Best free iPhone VPN app in 2024

The Apple App Store is packed full of free iPhone VPNs, many of them promising to keep you safe online and unblock content from around the world. However, not many of these are quality apps, and fewer still will truly protect your privacy.

That's because even the best free VPNs have to make sacrifices in order to offer a free product. Some collect and sell your data – the opposite of what you want from a VPN – while others limit features or the amount of data you can use. A limited "freemium" product that actually protects your privacy is a much better option here, and I've rounded up the best options on this page.

My team and I have tested and reviewed dozens of the best VPNs, including many of the best free VPNs for iPhone. Below you'll find in-depth reviews of what they offer, and what they don't. I've also included my recommendations of the best iPhone VPNs overall, which start from around $2 per month.

The best premium iPhone VPNs at a glance

1. ExpressVPN – the best VPN for iPhone overall
ExpressVPN is my top-rated iPhone VPN because it fits perfectly with Apple's "it just works" philosophy. The app is attractive and easy to use, it usually connects in less than a second, and it offers some of the best privacy features out of all the VPNs I've tested. It's not the cheapest at $6.67 per month – which includes three months free – but you'll have a 30-day money-back guarantee to try before you commit.

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2. NordVPN – the best VPN overall
NordVPN tops my overall VPN guide thanks to its vast array of features, excellent privacy, and incredible speeds. On iPhone it's a little less intuitive than ExpressVPN, but it's also a fair bit cheaper at $3.39 per month. If you're looking for a VPN to use on all your devices, I'd recommend NordVPN as the best pick – and again, you'll have 30 days to claim a full refund if you don't like the product.

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3. Surfshark – the best cheap iPhone VPN
Surfshark is a great option if you want something more powerful than what the best free iPhone VPNs offer, but have a limited budget. Its privacy features are comprehensive, it's excellent for streaming, and it's even faster than NordVPN. With prices starting from $2.19 per month, it punches well above its weight, and you'll have a 30-day money-back guarantee for peace of mind.

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The best free iPhone VPN apps in 2024

PrivadoVPN Free: The best free iPhone VPN overall

A fairly new entry in the VPN game, PrivadoVPN has made a name for itself with its powerful freemium PrivadoVPN Free plan. It offers an excellent standard of privacy, and offers far more features than you'd expect from a free product.

You get 10 GB of high-speed data a month, which is pretty generous and should be enough for most – and definitely comes in handy if you rely on your iPhone for sending emails on the go or when you're traveling for work. 

Unlike other providers that just cut you off once if you use up your allowance, if you go over 10 GB, you'll still be able to use a single emergency server in Amsterdam, albeit at around 1 Mbps. However, if you think you'll be using more than 10 GB a month on a regular basis, rival Proton VPN Free may be a better choice thanks to its unlimited data plan.

PrivadoVPN's full speed peaks at around 900 Mbps – that makes it a very fast VPN, faster than many paid providers, and likely much faster than your mobile data which will end up being your limiting factor.

In my PrivadoVPN Free review, I found that its iOS apps are pretty basic, but they do offer everything you need to get protected. It's easy to pick from any other free servers available, and you can also set up auto-connect and choose your protocol – all of which use industry-standard AES-256 encryption, so can feel safe that your data is being protected. 

There's no kill switch – although this is due to Apple's restrictions, not Privado's negligence – but elsewhere there's nothing much missing. For a free product, it's comprehensive.

PrivadoVPN's most impressive party trick is its reliability as a streaming VPN. In my testing, I was able to unblock Us and Japanese Netflix libraries, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. This is a huge bonus, and something that used to be reserved for paid VPNs – but PrivadoVPN has really changed the game in this respect.

It is worth mentioning that PrivadoVPN hasn't undergone an independent audit of its servers or privacy policy yet. That's disappointing, and something I'd like to see rectified, but I didn't find any red flags in my testing to indicate that it's in any way unsafe.

Overall, PrivadoVPN is easily the best free VPN for iPhone, and unless you need more than 10 GB of data or require a kill switch, it should be your first choice.

Proton VPN: The best free iPhone VPN for security

In my Proton VPN Free review, I was impressed right off the bat by the fact that the service actually delivers on its promise of unlimited data. It's pretty decent in terms of connection speeds, too, reaching peaks of 520 Mbps during my most recent tests. While this isn't as fast as PrivadoVPN Free, it's probably faster than the base connection you'll be using.

I've always enjoyed the Proton VPN apps – the dark mode has a distinct Cyberpunk vibe that's pretty awesome, in my humble opinion. On iPhone, it's easy to use, and you'll have no problem getting connected.

Proton VPN is an incredibly privacy-conscious provider, and its free plan comes packed with the same basic security features as its premium plan. Super-secure encryption ensures hackers don't intercept your data, and you'll even be able to take your pick of protocols (though I'd recommend sticking to WireGuard if you're prioritizing speed.) 

Proton is one of the few providers that does offer a kill switch – and we're talking about free and paid options here – so if you're truly looking to secure yourself, it's a better bet than PrivadoVPN. The no-logs policy is comprehensive too, and it has been fully audited – another plus point when compared to PrivadoVPN.

It's interesting to see that Proton VPN has partnered with Deutsche Welle, a German news broadcaster, to allow free and unrestricted access to its unbiased news coverage. You'll be able to check out the site whether you're a free or paid provider, and regardless of where you are in the world.

However, as you might expect, Proton VPN does have its limitations. Even though its free network coverage includes a hefty 100 servers, these are only located in six countries, and the extra-safe Secure Core servers are also excluded.

My biggest problem with Proton VPN Free, though, is the fact that you can't select which server you connect to yourself. When you tap "connect," you'll be assigned a server at random. if you want to change, you can tap "change server," but this will simply assign a new one at random. Don't think you can spam that button until you find one you like, either – there's a 90-second cooldown after every switch.

In use, this can be very annoying, and while it's understandable – Proton wants to protect its network for the sake of paying customers – it's incredibly restrictive.

Proton VPN's free servers don't support P2P sharing, so it's not a great torrenting VPN, and its unblocking abilities are reserved for paid subscribers, too – which is pretty disappointing. So, if you fancy globetrotting on Netflix or any other platforms, you'll have to look elsewhere – or just download PrivadoVPN.

Those last couple of negatives may well be too much to palate for many, and there's a reason why I rank PrivadoVPN higher on this list. However, if you're looking for a provider that has been fully audited, offers a kill switch, and has a long history of privacy advocacy, Proton VPN is the better choice.

Windscribe Free: The free option for globetrotting

Windscribe has been around for a long time, and is well-known for its goofy online persona and an excellent free plan. It's one of the best Chrome VPN extensions, and it's also a decent choice if you're looking for a free VPN for iPhone.

One of Windscribe's biggest plus points is the fact that it has servers in more countries than either of the two providers I've featured above. That means you'll have a better chance of connecting to a server that's close to you physically for better speeds.

On that note, Windscribe is actually very fast, clocking it at 910 Mbps in my latest round of testing. That's considerably faster than Proton VPN, and about the same as PrivadoVPN. 

Privacy-wise, Windscribe is decent. You'll get access to the WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 encryption protocols. However in 2023, Windscribe suffered a security breach in Ukraine which put users at risk. While the company has promised to remedy these issues, it's still a black mark on its copy book, and despite claims of a full independent audit being underway, the results  are still nowhere to be seen.

In terms of limitations, you'll only have 10 GB of data to use per month. On paper, this is the same as PrivadoVPN, but Windscribe does not offer any emergency data after you've used your allowance. Of course, you could just start another free subscription but this is a bit of a hassle – and Proton VPN does offer unlimited data for those who are worried about running out

Similarly to PrivadoVPN, Windscribe is able to unblock a few streaming sites, which is very unusual for a free provider. These include Netflix UK and BBC iPlayer, and this might be useful if you're just traveling with your iPhone on a train or car journey.

One of Windscribe's minor let-downs is the iPhone app itself. It's certainly not bad, but compared to PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN it's not quite as simple or as easy to use. That means beginners might find it a little tricky to get up and running. This is a very minor gripe, though, and most people will get on with it just fine.

Overall, Windscribe is a very usable free iPhone VPN. However most people will probably have a better experience using either PrivadoVPN or Proton VPN

Complete industry standings

Tested by

These are the experts who have tested, reviewed, and ranked the best free VPNs in this guide:

Mo Harber-Lamond

Mo is VPN Editor at Tom's Guide. He's covered VPNs since 2020, and in that time he has helped test and review over 100 providers. Mo handles the day-to-day testing of VPNs, making sure that they work for real people in real situations. He also undertakes ongoing streaming testing to make sure these services can unblock everything they claim, and produces video content to discuss and demonstrate the software. As an iPhone user himself, he has experience using these products, and gives first-hand insight into what makes which provider best for whom.

What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network (or VPN) is a security tool that'll help you secure your information, and your device, whenever you're online.

How? Well, the VPN routes your internet traffic through one of its encrypted servers. This ensures that it can't be seen or snooped on – not by hackers, not by your ISP, and not even by your government.

VPNs also let you take your pick of servers in different countries. When you connect to a server, your original IP address will be masked and replaced with one based in the same location, so it'll look as though you're there physically, too. This is how a VPN can bypass geo-restrictions and instances of censorship.

Perhaps the most important of all VPN uses is the extra layer of protection that such software will give you when connected to unknown networks like public Wi-Fi. We're all guilty of connecting to these networks when we're on our mobiles, but they're notorious hotspots for hackers looking to snatch your data for their own ends.

How I test VPN services

When it comes to recommending a product that users will entrust with quite possibly every byte of their online life, I have to be absolutely sure that my choices are correct, and thoroughly tested.

For a comprehensive rundown, check out out our full methodology of how we test VPNs. For the time-poor, though, here are the crib notes.

Unlike some sites, we don't simply reel off a spec sheet and declare the provider with most impressive claims the winner. Instead, we have a dedicated team in-house that gets hands-on with all the providers listed (and more). 

Every 6 months, after scouring the website for new claimed features or changes in policy, we sign up to a plan and install it on a range of devices. The Windows app sees the most rigorous testing, and it's here that we'll try to break the kill switch, ensure any leak protection is working correctly, and measure connection speeds.

The other apps, including the Mac VPN, iPhone VPN, and Android VPN also see comprehensive testing, and we'll check every available setting in every app to make sure it's functioning as promised by the provider.

As we use the apps, if anything appears to be behaving strangely we'll investigate that. We might dig into the source code, or view the contents of its RAM. This general usage stage is also how we make decisions on aesthetics and ease of use – although these are admittedly more subjective.

Then comes the streaming testing. We'll test each VPN with all the big streaming sites from a number of locations to ensure it's working as claimed. As Netflix is still hugely popular and somewhat troublesome when it comes to VPNs, we test the biggest providers every month to make sure my recommendations are still relevant.

Should I use a free VPN?

There's no straightforward answer to this question – it'll all depend on what you plan on using your free VPN for. One of the first things you'll need to keep in mind is that not all free VPNs can be trusted. There are countless instances of malicious free VPN apps used to scrape user data, and plenty of freebies use ads to make their revenue – and we all know how invasive these can be.

Even when an app's security is sound, a free iPhone VPN inevitably comes with some limitations compared to its premium counterparts.

For starters, the majority of providers impose a data limit on their free services. That's going to be an issue if you're after all-day protection or you want to use it while carrying out activities like torrenting or watching videos. 

You're likely to experience slower connections, too. That's mainly because the network coverage is generally way smaller. Servers can get overcrowded, or they might be simply too far from your real location to deliver faster speeds, and you'll be slowed to a frustrating crawl. 

People are increasingly using VPNs for streaming, too, and you'll have to be ready to make sacrifices here. I've already mentioned data caps, but many free VPNs aren't actually optimized for unlocking streaming libraries. If they do, well, they still can't compare to premium services in terms of reliability.

How to choose a free VPN

Let's face it, the internet can be a downright dangerous place to be – and there are constant threats to user anonymity and net neutrality. Even using your iPhone to connect to the coffee shop Wi-Fi can be majorly risky.

A VPN won't solve all these issues, but it can shore up your security.

Before you install your free iPhone VPN, however, you'll need to keep a few questions in mind – to make sure you're making the right choice.

1. What is its business model? Running a VPN takes money – there's no getting around it. As a result, providers need a stable source of income. That usually comes from subscriptions, but some free providers take the low road and sell user data to third parties that will undermine your privacy. On the other hand, some VPN services use their free plans as a marketing tool to tempt customers into upgrading to a paid plan once they've got a feel for the apps, features, and functionality.

2. What do I lose by going free? You've heard the old saying: 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.' The same is true in the world of VPNs, and you can usually expect free services to lack certain features and tools. Some providers are more generous with their bandwidth caps and server locations, sure, and a handful might even offer P2P-support and split tunneling. If there's a feature you can't do without, however, it might be worth upgrading to a paid plan.

3. Does the provider log anything? Simply put, if your VPN is keeping logs, there's no point using it – not if you're serious about safeguarding your privacy. You can check whether the service is storing user activities by combing through the terms and conditions page or the end-user license agreement. Some providers make these important documents impossible to parse, stuffed with jargon and miles long, trying to hide the weak spots in their policies. The best options out there will erase everything once you end your session and not keep a single log.

4. Can I sign up anonymously? To really maximize your online anonymity, you'll want to look for a VPN that doesn't demand all of your personal details when you sign up. This includes your name, email address, and even information about your physical location. There are even providers out there that'll let you pay for your plan with Bitcoin or cash.

Is there a truly free VPN for iPhone?

In short – yes! Providers like PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN offer freemium services that you can absolutely use long-term without paying a penny. 

It's worth noting that you definitely won't get the full package – only a handful of locations, limited data, poor streaming performance – but if you're not able to pay for a premium VPN, free iPhone VPNs do exist.

Free iPhone VPN FAQ