Using VPNs to ensure absolute anonymity while surfing the web has evolved to become a very common practice these days. There is no denying that there is a rising growth in the number of users utilizing it, and these figures will definitely escalate down the road.

Due to these demands, manufacturers of mobile devices like Apple Inc. have developed high-end iPhone apps that cater to these demands and enable folks to connect to the web safely and in anonymity. These iPhone apps are particularly designed to meet and secure the surfing needs of your iPhones.

The importance of iPhone VPN apps

Should you be utilizing a built-in VPN client within your iPhone, it is a very much favored alternative. Nonetheless, in case you are regularly using VPN, you definitely won’t prefer to spend a great chunk of your time adding in your login credentials on your iPhone if you want to browse the web thru VPNs.

In line with this, the developers made applications that can be easily used for your convenience. You may go on securely – use the web or transfer data via encrypted tunnels as much as you’d want. With a simple click of a button, you are connected, just be sure VPN has configured accordingly.

However, you may need to be aware that free VPNs may not be safe for usage. Take, for example, the Betternet safety issues.

Best features of iPhone VPN apps:

1. An easy one-click connection to the web.
2. Free you from time-consuming manual configurations.
3. Liberty to choose the protocol.
4. Makes the browsing data secured at all times.
5. Keeps intruders within your network at bay.
6. Safeguards your online privacy.

VPN apps for your iPhone

If you are among the loyal users of VPNs then you should know about the following apps:

Now, let us compare each of these VPNs.

123VPN

123VPN is an extremely light VPN app that is simple to install and use. It provides access to about 10 locations that can be easily selected. The app is completely free, but it is ad-based.

ibVPN

The ibVPN app is the one I use most frequently. It has a lot of nice features and options. You must try it if you look for a VPN app.

Hotspot Shield

Next, Hotspot Shield. Hotspot Shield provides you desktop security capabilities via its VPN service. Now, they are available on iPhone too. It will help convert your HTTP sessions into HTTPS sessions, thus allowing you added security instantly. You can now be safe with the idea that you have Malware protection, and you can now block spam and other rogue websites as well as other phishing sites. A trial version of 7-days is available for download online.

VPN One Click

Second in line is VPN One Click. With this app, you can connect to servers from different countries, they will ensure that you keep your identity hidden and so is your real IP address. With VPN One Click, you can now connect to FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, or any other blocked websites.

VPN Express

Finally, we have the VPN Express. This app is devised to work not only on your iPhone but also on your iPad and iTouch devices. Top features include excellent availability, affordable price, 99% uptime, unblock any restricted websites, and rendered perfect for use with VOIP. You may also download the trial version to run a test of the app without spending a dime.

Have you made your pick? If any of these excellent iPhone VPN apps work to your advantage, feel free to share your experience and ideas here. We’d love to hear from you!

Do you want to remove the VPN from your iOS VPN app? Here is what you need to do.

Finding a VPN solution that works for the iPhone or iPad is not a difficult task. Most of the VPN providers offer PPTP or L2TP connections and they can be easily configured on any iOS device. Of course, there are dedicated applications specially designed for iPad or iPhone and you can quickly find them with a simple search in the App Store. The advantage of such an app is that it can be easily set up and no manual settings, such as entering the VPN server address or choosing the VPN protocol, have to be performed.

As one of the goals of this blog is to review different VPN applications, I will start presenting the most popular and nicest iPhone and iPad apps. The first one that I tested was VPNFire. Here are a short description and a step-by-step tutorial.

VPNFire in AppStore

Let’s start with the AppStore and find the VPNFire app. (The screenshots are taken from an iPad, but the install and usage are similar on an iPhone.)

Choose the version for iPad or iPhone depending on your device and click Install as for any other iOS app. After the installation starts the application. You will be shown the main dashboard of VPNFire:

Next, you need to Register a New Account:

Enter your name, first name, email address, and password. Press Submit.

After the account creation, go to My Account tab and enter your email address and password set up earlier. Press Sign In.

VPNFire connection setup

The next step is to set up a VPN connection. VPNFire allows manual and automatic setup. If you prefer manual setup you need to create the VPN connection and enter the server credentials manually, but I recommend the automatic setup as it is faster and straightforward. Click on the Setup VPN on the iPad and then Start Auto Setup. As you are on the free/trial account, only VPN connections for the free VPN server will be created. Later, if you purchase a paid plan you will be to re-run the auto setup.

Make sure you read the warning message, especially China users. Click Launch Auto Setup.

You will be redirected to the Settings section of your iOS device and required to accept the installation of VPNfire configuration files. As you can see the VPNFire application is verified, so you can press Install with confidence.

The setup creates VPN connections for the active VPN servers, both for PPTP and L2TP.

Start VPNFire

After the installation is completed, you can connect to the servers: go to Settings, VPN tab, select the desired configuration (PPTP or L2TP) and then switch on the VPN.

You should be now connected. Check the new IP address by browsing to xmyip.com or any other IP check site.

When you need to disconnect, just go to Settings, VPN tab and switch off the VPN.

Plans and Pricing

VPNFire offers a trial account with 200MB traffic. After that, you need to purchase a plan: either a period subscription or a data plan. You can find all the plans here. The paid plans offer the US and UK based servers.

Conclusion

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised by the simplicity and the easy installation of this iPhone/iPad app. It does not require any tech skills and it takes only several minutes to get the VPN working and be able to unlock any restricted website. I’m not able to say much about the speed of the servers, but, as far as I tested, it was quite decent. The conclusion is that, if you are not willing to manually configure your VPN connection, VPNFire app and service may be a good choice. Enjoy!

P.S. Other VPN iOS apps you may check:

• ibVPN
• TunnelBear