The Best VPN for iPhone in 2023

1. NordVPN - Best in Privacy

Editors Rating:

9.7 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

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

iPhone user-experience: We thought NordVPN’s iPhone app was well-designed. Connecting was easy (just one tap!) and there was almost zero learning curve in using the app. Although there were times it failed to connect – logging out and logging back in seemed to always fix this problem – our experience with the NordVPN iOS app was more than pleasant overall.

Privacy and security: We confirmed that NordVPN uses 256-bit AES encryption (practically unbreakable) to enhance data security and privacy. The multi-hop feature, also known as Double VPN, was also at our disposal to double our encryption. As journalists, we want to make sure we’re always private when doing research or talking with our sources, and Double VPN provided us that much-needed privacy.

Speed: While NordVPN did affect our internet speed to some degree, the loss was barely noticeable. From our 250 Mbps normal internet speed, our download speed went down to 219 Mbps, so we were able to FaceTime, upload photos to iCloud, and do the things we normally do on our iPhones without buffering or lag.

NordVPN is a popular VPN, but it’s a particularly strong choice for iOS users who want emphasis on privacy. We performed several VPN tests, like DNS and WebRTC leak tests on NordVPN’s iOS connections and found no vulnerabilities. That was a result of the VPN’s strong encryption and efficient VPN protocols, namely OpenVPN and the WireGuard-based NordLynx.

Those standards aren’t unique to NordVPN. The difference is that NordVPN implemented these standards and protocols in a way that they seamlessly integrated with Nord’s network. NordLynx is proof of this. We found that when using the WireGuard-based NordLynx protocol, NordVPN can establish connections in under two seconds. While testing Atlas VPN, a smaller brand that offers WireGuard, it took up to 15 seconds to connect.

It’s also noteworthy that NordVPN is a “no-logs” VPN. We were able to verify their well-laid-out logging policy and confirm that it does not, in fact, record IP addresses or browsing histories. This is vital; a VPN that logs your IP address, such as Bitdefender, is putting your privacy at risk. They could fall victim to a data breach, exposing a valuable piece of information to the world – and potentially cybercriminals.

What really makes NordVPN special, though, is the Double VPN feature we mentioned. This feature establishes a more secure connection by using two encrypted tunnels instead of just one. That’s double the encryption, which again, we used whenever we needed extra privacy for our journalistic endeavors. Not everyone will find a use for this feature, but those who value privacy and confidentiality will find it helpful.

2. Surfshark - Best for Everyday Use

Editors Rating:

9.5 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

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

iPhone user-experience: In using Surfshark’s iOS app, we asserted that this is a versatile VPN for iPhones. It comes with lots of features, like Camouflage Mode and Dynamic MultiHop, and it’s also one of the few iOS VPNs with native widget support. Since we’re always on the go, we use the widget to quickly protect our iPhone’s connections when connecting to a coffee shop or library Wi-Fi. We found that a lot more convenient than pulling up the Surfshark app every time.

Privacy and security: Surfshark didn’t compromise on privacy and security. Like the top-ranked NordVPN, it uses 256-bit AES encryption and offers WireGuard as the standard VPN protocol for iPhones. We also liked that Surfshark’s servers were RAM-only. Unlike traditional hard disk-based servers used by the likes of Norton Secure VPN, RAM-based servers reset and clear all stored data after every reboot, making them a better choice for privacy.

Speed: We noticed that Surfshark tends to be sluggish when connecting to servers that are farther away, which is normal with most VPNs. Our upload speed went down from about 100 Mbps to 21 Mbps when we connected via Australia.  When we followed Surfshark’s recommended connection settings, though, we enjoyed above-average speeds with speed loss no more than 20-percent.

Surfshark’s iOS app receives frequent upgrades tailored specifically for iOS users. Over the course of our testing alone, the app updated twice – one polished the interface for less cluttered controls while the other fixed performance bugs.

We also loved that the Surfshark app has an iOS widget. You never know when you might need a VPN; if the need suddenly arises, you can quickly and conveniently connect to Surfshark right from your iPhone’s home screen. We really got to use the widget in our daily commute to work, which was one of the main reasons we’re convinced that Surfshark is the best day-to-day VPN for iOS users.

Surfshark is more than just user-friendly, though. It has many value-adding features. Our favorite was Camouflage Mode. In addition to encrypting our traffic, Surfshark made sure we remained undetected by making the encrypted data packets appear to be normal unencrypted data. This can be useful if you’re on a school or office network that monitors for and blocks VPN traffic.

3. Private Internet Access VPN - Best Value

Editors Rating:

9.4 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	Yes
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

iPhone user-experience: We love Private Internet Access’ app because it can be tailored easily to any type of user. It offers more options for customization than other iPhone VPNs we’ve used, allowing us to reduce the encryption level for faster speeds or configure the ports for torrenting. We’re happy with straightforward apps, like the Ultra VPN app we reviewed, but an easy-to-use yet customizable app like PIA is much better appreciated.

Privacy and security: As mentioned, PIA allows users to finetune how much privacy and security they’d like to have. We certainly kicked it up to the highest configuration for most of our test, which matched the encryption and tunneling protocol of NordVPN. Again, that’s 256-bit AES encryption and top-level protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard.

Speed: While we noted that Private Internet Access worked faster on Windows, it still delivered desirable speeds to our iPhones. We notched average readings of 213 Mbps upload, 224 Mbps download, and 46 ms latency on a 250 Mbps network. Online gaming was still very much possible, and so was streaming 4K videos and heavy downloading.

What stood out the most about Private Internet Access was its pricing in relation to its features. A subscription starts at just $2.03 per month if you buy a multi-year plan. And with just one subscription, you can enjoy private browsing not just on your iPhone but any other device you have. That’s far more affordable and practical than an ExpressVPN subscription that costs $8.32 monthly on average and protects only five devices simultaneously.

Subscriptions also include extra features that add further value to Private Internet Access, such as MACE. This was a built-in feature that blocked ads, trackers, and malicious sites, providing us with additional digital protection.

Although more advanced than other iOS VPN apps, we found the PIA app easy to use as long as you’re sticking to basic functions like connecting to a server or choosing a server from the menu. Most won’t have to use the app for other things anyway, as it’s configured to use the best available settings (encryption, VPN protocol, etc.) by default. After installing the app, we were able to connect it immediately – no additional setup required!

4. ExpressVPN - Best User Experience

Editors Rating:

9.1 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	No
Camouflage Mode	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes

iPhone user-experience: ExpressVPN’s app is well put together and it’s thoughtfully designed with user-experience in mind. For example, we put shortcuts to our favorite apps and services just below the connect button so that right after connecting, we could go about watching Netflix or browsing Facebook. This was a unique feature that we haven’t seen from any other VPNs we’ve tested.

Privacy and security: ExpressVPN takes privacy and security seriously. Throughout our tests, we encountered lots of additional safety features like advanced IP address leak protection and threat protection. While ExpressVPN wasn’t the only VPN with these extra features – PIA and NordVPN have them too, for instance – we loved how they were integrated right into ExpressVPN’s app. We didn’t have to set them up. They just ran in the background.

Speed: ExpressVPN uses Lightway, a VPN protocol it developed, and in our experience, it’s a mobile-friendly VPN protocol. It was lightweight, for example, and as a result, it helped the VPN deliver our data packets quicker, allowing for faster connections. Our average download speed with ExpressVPN was somewhere around 225 Mbps, which was the fastest among the VPNs on this list.

If you value a good user experience, we think you’ll like ExpressVPN. Don’t get us wrong; it’s a powerful VPN brimming with security and privacy features, but what really stood out to us was how the app interacts with users.

For starters, we’d like give kudos to ExpressVPN for the app’s thoughtful design. It was one of the few iPhone VPNs we tested that offered to show us a tutorial the first time we signed in. We know our way around VPN apps, but we can see this being really valuable if you’re new to VPNs.

ExpressVPN also made it easy to reach out for support. This is a big one; we didn’t even have to leave the app to get help. We were able to watch guide videos, read FAQs, and contact support right from the app. Now, we’ve encountered other easy ways to contact support, like Atlas VPN’s live chat feature, but by far, ExpressVPN’s iOS app provided the best experience in this regard.

5. IPVanish - Best Encryption

Editors Rating:

9.3 /10

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How We Review

Product Specs

Multi-hop	No
Camouflage Mode	No
Kill switch	Yes
Split Tunneling	Yes
Netflix	Yes
Torrenting	Yes, with uTorrent

iPhone user-experience: The IPVanish iOS app reflects the VPN’s straightforward and “no-nonsense” approach. The user-experience didn’t really stand out, but we liked that it wasn’t overly complicated. Even our office intern, who says has never used a VPN before, had no problem using IPVanish the first try.

Privacy and security: All VPNs use encryption, but IPVanish is special because it uses a string of cryptography practices to further lockdown encrypted data, as we’ll discuss more below. It goes beyond the 256-bit AES that other top VPNs provide, which is why we found it a good choice for transmitting classified office files – something we would dare try to do on our iPhones if not because of IPVanish’s encryption.

Speed: Despite all the encryption, IPVanish’s speed was incredible during our testing. In our VPN speed comparison (where we used a Windows device to test VPN speeds), IPVanish made the top five in all speed categories. While it wasn’t quite as fast on the iPhone, it was still faster than most VPNs we tried, notching an average download speed of 221 Mbps.

This is a bit technical so please bear with us, but what we liked most about IPVanish was its attention to detail when it comes to encryption. This may not matter much to average users, but if you use your iPhone to store or transmit sensitive data, we think you’ll like IPVanish.

Every VPN on this list uses 256-bit AES, which by itself is very strong. Experts believe it would take millions of years to crack it.2 IPVanish, however, adds SHA 512 and DHE-RSA 2048. Basically, AES is like a lockbox. To open it, one needs two keys – one from your device and one from the VPN server. SHA 512 facilitates the secure transfer of those keys.

DHE-RSA 2048, on the other hand, makes sure that the next two keys generated have never been used before. This is known as perfect forward secrecy, and only an elite few VPNs have this, such as IPVanish and NordVPN. Basically, even in the slim chance that a pair of keys are compromised, they cannot be used to crack future encryptions. It’s like changing locks every time your door is opened.

The beauty of it is that you don’t have to know anything about encryption. Those measures are applied to your IPVanish connection automatically, and as mentioned above, IPVanish’s iPhone app is a breeze to use.