Best VPN for Android 2023

The best VPN for Android will keep all of your mobile-based internet activities private and discreet. Our phones are one of the main ways that we access the internet these days, so it only makes sense for us to protect our privacy while we do so.

So which is the best VPN for Android? Well, good question. There are loads of VPN providers after all, and who has time to look over all of them? Apart from us (since that’s our job). To save you the arduous task of checking the details of an endless list of providers, we’ve picked out four stand-up choices for you to consider.

Below, we’ve got overviews of these VPN providers for you, detailing the unique benefits that each of them can provide. Our top pick is ExpressVPN (you can find out why below) and we’ve highlighted the benefits of the others too (e.g. which is the fastest VPN or which is the best cheap VPN). It goes without saying that each of these has its own dedicated Android app.

The best VPNs for Android are:

• ExpressVPN – best for Android
• Ivacy VPN – best price
• Surfshark – best for unlimited devices
• NordVPN – fastest VPN
• Atlas VPN – best free option

1. The best VPN for Android

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Android and its pricing works out as $6.67 USD or £6.03 GBP per month.

Pros:

• Servers span 94 countries
• TrustedServer system adds an extra layer of privacy
• Lightway protocol encrypts data really quickly

Cons:

• Costs a bit more than other popular providers
• Smaller server total
• No free trial

If you want the best VPN for Android, then our top recommendation is ExpressVPN, which is generally one of the best VPN providers overall. Part of this comes down to the fact that its 3,000+ servers span 94 counties, giving it a range unrivalled by most VPNs.

Admittedly, 3,000 servers is a lower total than you’ll get with a number of other providers, which means that you might face issues like server congestion more often. Still, that’s a relatively small chink in what is otherwise a nice, shiny suit of armour for your privacy.

Speaking of its servers, another reason ExpressVPN is so appealing is that it refreshes its IP addresses at a much more frequent rate than many other VPN providers. It also uses a selection of protocols (including Lightway, OpenVPN, and IKEv2) and then determines which one will be best to use in order to maximise performance for your network. It may be a slightly more expensive VPN service, but it’s a case of getting what you pay for.

2. The cheapest Android VPN

Ivacy VPN is the cheapest Android VPN and its pricing works out as just $1 USD per month.

Pros:

• Fantastic monthly rate, exclusive to our readers
• Military-grade 256-bit encryption
• Servers in over 100 countries

Cons:

• No free trial
• Slower when it comes to file downloads

For those who are seeking a comprehensive VPN package that’s as cheap as can be, we recommend Ivacy VPN. We have an exclusive deal for our readers that allows you to get five years of cover from this VPN provider for what works out as just $1 per month – that’s $60 paid in one go, and then no worries about VPN expenses for half a decade afterward. Gosh, you’ll probably change phones more than once in that period.

Its biggest weakness is that it can be a little slow when it comes to downloading files, especially larger ones. If you’re primarily concerned with being able to browse the internet privately, then this won’t be a problem, but if there’s a lot of content online that you want to download onto your phone, then there are other VPNs on this list that might be more appealing.

Still, Ivacy VPN offers a substantial service. With military-grade 256-bit encryption, it’ll keep your online search history as private as possible. Meanwhile, with over 5,700 servers spread out across over 100 countries, it has a larger range than any of the other providers mentioned on this list. Naturally, it also has super-handy Android app too.

3. The best VPN for unlimited devices

Surfshark is the best VPN for unlimited devices and its pricing works out at $2.30 USD or £1.83 GBP per month.

Pros:

• Allows unlimited simultaneous connections
• Seven-day free trial
• One of the more affordable options

Cons:

• Smaller server total than others
• Fewer server locations

Just as a shark has a seemingly unlimited number of teeth as you stare into its gaping maw, Surfshark allows you to have an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. That’s particularly handy for anyone who has a large household that they want to keep private online – and though you might expect that to be quite an expensive service, it remains a relatively cheap VPN, and one that has a VPN free trial for anybody who wants to test the waters before committing.

If you want to download region-exclusive games, or get region-exclusive bonuses in games you already play, this VPN should make it easy for you to do so. Meanwhile, as it is compatible with most major streaming services, we’d say that it’s one of the best VPNs for streaming too. You could use it to turn your phone into an international entertainment centre.

It’s worth noting that its servers span a smaller selection of countries than other providers, so if there are certain countries that you want to have covered by the service you’re using, then it’s worth checking the locations available on the Surfshark website to make sure they are covered. Nonetheless, though Surfshark’s selection may be modest compared to other leading providers, it still blows a lot of the smaller VPNs out of the water in this regard.

4. The fastest VPN

NordVPN is the fastest VPN and its pricing works out at $3.69 USD or £2.89 GBP per month.

Pros:

• Fastest VPN
• Works with most streaming platforms
• Speedy encryption with WireGuard protocol

Cons:

• One of the more expensive options
• No free trial

NordVPN is a provider that probably needs no introduction, but we’re going to introduce it anyway because we don’t want to make assumptions. Since its humble origins back in 2012, NordVPN has grown to become one of the biggest fish in the VPN pond, offering one of the fastest VPN services you’ll ever find.

Annoyingly, like most major VPNs, this is another one that doesn’t give you any kind of free trial, so you’ll have to fall back on the 30-day money-back guarantee if you need time to test it out. It also has to be said that this is definitely one of the more expensive VPN providers around, second only to ExpressVPN on this list.

NordVPN has over 5,000 servers across 60 different countries, and boasts really speedy download times, so it does justify the cost. This might come in particularly handy if you’re planning to use it to relocate yourself to other countries in Pokémon GO, where you’re not going to want to deal with lag as soon as a shiny regional Pokémon appears.

You can find out more about this provider in the NordVPN review on our sister site, PCGamesN.

5. The best free VPN

AtlasVPN is the best free VPN to use on Android.

Pros:

• No-logs policy intact on free plan
• Simultaneous connections allowed on free plan

Cons:

• Paid plan on the expensive side
• Paid plan has fewer servers and locations than others

Not everybody has room in their budget to pay for a VPN service, and if that’s the case for you, then you might want to consider using Atlas VPN. As a free VPN service, it might not have as many features to boast of when compared to the paid services, but that’s not to say that it doesn’t offer something pretty substantial.

If you’re not entirely sold on the idea of getting an Android VPN yet, then you could almost look at the free plan as a kind of trial. It’ll give you a taste of what using a VPN is like, but if the three free servers aren’t enough, and the monthly 10GB data cap is too restrictive, then you know it’s time to upgrade to one of Atlas VPN’s paid plans.

While the paid version of AtlasVPN is one of the few that can boast an unlimited allowance of simultaneous connections, it’s also one of the more expensive plans. Meanwhile, it’s also worth noting that its total number of servers and locations is significantly lower than the others on this list. It’s not a bad plan, but it definitely has its weaknesses.

We hope that this is a useful point of reference for anyone seeking out an Android VPN. We put this list together by carefully considering the strengths of the different providers and weighing them against one another, and against the needs of different Android users. ExpressVPN is our sincere top pick, but we understand that some of the other providers listed here may be more appropriate for some readers.

Still want to scope out the market a bit more? Check out our guide on the best mobile VPN for a more comprehensive list of suggestions. If you’re an Apple fan, you might find our guide on the best VPN for iPhone useful.