After analyzing several VPNs and conducting tests, we came up with a shortlist of the eight best VPNs for iPhones below: While each of these free VPNs offer excellent value, they don’t compare to a premium VPN like CyberGhost. Not only does CyberGhost offer faster speeds, it has a larger server network, better security features, and is quite affordable. While we typically recommend using a premium VPN, like NordVPN, we understand that not everyone wants to shell out a few dollars monthly on a VPN service. Luckily, there are several free VPNs for iPhones. However, not all of these free iPhone VPN apps are reliable and secure. We tested a bunch of free iPhone VPNs to come up with this article highlighting the very best among them.
The Best Free VPN for iPhones: Overview
Here is a simple table with the data limits, number of servers, and levels of encryption of all the VPNs we look at in the article below. All these free VPN services are also compatible with Mac. This will allow you to identify the free iPhone VPN app that best suits your needs at a glance. Out of all the free VPNs we tested, ProtonVPN is arguably the best free VPN for iPhone and iOS devices thanks to its speed and data security. If you’d like a VPN with a more extensive network of servers, then Speedify is a great choice. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of each VPN listed in the table. Note: The speed and bandwidth tests we mention below were done on an internet connection with a baseline download and upload speed of 84.1 Mbps and 70.9 Mbps, respectively, without a VPN.
1. ProtonVPN: The Best Overall Free VPN for iPhones
ProtonVPN is the product of Proton Technologies AG, the company that’s also behind ProtonMail. In fact, you can get a free version of ProtonMail, along with a range of other free Proton services, right along with your free ProtonVPN plan, if you’d like. This free VPN service provides unlimited data and fast download speeds. Its overall usability makes it our top choice for iPhone users.
Speed and bandwidth
ProtonVPN is the third-fastest VPN on our list. It recorded the following speeds when connected to the most optimal server (in our case, Japan):
Download: 72.3 Mbps Upload: 14.1 Mbps Ping: 158
Thanks to its high download speeds, ProtonVPN can be used to watch videos and stream sporting events. The free version of ProtonVPN does not support torrenting and P2P file-sharing. Our overall browsing experience when using this free VPN app was smooth and lag-free. Although ProtonVPN can unblock content on leading streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer, there’s no guarantee that this will work every time when using its free version. This is one of the few drawbacks of this VPN. Another minor drawback is ProtonVPN’s relatively small server network. Free users get access to only 17 servers in three countries (the US, Japan, and the Netherlands). While the network is clearly limited, the servers are in popular locations and reasonably well spread out. You should be able to connect to a server that’s reasonably close to your location.
Security and privacy
ProtonVPN really shines when it comes to security. Its encryption protocols and standards are comparable to those of some of the leading premium VPN providers. The key security features of ProtonVPN include:
Encryption: AES 256-bit Protocols: Wireguard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 Kill switch: Yes DNS leak protection: Yes
ProtonVPN’s security credentials are further bolstered by the fact that it is open source and independently audited. It’s easily one of the best free VPNs in the world right now. When it comes to privacy, Proton does well, too. It has a strict no-logging policy and is based in Switzerland, a privacy-friendly nation that is not a member of surveillance alliances, such as the 5/9/14 eyes.
Usability and customer experience
The Proton website is well designed. You can see all the key features of the VPN and also pricing information. Although it is not particularly visually appealing, the VPN app is straightforward to use with a big connect/disconnect button at the center of the bottom tab. You can see the available servers with the click of a button.
If you encounter any issues when using the ProtonVPN app, you can contact their customer support team. Free users can only get in touch with the customer support team via mail. The live-chat functionality is unavailable. While we got a response to our queries over mail, it took a couple of days, which is not ideal.
2. Windscribe: Best Free VPN for Streaming on iPhones
Windscribe’s VPN service was launched in 2015. The main advantage of this VPN for iPhone users is that it offers a wide network of servers.
Speed and bandwidth
Windscribe performed decently in our speed tests. While it isn’t the fastest free VPN for iPhones, it is certainly no slouch. The speeds it recorded are as follows:
Download: 67.8 Mbps Upload: 45.3 Mbps Ping: 340
Windscribe’s data cap also limits your ability to consume content. It offers 2GB per month for users of its free version. You can increase this to 10GB per month by confirming your email address. Had the data limit been more than 2GB, Windscribe would have been even higher on our list as it provides free users with access to servers in 10 countries.
Security and privacy
Windscribe is one of the most secure free iPhone VPN apps. The security features of this VPN include:
Encryption: AES-256 bit Protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN, Stealth, and WSTunnel Kill switch: No (but it comes with a built-in firewall in the Windows and Mac app) DNS leak protection: Yes
Windscribe also comes with an adblocker as well as secure hotspot functionality to further protect its users. Its strict no-logging policy complements its other security features. The app only stores usage statics, such as the time and duration of use. It does not log IP addresses and other potentially revealing information. Windscribe operates out of Canada, which is a part of 5-eyes. Hence, it may be compelled to provide user data to law enforcement agencies.
Usability and customer experience
The design of the Windscribe website and app is a little underwhelming. The website, though informative, is not easy to navigate. Similarly, the app is not intuitive and takes some getting used to. While turning the VPN on and off is simple enough due to the big power on/off button, accessing other features and settings can be a bit tricky.
3. AtlasVPN: Secure Free VPN App for iPhone and iOS Devices
AtlasVPN has been around since 2019. The free version of this VPN has some advanced features like WireGuard.
Speed and bandwidth
AtlasVPN recorded one of the fastest download speeds of all the free VPNs for iPhones that we tested. While AtlasVPN claims not have any speed limit for users of the free version of its app, the upload speeds it provided weren’t nearly as fast, as you can see below:
Download: 72.7 Mbps Upload: 8.95 Mbps Ping: 206
Hence, AtlasVPN isn’t a great option for anything that requires high upload speeds, such as online gaming. However, it is a solid choice for browsing, and streaming. It offers 2GB of data every day, which is enough to view a couple of HD episodes on your favorite streaming platform, like Hulu, ESPN, or Netflix. Please note that AtlasVPN does not unblock the Netflix US library. While this VPN supports P2P file sharing, its slow upload speeds make it unsuitable for that purpose.
Security and privacy
AtlasVPN offers the same security features on its paid and free versions. As a result, the free version comes with industry-standard security features like:
Encryption: AES-256 bit Protocols: IKEv2 and WireGuard Kill switch: Yes DNS leak protection: Yes
AtlasVPN has a strong no-logs policy. It only collects information necessary for analytics and does not collect or store any information that can be traced to any individual user. Still, AtlasVPN operates out of the USA, so it may be required to provide user data to law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI.
Usability and customer experience
AtlasVPN’s website is well laid-out and easy-to-use. You can easily download the app from the website. The app features a simple interface with a big slider that toggles the VPN connection on or off. The settings menu and alternate server locations are also easily accessible.
4. Avira Phantom VPN: The Best Free VPN for iPhones With Unlimited Simultaneous Connections
Avira Phantom VPN is a product of the same German software security company behind the popular Avira antivirus. This is one of the few free VPNs for iPhones that offers unlimited simultaneous connections.
Speed and bandwidth
Avira’s reputation for providing efficient and effective protection as an antivirus carries over well to its VPN. It recorded excellent speeds during our test:
Download: 70.8 Mbps Upload: 72.7 Mbps Ping: 8ms
With such speeds and a low ping rate, Avira is a great all-purpose VPN. You can use it for gaming, watching videos, and general browsing. However, its utility as a streaming, gaming, and Torrenting VPN is completely negated by its daily 500MB bandwidth limit. While you can get an additional 500MB by signing up with your email address, this is still not enough for data-intensive activities. The data cap is particularly frustrating when you consider that Avira offers servers in 30 countries. If the bandwidth limit was higher, this would have been a great VPN for exploring the different libraries of streaming platforms.
Security and privacy
Avira makes no compromise when it comes to the security and privacy of its users. Some notable security features of this VPN are:
Encryption: AES-256 bit Protocols: IKEv2 and WireGuard Kill switch: No DNS leak protection: Yes
Other useful security features are DNS leak protection and the fact that you get a virtual IP address. The Avira website states that it does not track or store any information that can be traced to a particular user. It only measures how much traffic you consume and collects some diagnostic data.
Usability and customer experience
Both the Avira Phantom website and app are intuitively designed. They can be used seamlessly even by beginners. The app’s home screen displays a big connection button along with the data you’ve consumed and the VPN server you’re connected to. The free version of Avira Phantom does not feature live customer support. While you can send them a mail or submit a request, there is no way for free users to get immediate solutions to their problems.
5. Speedify: The Fastest Free VPN for iPhones
Speedify is an internet-boosting service that also doubles as a VPN. This free VPN service offers excellent speeds and a wide server network.
Speed and bandwidth
If you’re looking for a free VPN for your iPhone that has great speeds, then look no further than Speedify. Speed is their top priority and it clearly shows. We got the following speeds when we tested Speedify:
Download: 73.8 Mbps Upload: 76.4 Mbps Ping: 30
As you can see, both the download and the upload speed are fantastic. As a result, you can perform most daily activities on the internet without any problems. This appears to be exclusively the case for iPhone, since our experience with Speedify on Windows was much worse. Of course, like most other free VPNs, Speedify doesn’t have the best unblocking capabilities despite a server network that spans more than 37 countries. However, we were unable to unblock Netflix US with it. Not all Speedify servers support P2P file-sharing. Speedify’s free app for the iPhone is not well-suited for data-intensive activities, as you only get 2GB per month. This is barely enough to stream a few episodes of any series in HD or to download via P2P connection.
Security and privacy
Due to its focus on speed, Speedify has had to compromise on security and privacy. This is clear when you look at its key security features:
Encryption: AES-128 bit Protocols: custom Speedify protocol Kill switch: Yes DNS leak protection: Yes
Speedify only uses AES-128 bit encryption, which is a notch below the industry-standard 256-bit. Moreover, it uses its own protocol that is built to provide the fastest speed. It’s unclear whether this protocol meets the security standards of other modern protocols such as Wireguard and OpenVPN. Speedify’s free VPN app comes with a kill switch and DNS-leak protection, both of which are important security features. There are some concerns about Speedify’s logging and privacy practices. While the company claims it has a strict no-logs policy, a glance at its privacy policy shows that it stores data related to users’ IP address, browser, and operating system, albeit in an anonymized fashion. Additionally, Speedify is based in the US, which is a member of the 5-eyes alliance.
Usability and customer experience
The Speedify app has one of the best designs of all the free VPN apps for iPhones that we tested. The home screen provides an overview of your connection speed, the data you’ve used, and the remaining free data available to you. You can connect to the VPN by simply clicking on the lock icon at the top right-hand corner of the app.
6. ZoogVPN: A Private Free VPN for iPhones
ZoogVPN has been around since 2013. It offers pretty good upload speeds and a relatively large amount of data for free users.
Speed and bandwidth
ZoogVPN pleasantly surprised us with its speeds, especially its download speeds. We recorded the following results on a recommended/optimal server:
Download: 70.1 Mbps Upload: 29.4 Mbps Ping: 183 ms
The impressive download speeds combined with its offer of 10GB of data per month make ZoogVPN a good option for streaming. However, we were unable to unblock geo-restricted content on leading platforms using the free version of ZoogVPN. It also supports P2P file-sharing. Zoog offers servers in three nations (the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA) as part of its free package. Although that’s not a lot, the servers are spread out across the world. As a result, you should be able to get a pretty fast connection no matter where you are.
Security and privacy
Zoog isn’t the most secure VPN by any stretch of the imagination. Some of its notable security features are:
Encryption: AES-128 bit Protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN, and PPTP Kill switch: Yes DNS leak protection: Yes
Like Speedify, ZoogVPN uses 128-bit encryption, which is not as secure as what you’ll find on other free VPNs for iPhones. It does try to make up for the relatively weak encryption standards with a broad selection of protocols, including OpenVPN and PPTP. Privacy is where Zoog’s free VPN app for iPhone really shines. It has a strict no-logs policy and does not collect, store, or sell any personal information. Moreover, Zoog operates out of Greece, which does not belong to any surveillance alliance.
Usability and customer experience
The design of the ZoogVPN app prioritizes usability. It is fairly low on additional features and this makes the app easy to use. Clicking on the large power icon towards the bottom of the screen will automatically connect you to the fastest available server. Unlike other free VPN apps for iPhones, ZoogVPN provides live customer support. You can get instant help 24/7 from its live chat feature. If you’d like to describe your problem in more detail, you can always drop the support team a mail. The support page even lists a helpline number that users can call.
7. TunnelBear: Free VPN for iPhone With a Large Server Network
TunnelBear is a Canada-based VPN service launched in 2011. In 2018, security software company McAfee acquired TunnelBear. The biggest perk of this VPN provider is its wide server network.
Speed and bandwidth
TunnelBear is a leading VPN for iOS and other platforms, such as Windows and Linux. We were slightly disappointed with its performance in our speed tests. It clocked the following speeds:
Download: 51.0 Mbps Upload: 54.6 Mbps Ping: 39ms
The relatively average speeds somewhat negate TunnelBear’s extensive server network, which covers up to 40 countries even with the free version. The 500MB of data it provides each month also limits its potential use for P2P file sharing and streaming on platforms like BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, and Hulu. We were also unable to view region-specific content on these platforms while using the free version of TunnelBear.
Security and privacy
TunnelBear offers the same top-rated security features on both its paid version and its free iPhone app. They include:
Encryption: AES-256 bit Protocols: IPSec Kill switch: Yes DNS leak protection: Yes
It also offers some additional security features, such as DNS leak protection and automatic WiFi protection. TunnelBear’s privacy policy says it does not maintain any logs of personal information. However, it does store some user data and uses cookies. TunnelBear operates in Canada, so it may be compelled to turn over user data to the authorities.
Usability and customer experience
The TunnelBear team prides itself on the simplicity and usability of its app. The app uses a map-based interface, which makes it easy to visualize how far the VPN server is from your current location. The app’s setting menu is also easy to navigate. The Help section on TunnelBear’s website provides useful information on how you can configure the VPN along with some troubleshooting tips. The live chat functionality on the site is a bot and does not connect you to a real person. To get assistance from a real agent, you’ll have to log in and register a complaint. This can be a somewhat tedious process.
8. Hide.me: A Good Free VPN App for iPhone Users in North America and Europe
Hide.me is a VPN service that has been around since 2012. It is known for its advanced security features.
Speed and bandwidth
Hide.me fared pretty poorly on our speed tests, as you can see from the speeds listed below:
Download: 20.2 Mbps Upload: 5.02 Mbps Ping: 156
The fact that we chose a VPN server far away from our location may explain the slow speeds. This is a problem that users in Asia, South America, and Africa are likely to face, as Hide.me’s free servers are primarily situated in the US and Europe. While its speeds are certainly not top-notch, Hide.me offers 10GB of traffic monthly. This isn’t great compared to other free VPNs like Proton and AtlasVPN, but it is decent enough to merit a place on our list. The free version of hide.me is unable to unblock geo-restricted content on streaming sites, but it supports P2P file sharing.
Security and privacy
What it lacks in speed, Hide.me makes up for with its exceptional security. The following features ensure that your data is safe at all times:
Encryption: AES-256 bit Protocols: OpenVPN, IPSec, SoftEther, SSTP, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec Kill switch: Yes DNS leak protection: Yes
The sheer number of protocols that Hide.me offers, is quite remarkable for a free VPN. The security settings are also highly customizable and include options such as “Auto connect” and “random port every time,” which should enhance your security and privacy online. Hide.me also has a no-logs policy and is independently audited. This means that a credible and reliable third party has certified that this VPN provider does not log any personal information. The fact that Hide.me operates from Malaysia further boosts its privacy credentials, as the nation is not a part of the surveillance alliances we’ve referred to above.
Usability and customer experience
The Hide.me app isn’t the most visually pleasing one on our list. With that said, it is quite easy to use. Clicking on the “Enable VPN” button will establish a connection with an optimal server for your location. One standout feature of Hide.me is its 24/7 live chat functionality. You can contact customer support using the chat option to get quick and easy solutions for any problems you may encounter while using the VPN app.
Free VPNs for iPhone That Didn’t Make the List
While the eight VPNs listed above are, in our opinion, the best free VPN apps for iPhones, there are others that make a strong case for inclusion. However, there were compelling reasons why we chose not to include them. We highlight some of these VPNs below:
Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield is highly rated for its fast connection speeds on iPhones. The bandwidth limit for the free version of this VPN is 500MB per day. While it is a pretty solid free VPN, Hotspot Shield has a chequered history when it comes to the storage and sharing of user data. The Android version of this VPN app was found to be injecting user devices with code for advertising purposes. Also, the free version offers only one server. That server is based in the US and provided fairly slow speeds in our tests.
Betternet
Betternet is another popular VPN that didn’t perform well in our tests. The app has only one server for free users, and we experienced very slow download speeds. While the VPN offers 15 hours of viewing time monthly, its unblocking capabilities are not the best. Betternet’s biggest drawback is its flawed privacy policy. The policy does not provide much protection for the data of free users, which can be sold to third parties. The Android version of Betternet has also been found to infect user devices with malware. Read our full review for more information.
The Disadvantages of a Free VPN for iPhone
While the free VPNs listed above offer great features, there are some major disadvantages that are common among free VPNs. These disadvantages include: Due to these reasons, we strongly recommend using a reliable private VPN on your iPhone. In the next section, we briefly look at one of the best premium VPNs for iPhones.
Best premium VPN for iPhones
After filtering through a number of premium VPNs for iPhones, our favorite is CyberGhost. It is efficient, user-friendly, and is available at a great price. CyberGhost also has great unblocking capabilities and offers decent speeds. Its security features are top-notch as it uses the highest-grade encryption and latest protocols. CyberGhost’s best feature is probably its simple app design and user interface. This makes it especially suitable for individuals who are new to the world of VPNs. You can try all these features and more for free using CyberGhost’s 45-day money-back guarantee.
How to Install and Use a VPN on iPhone
Now that we’re familiar with different free VPNs for iPhones, let’s briefly go through the process of installing and using these apps on your phone. Most free VPN apps for iPhones are very easy to install. The steps outlined below apply to most of the apps discussed in this article:
Final Thoughts
If you want to enhance the privacy and security of your iPhone without spending money, you can’t go wrong with any of the free VPNs listed in this article. Currently, ProtonVPN is the best all-purpose free VPN for iPhones. It is fast, offers unlimited data, and has a decent number of servers. However, for powerful unblocking capabilities, advanced security features, and an extensive server network, you should consider investing in a premium, paid VPN. If you like using specific apps like Omegle, there are plenty of free VPNs that you can use too. You can read our rankings of the best free VPN for iPhone for more information on ProtonVPN as well as other great VPN options. Be sure to check out our ranking of the best free VPNs for iPhones before deciding which app to download.
