10 Best FREE VPN apps for Android & iPhone
If you are using public WiFi or open WiFi networks then you are exposing yourself to hackers. You must secure your online activity and transactions by using paid or free VPN apps for your Android or iPhone device. Use a VPN when on public WiFi networks or even on a personal network for an extra layer of security.
VPNs help you communicate securely and protects from snooping. All your communication happens through a secure encrypted tunnel. VPNs also let you access geo-restricted content or content that is available to specific locations or countries. It also helps in bypassing the WiFi login page and censorship.
After testing more than 30 top VPN apps for Android and iPhone (iOS) we shortlisted 10 best free VPN apps for both Android and iPhone. Now, let’s discuss each VPN app in detail so you can decide which one fits the bill for you.
Page Contents
Top 10 FREE VPN apps for Android & iPhone
- Hotspot Shield
- Windscribe
- ProtonVPN
- Tunnelbear
- Speedify
- Hide.me
- PrivateVPN
- Avira Phantom VPN
- Surfeasy
- VyprVPN
**Note – I have ranked the free VPN apps in order of overall performance while security being the utmost priority. These VPN apps may not give a lot of data but offer the highest level of security allowing you to do online shopping and transactions with confidence.
I have also included some free unlimited VPN for Android & iPhone at the end i.e. there will be no data or bandwidth limitations. Check out if you are looking for a free VPN with unlimited data and bandwidth.
Now, let’s discuss each app in detail.
1. Hotspot Shield
This VPN is not only on our list but many reviewers have crowned it as the #1 free VPN for Android and iPhone. The free version limits data usage to 500 MB per day i.e. 15 GB monthly which is good enough for a free VPN app.
Hotspot Shield uses military-grade encryption so if your primary concern is security then just install it now!
Initially, it starts with a 7-day premium trial which requires your credit card details. After 7 days if you don’t want to go for the premium version then you can continue with a free version with the above-mentioned limitations.
The free version will have ads and assigns one country for you which you can’t change while the paid version has 25 countries to choose from.
The app gives the confidence to do transactions even on a public WiFi network without worrying about security.
2. Windscribe
Windscribe is a new name in the VPN domain but has quickly gained fame because of its no-log policy, military-grade encryption and a built-in malware and ad blocker. You get 10 GB monthly data and an extra 5 GB per month by tweeting the company.
The free version lets you choose from 10 server location while the paid version has more than 50. Windscribe doesn’t store any user data except the username and the amount of data sent and received but this is deleted within 3 minutes of ending the session.
3. ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is one of the best free VPN apps for Android or iPhone as even its free version offers unlimited data and bandwidth. Use as much data as you want without worrying about anything. ProtonVPN offers 256-bit encryption and 3 server locations in the free version while the paid has over 36.
Free users get low priority in speed and unlimited speed for pro users. The free version was able to unlock USA content like Netflix US and other services. So, it’s worth trying if you want to watch USA content.
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4. TunnelBear
McAfee owned TunnelBear offers amazing security like deep packet protection and 256-bit encryption. The only drawback in the version is that it offers only 500 MB per month. Yes, 500 Mb for a month, it’s really less compared to other free VPNs listed. But the kind of security it offers is unmatched and the free version has limitations on speed and bandwidth as well.
5. Speedify
The best feature of this VPN app is that it combines your WiFi and cellular data for the best possible speed and user experience. Though testing has revealed many times that the performance change is not that significant but still better than most free VPN apps.
It uses 128-bit encryption which is not on par with industry standards but still good for daily usage. The free version offers 5 GB per month data which is kind of okay for a free VPN.
6. Hide.me
Hide.me offers military-grade encryption and no logs policy for best security. Though the free version offers only 2 GB a month data which is low but browsing can easily be done. You get to choose from 5 server location.
The app has a good security feature which lets you decide which apps to run when not connected to the VPN. If you happen to use any unsafe apps then you can block them from the app for better safety of your device.
7. Avira Phantom VPN
This is another decent free VPN for Android and iPhone. The only app on our list that offers you to connect to any of the server locations. The free version offers most of its features that the premium version offers except for a few exceptions.
Avira VPN has decent security and good privacy for users but the free users only get 500 MB of data each month.
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8. SurfEasy
SurfEasy VPN comes integrated into the Opera browser and you can even download it from the play store if you don’t use the Opera web browser. The free version lets you connect to 5 devices simultaneously and can connect from 1000 servers located in 25 countries.
Though the free version has a data limit of 500 MB per month which quite less but if you use Surfeasy from the Opera browser then there is no data limit. SurfEasy is one of the best free VPN apps for Android if you use it from the Opera browser itself.
9. VyprVPN
VyprVPN provides top-notch security and more than 700 servers located in over 70 countries. Though the free version has a data limit of 1 GB after which it will ask you to upgrade. The good thing is that the 1 Gb data you get, doesn’t have an expiry date. Even the free version has a lot of privacy settings and tools which further improve security.
10. Betternet
Betternet uses 256-bit encryption which is industry standards. The free version has a data cap of 500 MB per day which is great for a free VPN app. We found that this VPN couldn’t unblock streaming websites.
Overall it is worth trying if you need a bit of more data regularly.
Here we come to the end of our list of best free VPN apps for Android and iPhone. Don’t go back! As mentioned in the starting if you kinda heavy user then 500 MB or even 1 GB per day won’t be enough. Not everyone does sensitive stuff all the time so we can use a slightly less secure VPN than the above mentioned to browse regular stuff.
Best Free Unlimited VPN for Android & iPhone
Now let’s see best-unlimited VPN apps for Android and iPhone i.e. The VPN apps which are free as well as offer unlimited data to use.
Free Unlimited VPN for Android & iPhone
Touch VPN [Android]
Super VPN [Android | iPhone]
Speed VPN [Android ]
Hola Free VPN [Android | iPhone]
Turbo VPN [Android]
Easy VPN [Android | iPhone]
Psiphon Pro [Android | iPhone]
All the above-mentioned VPNs have unlimited data so you can consume content without any interruption. These were some of the best free unlimited VPN apps for both Android and iPhone.
That was all we had on the best free VPN apps for Android and iPhone. If you use any other VPN app which you feel is equally good or better than the above-mentioned apps then let us know in below in the comment section.
I’ve used VyperVPN before and it worked well, not great but well. Once I could’ve afforded to pay for a VPN I’ve chose nordVPN, they have a lot of servers and a good amount of review sites chose them as #1.. The price is really good as well. But if you don’t care about money, then ExpressVPN is good to. (never used them, only read good reviews though)
I agree with you Pharryl but we have restricted our article to free VPNs only. We will cover some best performing paid VPNs in a different post soon!