With hundreds of VPNs available, and so many offering mobile apps, it can be difficult to choose the right solution for your iOS or Android phone or tablet. Based on our extensive research and hands-on testing of VPNs over the years, these are the factors to look out for when choosing a VPN for your mobile device:
Privacy
The primary consideration for any VPN should be privacy. If your VPN can’t provide a sufficient level of privacy, then your VPN is practically useless, whether you’re using its mobile or desktop app. Your VPN should offer standard AES 256-bit encryption along with basic privacy protections such as a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and a no-logs policy. If you have increased privacy needs, you’ll want a VPN provider that’s located in a privacy-protecting jurisdiction, offers masking, and has a server architecture that uses only RAM. Additional privacy features to look out for include Tor over VPN functionality, ad and tracker blockers, and multi-hop connections. These features can offer increased privacy, but are not absolutely necessary. It’s also a good idea to choose a VPN that is reliable, transparent, and undergoes regular third-party security audits, which can help boost confidence in the VPN’s ability to protect your privacy.
Speed up
The connection speeds of your mobile VPN can have a big impact on the quality of your streaming, downloading, video conferencing, gaming and general web browsing activities. To keep things running as smoothly as possible, you’ll want a VPN that has as little impact on your regular internet speeds as possible, whether you’re using Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Usability
A good mobile VPN should run smoothly and be easy to use regardless of your technical expertise. It should have all the features you need easily accessible at the touch of a finger. Many mobile VPN apps also include a help section with easy ways to get in touch with support or access troubleshooting documentation right from the device, which can be helpful if you need help on the go. A VPN should have a large network of servers around the world so you can easily and reliably connect from anywhere on your trip, and it should help you access geo-restricted content from various regions if that’s what you want to use it for.
charge
Depending on your budget, you may want to consider the price and overall value of your mobile VPN before purchasing. VPN prices can vary widely from provider to provider, but you can typically expect to spend around $5 to $13 per month for a monthly VPN subscription plan. If you want to save some money in the long run, you can opt for an annual subscription, where prices can range from roughly $30 to $100 per year. However, you should be careful with free VPNs as you could be risking your privacy instead of protecting it when you use it. Proton VPN is currently the only free VPN that CNET recommends. However, most premium VPNs offer a money-back guarantee that can range from a week to 45 days. You can also get a seven-day free trial with many VPNs when you sign up through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. So, you have the option to try various mobile VPNs risk-free before deciding whether to fully invest in one.