Surfing the web on a public Wi-Fi can be dangerous business, opening your iPhone up to spying eyes. To avoid that, you should use a Virtual Private Network, otherwise known as a VPN, to encrypt your internet usage and stay private and anonymous online.
A VPN also hides your location, which can allow you to access geo-locked content and blocked sites such as US Netflix when you are in the UK or BBC iPlayer when you are abroad. It’s important to note that accessing geo-locked content with a VPN is against the likes of Netflix, BBC and Amazon’s terms and conditions, so proceed with caution as you risk getting your account blocked.
There’s no doubt that using a VPN can sound like a bit of a daunting and confusing thing to do with lots of technical jargon, but actually they tend to be really easy to install and start using, with no previous knowledge or technical expertise required.
If you’re concerned and want more advice about using a VPN, read our VPN buying advice here. You might also want to check out our round-up of the best VPN deals and, if you’re new to the world of VPNs, we have a separate article that explains how to use a VPN on an iPhone too.
Best iPhone VPN apps
NordVPN
Our pick of the best VPN for iPhone is NordVPN. There are more than 5,100 servers available across 60 countries, and encryption levels are among the highest available in a VPN.
Based in Panama, NordVPN is outside of the jurisdiction of the ’14-eyes’ (a group of countries that have agreed to collect, analyse and share information, much of which involves internet activity).
You can connect to up to six devices at one time with your NordVPN account, which offers pricing starting at £2.68/US$2.99 per month if you take advantage of the three-year deal.
Supported devices include iPhone and iPad, but also Mac, Windows, Linux and Android.
Read our NordVPN review.
ExpressVPN
Another popular and trusted VPN option is ExpressVPN, which offers apps for all operating systems including iOS, which means you can use it on your iPhone.
There are more than 3,000 servers available across 94 countries. You can connect to five devices at once, and there’s no limit to bandwidth, server switching or speed.
The recommended ExpressVPN plan is the 15-month subscription, which works out at $6.67 (around £5.05) per month and saves you 49% over the less committed month-long option at $12.95 (around £9.80).
Read our ExpressVPN review.
PureVPN
Another great option is PureVPN. It’s a popular and trusted choice, and it’s competitively priced too.
PureVPN includes a built-in auto-redial that will automatically reconnect should your connection drop for uninterrupted browsing, and there are more than 2,000 servers available across a whopping 141 countries.
Its iPhone app is simple and smart, and lets you tailor your connection based on the internet activity you intend to do.
To use it, you’ll need to sign up to a subscription package starting at $4.16 (around £3.18) per month for a year.
Read our PureVPN review.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is another good, well-priced option. It’s headquartered in Romania, which is outside the 14-eyes group of countries that share signals intelligence.
One of the great things about CyberGhost is its ease of use. It’s simple and intuitive, and does lots of the hard work for you. There are more than 3,500 servers available to connect to 58 different countries.
You can get CyberGhost for £2.10/$2.75 per month if you sign up for three years.
Read our CyberGhost review.
Surfshark
Surfshark is one of the cheapest VPN options available, and thankfully it also has a lot going for it.
With a slick, simple interface, you’ll be able to use Surfshark on your iPhone to protect your privacy and connect to streaming services.
There are 800 servers across 50 countries, and you’ll get unlimited simultaneous connections with one subscription, so you can use it across all of your devices.
At time of writing the cheapest option works out at just £1.59/$1.99 per month. Take a look at the prices for all subscriptions on the Surfshark website.
Read our Surfshark review.
TunnelBear
TunnelBear is a solid, fast and affordable VPN that works well on iPhones. It’s easy to use and is ideal for families and people on the move.
It works with Netflix and other streaming services, offers a kill switch and five simultaneous connections.
The downside is that there are fewer countries available to connect to than other VPNs listed here, with only 22 to choose from.
There’s a limited free option available, but the best plan is the yearly plan that costs £3.33/$4.17 per month.
Sign up for TunnelBear on its website, or read our TunnelBear VPN review for more details.
VyprVPN
VyprVPN is a family VPN offering good value for money. The cheapest option is the two-year plan, which works out at £2.50/$3.27 for three simultaneous connections.
There are more than 700 servers available to connect to worldwide across more than 70 countries, and it’s quick and easy to set up a high-quality connection.
You’ll find a kill switch to protect your data should the VPN connection fail, and the iPhone app is simple to use too. You can subscribe here.
Find out more in our VyprVPN review.
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Via MACWORLD