We have checked out all the best VPNs for your Android phone or tablet, and highlighted a selection of popular services including the likes of PureVPN and CyberGhost VPN.
BEST FOR STREAMING
NordVPN
You can’t go wrong with Nord. It’s a well-known and reliable VPN that has over 5,000 servers worldwide and doesn’t track your activity.
Many people resist the urge to get a decent VPN for their Android phone or tablet. Why bother with an extra app just to get online, now that online connections are ubiquitous?
Over time, however, the scenarios in which you might need a VPN become more common. You could need to check what a site looks like from another geolocation, or test something that isn’t available in your country. What often acts as the final straw is being unable to watch some of your favourite TV shows while travelling.
A VPN provides an additional layer of privacy when connecting to the internet. It’s like using a private tunnel to browse the web, keeping you safe from prying eyes and enabling you to surf as if you were connecting from a server in a different place. Typically, all you need to do as a user is install the app on your smartphone or tablet, start it up, choose a server location, and then you can just continue browsing as usual.
Choosing which VPN provider to go with, however, is both easy and incredibly difficult. There are hundreds of options to consider, but it’s very hard to test how reliable they are in different scenarios. So below, you’ll find a list of some VPNs, both free and paid, that are just plain good. We’ve checked out everything on offer and highlighted a selection of the best providers, including popular names like PureVPN and CyberGhost VPN.
These are the best VPNs for your Android device in 2020.
PureVPN
Android users can profit from the customisable modes used to optimise their connection.Your connection is based on what ‘mode’ you select. Some of the options include streaming, ‘internet freedom’, privacy, file-sharing, and dedicated IP modes.
Some Android users might actually find this a bit limiting, but all your activity is kept private no matter what mode you’re in, and that’s the most important thing. The dedicated IP mode helps deal with some of the speed issues VPNs frequently face, too.
PureVPN also has many of the other features you expect to get from a VPN, such as the ability to change your location, and in-built protections against malware, viruses, and ads. You can get all of that for just £2.64 a month for a 12-month plan.
CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost makes staying protected on your Android device easy.CyberGhost might be easy to use but that doesn’t mean it’s not on par with other options on this list. Users have access to 3,600 servers in over 60 locations around the world, with unlimited bandwidth and traffic. This makes for reliable streaming, but some users have said connections can be slower than with other VPN offerings.
CyberGhost’s best-value subscription is available for just £2.10 a month. It also offers a generous 30-day money back guarantee and there’s a seven day trial.
NordVPN
You can’t go wrong with Nord. It’s a well-known and reliable VPN that has over 5,000 servers worldwide and doesn’t track your activity.NordVPN says it offers over 5,000 servers worldwide. It lets you connect six devices at the same time, and it claims to keep no logs of your activities.
Unlike Opera, NordVPN isn’t free, but here’s the bad news: It’s very, very hard to find a decent VPN that’s free. NordVPN does have some pretty sweet long-term deals, like a three-year subscription for £82.40. This might sound like a lot of money out of the gate, but divide it into monthly installments, and it’s just £2.29 per month.
Note: NordVPN has announced that it suffered a breach in March 2018 when a hacker exploited an insecure remote management system at a Finnish data centre from which the company was renting servers. Fortunately, this isolated attack affected just one NordVPN server — and thanks to its strict no-logging policy, no user activity was compromised in the incident. Click here to learn more.
ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN’s network is small but its offering is strong.Android users can choose from ProtonVPN’s Basic, Plus, and Visionary annual plans, with each one offering a different package of features.
ProtonVPN has a lot of advantages over the competition. It’s Switzerland-based for a start, meaning your data is shielded by Swiss privacy laws, which are some of the strongest in the world. ProtonVPN also has a no logs policy meaning none of your data can be revealed to third parties. Other than that you are also getting a kill-switch, DNS leak prevention, and more.
The Basic plan is now down to just £3.02 a month. You still get access to the service all around the world, on two devices, with high speeds, and peer-to-peer networking.
Tunnelbear
This VPN offers a simple and fun user-interface that’ll show your connection through cute animations.The app is free, but it only gets you a monthly 500MB, which will be enough for a little bit of work but definitely won’t do for video streaming. If you want more, you can get a paid account with unlimited data. The two tiers offer the same deal, but the former will cost you £7.89 monthly while the latter is paid on a yearly basis for £47.28 (which works out to a monthly price of £3.94 a month).
Opera
Opera is a free and quality VPN that doesn’t skimp on security.And if you just skimmed over that paragraph above, let me repeat the important bit: It’s free. It costs you nothing to try it out, and with Opera’s reputation, you don’t have to worry about getting your phone infected by malware. The app also offers a built in ad blocker and the ability to determine the security level of the WiFi network you’re connected to.
Opera won’t give you the amount of versatility you’ll get from paid options, though. There are only five virtual locations to choose from, and torrenting is not supported.