Best VPN for Android
Updated 21 September 2026 · How we research
Android has the most reliable kill switch of any consumer platform, because it is enforced by the operating system rather than by the VPN app. Most people never turn it on.
Protocol choice on this platform
Protocol selection for Android.
| Situation | Protocol | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Moving between Wi-Fi and cellular | IKEv2/IPsec | MOBIKE keeps the tunnel alive through an address change |
| Battery-sensitive everyday use | WireGuard | Less per-packet work and faster wake from idle |
| Restrictive mobile network | OpenVPN TCP on 443 | Passes filters that drop UDP |
| Older device without AES acceleration | WireGuard | ChaCha20 is faster than AES on such chips |
Platform-specific behaviour
- Per-app split tunneling is well supported, because Android's VpnService lets clients allow or disallow specific packages. See split tunneling.
- Battery optimisation can suspend a VPN app in the background. Exclude the client from optimisation if the tunnel keeps dropping.
- Private DNS. Android's own DNS-over-TLS setting can interact with a VPN's resolver. If lookups behave oddly, check this first.
Kill switch on this platform
First-run setup
The order matters. Most people install a client, connect once, and never check whether the parts that protect them when something goes wrong are actually switched on.
- Install the app and sign in.
- Open Settings → Network & internet → VPN, tap the gear beside the app, and enable Always-on VPN and Block connections without VPN. This is the single most valuable step on Android, because the operating system enforces it rather than the app.
- Exclude the VPN app from battery optimisation so the system does not suspend it in the background.
- Choose IKEv2/IPsec if you move between Wi-Fi and cellular often; otherwise WireGuard.
- Check Private DNS under network settings — a DNS-over-TLS hostname set there can interact with the VPN's own resolver.
- Confirm your address changed, then run a DNS leak test from the phone's browser.
- Toggle aeroplane mode on and off to force a reconnect, and confirm nothing escapes during the gap.
Troubleshooting
Most VPN problems are protocol or routing problems rather than encryption problems.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Tunnel drops when the screen is off | Battery optimisation suspending the app | Exclude the VPN app from battery optimisation and enable Always-on VPN |
| Reconnects constantly on the move | Protocol rebuilding the tunnel each time the address changes | Switch to IKEv2/IPsec, which uses MOBIKE to survive an address change |
| Some apps ignore the VPN | Per-app split tunneling is excluding them | Review the app list in the client's split-tunneling settings |
| DNS behaves oddly | Android Private DNS conflicting with the tunnel resolver | Set Private DNS to Automatic while connected and retest |
| Works on Wi-Fi, fails on mobile data | Carrier filtering UDP | Switch to OpenVPN TCP on port 443 |
How we assess providers for this page
The ordering on every comparison page on this site follows the same four criteria, and none of them is a speed measurement. We have not run a controlled throughput programme, so publishing figures or scores derived from one would be inventing evidence.
- Protocol breadth — how many genuinely different network conditions the provider can handle, not how many names appear on a page.
- Documented security features — kill switch and leak protection as published by the vendor, labelled as vendor statements.
- Platform coverage — which devices get native support, and which protocols are actually available on each.
- Commercial terms — price, device limit and refund window exactly as published on VPN Sherlock.
The reasoning behind each is set out in our methodology.
Providers compared
Commercial terms exactly as published on VPN Sherlock.
| # | VPN | Best for | Key features | Protocols | Devices | Price | Learn more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Best overall | Six published protocols — the widest range among the five compared here | 6 (incl. Shadow, ZoogTLS) | Unlimited | $2.49/month | Get dealRead review |
| 2 |  Proton VPN | Clearest obfuscation | The only provider here that publishes how its obfuscation protocol is built | 3 (incl. Stealth) | 10 | $4.99/month | Get dealRead review |
| 3 |  PureVPN | Most devices covered | Native Apple TV and Fire Stick apps, which removes the usual reason to configure a router | 3 (WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2) | 10 | $3.24/month | Get dealRead review |
| 4 |  | Most obfuscation options | Two proprietary transports, one of them available at router level. No IKEv2 | 4 (incl. OpenWeb, StealthVPN) | 5 | $5.00/month | Get dealRead review |
| 5 |  Windscribe | Most flexible | Manual config generation for all three protocols, plus a free tier you can evaluate first | 3 (OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard) | Unlimited | $3.00/month | Get dealRead review |
Notes for this platform
- ZoogVPN lists the widest protocol range of the five compared here, including a TCP fallback on every platform.
- Proton VPN is the only one publishing the architecture of its obfuscation protocol.
- PureVPN has the broadest native app list but no obfuscated transport.
- Astrill VPN carries two proprietary obfuscation protocols but no IKEv2.
- Windscribe generates manual configuration files, so it works beyond its own apps.
- Android is the platform where the OS-level kill switch is strongest, so the provider's own implementation matters less here than elsewhere.
Save 82%ZoogVPN is our primary recommendation across platforms because of its six-protocol line-up — the widest published range among the five providers compared here.
2-year plans
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure. Pricing shown as published on VPN Sherlock; confirm current terms at checkout.
Verify it is working
Whatever you choose, confirm it behaves correctly rather than assuming. Leaks are far more common than broken encryption, and they cluster around reconnects, sleep and network changes rather than steady-state browsing. The full routine is in how to test a VPN; the short version is to confirm your public address changed, that every DNS resolver shown belongs to the VPN, that no IPv6 address from your ISP is visible, and that ending the client process stops traffic immediately.