Android has the largest base of smartphones, making it a pool of attacks that lead to problems including data leakage, phishing, and other threats. According to recent findings by E&T, over 1 Billion Android devices are vulnerable to attacks.
Therefore, the privacy of your android smartphone is more critical than just assuring freedom to surf the web. You must keep it secure and avoid unnecessary attacks by using simple VPNs.
Most of the top VPNs have a dedicated VPN app for Android phones, while some of the less popular VPNs let you connect to their servers via manual configuration.
The best VPN for Android keeps your data encrypted, meaning no one, including your ISP or mobile network provider, can look through your data. So, getting a mobile VPN app is a practical idea.
However, the host of VPNs available often make finding the best VPN app for Android challenging.
To help you out, in this listicle, we will go over the top best VPN apps for Android.
Want Security Fast? Find The Perfect Best VPN for Android At A Glance!
ExpressVPN – Top VPN for speed
IPVanish – Excellent app with consistent speed
NordVPN – Best all-round mobile VPN
CyberGhost – Best VPN for beginners
Surfshark – Best budget-friendly VPN
PureVPN – Excellent P2P support
Why You Need A VPN on Android
Your smartphone is constantly connected to the internet, and tons of data is exchanged between your device and others as it syncs your emails, receives or sends messages, and updates your social media profiles.
Your data is prone to interception by hackers, and sensitive information such as your credit card details are freely accessible to anyone.
The risk of getting hacked gets amplified when your smartphone connects to an open Wi-Fi network.
Additionally, streaming services sometimes geo-block content on their platforms, restricting your access to it based on where you live. Using VPN, you can access Netflix, Kodi, and other streaming apps without any geographical restrictions.
Getting a VPN will not only keep you safe from hackers, but it will also help unblock blocked content from the streaming platform of your choice.
However, a VPN gets you a lot more than just unrestricted access.
Getting the right VPN can help you access confidential files from your company’s online drive safely from your phone without the risk of you getting attacked.
Most VPNs also have lower latencies than the typical network, which makes for lag-free video calling and buffer-free streaming.
What to Look for In A VPN For Android
The first thing you should look for is a quality native application for the VPN. It vastly improves your experience and enables easy server selection and configuration.
VPN security and speed are the next two parameters that determine how good of an experience you will have on Android. Needless to say, the faster and safer the VPN, the better your experience.
You must also ensure that there are plenty of servers in your area, else you may need to connect to a server that’s far away, which may increase latency.
6 Best VPN for Android
#1 ExpressVPN
Top VPN for speed
Pricing and Key Features
- One-year subscription– $8.32/month
- Six-month subscription – $9.99/month
- Monthly subscription – $12.95
- Number of Servers: 3000+
- Server Locations: Over 160
- IP Addresses: 30,000 and counting
- Maximum Devices Per Connection: 5
Bottom Line
The application is super user-friendly and straightforward, and it also gives you easy access to advanced options. ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Android.
Well designed features like the location picker make connecting to a server exceedingly simple, and the insecure network detection and the kill switch feature ensures that your data is secure at all times!
#2 IPVanish
Excellent app with consistent speed
Pricing and Key Features
- Two-year subscription – $3.70/month
- One-year subscription – $6.49/month
- Monthly subscription – $10
- Number of Servers: 1400+
- Server Locations: 75+ locations
- IP Addresses: 40,000 and counting
- Maximum Devices Per Connection: 10
Bottom Line
The IPVanish app is easy to use and packed with great features that give you an extraordinary amount of control over your browsing experience. IPVanish is the best VPN for Android.
IPVanish boasts impressive download speeds, ensuring that you don’t encounter any buffering or lagging when you stream content or video call!
#3 NordVPN
Best all-round mobile VPN
Pricing and Key Features
- Three-year subscription – $3.49 per month
- Two-year subscription – $4.99 per month
- One-year subscription – $6.99 per month
- One-month subscription – $11.95
- Number of Servers: 5,550 and counting
- Server Locations: 59 countries
- IP Addresses: NA
- Maximum Devices Per Connection: 6
Bottom Line
The NordVPN app is super popular, with over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store. The 4.2-star rating fortifies its reputation further. As far as ratings go, it is arguable one of the best VPN for Android.
The app has some notable strengths, such as the “Double VPN” technology that passes your data through two VPN servers as opposed to one, which gives you an additional layer of security!
#4 CyberGhost
Best VPN for beginners
Pricing and Key Features
- Two-year subscription – $2.75/month
- One-year subscription – $4.89/month
- One-month subscription – $12.99/month
- Number of Servers: 6500+
- Server Locations: Servers in 90 countries across 112 locations
- IP Addresses: NA
- Maximum Devices Per Connection: 7 simultaneous connections
Bottom Line
You can use the app’s built-in streaming profile to unblock content on services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Since there’s also a dedicated torrenting profile, you will be able to fetch any file you want without any hassles or speed issues.
The app has an intuitive interface, making it an excellent choice for a VPN beginner, and the fact that it has over 10 million downloads and high ratings only make it a prime contender for the best VPN for Android.
#5 Surfshark
Best budget-friendly VPN
Pricing and Key Features
- Two-year subscription – $1.99/month
- One-year subscription – $5.99/month
- Monthly subscription – $11.95
- Number of Servers: 1,700+
- Server Locations: 63 countries and counting
- IP Addresses: NA
- Maximum Devices Per Connection: Unlimited
Bottom Line
Surfshark has added a lot of customers to its base of late, mainly due to its market-shattering pricing.
Unlike a lot of other VPN companies, Surfshark’s user interface remains consistent across all devices. There is very little difference in design and features between the Desktop and the Android version of their application.
The interface is simple and makes connecting to servers super easy, and features like the dedicated kill switch, split tunneling, and the integrated malware blocker ensure that your internet browsing experience is safer and more optimized. Surfshark is the best VPN for Android.
#6 PureVPN
Excellent P2P support
Pricing and Key Features
- Six-month plan – $8.33/month
- One-month plan – $10.95
- One-week trial – $0.99
- Number of Servers: Over 2,000
- Server Locations: 180+ locations across 140 countries
- IP Addresses: 300,000 and counting
- Maximum Devices Per Connection: 10
Bottom Line
PureVPN is based in Hong Kong, which is a state that has no data retention policy. Your data is not logged, and therefore all of your online data is safe. PureVPN is the best VPN for Android.
The embedded anti-virus, malware protection, intruder detection and protection, the VPN hotspot feature, and the internet kill switch feature proactively protect you from attacks and your data from tampering!
Comparison
Here’s a quick comparison table of the best VPN for Android.
| Product | ExpressVPN | IPVanish | NordVPN | CyberGhost | Surfshark | PureVPN |
| Lowest Price (monthly) | $8.32 | $3.70 | $3.49 | $2.75 | $1.99 | $8.33 |
| 500+ Servers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| P2P Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Trial | No (risk-free 30-day trial) | No (30-day money-back guarantee with every plan) | No (risk-free one-month trial only) | Yes | No (30-day money-back policy) | No ($0.99 one-week trial available) |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 24/7 support? | Live chat | Live chat 24/7 | Live chat | Live chat 24/7 | Live chat | Live chat |
| Netflix unblocking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Simultaneous connections | 5 | 10 | 6 | 7 | Unlimited | 10 |
| One tap connect | Yes | Yes | Yes | Swipe to connect | Yes | Yes |
FAQs About VPNs For Android
Q: What does “Zero logging” mean?
A: There are two different types of logs that VPNs can maintain: connection logs and usage logs.
Usage logs keep track of your online activity, the website you visit, and the identities you use.
Connection logs comprise of the metadata of your connection – the time you connected to the VPN, how long your session was, how often you connect to the VPN, and the amount of data consumed.
Usage logs are more compromising, but most VPNs don’t store these. It is conventional practice for VPNs to store connection logs for a limited time for troubleshooting.
If the VPN provider does not mention deleting connection logs, you should steer clear of it.
Q: How to set up a VPN on Android without the app?
A: VPN settings come included in the Android OS by default, and you can use them to connect to your VPN.
To set up the VPN, first, go to your device’s settings and navigate to the “Network & Internet” menu.
Next, find the “VPN” option and tap on it. Some devices may require you to expand a “More” menu to find this option.
Tap on the plus sign on the top right corner of the page. You will need to enter the VPNs name, the server address, and your username and password.
After entering all the details, tap on the “Save” button.
Q: How to use DNS and VPN at the same time on Android?
A: Regardless of if you’re using the VPN app or the built-in settings to connect to a VPN, you can go to the “Network & Internet” settings and set up a private DNS there.
DNS setup can also be done for individual Wi-Fi networks from the Wi-Fi settings, and you can also use a third-party DNS app to route your data to a DNS other than your default.
Q: Why should I pay for a VPN? There are free ones?
A: Free VPNs use their user’s data in their monetization model, and track and sell your data.
You’re better off with a paid subscription since they respect your privacy and perform better in general.
If you don’t need a VPN for daily use, you can get use the free trial from a reputable VPN provider. But if you do need a VPN for daily use, you must consider getting a paid subscription.
Getting a trustworthy VPN is the only way to ensure that online traffic from your phone remains safe.
There are tons of dodgy free VPNs on the Google Play Store that actually mine your data to make money.
With this list of the top best VPN apps for Android handy, though, you now know which VPNs you can trust!
NordVPN not only has one of the best-rated apps on the Google Play Store, but it also inherits all of the advanced features from the desktop application.
It boasts formidable speed and security, and if we were to pick one VPN from the bunch, we’d pick NordVPN. According to us, it is the best VPN for Android.
However, you may have a different lookout – you may need more simultaneous connections or want a more aggressively-priced VPN.
Gauging your priorities and setting your preferences: budget, accessibility, speed, and the like, and glancing over this list should set you up to make the best decision.
You will find the best VPN for Android in no time!
