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The best VPN for iPhone: Which iOS VPN should you pick?

iPhone's don't have built-in VPNs, so you'll need to take matters into your own hands.
Haley Henschel
By Haley Henschel 
The best VPN for iPhone: Which iOS VPN should you pick? Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
NordVPN
Best For Security
You can't go wrong with Nord. It's a well-known and reliable VPN that has over 5,000 servers worldwide and doesn't track your activity.
Pros & Cons
The Good
One of the sturdiest, most reliable VPNs Fast servers Can connect six devices Doesn't log activities
The Bad
It's expensive
The Bottomline
If you want a VPN that has a fast service and allows you to connect to multiple phones at once, try out NordVPN.
Tunnelbear
Best For Beginners
This VPN offers a simple and fun user-interface that'll show your connection through cute animations.
Pros & Cons
The Good
Simple Fun animation Friendly user-interface
The Bad
Only get 500MB for free
The Bottomline
TunnelBear makes using a VPN less intimidating through its animated user-interface.
> Tech

Note: In 2022, several security researchers and VPN providers flagged ongoing vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS that were impacting the security of VPNs for iPhone. We're looking into the issue to find out if the bug has been resolved in iOS 17. In the meantime, we recommend that journalists, activists, and other users handling sensitive information steer clear of iPhone VPNs out of an abundance of caution.

For all of the security and privacy features stuffed into the iPhone, a virtual private network, or VPN, isn't one of them. (No, Private Relay technically doesn't count.) Users who want to connect to a VPN on an Apple phone will have to manually configure one or install a third-party VPN service.

If you're not especially tech-savvy, the good news is that all of the best VPNs we've reviewed maintain iPhone apps — though they don't have the exact same features as those offered by their desktop (and even Android) counterparts. After conducting additional hands-on testing to see how they function on iOS, we've got recommendations for users of all budgets and experience levels.

Read on for Mashable's guide to the best VPN for iPhone.

NordVPN

Best For Security

The good
One of the sturdiest, most reliable VPNs Fast servers Can connect six devices Doesn't log activities
The Bad
It's expensive
The Bottomline
If you want a VPN that has a fast service and allows you to connect to multiple phones at once, try out NordVPN.
Specs
  • Monthly: £10.39/month
  • One-year plan: £3.99/month
  • Two-year plan: £3.19/month

Read our full review of NordVPN.

NordVPN has a reputation for being amongst the sturdiest, most reliable VPNs out there. NordVPN has fast servers that are also not on any blacklists. You should be able to stream Hulu or Netlfix shows in several European countries without any issues. 

NordVPN says it offers over 5,000 servers worldwide. It lets you connect six devices at the same time, and it claims to keep no logs of your activities. INordVPN is one of the most secure VPNs, with a wide range of advanced security features that combine to protect your data and identity.

Tunnelbear

Best For Beginners

The good
Simple Fun animation Friendly user-interface
The Bad
Only get 500MB for free
The Bottomline
TunnelBear makes using a VPN less intimidating through its animated user-interface.
Specs
  • Monthly: £7.78/month
  • One-year plan: £3.89/month
  • Three-year plan: £2.59/month

Read our full review of TunnelBear.

TunnelBear's main selling point is simplicity and ease of use, and it delivers. After downloading the app, all you need to do is create an account (only your email address and password is needed), confirm the registration via email, and you're good to go. The animation of a bear actually tunneling from one place to another is pretty great, too. 

The app is free, but it only gets you a monthly 500MB, which will be enough for a little bit of work but definitely won't do for video streaming. If you want more, you can get a paid account with unlimited data.

Topics: JK Rowling, X/Twitter, Tech, VPN (Virtual Private Networks), ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Tunnelbear

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