If you’re looking to get the most out of your iPhone, using one of the best VPNs is a good shout. Not only will it ensure you stay protected online, but it will also allow you to unlock loads more content for on-the-go streaming.
For the absolute best performance from your iPhone VPN, you’ll want something fast and secure, with a decent amount of servers and the ability to get around pesky VPN blocks streaming services use. However, in order to be truly free, even the best free VPNs have to make sacrifices. This can be via a number of ways, including collecting or selling your data (not ideal for a VPN) , while others have a “freemium” option that just limits features or the amount of data you can use on their free option.
Thankfully, my team and I have tested and reviewed tons of VPNs to find the best free VPNs for iPhone so you don’t have to. Plus, if you’d rather check out VPNs which don’t have these drawback, we’ve rounded up the best premium iPhone VPNs below.
The best premium iPhone VPNs at a glance
I’ve included the following three premium VPNs because they’re the very best options if you’re serious about improving your iPhone’s privacy. They’re the best in their respective price ranges, and if you use the 30-day money-back guarantees, you can get up to three months of unlimited coverage for free.
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. It’s also recently proved its no-logs policy via independent audit for the third time, confirming its commitment to the privacy of its users. On top of this, it offers 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 the best 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. In my Windscribe review I found it has 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 – almost as fast as the fastest VPNs on the market. 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. While this might not make it the best streaming VPN, its ability to unblock Netflix UK and BBC iPlayer, makes it 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.
