If you want security and privacy when using the internet, particularly when using public Wi-Fi hotspots, a VPN is needed on the iPhone. Should you pay for one or use a free VPN service?

What does a VPN do?

A VPN app creates an encrypted internet connection between the phone and a computer server run by the VPN service.

One advantage of this is that no-one can see what you are doing on the internet, so if someone tried to spy on your internet activity when you are using a public Wi-Fi hotspot, they would only see encrypted data that was meaningless.

Another advantage is that ISPs and others cannot see what you are doing. Sometimes Wi-Fi hotspots have excessively strict limits on what sites and services you can access and allow little beyond a Google search and email. A VPN bypasses restrictions to enable you to access what you want.

VPN data allowance

All VPN apps are free to download and install, but this does not mean they are free to use. Many require an active subscription to the VPN provider and without one the amount of data that can be uploaded/downloaded may be limited.

TunnelBear for example, only allows 500MB a month and some people could use 500MB in a day! Try watching Netflix or YouTube and watch your data consumption shoot up!

A paid VPN service has much high limits and is often unlimited, so you don't need to worry about how much data is being used by watching videos or listening to music.

VPN speeds

Anything that is free tends to attract a lot of people, so free VPN services can become over-subscribed. Too many people trying to access the internet at the same time may cause it to run slowly, especially at peak times of the day.

A paid VPN service has more servers to connect to and fewer users on each server. This means they are faster and suffer from fewer problems.

VPN location

The way that VPNs work mean that your location in the world looks like wherever the VPN server is located that you connect to. This can be useful for connecting to local services in the country that the server is located.

Free VPNs have a limited number of servers and locations that can be connected to. Sometimes there is no choice at all and you cannot choose a server or location. This does not affect security or privacy, but it does affect some websites and online services where they limit what can be accessed by geographic location.

Number of devices

You probably have a phone, tablet and computer, and other people in your home may also have them. There could be several devices that require an internet connection, but a free service may not allow multiple connections or it may not offer apps for other devices, like a desktop computer or an Android tablet.

Paid VPNs support more devices connecting simultaneously to the internet and support a wider range of computers, phones and tablets.

VPN features

Free VPNs often have limited features and paying for a service provides a lot more. There are often multiple servers to connect to, connections with additional security features, and so on.

Advertising in VPNs

Many free VPNs contain advertising and some contain a lot of adverts. You may see ads when connecting, disconnecting, even a permanent banner at the top of every web page you visit. It varies with VPNs.

A plus for paid VPNs is that they are ad-free. They do not need to make money from advertising, they earn it from subscriptions. You therefore get a cleaner and less irritating experience.

Onavo Protect – VPN Security

Price: Free | By: Onavo, Inc | Size: 25MB | iOS: 8.0 or later

Onavo Protect is a free VPN that makes the internet more secure by connecting to Onavo servers. After installation there is a simple Install VPN button on the screen and tapping it connects to a server. A tiny VPN badge appears in the status bar at the top of the screen to let you know it is working.

Turning it on could not be simpler and you just tap the Install VPN button. For some reason, the button to disable it is well hidden and once turned on, you might wonder how to turn it off. You must tap the Settings button and press VPN Profile in the Advanced section. This has a Protection on/off switch.

There is no choice of server and in my case it connected to Amsterdam in The Netherlands, probably because it is closest to my UK location. There are probably more servers and locations.

In several places it says that Onavo Protect is owned by Facebook and that the company collects data on your VPN usage. That's why it is free, Facebook is collecting data on internet usage. It should be anonymised though.

There is one thing you can do to minimise the snooping by Facebook and that is to go to settings > Legal & Privacy and tick Opt out.

This is a useful VPN if you don't mind Facebook watching. (Facebook has many other ways of tracking you even if you don't use this VPN.)

VPN: fast & Unlimited NordVPN

Price: Varies | By: NordVPN | Size: 90MB | iOS: 9.0 or later

NordVPN is a popular VPN service and there are various subscription deals. The longer you sign up for, the cheaper it gets and a one-month plan is $11.95, but a two-year plan works out at $3.29 a month. However, it costs only $2.75 a month through my affiliate link – get NordVPN. This makes it a pretty cheap service.

Last time I checked, NordVPN had 3,512 servers located in dozens of countries around the world, although that figure is probably even higher now. Tapping the Quick Connect button connects to the closest server, which could be no more than a few miles away, and the app automatically selects the best one.

Each country has multiple servers and you can choose which country to connect to by tapping a pin on a map of the world. The map can be dragged to view it and pinch and spread zooms out and in. It is also possible to select a country and server from a list. Servers can be added to a Favourites list to make them easy to access and you can pretend to be in any country in the world.

Like all VPNs, your real IP address is hidden and the connected is encrypted. However, there are additional security and privacy options that go beyond the basic VPN connection. There are Anti DDoS servers, dedicated IP servers, Onion Over VPN servers and P2P. Onion is a way of hiding your internet access by using multiple anonymous layers that are almost impossible to penetrate.

Up to six phones, tablets and computers can be connected at the same time and a Kill Switch stops internet access if a VPN connection is lost in order to protect your anonymity, privacy and security.

NordVPN is a good VPN service that has useful features for boosting security and thousands of servers to connect to. It isn't free, but it is cheap.

How to get a VPN

Both of these VPNs are in the iOS App Store, so just open the store and search for them. Onavo Protect can be downloaded and used straight away, but with NordVPN, go and sign up at the website first, then download the app and sign in.