The best VPN for iPad can do many things for you. First and foremost, it can protect your internet privacy. Why should your internet service provider (ISP) know you’ve been Googling “How to get a fork out of my nose”? But it’s not just about privacy, oh no, there is actually quite a long list of benefits.
The best VPN for iPad can also potentially boost your internet speeds, block annoying adverts, and maybe even help make the best iPad games even better. You may find that you get faster download times and less lag (if you’re playing online). Of course, being able to access the servers of other regions also means that you will be able to access content from your home country even when you’re travelling abroad as well. They can pretty much enhance your whole internet experience.
At this point, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Cool, so which one is the best? You haven’t mentioned a specific brand and that’s infuriating.” Well, our informed choice is ExpressVPN (for reasons we’ll get into below), but we understand that it won’t be for everyone, so we’ve picked out four other best VPN services too, each with their own unique strengths, which could also be considered among the best VPN for iPhone too.
These are our picks for the best VPN on iPad:
- ExpressVPN – best for iPad
- NordVPN – fastest choice
- PureVPN – most private choice
- TunnelBear – best free choice
- CyberGhost – best for streaming
It goes without saying that every one of the VPN service providers mentioned offers a dedicated app for Apple devices.
1. The best VPN for iPad
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for iPad.
| ExpressVPN features | |
| Locations | 3,000+ servers in 94 countries |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | No free trial |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 5 |
| Router support | Yes |
Pros:
- TrustedServer system provides an extra level of privacy
- Lightway protocol encrypts data really quickly
Cons:
- Expensive
- No free trial
We recommend ExpressVPN for anyone who’s after an iPad VPN. With more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries around the world (including Japan), there are a huge number of regions for you to connect through, which will come in handy for gaming, streaming, and anything else you might like to do on your iPad.
Want to play an online game, but there’s nobody online? By switching VPN servers, you might also be able to switch server in-game, potentially giving you access to players who are ready to game. On top of that, it’s also compatible with most streaming services, and with a kill switch in place, your privacy will be maintained if it drops even for a second. It’s a great option, no mater what you usually use your iPad for.
Of course, ExpressVPN is also the most expensive option on this list, but if you’ve got enough room for it in your budget, then you mustn’t let that deter you. It’s annoying that it doesn’t offer a free trial to give users an idea of the bang they’ll get for their buck beforehand, but it does have a 30-day money-back guarantee in place. Plus, as such a well-known and respected brand, there’s little reason to distrust it.
2. The fastest VPN for iPad
NordVPN is the fastest VPN for iPad.
| NordVPN features | |
|---|---|
| Locations | 5,308 servers in 60 countries |
| Services unblocked | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | No free trial |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 6 |
| Router support | Yes |
Pros:
- Fastest VPN
- Works with most streaming platforms
Cons:
- More expensive than most
- No free trial
No doubt, you will have heard of NordVPN before, and part of the reason that it’s been able to achieve such widespread popularity is that it offers a genuinely fantastic service. Indeed, with download speeds of 65.79Mbit/s, it’s also the fastest VPN. Since your ISP might be reducing your bandwidth for your iPad activities, everything might suddenly go a bit faster when you switch to NordVPN and your ISP can no longer slow thing down.
The main problems with NordVPN are pretty much the same as the main problems with ExpressVPN – namely, it’s expensive and there’s no free trial. It’s still cheaper than ExpressVPN, but a big enough service that you’d like to have a chance to try it before you buy it. At very least, you can fall back on the 30-day money-back guarantee.
With over 5,000 servers in more than 60 countries around the world, NordVPN gives you plenty of options (though admittedly, fewer than some others). Even if one of them goes down for a fraction of a second, then the kill switch kicks in and severs the connection so that none of your private data leaks out into the gaping maw of your ISP. By using the WireGuard protocol, it is even able to encrypt your data much more quickly than many competitors.
Read the NordVPN review on PCGamesN (our sister site) to find out more.
3. The most private VPN for iPad
PureVPN is the most private VPN for iPad.
| PureVPN features | |
| Locations | 6,500+ servers in 78+ countries |
|---|---|
| Services accessed | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | 7 days for $0.99 |
| Simultaneous connections | 10 |
| Router support | Yes, but only under PPTP and OpenVPN |
Pros:
- Regular third-party privacy audits
- Decent allowance on simultaneous connections
Cons:
- No truly free trial
- Router support limited to PPTP and OpenVPN
If privacy is your number one reason for getting a VPN, then you can’t go wrong with PureVPN. Part of what makes this provider so impressive is the fact that it uses military grade encryption, meaning that your iPad searches for “Richard Thomas without a shirt on” will be just as private as the messages in the government’s “Nuclear Missile Launch Codes & Bants” WhatsApp group chat.
It, like most providers, has a no-logs policy in place to assure customers that it is not keeping tabs on them. However, unlike most providers it regularly submits itself to third-party audits in order to conclusively prove that it can be trusted with your private data.
It also boasts a fairly decent number of servers (6,500) which is more than both ExpressVPN and NordVPN, and it covers an impressive number of countries too (78+). Combine that with an allowance of up to ten simultaneous connections, and you’re left with a pretty substantial VPN service.
PureVPN is also a fairly appealing for being quite a cheap VPN, although annoyingly, this is another one that doesn’t have a free trial. Once upon a time, you could take it for a spin without paying anything, but these days you have to pay $0.99 USD for the trial plan. In fairness, that’s a minimal payment that gets you a week of access, but even so, we understand to reluctance to enter your payment details on yet another site.
4. The best free VPN for iPad
TunnelBear is the best free VPN for iPad.
| TunnelBear features | |
|---|---|
| Locations | over 2,600 servers in 49 countries |
| Services unblocked | None |
| Free trial length | Has a free version that can be used indefinitely, but limited to 500MB of data per month |
| Money-back guarantee | None, refunds assessed on a case by case basis |
| Simultaneous connections | 5 |
| Router support | No |
Pros:
- No-logs policy intact on free plan
- Up to five simultaneous connection on one free plan
Cons:
- Measly 500MB allowance on free plan
- Limited selections on paid plan
Since iPads can be quite expensive, and VPN costs can be quite high too, it makes sense that you might want to go for a free option. If you do, you should give TunnelBear a go, because you can use it without spending a penny. Obviously, you’re not going to have the most comprehensive VPN service without paying, so you’ll only have a small handful servers to choose from on its free plan.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you use the free TunnelBear plan, then you will be limited to 500MB of data per month. It might not sound like much, but if you just want to make sure that certain sensitive activities remain private, or that you remain safe when using public wi-fi, then this should be absolutely fine. It does rather prohibit regular use, however.
Meanwhile, if you decided to upgrade to the paid plan, you’d find that it’s quite a lot more limited than the other services on the list. While that’s easily excusable when you’re not paying, a VPN with a smaller server total, with next-to no compatibility with streaming services, and a lack of streaming support is going to be a lot harder to justify. But if you don’t want to pay, TunnelBear is he best one.
5. The best VPN for streaming on iPad
CyberGhost is the best VPN for streaming on iPad.
| CyberGhost features | |
| Locations | 7,400+ servers in 91+ countries |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, Prime |
| Free trial length | Card-free for 1 day |
| Money-back guarantee | 45 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 7 |
| Router support | Yes |
Pros:
- Compatible with most major streaming platforms
- 45-day money-back guarantee
Cons:
- Slower than other top providers
- Free trial could be longer
Next up, we have this friendly spectre. CyberGhost is a great choice for anybody who does a lot of streaming on their iPad. With over 7,400 servers across more than 90 countries and compatibility with most major streaming platforms, it’s easily the best VPN for streaming on iPad.
The only real drawback is that it can be a little slower than certain other top providers. It’s not so slow as to ruin your internet experience, but it’s slower than speedsters like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, which offer lightning-fast services.
You’ll have plenty of time to decide whether or not this platform is right for you, too, because CyberGhost gives customers a 45-day money-back guarantee. If at any time during that period, you decide that it’s not worth the cash, then you can just cancel your subscription and get that money back without a fuss. On top of that, there’s also a one-day VPN free trial that you can use, so there’s plenty of time to make sure it’s right for you before you commit. It’s nice that it has a free trial, unlike many other providers, but it’s a shame that it’s so short.
We hope that this has been a helpful point of reference for you. We put this list together by carefully considering the unique strengths and weaknesses of major VPN providers, then weighing them against the needs of iPad users. We believe ExpressVPN is the best one, but we understand that under different circumstances, each of these could be considered best.
If you still need more guidance, take a peep at our guides on the best mobile VPNs and the best VPN apps where you’ll find further insights and recommendations.
