The best Android VPN apps to recover your online privacy and bypass geo blocks

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are among the best security tools a web surfer can have, especially in these trying times. You can use them to bypass regional restrictions and potentially improve your data privacy.

Whatever your reason for using VPNs, there’s little doubt that they’re a powerful and popular tool. To that end, here are the best Android VPN apps you can download, many of which offer at least a free trial. We also linked a video just above that explains what a VPN is in case you want to know more about how they work.

The best VPN apps for Android:

ProtonVPN

Price: Free / $9.99 per month / $71.88 per year

ProtonVPN is a unicorn when it comes to VPN apps. It hits all of the desirable features. The app boasts unlimited use, a range of servers in various countries, and a robust no-logging policy. It’s among the best for those who are concerned about privacy.

ProtonVPN also offers the best free VPN service out there and should be good enough for most people, but you can also opt for a monthly or yearly subscription. These increase the speeds, number of available servers, number of devices, and even Tor support. It’s top-notch in terms of privacy, and we would put this toward the top of our recommendations.

Windscribe VPN

Price: Free (15GB per month) / $1 per month per location / $9 per month for unlimited locations / $49 per year

Windscribe VPN is an above-average VPN app. It boasts a decent free version with a 15GB data cap per month. That should be more than enough for the occasional public Wi-Fi or airport connection. As you’d expect, the pro version removes the cap. Other features include a strict no-logging policy and the usual VPN encryption goodness.

The premium version has no data caps, unlimited connections, and servers in 63 countries. It worked perfectly fine during our testing, and most Google Play reviews are positive as well.

A unique Windscribe feature involves building your own plan by paying just $1 per month per location. Throw in another dollar for unlimited data and this option is very economical if you don’t need to change your location frequently.

Atlas VPN

Price: $10.99 per month / $39.42 per year / $71.49 per 3 years

Atlas VPN is a solid VPN that works pretty well. Most use this one to bypass regional streaming restrictions, and it seems to work quite well for that kind of stuff. The app has servers worldwide, so you can choose the ones you want. It also has a simple, friendly UI along with a safe browsing function and a kill switch that prevents things from using the Internet in the event of an Internet disruption. The company has a no-logging policy for better user protection and privacy. It has no free trial anymore, but you get a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Betternet VPN

Price: Free / $12.99 per month / $95.88 per year

Betternet is one of the more decent VPN apps. The speeds are okay. It maintains a free model by showing video ads and sponsored apps. There is a premium version as well. They’re very transparent about how they make money and their policies. It’s refreshing. It also features a simple, one-touch interface.

Paying for premium access will get you access to more locations, no ads, faster speeds, enhanced support, and support for up to five devices.

CyberGhost VPN

Price: Seven-day free trial / $12.99 per month / $51.48 per year / $78 per two years / $89.31 per three years

In our CyberGhost review, we concluded that it is among the most popular VPN services out there for a reason. It offers a no-logs policy, well-performing servers, and access to over 8,000 servers worldwide. You’ll also enjoy up to seven simultaneous device connections and apps for every major platform.

ExpressVPN

Price: $12.95 per month / $59.94 per six months / $80.04 per year

ExpressVPN is another popular VPN service, and for good reason. It’s a fast, stable, and reliable VPN with plenty of features. You get IP address masking, over 160 server locations in 94 countries, apps for all major platforms, 24-hour live chat support, high-security encryption, etc.

F-Secure Freedome VPN

Price: Five-day free trial / $34.99 per year for three devices / $69.99 per year for seven devices / $89.99 per two years for seven devices

Freedome VPN by F-Secure has bounced on and off of this list multiple times over the years. It seems to have its stuff together right now. The app boasts everything you should need in a VPN, including unlimited bandwidth, and a surprisingly reasonable price tag.

It should be suitable for most VPN use cases, from checking your bank account on public Wi-Fi to streaming Netflix. This one has its ups and downs, but it’s super reliable, and the app works way better than it used to.

HotspotShield VPN

Price: Free / $12.99 per month / $95.88 per year

HotspotSield VPN may not be as popular anymore, but it has been in the game for a long time and used to be among the most popular services of its kind. It’s mostly known for its easy-to-use UI. You can easily pick a location and tap a button to turn the VPN on. It helps that there’s a free version of it, too.

Mozilla VPN

Price: Free / $9.99 per month / $59.88 per year

Mozilla VPN is by the same developers of Firefox (for those who didn’t already know). This one started out with some huge issues but has turned out to be a pretty good VPN. The app includes WireGuard encryption, and no tracking policy, quick one-tap activation buttons, etc. Mozilla also boasts a strict no-logging policy, which we consider the minimum when it comes to VPN data storage.

The $4.99 price tag (if paid yearly) gives you support for up to five devices, no bandwidth restrictions, and unlimited data. Mozilla is one of the most trustworthy companies on the Internet, and we assume they put that passion into Mozilla VPN as well. There are still some bugs the developers need to hammer out, though, as is evident by the reviews on the Play Store.

FeatherVPN

FeatherVPN stands out because unlike other services, it won’t slow your mobile or Wi-Fi connection down. While performance depends on many factors, most users see a 2-10x or greater boost in data speeds compared to not even using a VPN. FeatherVPN’s exclusive use of Badu Networks’ patented telco-grade WarpEngine-X optimization technology is the reason. Plus, FeatherVPN was designed from the ground up with mobile device performance and security in mind. With over 80% of internet traffic now coming from mobile devices, this focus is a no-brainer.

In addition to performance and security, VPN users are also concerned about privacy, since many VPN vendors track your activity and even sell your data. FeatherVPN doesn’t log your activity or collect your data, and what they don’t collect they can’t sell!

Combine FeatherVPN’s performance, security, and respect for your privacy with its intuitive user interface and clean and simple installation process, and you’ve got yourself a winner. It’s always-on, but it won’t drain your battery, because the FeatherVPN app is lightweight and only uses power when data is flowing. You can install it and then forget about it — and forget about your online privacy concerns as well!

Best of all? It’s free to try. And for a limited time, if you decide you like it, you can get 50% off your first subscription by using promo code FLYFAST50 on the FeatherVPN app! Try it out by clicking the button below and following the installation instructions.

NordVPN

Price: $13.99 per month / $83.88 per year

NordVPN boasts over 5,000 servers in over 60 countries and pretty decent speeds. The app has your usual VPN goodies, including a quick connect button for easy and quick VPN access, a strict no-logging policy, unlimited bandwidth (on premium accounts), and no geo-restrictions.

You can also extend your service to VPN extensions on Firefox and Chrome along with native desktop apps as well. You can try the service for free for a week. After that, the prices get a little steep. If you want to commit to this long-term, you save a bunch of money by paying by the year. NordVPN did suffer a data breach in early 2019, but the problem seems fixed now.

OpenVPN for Android

Price: Free

OpenVPN for Android is aimed at those already running their own VPN server. The app itself is based on OpenVPN Connect, another free client that has a lot of the same features. The interface is a bit more friendly than the official app. You’ll still need to learn how to set it up yourself, though. This app makes it look less confusing and more modular to help you make your way around.

At its core, OpenVPN for Android and OpenVPN Connect accomplish the same goals in similar ways, and they’re both free, so you can’t go wrong with either one. 

Signal Secure VPN

Price: Free / $11.99 per month / $35.99 per year

Signal Secure VPN (formerly VPN Robot) is another well-known VPN service. It offers over half a dozen countries to choose from. The main selling point is that it doesn’t require a username, login, or account. However, we couldn’t get a bead on their logging practices. It’s not available in China, for what that’s worth.

There is a free version with ads, or you can sign up for the premium version and remove ads. It takes a bite out of their forever-free sentence in the Google Play description, but the free version is still decent. This developer also has Snap VPN, which we suspect is the same app.

SurfEasy VPN

Price: $5.99 per month / $29.88 per year

SurfEasy VPN is one of the more flashy VPN apps. It has a lot of desirable features and the app has a strict no-logging policy. Additionally, it’s one of the few VPNs that explicitly support torrenting. Add 2,000 servers in 31 countries, and this is actually a feature-packed VPN. The prices are quite reasonable, and you get a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Surfshark VPN

Price: Seven-day free trial / $12.95 per month / $59.76 per year

You’ve probably seen Surfshark VPN featured on many websites and YouTube videos. It’s a top-rated service that has plenty to offer. Of course, you can use it to browse privately and hide your location, but it also has cool features like ad-blocking. Another great advantage is that you can connect an unlimited number of devices with a single account, and prices are very competitive.

Thunder VPN

Price: Free

Thunder VPN is one of the most beloved free VPN services. Even though it costs nothing, it offers a no-log policy, unlimited bandwidth, worldwide servers, and no registration requirements. You really can’t go wrong with it, but it has very few extra features.

TunnelBear VPN

Price: Free / $9.99 per month / $59.88 per year / $120 per three years

TunnelBear VPN is one adorable VPN app. It works like most VPN apps. You connect, it hides your location and your traffic, and that’s that. The free version gives you 500MB per month or 1500MB if you tweet at the company. You can upgrade to unlimited for $9.99 per month or $59.88 per year. That said, it’s not the cheapest VPN service out there.

The company has a no-logging policy as well as 256-bit encryption, two rather essential features. The free version is also an excellent choice if you just want to check your bank statements on public Wi-Fi. The premium version, meanwhile, is probably better if you want to use it for streaming or other intensive tasks. This is one of the most popular VPNs for Android, and it’s a good one.

VyprVPN

Price: Three-day free trial / $15.00 per month / $100 per year

VyprVPN is another popular option. It features servers in over 70 countries and the company also maintains its own hardware. Otherwise, it works as expected. You connect and then surf the web. You’ll have to pay for one of the premium plans to get more than a few days of use. Thankfully, it’s unlimited and you get a no-logs policy.

VPNHub

Price: Free / $13.99 per month / $83.88 per year / $119.76 per two years

VPNHub is one of the newer VPN apps for mobile. It boasts no bandwidth limits, so you can do basically whatever you want. However, you also have to pay for it as it has one of the most expensive monthly prices on the list. The good news is that Android users get a free version of it, and the basic features work very well. Getting the service to work on other devices and computers will require a premium subscription, though.

It works like any other VPN. You choose the server and country you want, connect, and then go about your business. It boasts servers in 60 locations worldwide, encryption, and cross-platform support.

Are you looking to use a VPN for more specific purposes? We’ve compiled a list of the best VPNs for every use case. Check it out to find the right service.

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