The best mobile VPN apps in 2025

However, NordVPN's mobile settings are tucked away, and it's not immediately obvious where they are. We think that the notifications icon on the hot bar could be replaced by a direct link to the settings or VPN protocols, which most mobile users will frequent more often.

NordVPN's mobile apps come with a selection of core VPN tools – including a kill switch that will cut your internet connection if the VPN drops. This prevents you from leaking identifiable data while the VPN reconnects, and is particularly important to anyone who uses their mobile to shop online, as you won't want to hand over your payment details on an insecure public Wi-Fi hotspot without VPN encryption. We're happy to report that both kill switches worked flawlessly during our in-house testing.

The iOS kill switch is system-wide and enabled by default, so there's nothing to toggle on. Android users need to enable the built-in Always-on VPN feature in the Android settings menu, and not a specific kill switch option in the NordVPN app. We've found that this is pretty typical for Android VPNs, now, and Proton VPN and PIA's Android apps also rely on the Always-on tool.

NordVPN's Threat Protection is one of our favorite tools. It blocks ads, trackers, and malicious sites – but only Threat Protection, and not Threat Protection Pro, is available on iOS and Android. The core difference between the two is that, to use Threat Protection Pro, you don't need to be connected to a NordVPN server, unlike Threat Protection, which can't be used as a standalone tool.

Enabling Threat Protection is as easy as tapping the second icon in the hot bar at the bottom of the screen and toggling it on. It's a reliable feature, as we found that Threat Protection blocked 24% of malware links and 34% of phishing links, which is significantly better than its closest competitor, Surfshark, which only blocked 6% of malware links and 7% of phishing links. However, both providers managed to block 84% of ads, though we'd still recommend using it alongside a dedicated antivirus app.

It's worth noting that NordVPN discontinued support for the IKEv2 protocol in June 2023. Mobile users particularly liked IKEv2, as it's more stable than other protocols when regularly swapping between cellular data and Wi-FI, but NordVPN's NordLynx protocol is a good replacement. It's quick and secure, built on WireGuard, and we didn't encounter any performance issues when using it during our testing

NordVPN is the best streaming VPN overall. We’ve never been asked to disconnect from the VPN server while streaming, even when travelling overseas, and it has no trouble accessing today's most popular platforms, all on the first time of asking. With servers in 118 countries, you'll always have a nearby connection point, even if you're on vacation, and tuning in to sports or shows from back home is just as viable. Speeds of 950+ Mbps using the WireGuard protocol also far exceed the minimum needed to stream buffer-free HD and 4K content on mobile.

One of Surfshark's standout features is Alternative ID, which generates an entirely new online persona, complete with name and email address. We put Alternative ID to the test when creating a Reddit account, and were able to copy and paste our new details from the Surfshark app into the online field with just a tap or two. Afterwards, we didn't receive any spam emails (or unwanted Reddit notifications) in our primary inbox. The same principle applies to other social media platforms, online stores, and even Wi-Fi networks that demand an email and name prior to joining. Alternative ID reduces how much of your identifiable information is available online, and you can take things a step further with Alternative Number.

Alternative Number masks your real number and creates a new one. This comes in handy when filling out online forms or being asked for your contact details in person, and ultimately reduces the risk of being caught up in smishing attempts, robocalls, or instances of identity fraud. Alternative Number is a paid extra that you'll need to add to your plan. It's $2.49 a month, and, as only US numbers are available, folks in the UK (and elsewhere) may not be able to use the tool throughout their everyday browsing - especially if region-specific sites require local phone numbers.

Override GPS is another mobile-specific tool exclusive to Android. It allows you to match your phone's GPS location to the location of the VPN server you've joined, ensuring that your physical and digital locations match. So, if you'd prefer that these apps didn't track your actual GPS location at all times, or want to use a different app that's only available in an overseas location (like Pandora - which would otherwise be inaccessible to Americans who travel outside the country), activating Override GPS completes the spoofing process.

Surfshark's Cleanweb tool is equally impressive. It blocks ads, video pop-ups, and cookies, saving your mobile data (which is handy if you have a limited plan) by not displaying them. During our testing across iOS, Android, and desktop, we saw Cleanweb block 84% of ads – though ExpressVPN beats it by blocking 90%.

Streaming is another area where Surfshark excels, acing all of our unblocking tests, accessing all of today’s most popular streaming platforms without prompting anti-VPN notices. Surfshark’s speeds are also the fastest that we’ve recorded. The WireGuard protocol came in at 950+ Mbps, ensuring that our HD and 4K movie marathons weren't interrupted by buffering. Plus, with servers in 100 countries, frequent fliers will always have access to servers back home to keep up to date with regional shows, sports, and news.

ExpressVPN’s advanced protection suite is also available on both mobile platforms – blocking ads, trackers, and malicious sites. In addition to boosting your online security, this also preserves your mobile data by not displaying ads and pop-ups that might otherwise eat it up.

Both mobile apps have access to ExpressVPN's password manager, ExpressVPN Keys. It generates strong passwords, remembers them for you, and stores them in an encrypted vault. ExpressVPN Keys also auto-fills forms for you when shopping or signing in to accounts, so you can fly through the payment or log-in process. NordVPN has its own password manager, NordPass, though you'll need to subscribe to the pricier Plus or Ultimate plans in order to gain access to it. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, includes ExpressVPN Keys in all of its subscription tiers.

Unfortunately, ExpressVPN's iOS app is missing split tunnelling – but this is the case with most iOS VPN offerings. Apple's strict privacy restrictions are to blame, here, and it means that iPhone users won't be able to determine which sites and apps use the VPN tunnel and which don’t. This could be frustrating if you want to isolate your banking app from the VPN tunnel so you can access it without triggering security questions and not disable ExpressVPN entirely.

ExpressVPN's streaming performance, however, is flawless. We've never encountered any issues when tuning in to Netflix and other popular sites while connected to an ExpressVPN server. This is thanks to ExpressVPN's server network spanning 105 countries, as well as Lightway speeds of 898 Mbps. That's not as quick as NordVPN or Surfshark (both recording speeds of 950+ Mbps), but we didn't notice a difference in our day-to-day streaming when switching between providers.

Proton VPN's built-in ad blocker is available for both iOS and Android, and blocks ads, malware, and pop-ups, saving you bandwidth and mobile data by helping pages load more quickly. In our testing, we knew exactly where to put this tool to the test, and headed straight for X and Instagram on our iPhone, where we’re usually beset by ads. The good news is that we didn’t see any while using NetShield.

We're glad to see core VPN tools included in Proton VPN's mobile offering - including a kill switch. Android users need to enable the Always-on option in the Android settings menu, whereas iOS users can open the Proton VPN settings and toggle the kill switch on (or off) manually.

We like Proton VPN's Profile feature - in theory. It allows you to save custom connection settings for easy access in the future, including the specific server (location and type), the protocol used, and whether ad-blocking is enabled. Mobile users could therefore create a profile for shopping, using the secure OpenVPN protocol and a local connection point, then another profile for quick access to their favorite streaming platform, using WireGuard and a location-specific server. However, VPN newbies might have trouble navigating the techy menu to create a profile. We found the interface cramped and sometimes hard to parse; a lot of variables are displayed in the feature panel, and repeatedly selecting options from dropdown menus didn't feel as intuitive on mobile devices as it did when using profiles on desktop.

Proton VPN is one of the quickest VPNs we've tested, coming in at 950+ via the WireGuard protocol. Our streaming experience was reliably smooth, too, as we had no trouble accessing popular platforms without triggering any anti-VPN warnings or experiencing constant dips in picture quality. However, we did run into an instance where we needed to disable the ad blocker to access content on C4, which could be an issue if you're relying on mobile data and don't want ads to eat away at it while you're enjoying your favorite shows.

Android users have access to a split-tunnelling feature called "Per App Settings", which allows you to choose which apps use the VPN tunnel and which ones bypass it. Excluding your non-sensitive information from the VPN tunnel reduces VPN server load and, in theory, improves the overall performance of the VPN, which comes in handy if you're using your mobile device to stream on the go with limited data. Unfortunately, however, iPhone users miss out on this tool.

We also noticed a bug when testing PIA on our iPhone. Sometimes, the connection status we saw on the home page didn't match the actual connection status of the VPN – sometimes we weren't connected to a server, though the app claimed that we were. This is an issue, especially if you don't realise you aren't connected to the VPN and go on to use insecure public Wi-Fi and transmit sensitive payment or personal details over the network – where they could be intercepted by bad actors. Until this issue is fixed, it's better to double-check your connection status before making any on-the-go purchases.

Both iOS and Android apps have access to a kill switch, which is good news, and Android users simply need to enable the "Always-on" option in their device's settings menu. This puts PIA in line with NordVPN and Proton VPN, both with Android apps that utilize the Always-on tool rather than an option built into the VPN. The iOS equivalent can be found in PIA's settings under "Privacy features", and takes a tap to enable.

PIA isn't as quick as the other VPNs in our list, coming in at 436 Mbps using WireGuard, but this is still way more than you need to enjoy HD and 4K streaming content on your mobile device without stuttering. PIA also has servers in 91 countries, giving users plenty of choice when it comes to spoofing their location.