Best VPN apps – from NordVPN to Surfshark

Which are the best VPN apps to use in 2022? Good question. More and more people are starting to discover the importance of internet privacy as the workings of internet algorithms become more widely understood. Of course, these days, a pretty sizable number of us browse the internet using their mobile phones rather than their desktops, and if you’re using your phone, you’re going to want to use an app, right?

The best VPN apps will give you the features of leading VPN providers in the palm of your hand. If a VPN provider is forward thinking enough to ensure that all of their services are mobile-friendly, then that also sends a message that they might be forward thinking enough to protect your privacy even as the internet landscape changes and evolves as time goes by.

Of course, there are an awful lot of VPNs these days, and to make your life easier, we’ve picked five top VPN providers who also offer their services through an app. Each of them offer a slightly different list of benefits, so each of them will appeal to different groups of people, but we’ve given a little overview to help you decide which is best for you.

The best VPN apps

Download the NordVPN app

NordVPN

This VPN provider has been able to cement itself as one of the most recognisable VPN brands since it was founded ten years ago. The reason it’s become so popular, is because it genuinely offers a really solid service, with countless internet users owing their continued digital privacy to it.

NordVPN uses the WireGuard protocol, which means that it encrypts your data much more quickly than many other providers. Meanwhile, it has a kill switch in place which severs your connection if the VPN drops for even a second, meaning there’s no risk of those private data-hungry algorithm monsters swooping in at a weak point – this is especially good for anybody who might travel around a lot, connecting to free wi-fi points along the way.

Download NordVPN on Android.

Download NordVPN on iPhone.

Get TunnelBear

TunnelBear

TunnelBear is pretty great if you’re looking for a free VPN, except that it limits you to 500MB of data per month. While this might be too small an allowance for some people, if you only want to use it when you’re out and about, using public wi-fi, then this may be more than enough.

What sets TunnelBear apart from many other VPN providers, is that it has an annual security audit (with the results published publicly online), so if privacy and security is your number one priority, then this could definitely be the provider for you. Plus, it has a respectable over 2,600 servers in 49 countries, and it is one of the more affordable options as well.

Get Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access is a great choice for anybody working with a tight budget, because not only are its rates a little cheaper than you’ll find with certain other providers, but its a top notch service too. Don’t fool yourself into thinking this is a second rate VPN because its cheaper, because they’re easily one of the best.

It allows for up to ten simultaneous connections, which should be enough for most busy households, and it has a selection of more than 35,000 servers to choose from across 78 different countries. Add built-in ad-blocking functionality to the mix, and you know you’ve got something pretty swanky.

Get Surfshark

Surfshark

Is Surfshark called Surfshark because it’s the cool surfer dude of the VPN community? Well, that’s probably not what they had in mind, but it has to be said that they’re offering something that’s pretty special – in part because it allows you to have an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. That’ll cover even the largest households, and with a seven day free trial, customers have plenty of time to get to grips with it before they enter their payment details.

With connection speeds of 2x10Gbps per server, this could be a fantastic way to avoid artificial slowdown from your internet service provider when you use a lot of bandwidth. If you stream on your phone a lot and find that you’re often having to deal with really poor quality video, you might find that switching to a VPN like Surfshark makes a huge difference.

Get Cyberghost

Cyberghost

Next up, we have Cyberghost, a VPN provider that seems to try and one-up the others in small little ways. For example, while a 30-day money-back guarantee is pretty standard for a VPN, Cyberghost gives you a 45-day money-back guarantee, giving you a whole month and a half to decide whether or not you thought it was worth your money.

Meanwhile, with servers in over 90 countries, it also beats many competitors in terms of the number of different regions that are available through the service, even if Private Internet Access does beat it in the sheer number of servers. Using spilt-tunnelling, you’ll even be able to set some apps to connect through the VPN, while others connect locally. After all, nobody wants to access their banking app through a server halfway around the world.

Need more guidance on the right VPN for your phone? Check out our guides on the best mobile VPNs, and the best VPN for Android for more information.