7 Best Free VPNs for iPhone and iPad in 2024 - TechNadu (2024)

When it comes to digital privacy, iPhones and iPads are among the safest devices ever built, but that doesn’t mean they can keep you 100% secure online. So, you might want to get a free VPN for an iPhone —after all, among those who use a VPN, 69% are mobile users. However, you should also know that free VPNs can come with quite a few limitations.

Most free VPNs have slow speeds and data caps, which is inconvenient if you’re planning to unblock and stream media content. What’s more, some free VPNs even log your data and sell it to third parties, which defies the very purpose of using a free VPN in the first place.

The best VPN for iPhone should keep your Web browsing data safe and provide a vast server network with ultra-fast speeds. That’s why we recommend using a premium VPN’s free trial, which is a great way to benefit from advanced security features in a secure manner.

In this article, we’re going to explain more about the best free VPN for iPhones and iPads, as well as walk you through how to use one. We’ll also provide on-point answers to some key FAQs at the end.

Let’s get to it!

How to Get a Free VPN Trial for iPhone and iPad

To get a free VPN trial, you need to sign up for it, download and install a VPN app on your iPhone or iPad, and connect to a server. Here’s how:

1. Sign up for a VPN trial (we recommend ExpressVPN's 30-day risk-free trial).
2. Download and install the VPN app on your iPhone or iPad.
3. Launch the VPN and log-in to your account.
4. Choose any server location you want to connect to.
5. Leave the VPN running in the background. That’s it!

You can reference our guide if you’re still wondering how to setup a VPN on your iPhone. You’ll find more detailed instructions there, covering several different setup methods.

Best Free VPN for iPhone

The best free iPhone VPN should have a strict no-logs policy to ensure it never collects or logs your data. It also needs reasonably fast connection speeds for lag-free streaming and gaming on your device. If you’re looking to unblock content from a particular region, make sure your VPN has a server in that country to overcome geo-restrictions. And, of course, you’ll want a VPN with a polished iOS/iPadOS app, which shouldn’t require much input on your part.

Based on the criteria listed above, these are the 7 best VPNs for iPhone and iPad:

1. ExpressVPN - Our #1-Rated Free VPN Trial for iPhones and iPads
2. NordVPN - Best Free VPN Trial for Extra Security Features
3. Windscribe - Best All-Rounder for iPhone and iPad
4. Proton VPN - Best Free iPhone VPN for Streaming
5. Hide.me - Best for Downloading and Uploading Files
6. Speedify - Best Free VPN App for iPhone for Low Latency
7. TunnelBear - Best Free VPN for Unblocking Content

1. ExpressVPN - Our #1-Rated Free Trial VPN for iPhones and iPads

ExpressVPN is the best free iPhone VPN trial due to its lightning-fast speeds and air-tight security. While many VPNs are notorious for offering slow connections, ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs thanks to its 10 Gbps server network. It also offers unlimited bandwidth, so you can stream all you want on your iPhone without worrying about hitting any data caps.

ExpressVPN also offers a no-logs policy to secure your browsing history and connection logs when using its server network. This means you leave no trace when you use ExpressVPN - no one can see your data because it’s not recorded anywhere.

With 3,000+ servers in 94 countries around the planet, you’ll always be able to find a server close to you for fast and stable connections. If you wish to unblock geo-restricted content, you can connect to a server in another region - as easy as that.

Also, this VPN uses military-grade 256-bit AES encryption to secure your traffic. You can confidently browse the Web on your iPhone or iPad using any unsecured networks at cafes and airport lounges. On top of that, you can also use ExpressVPN on 5 devices simultaneously.

ExpressVPN offers 24/7 customer support via multiple channels, including live chat and email. You can try out all these features with its 30-day risk-free trial period. So, ExpressVPN doesn’t come free, but you can use it for up to 30 days without any risk.

2. NordVPN - Best Free VPN Trial for Extra Security Features

NordVPN is a great choice if you want a free VPN trial that offers advanced features. For example, NordVPN’s obfuscated servers can hide the fact that you’re using a VPN, which lets you use sites and networks that usually block VPNs.

NordVPN has 5,500+ servers in 60 countries around the globe, giving you plenty of flexibility when it comes to choosing a server. It also has fast connection speeds through the NordLynx VPN protocol, which is an upgraded version of WireGuard.

If you want to take your privacy a notch higher, use the double VPN feature to route your data through two different servers. This makes it even harder for anyone to track your activities.

Like ExpressVPN, NordVPN has a no-logs policy that keeps your browsing data secure. It also has 256-bit AES encryption to protect your traffic. You can also benefit from NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature that safeguards against malware, ads, and trackers.

If you run into any issues, NordVPN provides 24/7 customer support. You can try it out with its 30-day risk-free trial to see if it’s a good fit for you. So, just like our first recommendation, this isn’t a free iPhone VPN. However, you can try NordVPN risk-free by relying on its money-back policy.

3. Windscribe - Best All-Rounder for iPhone and iPad

Few VPNs make it as easy to start browsing the Web securely as Windscribe does, especially when it comes to the iOS version. All you have to do in order to get started is to download the app and run it by selecting a server. No account is needed, and there are no intrusive ads to deal with either.

On the other hand, there are some sacrifices you need to make. One of them comes in the form of a monthly data cap that restricts you to 10GB of traffic every 30 days. That’s definitely a lot more than what most free VPNs offer, but it’s still not enough to binge through your favorite shows on Netflix, unfortunately.

As simple as the app is, there are some advanced functions as well, just in case you are tech-savvy enough to toy with them. One of these features is split tunneling, which allows you to carefully manage which apps have the right to bypass the VPN connection.

You are also limited in terms of available countries and servers, the bulk of which are reserved for premium users. Even so, there are around a dozen countries to choose from - a lot more than what we would expect from any free VPN for iPhone.

4. Proton VPN - Best Free iPhone VPN for Streaming

If your goal is to avoid data caps at all costs, Proton VPN is easily the best free VPN for iPhone. Unlike other VPNs on this list, you are not constrained by monthly traffic limits, which means you are free to watch movies, listen to music, and browse the Web without restrictions. All that while still being protected by a VPN.

That being said, this is still a limited free version of the service, so there are some restrictions. The most obvious drawback is that you are only allowed access to a handful of servers and only three countries. Thus, if you happen to be geographically far away from these countries, your speeds may suffer.

In fact, the free version of Proton VPN actively throttles download and upload speeds, so you should keep that in mind. This can prove to be a major annoyance if you are trying to watch high-resolution videos on YouTube or Netflix, although the speeds should not affect apps like Spotify or Pandora.

Many advanced features are missing from the free version as well. This is not an issue if you are not a power user looking for advanced settings, but it’s worth considering nonetheless. Lastly, the fact that you need an account in order to use the service means that you are limited to one active device at a time.

5. Hide.me - Best for Downloading and Uploading Files

Hide.me is a strong alternative to any other free VPN for iPhone or a free VPN for iPad, but unfortunately, it falls short in a few key factors. As such, it offers the same 10GB/month data allowance as most other free VPN apps for iPhone, but it takes away some of the liberty in terms of countries and servers to choose from. This won’t be an issue for many users since this is mostly a matter of geography.

The other inconvenience is that you have to create an account to use the app. This is not a major downside, but it’s obviously a lot easier to go for other VPNs if you can’t be bothered to remember credentials - or if you don’t want to give out your email address.

The good news is that there are no speed restrictions. You can make full use of your Internet connection while downloading files or streaming media, although you should probably abstain from doing the latter on account of the monthly data cap. At least you won’t have to wait too long for websites to load, and you won’t deal with lag in online video games.

Since you need an account, sharing it across multiple iOS devices is also not allowed. It’s difficult to imagine how 10GB could be enough for multiple devices anyway, so this shouldn’t be a dealbreaker.

6. Speedify - Best Free VPN App for iPhone for Low Latency

As we go lower down the list, the benefits start to shrink, and we start to understand why free iPhone VPNs are so rare. In the case of Speedify, the monthly data allowance is reduced to 2GB per month, which is barely enough to get you through a few GIFs per day if you like to visit Reddit too often.

On the other hand, Speedify lures you in with the fact that you have access to all the servers and locations available to premium users as well. This is definitely generous, and it’s actually a lot more useful than it sounds. Being able to select a country closer to your actual location has a tremendous effect on speed, which is not something you can count on in the case of the other free VPNs that offer a limited selection of countries.

Being one of the best free VPN for iPhone, the app itself does not require an account in order to use the free version. Keep in mind that you will be asked to start a free trial when you first install the app, but you don’t need to do that in order to keep using the free version indefinitely.

There are also a few useful settings that can be customized, although not as many as we would like to see. You can use the "Bypass" function to allow certain apps to circumvent the VPN, such as Netflix. You can also make use of a kill switch, as well as turn the encryption on or off if you are not concerned with privacy for some reason.

7. TunnelBear - Best Free VPN for Unblocking Content

While not a bad option per se, TunnelBear is at the bottom of our list of the best free VPN for iOS for a reason. It may be an excellent VPN service if you decide to pay for a subscription, but the big downside of its free version is the fact that you have only 500MB of data to work with for an entire month. That’s hardly enough for some light web browsing, so this may only be an option for people who are not big Internet users.

Another great use for such a restricted VPN is bypassing firewalls and accessing blocked websites. Even if you can’t do it for long on such a tight data cap budget, you can at least make sure that the VPN is capable of doing its job if you decide to go for a premium subscription in the future.

In terms of features, TunnelBear is not quite the most advanced free iPhone VPN out there. It certainly lacks a few things, but then again, it is not designed with power users in mind. In fact, the whole point is for everyone to be able to quickly set up a private connection, regardless of how much experience you have with VPNs.

You can also share the account between 5 different devices, although that's not an attractive prospect when you only have 500MB to work with. We certainly hope that TunnelBear will raise this limit in the future.

Why Free VPNs for iPhone and iPad Are Not as Good as Paid VPNs?

Free VPNs come with all sorts of hurdles and limitations. Their main goal is primarily to provide you with an easy way to evaluate the VPN capabilities. However, you can also keep using them indefinitely if the downsides are not too bothersome.

Here are some of the pitfalls you need to avoid while choosing a free VPN:

• Free VPNs do not put as much emphasis on security as paid services. Many advertise incredible speeds and low latency, but we all know how important security has become in today’s online environment.
• You will have to put up with intrusive ads. This can be very annoying, especially if these ads take up the whole screen and force you to sit and watch for a few seconds until the close button appears.
• The company behind the free VPN app may sell your data to third parties. Many apps collect data about your browsing and your device, then sold to advertisers.
• Bandwidth limitations restrict your ability to watch videos or listen to music. Free VPNs usually come with data caps, which are renewed every month. These caps are very restrictive - usually a lot smaller than what’s needed to watch an entire movie on Netflix.
• Many free VPNs rely on shady practices in order to appear more trustworthy. This takes the form of inflated scores and false reviews, which is why many of the top-rated free VPN apps for iPhones are not quite as good as they say they are.

These reasons may be enough to consider going for a paid VPN service. If that’s the case, our top recommendation at the moment is ExpressVPN, which offers a 30-day risk-free trial.

With ExpressVPN, you'll get premium-level VPN features and absolutely no restrictions. On top of that, its 30-day money-back policy comes without any questions asked. However, if you'd like to explore more options, head over to our guide on the best free trial VPN.

Free iPhone VPNs to Avoid

When looking for a free VPN for iPhone, make sure to avoid the bad ones that can compromise your privacy. Here are some of the ones to watch out for:

• XGate VPN: This one remained one of the most popular VPNs on the App Store for a long time. There were inconsistencies in the app, including links that would lead nowhere. After reports surfaced claiming the app was fake, it got taken down. If you still have the app installed on your device, it’s best to get rid of it immediately, as it can charge your credit card an exorbitant fee once the trial is over.

• Beetle VPN: This one seemingly offers you a free trial but is actually “fleeceware,” meaning it’s designed to charge you a hefty fee week after week. The app, with over 420,000 downloads on the App Store, misleads users into downloading it for privacy protection.

• Buckler VPN: This is another “fleeceware” app. Like other similar scams, it doesn’t come with malware but can drain your bank account if left installed. This VPN, with 270,000 downloads, was flagged by Avast for its reputation as a scam.

• Hat VPN Pro: With nearly 100,000 downloads on the App Store, this VPN was widely used until Avast flagged it as fleeceware too, reporting the app to Apple. It had very high ratings and even fake rave reviews that would mislead people.

Final Thoughts

A free VPN for iPhone can help secure your Web experience, unblock new apps, and ensure no one tracks your online whereabouts. However, free iPhone VPNs have limitations — while some log your data, others have terribly slow connection speeds.So, we recommend thinking twice before using a free VPN for iPhone.

We recommend ExpressVPN for its risk-free 30-day trial because it has zero limitations and gives you access to features like fast 10 Gbps connections and a global network. You can get a full refund within the trial period if you don’t find it useful, which we can’t imagine happening.

That's all for our guide on the best free VPN for iPhone. If you have any questions, let us know via the comments section below. Thanks for reading!