5 Best Free VPNs for iPhone and Android
Many of us need to access the Internet on the go, and our phones or tablets are great ways to stay connected wherever we are.
However, when connecting online, you may be tempted to connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot for ease of use and to save your mobile data. While there are measures you can take to secure your connection, these spots are a popular target for hackers to carry out network attacks.
In this case, you should use a free VPN for iPhone or Android to encrypt and secure the information you send over the internet.
Not all VPNs offer suitable security or speeds; some free VPNs may contain security risks such as data collection or malicious ads. For this reason, we look at the best free VPN for iPhone or Android, with these lists of five recommendations for you.
Table of contents
- Why use a free VPN for mobile devices?
- How to choose a free VPN for iPhone or Android
- The 6 Best Free VPNs for iPhone and Android
Why use a free VPN for mobile devices?
Although free VPNs have some restrictions, they still have benefits if you want additional security and privacy from your mobile device. It can also be a good option to test the VPN for free before subscribing to a paid subscription.
Basic security on free Wi-Fi
If you need to deal with sensitive information in a public place, such as banking or work emails, a free VPN will take this information and encrypt it, making the data unreadable to Wi-Fi hackers trying to access it.
The encrypted data is sent via a secure tunnel, which establishes a secure connection between your device and the VPN server.
Increase browsing security
A VPN may shield your browsing activity from your internet service provider (ISP) and other entities that might track your online behavior for advertising purposes. While free VPNs might not be the most robust solution for complete anonymity, they can add a layer of obscurity.
Access geo-restricted content
If you are in a place with strict content filtering, a VPN can change your location to a region with fewer restrictions. Some users also use a VPN to access streaming websites from other countries and enjoy more forms of media.
However, free VPNs often limit the servers you can access with a free account, so popular servers are only available to paid subscribers, making this approach less reliable.
Budget
When choosing a free VPN for iPhone or Android, it's crucial to weigh the limitations against the benefits. Free VPNs might not be suitable for heavy data users or anyone who needs consistent access to geo-restricted content.
How to choose a free VPN for iPhone or Android
When choosing your free VPN for iPhone or Android, you should choose a provider that offers the basic features: privacy, security, and decent speeds.
- Ensure the VPN app really offers a free version, such as a free plan, trial, or a money-back guarantee. Some will require a sign up process, but there are also free, more private VPNs that don’t ask for your email.
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No-logs policy. Free VPNs tend to collect and use your data for profit, so ensure a VPN has a strict and independently audited no-logs policy.
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Encryption. Strong encryption is crucial in ensuring that your data remains secure. Choose a free iPhone or Android VPN using AES-256 encryption.
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Security features. Additional security features such as a kill switch and IP leak protection are essential. Other features to look out for are split tunneling, ad blockers, special servers, and threat protection.
The 6 Best Free VPNs for iPhone and Android
Now that you know why a VPN is useful and what to look for when choosing a free VPN for iPhone or Android, we can look at seven mobile VPNs to suit your needs for secure mobile surfing.
NordVPN
NordVPN offers a free 7-day trial for its services. Thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee, you can extend this period if you buy a subscription and request a refund before the end of the 30 days.
NordVPN has over 6000 servers in over 61 countries, from the USA to South Korea. Many users praise its UI for its modern and user-friendly mobile apps.
Nord’s security protocols include the industry standard AES-256 encryption, which scrambles your data into a complex code that is impossible to crack without the decryption key.
The data transmitted between your device and the VPN server is also protected with NordLyn, which uses the XChaCha20 algorithm for added security and speed. Plus, Nord’s privacy policy shows that it doesn’t store your activity logs, and this zero-logs policy was security audited three times.
Other features of NordVPN include:
- Unlimited speed and bandwidth
- Large server selection
- Kill switch
- Dark web monitoring
- High download speeds
- Unblocks Netflix and other streaming sites
NordVPN offers monthly, annual, or two-year plans, which cost
- $12.99 per month
- $59.88 per year
- $81.36 for two years
One factor to consider when subscribing to NordVPN is that creating an account requires your credit card details, which you may want to avoid if you forget to cancel your subscription before it automatically renews.
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is a free VPN for iPhone and Android that is included in a Bitdefender security plan. It also offers simple, flexible VPN plans, costing $39.99 a year or $6.99 monthly. There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee for customers who want to try its services.
Bitdefender lets you enjoy access to over 4000 servers in over 50 countries for secure, private surfing. With an annual plan, you can share a life of online privacy with others on up to 10 devices.
However, the free Bitdefender plan is more limited. If you have a free plan, you are limited to:
- One user per device
- Three server locations (or less)
- User log policy depends on the provider
- The app includes ads and upsells
As a result, if you already have a Bitdefender subscription, the Bitdefender VPN offers many benefits for your privacy and security. However, the limitations of the free service and the fact that it does not delete your user logs are a greater risk to your privacy and anonymity.
User logs provide companies with the following data:
- Connection logs: These record when you connect or disconnect from the VPN service.
- Session logs: Information about the duration of each VPN session.
- IP addresses: this logs.
- Websites visited: Some VPNs may log websites you’ve visited while connected to their service.
- Bandwidth usage: Logs of the amount of data transferred during each session.
- User activity: Detailed logs of the activities performed while connected to the VPN, such as timestamps for when specific websites or services are accessed.
Because of this, the free version of Bitdefender contradicts the purpose of a VPN to keep your data private, as storing these logs increases the risk of data leaks. So, unless you are using this VPN at a basic level, it may only be worth using if you’re willing to pay or add it as a feature to your existing Bitdefender account.
Surfshark
Surfshark doesn’t offer a completely free VPN solution but comes with a generous 7-day free trial to test whether it's the free VPN for iPhone or Android.
If you'd prefer a more extended evaluation period, you can take advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee. If you purchase a subscription, you can try the service for a month and request a full refund if you want to test the premium service.
Surfshark boasts a vast network of over 3200 servers spread across an impressive 100 countries. Although this is slightly less than other entries, it’s still an extensive list for accessing content globally and enjoying faster connection speeds due to server proximity.
In addition to AES-256 encryption, Surfshark uses RAM-only servers to help hide your data. An independently audited no-logs policy also guarantees the platform's security. Surfshark also has a MultiHop feature that routes your connection through two VPN servers for an extra layer of encryption and anonymization.
Surfshark also employs the WireGuard® protocol, known for its exceptional speeds and added security. This makes Surfshark an excellent choice for activities like streaming or downloading large files.
Additional features of Surfshark include:
- Unlimited devices: A single Surfshark subscription allows you to connect an unlimited number of devices simultaneously, a significant advantage over many VPN providers, which limit connections.
- MultiHop: This feature lets you route your connection through two VPN servers for an extra layer of encryption and anonymization.
- CleanWeb: This built-in feature blocks malware, phishing attempts, and trackers, safeguarding you from online threats.
- Bypasser: This functionality allows you to selectively exclude specific apps or websites from the VPN tunnel, providing more granular control over your online experience.
Surfshark offers flexible subscription plans, including monthly, yearly, and two-year options. Here's a breakdown of their pricing:
- $12.95 per month
- $59.76 per year
- $78.46 for two years
TunnelBear
TunnelBear lets you browse the internet privately and hide your online activity from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) by encrypting your traffic and routing it through a secure server.
TunnelBear covers over 3000 servers. The free plan covers up to 5 devices and has a data limit of 5000 MB, which they say is enough for 21 hours of web browsing or five episodes of TV to watch on your phone.
With a free plan, your TunnelBear includes a strict no-logs policy and split tunneling allows you to choose which apps use the VPN connection and which don’t. If you’re struggling with an unreliable connection, TunnelBear’s TCP override feature will slow down your connection in return for a more stable, reliable internet experience.
TunnelBear’s free VPN for iPhone and Android will automatically connect you to a secure server, which is excellent if you don’t need to access geo-restricted content for streaming. Paid plans are $9.99 monthly, with unlimited data across five devices.
Windscribe
Windscribe offers the most generous 10GB of data with its free VPN for iPhone and Android. It easily connects to the US and UK versions of Netflix, so you can switch between servers to enjoy your favourite TV shows. Windscribe also has over 500 servers in 60 countries.
Security-wise, it offers standard encryption protocols plus mult-hop encryption that adds additional encryption to your data. It also has a kill switch, split tunneling, and decent speeds.
The only concern with Windscribe is the company is based in a Five Eyes member country.
The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance comprising the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. These countries have an agreement allowing their governments to access data under certain circumstances.
This may not be ideal if you want your data to be completely anonymous; Windscribe is a viable option for a free VPN for iPhone and Android if you want a generous amount of data from a free VPN.
Monthly Windscribe plans cost $9, and annual plans cost $49. Both give you unlimited data, connections, and access to over 60 servers.
Norton
Aside from antivirus, Norton also offers a VPN that you can try free for seven days, or you can purchase a plan and take advantage of their 60-day money-back guarantee with an annual plan to truly test the product and see if it’s right for you.
Norton offers many security features to secure your VPN connection online, making it a strong contender for the most secure VPN for iPhone and Android.
When you connect to Norton VPN, it protects your connection with these security features:
- Compromised network detection: your connection automatically connects to the VPN if it detects an untrusted network.
- Kill switch: automatically disconnects from the internet if the VPN connection is lost.
- No log policy: your data is kept anonymous and private.
Norton’s VPN plan includes coverage for 1, 5, or 10 devices starting at $29.99 for the first year for one device and $49.99 after that.
Another option is to combine a VPN with Norton antivirus, which covers five devices and includes malware detection, parental controls, and dark web monitoring for $49.99 a year.
Enjoy free, secure surfing with a VPN
Choosing a free VPN for iPhone and Android will have certain limitations in its free plans. Therefore, choosing a bundle with an antivirus or cloud storage provider may be worth considering to get the most out of a paid subscription.
If you need a basic VPN that secures your connection and your privacy, you can choose from any of the entries in this list to enjoy a free VPN or try out these services with their free trial period.
Happy (secure) surfing!