Best Android VPN Apps 2021
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If you love the idea of ​​getting a VPN – whether it’s protecting your online privacy, streaming geo-blocked content, or something else – you’re bound to want to use it on your smartphone.
Fortunately, any worthy provider will have a powerful VPN app to download. Provide a secure online connection – especially when using public Wi-Fi or a cellular network to browse the web – Android VPN will encrypt your personal data, as well as allow you to access geo-restricted apps, streaming content, and more. .
From easy customer support and easy-to-use interfaces, to smart security and extra features, we’ve rounded up the best VPN providers for Android, while keeping you focused on your mobile device.
How to choose the best VPN app for Android
There are a plethora of VPN apps on the Play Store, and many of them are… well, horrible. The ones we picked for this countdown combine tough security privacy policies with water resistance. Some providers have now started validating their apps through the ioXt Alliance as well, which gives even more peace of mind.
A dedicated Android VPN app should of course be as easy to use as possible. Make sure it supports your Android version, as at least most of them go back to Pie and usually later. Below we also explain which one is best for accessing Netflix abroad and other streaming content.
Also note: While you will find all the VPN services below in your Google Play Store, we definitely recommend looking at them closely and subscribing directly as you are likely to get a much better offer on each provider’s site. Keep reading to learn more about the best prices and features.
The 3 best VPNs for Android today:
5 Best Android VPN Apps in 2021:
(Image credit: ExpressVPN)
1. ExpressVPN
The best VPN for Android in every respect – and for almost anything else
Dedicated Android app: yes | Built-in lock switch: yes | Downloads: 10 million + | Also available for: Windows, Mac and iOS. Linux | Max devices: 5 | Play Store review: 4.4
Pleasantly designed Android app
Excellent speeds
Kill switch included
Great support and Lightway protocol
Would you like more device connections
Best VPN for Android 2021 – Get 3 months free with an annual plan
There’s a lot to like about ExpressVPN and its Android offerings. The dedicated app is very easy to use and straightforward, but it also offers a lot of advanced options.
Once installed, using the Express Android app is very easy – it’s not really different from the desktop version. That means a nice, clear on/off button and an easy-to-navigate server list – over 3000 in total, across 94 countries ranging from Albania to Vietnam. Moreover, the app is now available in a mix of 16 languages.
The app itself has some nifty options like an excellent location picker, insecure network detection, split tunnels, a list of specialized privacy tools and a kill switch to improve security. In fact, on the security front, it features 256-bit AES encryption and the Android app is now certified by the ioXt Alliance (more details on that at the bottom of this page). While the speeds we experienced using the app were consistently fast, especially when implementing the Lightway protocol.
In fact, for the security conscious, there is a whole list of privacy and security present in the app. It puts your mind at ease, lets you check the strength of your connection, tells you which IP address to connect to with the new Security Summary feature, and even acts as a secure password generator.
If the main reason to download a VPN app on Android is streaming, then again Express excels. It flew through our tests easily when we used it to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and more, as well as allowing us to watch our local sports coverage when we were abroad.
If you ever experience any difficulties with this VPN – whether it’s when installing the ExpressVPN Android app or while in use – their website features a wide range of helpful content and video guides, as well as 24/7 customer support via live chat. .
ExpressVPN isn’t the cheapest VPN out there, but there’s some excellent value you can get when you sign up for a 12-month plan: three additional free months and a full year of unlimited Backblaze cloud backup. So it might be worth the price for those who want the best Android experience, knowing that there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee to let you try it out 100% risk-free.
(Image credit: NordVPN)
2. NordVPN
A great app from one of the biggest names in the business world
Dedicated Android app: yes | Built-in lock switch: no | Downloads: 10 million + | Also available for: Windows, Mac and iOS. Linux | Max devices: 6 | Play Store review: 4.2
Double data encryption
good performance
Tons of app features
Audited no-logs policy
I’m still not keen on the map interface first
NordVPN is very popular with over 10 million downloads and a solid rating from Google Play. It features some notable strengths including “Double VPN” technology which passes your connection through two separate VPN servers, as opposed to a single server, for an extra layer of security. The service also boasts a “no logs” policy (it’s been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers at least) which means it doesn’t track a user’s online activity, which is now backed up on Android with the ioXt Alliance certification.
While the focus is clearly on security and privacy, NordVPN is not short on other areas. The Android app is easy enough to use and has a list of cool features like split tunneling, enhanced CyberSec malicious shield, the ability to automatically connect to NordVPN when you join a Wi-Fi network, and NordLynx’s fast protocol. The app also offers a live chat feature for 24/7 customer support. And although there is no such integrated kill switch, it is really easy to implement a similar tool in the settings. It’s easy to access additional private features like P2P and obfuscated servers too.
As far as we’re concerned, it’s time to take a look at the app’s view and ditch the default map system somewhat for choosing your location (although we note that you can do this via a more standard menu format if you scroll down). And why not just do a normal lock wrench without hoop jumping?
But in terms of the minuses, they are quite simple. And Nord’s overall strength when it comes to unblocking websites and overcoming streaming restrictions is almost unparalleled.
It’s reasonably priced too, and it has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you just want to try out the app before committing. The multi-year offer is clearly the better option in terms of overall value.
(Image credit: Future)
3. Surfshark
Easy to use and at a very good price
Dedicated Android app: yes | Built-in lock switch: yes | Downloads: 5 million + | Also available for: Windows, Mac and iOS. Linux | Max devices: unlimited | Play Store review: 4.0
Really Attractive Prices
Use it on as many devices as you want
Built-in GPS spoofing
A little slower than the competition
Surfshark is the obvious first choice for many thanks to its market-busting pricing (you’ll see that it ranks among our best cheap VPN guide). But don’t be fooled, because it really isn’t lacking in the quality department. This applies to the Android app as well.
Unlike a lot of other providers, Surfshark hardly changes the user interface from desktop to mobile. We suppose the sheer simplicity of its desktop rendering means that its developers have had little trouble translating to the smaller screen size. This means that you can easily access security features such as a dedicated kill switch, split tunneling, and a built-in malware blocker.
In such a crowded market it can be hard to come up with something truly original, but Surfshark definitely gives it a shot. It’s the only Android VPN app we’ve seen that includes a GPS spoofing feature, which enables it to return the coordinates of your chosen VPN server. Not something everyone will use, but a useful feature if you want, for example, to get a fake GPS location to play PokĂ©mon Go (although it does require some workarounds).
If you are Act Need support or discover a bug, it’s easy to upload support tickets directly from the app itself. But in our experience, you won’t use this function very often. Surfshark keeps things straight on mobile.
Assuming you want to use this VPN on your laptop, TV streaming device, router, and other gadgets as well, the fact that one subscription covers an unlimited number of devices will be music to your ears.
(Image credit: CyberGhost)
4. CyberGhost
A VPN with more powerful apps than the average provider
Dedicated Android app: yes | Built-in lock switch: no | Downloads: 10 million + | Also available for: Windows, Mac and iOS. Linux | Max devices: 7 | Play Store review: 4.1
The app is brilliantly designed
strong performance
Tons of servers
Time for an independent audit
Even in this day and age, some VPNs ignore mobile VPN apps and users end up getting less experience on their smartphones and tablets than they do on desktop. Not so with CyberGhost, whose developers have invested a lot of time and effort into producing an Android VPN equivalent to what you’ll find on your PC.
This means that you will not find yourself regretting the missing features on your Android device. CyberGhost lets you choose between OpenVPN and WireGuard, with a toggle to automatically connect when your smartphone accesses an unsecured Wi-Fi connection.
Beyond the basics, we like that the app brings a few (although admittedly unnecessary) extras like Content Blocker – a great addition to any Android antivirus, which blocks domains that might lead you into the dark doors of malware and trackers. . Split tunneling is also in this app, and while there is no dedicated kill switch built in as such, an easy solution allows you to have one.
CyberGhost has a massive number of servers, with the current number exceeding 7000. Another area that the smarts in its back room seem to have focused on is the connection speeds of those servers. When we ran WireGuard using 1Gbps in the UK, we recorded top speeds of 860Mbps. This is, frankly, incredible and sets a high standard for others to follow.
There’s still room for improvement here to rise even higher among the elite few Android VPNs – we’d love to see CyberGhost join its competition and bring in some independent auditors to tell us just how private your data is. But we do not imagine that you will be disappointed with the performance of the application.
(Image credit: Future)
5. Private Internet Access
It strikes a balance between performance and price
Dedicated Android app: yes | Built-in lock switch: yes | Downloads: 5 million + | Also available for: Windows, Mac and iOS. Linux | Max devices: 10 | Play Store review: 4.4
Large list of settings
cheap plans
24/7 support is now available
Not the best for banners
This Private Internet Access Android app is easy to use with plenty of options and settings that you can tweak.
The list of features is immediately impressive: automatic connection, key-lock. snooze, favorites lists and a handy set of contact status details to help you keep track of your activity. Add to this port forwarding support, proxy support, and UDP and TCP protocol settings, you can specify local and remote ports, choose custom encryption and handshake methods, and even vibrate the phone to indicate when you’re connected. “Fully functional” so don’t come close!
Despite all that, the app is very easy to use, with a large on/off button in the middle of the screen, and a region/IP address at the bottom. The performance wasn’t flabby either, and the privacy policy is also favorable.
The PIA rating of PIA users on the Play Store has dropped recently – some Android users have found the latest updates…
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