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With so many Android VPN apps available, it can be difficult to choose the right solution. Based on our extensive research and hands-on testing of VPNs over the years, these are the most important factors to consider when choosing a VPN for Android: 

Privacy

No matter which VPN you use on Android or any other device, the bare minimum for consideration is that it protects your privacy. Look for a VPN that uses industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption over the OpenVPN protocol, or ChaCha20 over WireGuard or IKEv2. These protocols have received intense scrutiny from the open-source community and are widely trusted, so you can rely on them to keep your data private.

You’ll also need to look out for a few privacy features. Any serious VPN provider will offer a kill switch, which kills your internet connection if you unexpectedly get cut off from your VPN, keeping your IP address and online activity private. You’ll also want to look for DNS leak protection and an audited no-logs policy. Independent audits are one of the best ways to assess whether a VPN provider is truly committed to keeping your data private. It's also important to review your VPN's privacy policy, which should be easy to understand and include clear language related to data collection and sharing.

For critical privacy needs -- like if you're an investigative journalist, asylum seeker or political activist -- you'll also want a VPN provider that's based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction and offers obfuscation. Obfuscation works to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN by disguising your VPN traffic as normal HTTPS browsing traffic.

Additional privacy features to look out for include Tor over VPN capabilities for an extra layer of privacy, and multihop connections, which encrypt your traffic twice through two separate VPN servers rather than just one. 

Speed

Your VPN's speed performance can have a major effect on activities like streaming, downloading, video conferencing, gaming and general web browsing. To keep things running smoothly, you'll want to look for a VPN that has as minimal an impact on your regular internet speeds as possible. A fast VPN should only drop your internet download speeds by an average of 25% or less, with the fastest VPN we tested dropping our speeds by a mere 3%. Keep in mind that you might end up with slower speeds and worse latency if you're connecting to a server that's far away from your current location. It’s worth checking out a VPN provider’s server location list before you commit to make sure there’s a server relatively close to you.

Usability

A good Android VPN should run smoothly and be easy to use, regardless of your technical expertise. It should have all of the features you need easily accessible with a tap of your finger. Many Android VPN apps also include an easy way to get in touch with support directly from the device, which can be helpful if you need assistance on the go. Your Android VPN should have a large network of servers around the world so you can connect easily and reliably from wherever you are, and it should be able to help you access geo-restricted content from various regions.     

Cost

VPN prices can vary greatly from on provider to another, so if you're on a budget, you may want to consider the cost and overall value of your Android VPN. Typically, you can expect to spend about $5 to $15 per month for a VPN subscription plan. If you want to save money, you can opt for an annual subscription, where introductory prices range from roughly $30 to $100 for the first year and renewal prices come in around $50 to $150 annually. Be careful with free VPNs because you may end up putting your privacy at risk instead of protecting it. Proton VPN is currently the only free VPN that CNET recommends. 

You can find a lot of other free VPNs out there, especially on mobile platforms. But it’s very hard to confirm whether most of them have sensible no-logs policies. Especially in the case of completely free VPNs, they tend to monetize your data use by showing you ads or selling your browsing data to marketing companies. In the very worst cases, they’re just spyware apps masquerading as VPNs that hackers use to scoop up your data for identity theft attacks. You might be tempted to save a few dollars by using a free VPN, but it could end up costing you more than you bargained for. 

You have a couple of ways to try out a VPN before you subscribe to one, especially if you’re mostly concerned about Android devices. It’s not unusual for a VPN provider to offer some sort of money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with the service, which usually covers anywhere between the first week to 45 days of a subscription. Be warned: You should look up the terms beforehand to make sure you’re eligible for a refund. Some providers won’t offer you a refund unless there’s an explicit technical issue with the VPN, whereas others will hand your money back with no questions asked.

The PlayStore also offers the option of trying a VPN out with a seven-day trial, which most VPN providers offer when you sign up. Again, you need to be savvy here. You’ll be charged through your payment details linked to the Play Store at the end of the free trial period; depending on the provider, you may be locked into a year-long plan or longer up front. If you’re not happy with the service, make sure you unsubscribe fully and delete the app before your trial period is over.

Streaming

While VPNs are privacy tools first and foremost, they're also great for unblocking geo-restricted streaming content. Because you can make apps like Netflix, Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer register your connection as originating in another location, you can watch foreign content libraries, and maybe even save money using a VPN for streaming. For streaming on Android phones, tablets or Android TV boxes, you may want to consider one of the best VPNs for Netflix or best VPNs for Amazon Prime Video.

To evaluate the best VPNs for Android, we run through the features offered on each VPN's Android app and test them over the course of several weeks to see how they stack up to similar features offered by other VPN providers.

Speed

To gain a sense of the VPN's speed performance, we run over 250 individual internet speed tests per provider, including testing speeds to different countries and on different protocols. Then we calculate the average speed lost while connected to each VPN.

Usability and features

We evaluate the look and feel of the app and the overall usability of the software, and we test to see how easy it is to connect to a server and how easy it is to search for and find a specific server to connect to. Additionally, we test the performance and reliability of the VPN connection on each of the protocols available in the provider's Android app.

Privacy

Because privacy is paramount, we test for leaks and assess each service's privacy features, including its kill switch functionality to ensure everything is working as it should on Android. We also pore through privacy policies to look for potential red flags.

Value

We evaluate each provider's prices to determine the service's overall value. Ideally, we like to see easy access to 24/7 live support directly from the Android app interface, so people can get the help they need while on the go. We also take into consideration overall performance and features that go above and beyond the standard on Android and set a VPN provider apart from the pack.

Proton VPN

Proton VPN is a Swiss-based open-source VPN provider that is staunchly committed to user privacy. Proton VPN's Android app is easy to use and includes a kill switch that's always on by default, and a VPN Accelerator feature that the company says can boost your VPN speeds up to 400%. If you're looking for a free VPN, Proton is the only one that CNET recommends.

On Android, you can even change the Proton VPN app icon to a discreet app icon that says Weather, Notes or Calculator, hiding the fact that you have a VPN installed on your mobile device. Alongside its Stealth VPN protocol, which uses obfuscation to mask your VPN usage, Proton is a great choice for anyone with serious privacy concerns, like asylum seekers, investigative journalists or political activists. But it's an excellent VPN for streaming or gaming as well. Whether you want to unblock streaming services or have critical privacy needs, Proton VPN is an excellent choice.

Proton VPN doesn’t implement bandwidth limits on its free tier, but it still comes with a few restrictions. Instead of being able to access servers in all 129 countries on its 15,300-plus server network, you’ll only be able to connect to the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, Canada, Norway, Singapore, Poland, Switzerland, Mexico and the US. You also won’t get access to Proton’s premium features such as Tor over VPN, Secure Core servers or its ad-blocker add-on. If you’re looking to upgrade to the premium plan, the monthly price starts at $10. You’ll pay $48 for the first year or $72 for the first two years. Both of these plans renew at $84 per year and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

Read our Proton VPN review.

IPVanish

IPVanish is a decent VPN for Android that delivers a satisfactory mobile app experience for beginners. (Disclosure: IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) IPVanish's Android app includes features like a kill switch, split tunneling, protocol selection (WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2), threat protection and a direct connection to 24/7 customer support. The VPN offers servers in 111 countries, making it an intriguing choice for travel and international streaming. However, the 44% average speed loss we measured in our most recent speed tests puts it well behind the competition.

IPVanish costs $13 per month, $40 for the first year or $52 total for the first two years. The introductory pricing on the longer-term plans is mostly fair for what you get because it has a large server network and unlimited simultaneous connection allowance. But the annual and two-year plans renew at $90 per year after the initial billing period. At those prices, it's extremely difficult to recommend IPVanish considering its sluggish speeds, unremarkable feature set and average overall performance.

IPVanish offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, but only if you get the annual or two-year plan, which could be a disappointment to anyone who buys a monthly subscription and decides they don't like the service.

Read our IPVanish review.