Best iPad VPN 2024

Macworld

A VPN is an essential tool for iPad users wanting to access streaming services in countries where they don’t exist (such as HBO Max in the U.K. or BBC iPlayer in the U.S.) or to watch content that isn’t available where you are on services like as Disney+, Netflix, or Amazon Prime. While this is likely to be against the terms and conditions of these services, if you are paying to watch the content it’s got to be better than privacy. This is handy if you’re traveling abroad and missing out on your favorite shows, as you can connect to a server in your own country and carry on watching as if you were at home.

Plus, when you’re browsing the web using your iPad, your online activity is visible to your internet service provider (ISP), your government, and potentially others. But because a VPN changes your real IP address for a different one and encrypts the data going to and from your iPad, it makes it practically impossible to spy on you.

The new IP address can make it appear that you’re located somewhere else in the world. That could be in the same country, or it could be halfway across the globe.

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We’ve tested many VPN services on Macs and also iPhone VPNS, and these are our recommendations for iPad owners. For more information on the legalities and whether it is safe to use a VPN read: Is a VPN safe for iPad?

If you’ve still got some questions and want to find out more, read what is a VPN and are VPNs legal? You can also find some of the best special offers available right now in our round-up of the best VPN deals.

You can also learn how to use a VPN on iPad once you’ve chosen a service.

Do iPads need a VPN?

Before we reveal our recommendations, we’ll examine whether iPad users even need a VPN? Since Apple introduced iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey in 2021 the company has offered iCloud Private Relay to iCloud subscribers, which is a little like a VPN. iCloud Private Relay encrypts your Safari-based browsing and sends it through a relay to hide your location, IP, and any information about what you were browsing. iCloud Private Relay means that companies cannot build a clear picture of you on the web, thereby protecting your privacy. You do need to be a subscriber to iCloud, and only use Safari, but iCloud Private Relay will provide you with some anonymity when you are surfing the web.

However, iCloud Private Relay only works when you are using Safari, requires a subscription to iCloud, and it won’t allow you to surf via a server in another country in order to access content that is locked to a particular region. iCloud Private Relay does not allow you to choose an IP address or a region, and you won’t be able to make it look like you’re coming from another location. So you can’t watch geographically locked Netflix content, for example.

Best iPad VPN reviews






NordVPN





















Pros


Lots of servers around the world

Impressive speeds

Independently audited



Cons


Not the cheapest option

Connections aren't unlimited










Price When Reviewed:

Dès 3,49 €/mois













NordVPN is easy to use and one of the fastest VPNs around and shouldn’t slow down your internet connection. It’s an excellent choice for iPad owners.

The map view is fun to use on a screen larger than your phone’s, and it connects you swiftly to one of Nord’s thousands of servers (there are 5,300 in total across 60 countries, which means you can always find a server in the location you need that isn’t overloaded).

It unblocks many services, including Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer.

It also ticks the privacy box, having carried out three audits, the most recent of which was in December 2022. It features a kill switch, which is important to keep your data and location hidden if the VPN connection stops unexpectedly. Based in Panama, it’s outside of the jurisdiction of the ’14-eyes’ (a group of countries that have agreed to collect, analyze and share information). 

You can connect up to six devices to NordVPN at once, and there are also apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Amazon Fire TV.

You can get great discounts by signing up for a couple of years. See the deals on NordVPN’s website.

Read our full

NordVPN pour Mac review






Surfshark





















Pros


Unlimited devices and connections

Multi-Hop servers

Security features and audited no-logs policy



Cons


Kill switch can’t be customised

Price doubles on renewal










Price When Reviewed:

Dès 2,30 €/mois













Surfshark is an easy-to-use and intuitive VPN with a slick iPad app that has more features than you might expect given the low price.

The service now has more than 3,200 servers across 60+ countries but, importantly, lets you watch Netflix shows, BBC iPlayer and other streaming services that aren’t normally available in your region.

You’ll find security features including a kill switch and Multi-Hop, which routes your connection through two countries instead of just one. It’s run from the Netherlands which is privacy-friendly, has a strict no-logs policy, uses two-factor authentication (2FA), and is one of the members of the VPN Trust Initiative.

Despite the low monthly cost, just beware that the price increases substantially on renewal–a gotcha with quite a few VPN services and one that’s easily missed when signing up. Our advice is to cancel before it renews and sign up for a new deal.

It really is one of the best VPNs around, and also one of the fastest thanks to the use of the WireGuard protocol.

See the current deals on Surfshark’s website and read our Surfshark review for more details.

Read our full

Surfshark pour Mac review






ExpressVPN





















Pros


Simple to use on all platforms

Big focus on privacy and transparency

105 countries



Cons


A little barebones










Price When Reviewed:

Dès 7,94 €/mois













Also among our favourite VPNs for the iPad is ExpressVPN, which has 105 country options and a network of more than three thousand servers.

ExpressVPN unblocks more video services than rivals. It claims to reliably unblock over 200 streaming service and also gives you a backup option – the MediaStreamer proxy service – if you find that the VPN isn’t unblocking at the exact moment you want to watch.

It bills itself as the premium option, and justifies this partly with the long list of video services it works with. There is also 24/7 live chat support and Threat Manager blocks traffic from websites known to be malicious. There’s also an ad blocker and an adult site blocker.

You can expect fast speeds thanks to its proprietary Lightway protocol and privacy is good thanks to the TrustedServer setup (where the software runs entirely in RAM and doesn’t save any data to the hard drive). The company is registered in the British Virgin Islands, a self-governing territory that isn’t subject to British laws. It operates a no-logs policy.

As well as using it on your iPad, there are also apps for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Fire TV and more. There’s a limit of eight devices at once (up from 5 previously).

While not the cheapest, ExpressVPN does run discounts, with the best deal being the one-year subscription, which is almost half-price.

Read our full

ExpressVPN review






ProtonVPN





















Pros


Simple to use

Free plan

Great speed



Cons


Set up is a little fiddly


























ProtonVPN‘s free tier of membership sets Proton VPN apart from some of its rivals. It’s limited, with US, Japan, and Netherlands as the server locations and some speed drop – but it’s usable

If you subscribe, it offers a sleek interface, impressive connection speeds and more than enough features, without throwing too many complex concepts at new users. 

Proton VPN Plus features include an ad and tracker blocker and speed of up to 10 Gbps, as well as a 10-device limit. There’s Port Forwarding for downloads and gaming, and a Kill Switch for disconnecting should the VPN drop out.

The company offers a “no-logs” policy – meaning it doesn’t track sites, IP addresses, communications, or session lengths, nor does it track location-based information. Proton is Swiss-based, so only Swiss court orders can request data from the company, but since it doesn’t log data there’s very little it can reveal.

Secure Core, routes traffic through one of the company’s ‘Secure’ servers, minimizing the potential of a data leak. There secure servers owned by Proton in more than 90 countries.

Proton VPN does increase latency, but only by about 29% in our testing on a modest 60 Mbps broadband. It was only about 7% slower when downloading and 5.5% slower when uploading – one of the slicker VPNs we’ve tested.

Of the included VPN protocols, Smart will be enough for most users, automatically setting the right protocol for your current usage, but WireGuard, WireGuard (TCP), IKEv2 and Stealth are also offered.

Aside from the free tier, there’s a $9.99/€9.99 monthly cost that drops to $4.99/€4.99 or $4.49/€4.49 for one-year and two-year plans respectively.

Proton VPN is an easy recommendation both for new and experienced users.

Read our full

ProtonVPN review






CyberGhost pour Mac





















Pros


Impressive WireGuard speeds

Dedicated downloading and streaming servers

Independent audit



Cons


No split tunneling

Price doubles on renewal










Price When Reviewed:

Dès 2,19 €/mois













CyberGhost is really easy to use and one of the least-expensive services when you sign up for a couple of years. 

CyberGhost has more than 7,000 servers across 90 countries, so you’re bound to find a connection that suits your needs. CyberGhost allows seven simultaneous connections.

Of potentially more interest to most people is the fact it’s pretty reliable for unblocking streaming services. It unblocks Netflix, Disney+, HBOMax, Amazon Prime and others. CyberGhost even provides a streaming list so you can choose the best server to unblock specific streaming services on specific devices.

CyberGhost is based in Romania, which is good for privacy. Deloitte has audited CyberGhost’s privacy claims and found no issues.

With support for WireGuard, CyberGhost offers speedy connections and one subscription allows you to use the service on up to seven devices at once.

You can sign up for CyberGhost here.

Read our full

CyberGhost pour Mac review






For more advice about accessories and software for your Mac, iPad or iPhone see all our Best Picks.

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