Best iPad VPN 2025 | Macworld

• Up to 6 devices at once.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Amazon Fire TV and tvOS.

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 four audits, most recently in January 2024. 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.

• Unlimited devices.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions.

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 100+ 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.

• Up to 8 devices at once.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, tvOS, Mac, Android, Windows, Chrome, XBox, Playstation, Switch and more.

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.

• Up to 8 devices at once.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, tvOS, Mac, Android, Windows, and more.

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, you get 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.

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

You can sign up for Proton VPN here.

• Unlimited devices.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows, and more.

Private Internet Access (PIA) is designed for savvy users, with power user tools and features such as custom DNS, connection rules, and split-tunneling. Despite this, it comes in at a lower cost than many competitors.

The app offers servers in 91 countries. In testing, the auto setting did a good job of picking servers that balanced speed and privacy.

The main window provides information on performance, download and upload speeds, and quick settings for things like Port Forwarding and LAN connections. PIA also offers customizable features like automation setup and DNS options. 

While you can use PIA for getting around geoblocked content on your streaming services, PIA’s main focus is privacy, with features like the Advanced Kill Switch, Split Tunnelling, port forwarding, and Multi-Hop server obfuscation. Its zero-log policy has been verified by Deloitte Audit Romania.

Private Internet Access can’t beat the speeds of NordVPN and Surfshark, and its stablemate CyberGhost VPN offers more impressive speeds, but at the cost of some power features. In our testing, we saw a reasonable drop of around 8% while using the PIA VPN. Upload speeds dropped considerably – by around 25%, which may be an issue if you do a lot of uploading. 

Despite inconsistent speeds, Private Internet Access is a great VPN for all budgets with a wealth of features for privacy-inclined users.

You can sign up for Private Internet Access here.

• Up to 6 devices at once.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows.

MacPaw’s ClearVPN lacks some of the advanced features offered by other services, but it’s one of the easiest VPNs to use. It’s thoughtfully designed for VPN newcomers: you need only hit a button to connect. It’s all pretty basic stuff, but we think those new to VPNs will appreciate the simplicity.

There are options to block ads and a Kill Switch to automatically cut traffic from your device if the connection to the VPN is broken.

ClearVPN can grant access to more than 50 servers, which sounds like a lot, but thats a fraction of what’s offered by rivals. But you only really need a server in the country you want to be surfing, so it may not matter.

One common power user feature offered by VPNs is split tunneling, which lets some traffic go through the VPN while some goes around it. That’s not supported by ClearVPN. 

MacPaw’s VPN speeds aren’t as good as the competition. We saw speed drops across multiple servers – even ones close to us. We saw drops of around 20 to 30 percent in download speed, and around 50 percent for upload speed. It’s still fast enough to use Netflix though.

Most VPN companies use external auditors to verify that they’re not recording user or session data. ClearVPN hasn’t undergone one at the time of writing. This shouldn’t mean anything untoward as the company is headquartered in Ukraine, which falls outside of various surveillance alliances, so it can’t be asked to share your data.

ClearVPN is priced affordably, but prices and the deals on offer change all the time with VPNs so look out for low monthly prices that don’t lock you in for too long. There’s a six-device limit that can include Macs, iPhone and iPads. 

If you’re new to using a VPN service, ClearVPN makes a compelling case to be your first choice., and stress-free access to Netflix around the globe, it’s a great starter option. Still, the speed drop and lack of common features like split-tunneling likely mean power users should look elsewhere.

You can sign up for ClearVPN here.

• Up to 6 devices at once.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows.

If you’re want a VPN service that will get around geoblocking and is easy to use, PureVPN is a good option.

The basic plan only includes the VPN service, but the Plus plan adds a Password Manager and File Encryption tools. The Max plan adds a Digital Privacy Manager that recommends ways to maximize your privacy.

Whichever plan you opt for you’ll be able to connect 10 devices at once. PureVPN will run on your iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, and is easy to use on each to let you connect to over six thousand servers.

As far as getting around geo-blocks, we found PureVPN to be as easy as any other service to use. Select a location, load your streaming service or app of choice, and you’re off.

PureVPN now registered in the British Virgin Islands, which is more privacy-friendly than Hong Kong where it was previously. PureVPN offers one of the more impressive no-logging policies, with an ongoing audit process that means auditors can request confirmation of the no-logs policy at any time.

PureVPN has been winding down its virtual servers, of which it has less control. There are still 23 such servers, but PureVPN is transparent about which servers are virtual and which are physical – you can see a small ‘v’ next to each virtual server on the PureVPN website.

You can sign up for PureVPN here.

• Pay per device (up to 20 devices).
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, Windows.

Malwarebytes is, of course, known for it’s antivirus software, and it’s one of the options we’ve looked at in our round up of the Best Antivirus for Mac, reviewed here Malwarebytes Premium for Mac review. Malwarebytes Premium also has a VPN element to it that can also be purchased separately if you just want a VPN.

Malwarebytes Privacy VPN is easy to use and offers speeds that are better than many of its rivals for both downloads and uploads. It also has split-tunnelling via its ‘Connection rules’, and a Kill Switch to cut all traffic if the VPN drops out.

There are some caveats — namely that it features fewer server locations than its rivals, and getting around geoblocks for different versions of streaming services can be a tad inconsistent.

There’s no multi-hop server jumping, but the company does have a verified no-logs policy in place which means information isn’t held about a user’s activity.

However, it offers a pretty compelling package of features and Malwarebytes VPN is available just about anywhere, Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, with Windows, iOS, iPadOS, Android, and plenty more apps

You can sign up for Malwarebytes Privacy VPN here.

• Up to 7 devices at once.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Android, Windows and more.

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.

• Norton VPN Standard: 1 device. VPN Plus: 5 devices. VPN Ultimate: 10 devices.
• Apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Android, Windows and more.

Norton is best known as an antivirus solution (see our review of Norton 360), but it also offers a VPN solution which can be tied to the antivirus or purchased separately.

Norton’s VPN includes plenty of accoutrements that other VPNs either don’t have or charge extra for. If you’re looking for real-time protection it remains a good security-focused option, but with geoblocking being inconsistent in our testing, you might want to look elsewhere for your international Netflix fix.

Norton has servers in 32 countries – a steep drop from the 111 in NordVPN’s portfolio – but it does offer four protocols to choose from. VPNs naturally decrease your internet speeds and we found Nord’s VPN did lag behind some rivals.

Norton’s Browser Protection scans sites as you browse, so you do get the benefit of real-time detection alerts if a site might be unsafe.

Norton does a good job with privacy, with a 2024 VerSprite audit confirming Norton’s VPN “no logs” policy.

You can install the app on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and all three platforms have apps that work well and run nicely in the background.

You can sign up for Norton Ultra VPN here.