For iPhone in 2026, five independently owned VPNs stand out: Buycat VPN (simple one-tap app, from $39.99/yr in the App Store), Proton VPN (free plan), Mullvad (no email needed), IVPN (privacy-first) and Windscribe (limited free plan). Whichever you pick, know that iOS has documented cases of some traffic, mostly Apple's own services, staying outside the VPN tunnel. A VPN on iPhone is strong protection on public Wi-Fi, not total invisibility.
By Team Boycat
Most "best iPhone VPN" lists are written by sites that earn a commission, and some are owned by the same companies as the VPNs they rank. This list sticks to independently owned VPNs with real iOS apps. We make Buycat VPN, one of the five, so we've sourced the facts and noted where others fit better.
| VPN | Owner | Free option on iPhone | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buycat VPN | Boycat | No | One-tap simplicity, lower yearly price |
| Proton VPN | Proton AG | Yes | Free plan |
| Mullvad | Amagicom AB (founders) | No | No email, flat price |
| IVPN | IVPN Limited (founder) | No | Privacy-first |
| Windscribe | Founders + employees | Yes, capped | Try before paying |
Buycat VPN ("Buycat VPN: Secure Fast Proxy" on the App Store) is built by Boycat, not a VPN group. Open it, tap connect, and it picks a fast location. It supports WireGuard and IKEv2, needs iOS 15 or later, and the same account works on Android, Mac, Windows and Linux.
App Store prices (Oct 2026): Essentials $39.99/yr (3 devices), Plus $49.99/yr (5 devices), Pro $59.99/yr (10 devices); monthly plans from $9.99 (App Store). Web plans are cheaper, from $37.69/yr with a 30-day money-back guarantee (boycat.io/vpn). Rated 4.3 from 31 ratings on the US App Store as of October 2026. It hasn't published a third-party audit yet.
Proton VPN's free plan is the safest free option most people will find: no ads and no data cap, with fewer locations. Proton AG is Swiss, and its largest shareholder is the nonprofit Proton Foundation (Proton). Proton is also the company that publicly reported the iOS tunnel bypass issue in 2020 (Proton).
No email signup; you get an account number. Flat €5 a month (Mullvad). Owned by its founders (Mullvad). The iOS app is plain and does one thing well.
Founder-owned Gibraltar company (IVPN). IVPN removed its iOS kill switch after finding Apple's implementation could still leak IP data, and explained why publicly (IVPN). That kind of honesty is a good sign.
Founder- and employee-owned, Canadian (Windscribe). A capped free plan lets you test speeds on your own network first.
It can:
It can't:
Want a simple independent VPN on your iPhone? Get Buycat VPN.
For independent ownership: Buycat VPN for one-tap simplicity, Proton VPN for a free plan, Mullvad for anonymity, IVPN for privacy, Windscribe to try for free.
If you use public Wi-Fi, travel, or want to hide your IP address from sites, yes. At home on your own network, it's optional.
Proton VPN's free plan is the strongest free option. Avoid unknown free VPNs: a 2016 study of 283 Android VPN apps found 38% flagged for malware (CSIRO study).
A little. WireGuard is usually the most efficient choice.
Settings → your name → Subscriptions → pick the VPN → Cancel Subscription. You keep access until the period ends.
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