The 4 best VPN services for iPhone and iPad in 2022

NordVPN specifications:

NordVPN is one of the more popular VPN offerings on the iPhone App Store. Installing NordVPN on the iPhone is simple, painless, and predictable performance across regions.

Also: Our review of NordVPN

It has a number of tools in addition to its VPN service. NordVPN's Onion over VPN enables TOR capabilities, it supports peer-to-peer file sharing, and its Double VPN service allows you to connect through a second server, adding an extra layer of protection. You can also set up a dedicated IP address for an additional fee.

Also: Our interview with NordVPN management on how they run their service

One shortcoming of its iOS (and macOS) app is that you'll have a bit less flexibility with the kill switch. For Android and Windows devices, you can disable the NordVPN's kill switch, but with Apple products, it's always running in the background. Also, Apple devices don't have access to split tunneling, which allows you to include or exclude specific apps or sites from the VPN connection.

In addition to iOS, NordVPN runs on all of the most popular platforms. NordVPN performed sufficiently well in testing with a reduction in speed that you'd expect to see with any VPN service.

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ExpressVPN specifications:

The ExpressVPN app supports iOS back to iOS 12. So as long as your iPhone or iPad is running on iOS 12 or higher, you'll be able to use ExpressVPN. In addition to iOS, it supports all of the major platforms, and there are also browser extensions for Edge, Chrome, and Firefox. Gamers can even set up ExpressVPN on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.

Further reading:

If you want the most options for countries to connect through, ExpressVPN has server locations in 94 countries – more than any other service provider on this list. In terms of performance, ExpressVPN ranks among the fastest VPNs, so it shouldn't reduce your connection speeds as much as your average VPN. 

ExpressVPN doesn't maintain browsing history logs, but it does keep track of some information, such as the dates you connect and the location of the VPN server you connect to. The details of what is and isn't logged are clearly stated in ExpressVPN's privacy policy.

Top offer: Get 3 extra months free.

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IPVanish VPN specifications:

At first glance, IPVanish VPN may seem like a standard generic VPN service, but there's more than meets the eye. IPVanish has depth and plenty of configuration options.

Also: Our IPVanish VPN review

IPVanish VPN has a large array of protocols, so you'll always know what to expect regardless of what you're connecting to. Its app has an abundance of configuration options, and there is an extensive range of server selection options.

IPVanish provides even more iOS support than ExpressVPN, supporting devices back to iOS 11. That provides support for iPhones back to the iPhone 5s, the iPad mini 2, and the original iPad Air.

We found IPVanish to be exceptionally fast. However, it wasn't able to hide that I was connecting through a VPN. That said, IPVanish's data transfers were secure, and it provides a good user experience as long as you're not trying to obscure your VPN connection.

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Surfshark VPN specifications:

Surfshark VPN is an affordable and reliable service. In our review of Surfshark, we didn't find any information leaks and, in our tests, it performed as well as NordVPN in terms of speed. But, anecdotally, we sometimes found the connection times to be a touch slower. The company doesn't skimp on security, it offers AES-256-GCM, RSA-2048, and Perfect Forward Secrecy encryption. Surfshark supports devices running iOS 10.3.3 or higher.

Must read:

Surfshark has a solid array of features including, ad and tracker blocking, data breach scanner, and multihop connection (connecting through two servers). That said, certain tools aren't available for iOS devices. If you want to use the Bypasser tool (Surfshark's split tunneling feature) you'll need to use the Windows or Android app. And its GPS override is currently only an option for Android devices.

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We selected NordVPN as our best VPN for iPhone and iPad. With over 320k ratings in the Apple App Store, it's also one of the most popular VPNs for Apple devices. NordVPN has an easy-to-use app that reliably performs well. It also supports P2P traffic and has built-in features such as its Double VPN and an option to purchase a dedicated IP address.

Although we have an opinion on the best VPN for iPhone and iPad, your personal preferences and individual situation can also factor into the decision. If you need a VPN for more than five or six devices, then you'll want to prioritize VPN services with unlimited connections, such as IPVanish or Surfshark. But if speed is most important then you'll want to take a look at ExpressVPN.

The nice thing about all of the selections for our best VPN for iPhone and iPad list is they all have a 30-day money-back guarantee. A month should give you enough time to test any of these VPNs, see which features you love, and make a decision based on your personal experience.

We analyzed the best VPNs for iPhone and iPad below using the following criteria that we felt were most important in helping you make an informed decision:

Other than our four best VPNs for iPhone and iPad, there are other services that can get the job done. Here are a few alternative options that are secure and reputable, but didn't quite make our best list.

AtlasVPN is our top cheap VPN and at $1.89/mo, it's even less expensive than Surfshark. CyberGhost VPN has an extended 45-day money-back guarantee period. Proton VPN made our best VPNs of 2022 list thanks to its array of add-on features and strong reputation.