Best iPhone VPN of 2023

Apple puts a strong emphasis on security, knowing that it’s tantamount to a good user experience. The company has a reputation for the strong security of its products, so most people who purchase an iPhone expect a certain level of protection. Still, that base protection can always be improved upon if it’s simply not enough for you or you’re looking to bolster your privacy. 

That’s where using a solid, well-tested VPN, or virtual private network, comes in. Without a VPN, your internet service provider can still track your browsing habits on both MacOS and iOS, and websites can collect your IP address. By itself, an iPhone can’t stop either of those things from happening, but the best VPN for iPhone can. 

While not every VPN service is going to pair flawlessly with iOS, Apple-focused VPN apps are becoming more and more popular among the top VPN providers. That means your iPhone VPN options are better than ever before. 

Over the past few years, the market for mobile VPNs has been booming, according to the most recent trend reports available. The VPN market was estimated at $49 billion in 2022 by Precedence Research, which expects that market to grow to $359 billion by 2032 — an increase of seven times over the next 10 years. We strongly urge you to avoid using a free VPN, as they almost always come with unforeseen risks and they’re limited in their usefulness. Instead, it’s in your best interest to stick with a tried-and-true paid VPN whenever possible. That’s what you’ll find here in our guide to the best iPhone VPN apps. 

One caveat is that there are currently some limits to the privacy that VPN clients provide to iOS users. Recent independent research showed that iOS (and some MacOS) users’ browsing and internet data may be sent to Apple despite the protections offered by an encrypted VPN tunnel. We’ll continue to update our VPN recommendations as more information emerges about this issue.

This list is essentially a subset of our main best VPN list, but specifically focuses on VPN clients for anyone looking for mobile browsing protection for their iPhone or other iOS device. If and when a service is ranked higher here than on our main VPN list, it’s because the mobile app experience was superior. (You can check out our recommendations for the best Android VPNs, too.) Keep in mind that this is an evolving list: We’re actively working on more research and hands-on testing, so check back regularly as we expect this list to change periodically. Here are the top VPN apps for iPhone that we’ve tested.