5 Best VPN Apps for Samsung & Android – Stay Safe in 2024

A VPN is one of the best ways to protect your data while you’re connected to public WiFi, but it’s challenging to find a safe, high-speed VPN for Samsung phones and other Android devices. There are many dubious VPN apps on the Google Play Store that don’t work, collect your data, or even infect devices with malware.

I rigorously tested 50+ VPNs to find the best ones for Samsung and other Android devices (compatible with Android OS 12, including 11.0, and older versions). I chose the fastest and most secure mobile VPNs and included them on this list.

Topping the list is ExpressVPN — it’s fast, reliable, and secure. You can try ExpressVPN risk-free. All its plans are backed by a reliable 30-day money-back guarantee. I tested the guarantee myself and was fully refunded in 3 days.

Try ExpressVPN for Android

Quick Guide: Best VPNs for Samsung & Android in 2024

The Best VPNs for Samsung & Android (Tested in 2024)

1. ExpressVPN — #1 VPN for Samsung and Android Devices (Fast, Secure, Reliable)

Outstanding

Outstanding

📍Servers	3,000+
📱Devices	8
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

ExpressVPN is the #1 VPN for Samsung and Android devices thanks to its outstanding features. It is compatible with any Samsung/Android phone or device (Android 5.0 up), and installation is easy — you can install the app from ExpressVPN’s official website or through a quick search on the Google Play Store. It only takes a couple of minutes to install the app, connect to a server, and protect your device.

I conducted multiple rounds of speed tests on various ExpressVPN servers, and it gave me the best speeds of all the VPNs I’ve tested. Rates rarely dipped below 300 Mbps (compared to my base unencrypted speed of 350 Mbps); the only time it did was when I was connected to a server located on the other side of the world (Melbourne), which gave me 238 Mbps. But this was still only a drop of 20%, which is excellent for such distances. ExpressVPN has the perfect speeds for streaming, browsing, and mobile gaming.

I often connect my Samsung phone and tablet to public WiFi networks such as coffee shops and Airbnbs, so I found ExpressVPN’s built-in safety features to be really convenient. These include:

• AES 256-bit encryption with 256-bit keys (the same encryption standard used by the US government to protect classified data), so no third party gets access to your online activities
• Proprietary, open-source Lightway protocol designed for efficiency and reliability
• Independently audited TrustedServer technology that ensures no user data is ever written to a hard drive and stored
• Audited no-logs policy and anonymous cryptocurrency payment option
• IP, WebRTC, and DNS leak protection, so none of your data can be seen by third parties.

ExpressVPN’s Android-specific Protection Summary showed me how often I was connected to the VPN, and it showed which IP address and location the websites I visit are seeing. To double-check my IP was properly hidden when the VPN was connected, I ran multiple leak tests. I found that ExpressVPN protected my real IP address every single time.

Streaming while connected to ExpressVPN servers makes for a pleasantly smooth experience: you can watch movies and shows in the best quality, without interruptions. My teammates and I found that ExpressVPN’s Android app works flawlessly with most major streaming services. We were able to access Netflix US and the following platforms:

This VPN is slightly more expensive than others on my list, but it’s worth it for the premium features. Plus, the price goes down to $6.67 a month when you choose the 1-year + 3 months plan (giving you a generous discount of 49%).

You can test ExpressVPN out with your Android or Samsung device for yourself, and if you’re not satisfied then you have up to 30 days to claim a refund. I tested the guarantee by canceling on the 20th day of my subscription, and the live chat support agent approved my request without asking any questions. The money was back in my PayPal account in just 3 days.

2. CyberGhost — Optimized Servers Make Streaming Easy on Samsung and Other Android Devices

Outstanding

Outstanding

📍Servers	11,800+
📱Devices	7
💰Refund	45 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

CyberGhost’s optimized streaming servers make it one of the best VPNs to use if you frequently stream using your Android devices. The “For Streaming” tab allows you to quickly pick a CyberGhost server that works with your chosen streaming platform. There are more than 35 servers in the “For Streaming” tab, and all of them are regularly tested by the CyberGhost team to ensure reliability. Mobile gamers can also access the “For Gaming” tab to find servers that are optimized to give the lowest ping rates for lag-free gaming.

My teammates and I tested CyberGhost’s optimized and regular servers to see which streaming apps it can reliably access. We could watch all of our usual streaming platforms, including:

Running speed tests on various CyberGhost servers showed an average speed drop of around 36%. While that sounds like a lot (especially if you have a slow network to start with), most of CyberGhost’s local and mid-range servers will give you great speeds for streaming without lag, especially if you connect to servers located close to your city or state. Its network is so extensive that, should you pick a server that is underperforming, there are usually plenty of other options at each location to switch to.

Security-wise, CyberGhost offers the following features to protect your mobile internet traffic:

• 256-bit AES encryption ensures your traffic stays private
• NoSpy Servers located in Romania provide you with extra-secure and reliable server options — the CyberGhost team manages these servers in-house
• IP, WebRTC, and DNS leak protection so your IP address and browsing data are kept hidden
• Strict no-logs policy, with anonymous sign-up available when you use Bitcoin.

The native Android app comes with Split Tunneling and an ad-blocker, features that are unavailable on iOS apps. Split Tunneling allows you to keep a simultaneous connection to your local network, letting you access personal banking or weather apps, for example.

I was slightly let down by CyberGhost’s ad-blocker feature as it only blocks ads that potentially contain malware, so it was mostly ineffective against YouTube and other non-malicious pop-up ads. I found PIA’s ad, tracker, and malware blocker to be a more effective alternative.

CyberGhost’s flat-out monthly plan is quite expensive and is only covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. However, purchasing a 2-year + 4 months plan brings CyberGhost’s monthly rate down to $2.03 a month. Because the 2-year + 4 months plan is covered by a reliable 45-day money-back guarantee, you can use CyberGhost all you want for 45 days, and get your money back if you decide you don’t like it.

To test the legitimacy of CyberGhost’s money-back guarantee, I requested a refund via live chat. I provided my email address to the customer support agent (keep your order/reference number ready in case they ask for it) who approved my request in less than 10 minutes. The money was back in my PayPal account in 6 days.

3. Private Internet Access — Customizable Security Features Keep Android Data Private

Excellent

Excellent

📍Servers	35,000+
📱Devices	Unlimited
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

Security-oriented users, especially those well-versed with VPNs, will appreciate how customizable Private Internet Access’ security features are. You can adjust PIA’s security settings to suit your needs. It offers the following security features to choose from:

• AES 128 or 256-bit encryption for OpenVPN. While AES 128 boosts speed and is secure enough to protect my data, AES 256 gives extra protection against brute-force attacks
• Automatic kill switch that cuts off all connection between your Android device and the internet in the event the VPN disconnects
• Multi-hop feature (optional) passes internet data through various servers to make sure no third party can link your online activities to a single VPN IP address
• Optional ad, tracker, and malware blocker that blocks all ads, rather than just openly infected ones.

PIA has the largest server network among all the VPNs on this list: 35,000 servers in over 91 countries. There’s at least 1 PIA server located in every US state, so you won’t have issues accessing websites and channels exclusive to your home state no matter where you might be in the world. My teammates and I were able to access the following platforms while connected to PIA:

Using PIA to unblock BBC iPlayer and DAZN was a bit of a hit-and-miss: some servers worked, while some didn’t.

Speed tests showed that PIA’s global network causes an average speed drop of about 35%. While PIA was fast enough for bufferless streaming in the best possible quality on most servers we tested, users on slower WiFi connections can enhance speeds by using the OpenVPN protocol and connecting to local servers. Connecting to faraway servers caused significant slowdowns during testing, resulting in some instances of buffering.

It’s worth noting that PIA is based in the US, the heart of the 5, 9, and 14 Eyes alliance. This is an intelligence-sharing deal between multiple governments. However, PIA doesn’t keep logs, so it has no user data to share. If you’d rather use a VPN headquartered in a jurisdiction with no ties to intelligence-sharing alliances, ExpressVPN is your best bet. ExpressVPN is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, a jurisdiction with no data retention laws and difficult court order acquisition procedures.

All PIA plans are backed by a solid money-back guarantee, essentially letting you use PIA for free for 30 days. Paying upfront for a 2-year + 4 months plan brings the monthly cost down to just $2.03 per month, so you’ll be saving up to 83% if you do decide to continue your subscription.

I wanted to see if PIA’s money-back really works, so I reached out to PIA’s customer support via live chat to request a refund. The agent approved my request in less than 10 minutes, and the money was back in my account within a week.

4. PrivateVPN — Stealth VPN Feature Makes It Easy to Bypass VPN Detection Technologies

Excellent

Excellent

📍Servers	200+
📱Devices	10
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

PrivateVPN’s Stealth VPN feature makes it easy for you to access platforms and websites, even those with sophisticated VPN-detection technologies. This setting ensures no third party can detect that you’re using a VPN by making your VPN data look like normal HTTPS data. This adds an additional layer of privacy to your online activities, especially if you’re accessing the internet from high-censorship jurisdictions. You can quickly enable this feature in the Settings tab.

When my teammates and I tested PrivateVPN on most major streaming platforms, we found that it worked with most of them, including the following:

I was able to watch shows in HD while connected to PrivateVPN. From time to time, I would experience a few seconds of buffering while on Netflix, but it was barely noticeable. PrivateVPN purchases its network directly from the IP transit provider, not from a middleman, so users get higher-quality connections in spite of the smaller server network size.

While PrivateVPN’s servers provide stable, high-speed access to a lot of websites and apps, its network of 200 servers in 63 countries is small in comparison to my other recommended VPNs. However, I was impressed with the performance of all the servers I tried, and it still has excellent global coverage. Just be sure to check it has a server in the location you need before purchase. Plans start at just $2.00 per month, making Private VPN one of the best monthly VPNs on the market.

Thanks to a 30-day money-back guarantee, you can test PrivateVPN with Android yourself for free, as long as you request a refund before the 30-day period is over. I tested the guarantee by sending an email to PrivateVPN customer support on the last day of my subscription. In the email, I included the reason why I was canceling (I just said I didn’t need PrivateVPN anymore). The money was back in my PayPal account after 5 days.

5. IPVanish — unlimited Simultaneous Device Connections Protect All Your Personal Android Devices

Great VPN

Great VPN

📍Servers	2,400+
📱Devices	Unlimited
💰Refund	30 days
📝Keep logs	No
🔰Kill switch
📞Support 24/7	Yes

See Deals

Key Features:

With an allowance for unlimited simultaneous device connections under 1 plan, IPVanish is one of the best VPNs to use if you own a lot of Android devices. It also offers unlimited bandwidth, so when I connected a Samsung phone, an Android tablet, and an Android TV to IPVanish servers at the same time, I didn’t notice any slowdowns. Not even when I streamed on the Android TV while playing mobile games on my phone.

IPVanish also offers a great list of security features to protect all your Android devices, including:

• Military-grade AES 256-bit encryption as standard, plus 6 VPN protocols to choose from
• Kill switch to cut the internet connection if the VPN drops out
• DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leak protection keeps your data hidden
• Audited no-logs policy ensures users’ online activities stay private.

IPVanish isn’t as good at accessing streaming platforms compared to the other options on this list, but it worked with a few of the bigger platforms. My teammates and I were able to stream content from the following apps while connected to IPVanish:

One problem I found with IPVanish is that it doesn’t accept cryptocurrency payments, so it’s impossible to sign up for IPVanish anonymously. If anonymity isn’t the main concern for you, IPVanish accepts most major credit cards and PayPal.

You can try IPVanish for free for 30 days, thanks to a reliable money-back guarantee. Keep in mind that the money-back guarantee only applies to yearly plans and longer. Claiming a refund on your IPVanish purchase is easy — you won’t even have to talk to a customer service representative. Simply cancel your subscription from your account dashboard. When I did, my request was approved immediately, and the money was back in my PayPal account within the same day.

How to Install a VPN on Samsung & Android Devices

Installing a VPN on your Samsung and Android devices is pretty straightforward, especially if you’re using a VPN with a native Android app. Alternatively, you can install the VPN manually through an APK download if you’re using an older Samsung or Android device or aren’t able to access the Google Play store. I’ll be using ExpressVPN as an example, because its native app is easy to install via both the Google Play Store and APK.

Samsung Galaxy S6 and newer

Android 5 and newer

Older Samsung & Android devices

Comparison Table: 2024’s Best VPNs for Samsung & Android

Why You Need a VPN for Samsung & Android

Contrary to what most people think, your Samsung and Android devices need as much protection as your other devices. Hackers can intercept the traffic between your device while you’re connected to public WiFi or set up a fake WiFi in order to get hold of your sensitive information. By encrypting your internet traffic, a VPN helps keep your personal data safe, even if you’re accessing sensitive information while connected to public WiFi.

High-quality, premium VPNs can help you enjoy the content you’ve already paid for while you’re abroad. Most streaming sites and news websites block visitors located outside a specific jurisdiction. Connecting to a VPN server in your home country allows you to access your favorite streaming and websites as you would at home.

Using a VPN also protects you from internet throttling. Some internet service providers will slow users’ connections down when high-bandwidth usage is detected (e.g. torrenting, gaming, streaming, etc). A VPN encrypts all your online activities, so your ISP can’t target you when it’s choosing users to throttle. Whenever I suspect ISP throttling, all I do is connect to ExpressVPN to get faster speeds. You can test ExpressVPN out with Android and Samsung completely risk-free as it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee — if you don’t like it, you can easily get a full refund.

How I Tested and Ranked the Best VPNs for Samsung & Android

The sheer amount of VPN options available for Android makes it tricky to find the best one. Here are some important features you should take into consideration when choosing a VPN for your Samsung or Android devices:

1. Comprehensive security and privacy protection features — Your VPN should keep your browsing activities and IP address completely hidden every time you go online.
2. Consistently fast speeds —The best VPNs have fast speeds to stream, game, and download files without annoying interruptions.
3. Compatibility with devices — It should have an easy-to-use and install native Samsung and Android app, including an APK for older devices.
4. Large server network — All of my recommended VPNs have multiple servers across the globe, ensuring you can access the location you need.
5. Reliable money-back guarantee and good customer service — The best VPN services offer a money-back guarantee and helpful, knowledgeable staff.

Warning – VPNs That You Should Avoid

Many Samsung and Android VPNs that pop up when you do a quick Google Play Store search are free. The trouble is, while good free VPNs do exist, free VPNs on the Google Play Store often have questionable privacy and security practices. If you’re downloading a VPN for personal privacy, be aware that VPNs such as the ones below actually do the opposite by tracking, logging, and selling your data:

Thunder VPN

ThunderVPN’s Terms of Service reveal exactly why it’s not a good VPN. It collects and stores identifiable data such as:

• Your internet service provider
• Device OS version
• Device manufacturer and model
• The language of the device
• App version
• Times when connected to the VPN, plus the total amount of data transferred per day, etc.

Aside from storing all this information, ThunderVPN fails to specify exactly how long it stores user data, where it keeps it, and how it protects the data stored in its systems.

Betternet

Betternet might have a sleek-looking website, but an academic study revealed an outrageous amount of trackers and ads embedded in the app. For a tool that promises privacy, I found it a bit counterproductive for Betternet to be selling marketers access to its users’ data.

CloudVPN

While it offers unlimited bandwidth, CloudVPN allows a list of advertisers to collect data through your device. The recommended VPNs in this article take pride in strong no-logging policies and protect users from any government seizure, but CloudVPN’s Terms of Service directly state that it will share user information with law enforcement if it receives requests to do so.

Snap VPN

Snap VPN’s Terms of Service state that it collects various identifiable information:

The Terms of Service also state that advertisers may be able to collect user information, too. This means you may get a sudden influx of annoying targeted ads out of nowhere.

Turbo VPN

While its Privacy Policy is pretty transparent, there’s very little information on the company behind TurboVPN. TurboVPN’s parent company, Innovative Connecting, is based in Singapore. However, most of the company’s directors are Chinese citizens, 2 of whom still have registered addresses in China. Since VPNs should protect privacy, it’s difficult to trust a company that has potential ties to a country with shady privacy laws.

Yoga VPN

Like CloudVPN, Yoga VPN has no qualms about sharing user data with authorities in the event of an official request. Yoga VPN’s parent company LANPIPER PTE LTD is headquartered in Hong Kong, with another address located in China — not very reassuring privacy-wise.

FAQs: VPNs for Samsung & Android

Get a Fast and Secure VPN for Samsung & Android

There are lots of Samsung and Android VPNs out there, but not all of them can protect your devices adequately, without slowing your speeds down. Most VPNs that show up on Google Play have questionable privacy practices, if not contain outright malware.

Testing more than 50 VPNs showed that ExpressVPN is the fastest and most secure choice for Samsung and Android devices. The native app functions smoothly on a wide range of Samsung and Android devices, even on TVs. It performed effectively with the streaming applications that my team and I put to the test.

ExpressVPN comes equipped with advanced security features, including military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and an audited no-logs policy, so you can connect to public WiFi without any worries. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out with Android and Samsung devices for yourself completely risk-free. If you’re not satisfied, you can always get a full refund.

Summary — Best VPNs for Samsung & Android in 2024

Rank

Provider name

Our score

Price

Top Ranked Top Choice

1.

9.8

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$6.67 / month Save 49%

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2.

9.6

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$2.03 / month Save 84%

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3.

9.4

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$2.03 / month Save 83%

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4.

8.8

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$2.00 / month Save 83%

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5.

8.4

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$2.99 / month Save 77%

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