The Best Android VPN in 2023

Android devices are incredibly popular worldwide, but they also require protection. This has led to a high demand for Android VPNs. Whether it’s for security or improving your mobile experience, using an Android VPN is crucial.

Since Android is owned by Google, your personal information, such as credit card details and email addresses, can be accessed by them. The unsettling fact is that Google can track your real location through your IP address, even if your GPS is disabled. This discomforts many users.

Either way, the best VPN for Android will help you minimize the risk of data and device hacking. A VPN for Android is a flexible security tool that secures your browsing activity, helps you get around firewall-enforced censorship restrictions put in place by your government, and removes restrictions that streaming services impose on their content region-wise.

So if you want to know what is the best VPN for Android? No matter which version of Android phone you are using, to help you choose the best VPN for your Android device, we have put together a list of some of the best VPNs easily available on Google Play Store. These VPNs have been selected based on their performance, security features, and user reviews.

To top it all off, all the best Android VPNs come with a 30-day money-back guarantee so if you’re on a tight budget or only require a temporary VPN on your Android device you can try these.

Why Do I Need a VPN on Android?

You need a VPN on Android because it safeguards your online privacy, bypasses censorship, and enables access to your preferred streaming content while you’re away. So, having a VPN app on your Android phone is essential. If privacy is your main priority, it’s advisable to utilize web portals instead of apps when accessing services.

If security is your concern then you need a VPN on Android. A VPN for Android encrypts the data that routes to and from your device, protects your app information, and enables you to access your preferred streaming services while you’re away from home.

Other reasons why you need a VPN on Android are as follows:

• WiFi risks. Since plenty of personal data is sent to your phone, hackers are interested in targeting this information. There are dangers associated with using public Wi-Fi, such as the spread of malware or the leaking of private information. A VPN shields your traffic from such threats by encrypting it.
• Bypass Streaming Geo-restrictions: Some content and websites may be restricted in certain regions. With a VPN, you can bypass these restrictions and access content that may be otherwise unavailable in your region. Suppose you want to access different libraries of Netflix, you can connect to a VPN server and easily access US Netflix from anywhere.
• Encrypts your Finance Activities: Smartphone online banking apps are common, but if you use them, your financial data will be sent over the Internet. When you make online purchases using shopping applications like Amazon and AliExpress, there is a comparable risk. Even while these applications may employ their own encryptions, a VPN can assist ensure that your data won’t be stolen.

Considering excessive interaction and activities on Android devices, it is high time to get a VPN that can encrypt your activities and data.

The Best Android VPNs – In Detail Analysis 2023

Here are the 5 top picks for the best VPN for Android apps. The below-listed top Android VPN apps are not only affordable but also secure. We have shortlisted these best VPN services after thoroughly testing 150+ VPNs on various criteria like servers, compatibility, performance, and privacy.

1. ExpressVPN – The Best VPN for Android Phone

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Android, with a 4.6-star rating on Google Play Store. Thanks to its amazing performance, usability, and speed, ExpressVPN is our top pick as the best Android VPN. It may not be the cheapest, but it’s definitely the fastest VPN at the moment.

ExpressVPN supports Android 5.0 and later versions with an easy-to-use interface. Check how you can install ExpressVPN on Android. It is easy to install and is ready within minutes.

The ExpressVPN Android App is easy to use

ExpressVPN has over 3000 servers available in 105 countries, making it easy for you to stream and torrent as much as you like. It is one of the best VPNs for streaming that works with various platforms like Plex, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock TV, Netflix, and more. We enjoyed watching different content on ExpressVPN with Netflix on our Android phones.

As for speeds, during the ExpressVPN speed test, we observed excellent download speeds of 87.78 Mbps and upload speeds of 42.22 Mbps on a 100 Mbps connection. These ultra-fast speeds not only enhance your overall internet experience but also you can enjoy high-speed torrenting without any compromise. making the ExpressVPN Torrenting combo a seamless and restriction-free option.

These speeds were enough for unrestricted streaming and browsing on Android.

As for security, ExpressVPN follows a strict no-logs policy that ensures no data collection and activity observation to preserve user privacy. The ExpressVPN kill switch feature prevents data from being exposed when the connection drops.

Additionally, it comes with security features like 256-bit AES encryption and DNS leak protection. It also implements secure tunneling protocols like OpenVPN, Lightway, IKEv2, and more. OpenVPN, renowned for its reliability and robust encryption, serves as the linchpin of ExpressVPN’s commitment to ensuring your online safety. If you’re in search of the best VPN for OpenVPN, ExpressVPN distinguishes itself as the prime selection, emphasizing both performance and security.

ExpressVPN ensures seamless port forwarding capabilities, allowing techy users to optimize their online experiences, particularly for applications like gaming, remote access and peer-to-peer file sharing. With its user-friendly approach and reliability, ExpressVPN is considered as a top VPN with port forwarding feature.

ExpressVPN app is entirely adjustable thanks to a split tunneling feature that allows you to include or exclude VPN-routed apps or websites. Also, ExpressVPN has a Threat Manager for your Android smartphones that prevents trackers and other malicious activities.

Moreover, this best mobile VPN app will help secure mobile banking on Android along with your phone apps and personal data. With the help of its MediaStreamer feature, you can stream on big screens by setting up ExpressVPN on Android TV and other smart TVs. Also, Its user-friendly desktop app makes it one of the best VPNs for Windows. Also, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Overwatch if you want to play on an Android device. Enjoy lag-free gaming and secure connections while dominating the competition on your Android with ExpressVPN.

Looking to enjoy your favorite streaming platform while traveling? ExpressVPN is the best VPN with servers in Vietnam if you’re traveling to Vietnam and are craving your trending shows and movies.

To summarize, ExpressVPN was tested to be the best VPN app for Android. It costs from $6.67/mo (Black Friday Deal: Grab 3 Free Months + 49% OFF 12-Month Plan) and offers 5 multi-logins with a 30-day refund policy.

Moreover, you also get an ExpressVPN free trial for 7 days on your Android device. They also offer 24/7 customer support so you can obtain assistance at any time of the day or night.

Read our ExpressVPN review blog for more information.

2. Surfshark – Budget-friendly VPN for Android

Surfshark is the most budget-friendly VPN for Android phones costing only $1.99/mo (Get 86% + 3 Months FREE on 2-Year Plan). So, if you’re looking for something that offers great performance but is also super affordable, then Surfshark on Android is just what you need.

It is the best cheap VPN for Android with a 4.2 stars rating on Play Store and great reviews on Reddit. If we talk about compatibility, Surfshark supports Android 5.0 and above and can be installed on devices like Android smartphones, Android TVs, and pretty much any device that runs Android OS.

If you’re a non-native English speaker, Surfshark has you covered there, too, as it supports 10+ different languages.

Surfshark offers 3200+ server locations in 100+ countries. Using this extensive network of servers, you can unblock various streaming services such as Netflix US, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ with Surfshark.

As for speeds, the VPN turned out to be quite fast, as per our Surfshark speed test. The VPN offered a fast download speed of 81.32 Mbps and an upload speed of 76.12 Mbps on a 100 Mbps connection.

Using these speeds, we could enjoy Surfshark on Android.

Surfshark’s dedicated Android app has features like CleanWeb, Kill Switch, Whitelister, MultiHop, and the usual military-grade 256-bit AES encryption. Surfshark also guarantees zero logs with an audited privacy policy which is super impressive. It is also the best VPN with HackLock to prevent all sorts of hacking attempts on your Android device. Apart form Android devices, Surfshark also serves as the best VPN for Xiaomi, because of its robust security features.

It has also introduced a dedicated IP feature that allows you to use the same IP address every time which makes section and blocking by geo-restricted services even more unlikely. When used in tandem with the GPS spoofing feature, you can ensure that your true location can never be traced via your Android device.

Surfshark offers unlimited bandwidth and unlimited simultaneous connections. In addition, all Surfshark plans come with a 30-day refund policy, and there is also a Surfshark free trial for 7 days on Android. this VPN also offers one of the best Black Friday Deals. Surfshark also offers 24/7 customer support via live chat so you never have to wait for assistance in case something goes wrong.

Read our detailed Surfshark review for more information.

3. NordVPN – Secure VPN for Android

NordVPN is the most secure and safe VPN for Android in the industry. Based in Panama, NordVPN has various stringent features to maintain user privacy and security, along with a solid 4.5 stars rating on Play Store. It is also the fastest VPN for Android.

NordVPN has an easy-to-use interface, offering compatibility with numerous Android OS-based devices. It smoothly integrates with Android smartphones, Android boxes, and Chromebook devices running Android 5.0 and advanced versions.

You can also use NordVPN with Android TV. We love the fact that its dedicated Android app supports 9+ languages facilitating users worldwide.

The VPN offers 5500+ servers in 60 countries, providing ideal services for streaming, gaming, and browsing with your Android device. Change your IP address with NordVPN via its obfuscated servers and use NordVPN for torrenting or for binge-watching popular streaming services like Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix with NordVPN.

As for NordVPN’s speed test, it delivers a download speed of 83.82 Mbps and an upload speed of 44.64 Mbps. This means that you can perform all your favorite activities without lag, making it a strong VPN for Android.

These speeds were fast enough for streaming on Android.

In addition to that, this VPN is built-in with security features like split tunneling, NordVPN kill switch, 256-bit AES encryption, DoubleVPN, CyberSec, and Onion over VPN. The revolutionary Nordlynx technology also ensures that your connection with NordVPN is faster than ever before. The threat protection lite feature on Android ensures that you are always protected against the latest threats without slowing down your device.

It is one of the most encrypted VPN services that can ensure ultimate online security, privacy, and data protection even on a public Wi-Fi network through its two kill switches and other features. To comply fully with its no-logs policy, NordVPN uses Ram-only servers so that no information is actually stored.

Best of all, despite costing only $3.99/mo (Get 57% Off + 3 Months FREE on 2-Year Plan). The VPN allows you to connect to 6 devices simultaneously. All of its subscription plans also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 7-day NordVPN free trial on Android. You can cancel your NordVPN subscription if you think it’s not suitable for you.

Read our full NordVPN review to get more information about this strong VPN for Android.

4. CyberGhost – User-friendly VPN for Android

CyberGhost is the most user-friendly VPN for Android users, with a 4.3 stars rating on Android Play Store. It’s simple navigation and one-click connectivity make it a great choice for all novice and advanced VPN users on Android.

As far as app compatibility is concerned, CyberGhost can run on any Android device running OS version 5.0 and up and supports 11 languages. It offers easy-to-use for all Android apps for smartphones, tablets, and Android TVs.

In CyberGhost apps, you will find dedicated servers for streaming, torrenting, and gaming, making server selection much easier. In addition, it features a trendy app with a dark interface.

CyberGhost offers 9700+ server locations in 91+ countries to help you stream any content you could imagine from anywhere in the world. CyberGhost works with popular streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Sky Go, Crunchyroll, and more.

As for speeds, CyberGhost tested to be faster than multiple VPNs in the industry. In our CyberGhost speed test, the VPN delivered downloading speed of 75.47 Mbps and an uploading speed of 69.34 Mbps on a 100 Mbps connection.

While these speeds were fast, they couldn’t be compared to the VPNs above.

If we talk about its security features, with CyberGhost, you get an automatic kill switch, 256-bit AES encryption, ad-blocker, IP/DNS/WebRTC leak protection, and split tunneling, among other features. It allows you to choose between the OpenVPN and Wireguard protocols, has an auto-connect feature so that you are never online unprotected, and has a built-in content blocker to protect you against threats hidden in different media files.

Price-wise it is quite affordable. You can get CyberGhost for as little as $2.11/mo and use it on seven devices simultaneously.

Moreover, you also get a 24-hour CyberGhost free trial and a 45-day money-back guarantee on your Android device, so if you cancel CyberGhost you can have a full refund. In case the CyberGhost app is not working, you can contact its support which is available 24/7.

Read our CyberGhost VPN review guide for more information.

5. Private Internet Access – Best Android VPN app with a Massive Server Network

Private Internet Access offers one of the largest server networks with 35000+ servers in 84 countries. As for the Play Store rating, PIA VPN has a 4.4 stars rating.

If we talk about compatibility, PIA VPN works on all devices running Android 5.1 or up. In terms of usability, Private Internet connection Access is super user-friendly and offers 10 multi-logins to users.

PIA offers an extensive server network to its users. With these servers, accessing any blocked service like torrenting and streaming seems like a piece of cake. Speaking of which, PIA is the best VPN for torrenting, thanks to its SOCKS5 support.

The speeds of this VPN are pretty fast as well. During our PIA speed test, it offered a fast download speed of 65.78 Mbps and an upload speed of 57.16 Mbps on a 100 Mbps connection.

Using these speeds, we faced no buffering on our Android device.

Similar to IPVanish, Private Internet Access also operates from the US. However, it promises not to keep any user logs. As for security features, it comes with split tunneling, a kill switch, 128/256-bit encryption, DNS leak protection, and a MACE feature which includes a bunch of cool options like malware, tracker, and ad blocker – making it one of the best VPNs with ad blockers In USA. To top it all off, it offers a Multihop feature.

Price-wise, PIA VPN is quite affordable but slightly more expensive than most other VPNs on this list. Its cheapest plan starts from just $2.11/mo . And with every subscription plan, you get the freedom to connect ten devices simultaneously and a 30-day refund policy on PIA VPN free trial period.

In case your PIA not working on an Android device, you can get in touch with their customer support which is available 24/7 via live chat.

Read our PIA VPN review for more information.

How We Tested the Best VPN for Android

In the past few years, Android device usage has grown enormously. To help Android devices bypass geo-restrictions and handle privacy issues, several VPNs are available on Google Play Store. Finding the best VPN from all technical aspects is difficult.

We have compiled a list of VPNs with a balanced set of services to outperform in all domains below:

• User-friendly Android App: First off, ensure the VPN you’re getting offers a dedicated app for Android that is easy to install and use. You should avoid getting VPNs that require manual configurations. Instead, it should have apps for various devices and smartphone models running on Android OS.
• High Speeds: The most important criterion for the best VPN app for Android is speed. You don’t want to wait for hours to upload files or for the videos to load. So, it is important to choose a VPN that offers a high-speed connection.
• Security and Privacy: We have chosen those VPNs that include a kill switch, split tunneling, Dark Web surveillance, enough protocols, specialized servers, and an ad blocker to provide an extra layer of security. A reliable VPN for Android will never keep any of your personal information, including your real IP address. That’s why all providers in this list provide a strict or audited no-logs policy.
• Simultaneous connections: The VPN you choose should support a minimum of 5 devices per VPN account so that you can secure multiple devices simultaneously. Similarly, it should also be compatible with various platforms and routers.
• Ability to bypass geo-blocks: Make sure the VPN you choose can bypass geo-restrictions and firewalls. It should also work with all major sites like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, and more.
• Customer Support: The best VPN should offer 24/7 customer support with a live chat feature so that you can get help in case of connectivity or technical issues.

Comparison Table – Best Android VPN of 2023

If you’re still having trouble deciding which best VPN Android apps to get for your device, you can check out the table below to quickly compare the features of all of the VPNs covered in this blog.​

VPNs
Ranking	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Rating	4.9 out 5	4.7 out 5	4.6 out 5	4.4 out 5	4.2 out 5
Best  Subscription Plan	$6.67/mo	$1.99/mo	$3.99/mo	$2.11/mo	$2.11/mo
Android Compatibility	Android 12, 11, 10, Pie (9), Oreo (8. x), Nougat (7. x), Marshmallow (6. x), and Lollipop (5. x)	Android 5.0 and above, smartphones, Android tablets, Smart TVs, API versions 21 and later	Android 5.0 and above	Android 5.0 and above	Android 5.1 and above
Split Tunneling	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
IP Addresses	Dynamic	Dynamic, static	Dedicated, static	Dynamic	Dedicated, dynamic
Streaming	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and More	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and More	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and More	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and More	Netflix, BBC iPlayer,  and More
Torrenting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Jurisdiction	The British Virgin Islands	Netherlands (Part of FVEY)	Panama	Romania	USA (Part of FVEY)
Money-back guarantee	30 days	30 days	30 days	45 days	30 days
More Info
	Visit Site	Visit Site	Visit Site	Visit Site	Visit Site

Is there a free VPN for Android?

Yes, there is a free VPN app for Android called ProtonVPN. It is one of the best free VPNs for Android and provides a fast and stable VPN connection with unlimited usage. By using ProtonVPN, you can access your favorite websites, enhance your gaming experience, and maintain online anonymity. Download ProtonVPN now to enjoy a fast, private, and secure internet experience.

However, it is important to note that this VPN has a limitation: it provides only three free server locations—the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan. In addition to ProtonVPN, there are several other dependable free VPNs that seamlessly integrate with Android and are frequently acclaimed as the best free VPNs available in the market.

To obtain full VPN functionality and access to thousands of servers around the world, consider using a free-trial premium VPN service, like ExpressVPN, which will lay the full might of a high-quality VPN service at your disposal.

Android VPNs to Avoid

Knowing about the Android VPNs to avoid is equally important to learn which ones to choose. A bad decision can lead to disastrous consequences, costing you both financial and data loss. We present some VPNs that Android users must avoid in 2023:

1. Hola VPN:

Hola VPN uses devices as exit nodes for other users to pass their traffic. In addition, the provider has a bad history of selling idle bandwidth of users, which in turn greatly affects VPN connection speeds. Additionally, we found compatibility issues with our Android devices: outdated apps and complicated features are not easy to come by for a newbie VPN user. Read our Hola VPN review for more information.

2. HideMyAss (HMA)

HideMyAss has a bad track record as of 2011. Then, it collaborated with the FBI to track a hacker. HMA gave access to its dedicated  IP addresses and activity logs to the FBI, which were used to catch a criminal named Cody Kretsinger. It clearly shows that HMA stores user data and is not safe to use for privacy-focused activities. Read our HideMyAss review for more details.

3. Zenmate

Zenmate is not a safe VPN for Android because we detected DNS and IP leaks several times during testing. Moreover, its privacy policy rather seems dubious, as it renders us confused about which data is being logged or not. That is why it’s best to avoid this VPN service provider altogether. You can read our Zenmate review for more information.

FAQs – Best Android VPNs

Wrapping Up!

We hope that we have answered all the queries related to what is the best VPN for Android phones. Even though Android smartphones and devices have gotten way more powerful, they’re still susceptible to online threats and have to deal with the same geo-blocks as any other OS. This is where using a VPN comes in.

ExpressVPN is undoubtedly the best VPN for Android apps offering amazing compatibility with all Android OS, including the latest Android 11 and security features. It is also capable of unblocking almost all geo-restricted streaming platforms from anywhere in the world.

To unleash the full potential of your device, get the best VPNs for Android and reclaim your online freedom. ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free for 30 days.