a no-logs policy. A VPN redirects your internet connection through encrypted intermediary servers, protecting the data your iPhone sends and receives from prying eyes, ISPs, and hackers. After testing over 30 top VPNs, I found that ExpressVPN’s dedicated iOS app can seamlessly protect your iPhone’s data when using unsecured public WiFi or traveling abroad for work. If you want to ensure your privacy without sacrificing your internet speed, download ExpressVPN using its 30-day money-back guarantee. If you aren’t satisfied, you can get your money back quickly in less than 5 working days.
