So a new feature for iCloud users has just been released called private relay kind of works like a built-in free VPN for iPhone. But can it actually match a traditional free iOS VPN hmm? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents
What is the private relay?
So private relay at first`. I was convinced it was a built-in iOS VPN but it’s not it actually works by sending your traffic through two proxy servers one operated by apple which encrypts the data and sends it to forward the second server operated by a third-party provider then decrypts it before sending your request to a website see this way apple knows your IP. But doesn’t know where you’re actually going meanwhile that third party doesn’t know.
What are the major private relay cons?
Who you are but know what you’re looking for now there is one major issue that arises from all of this apple doesn’t have any logs policy in place. And we have no way of knowing if they could possibly trace your data back to you if needed requested or threatened. There’s also the fact that private relay only encrypts your traffic on safari everything you do on other apps and browsers will still be traceable on top of that private relay proxy servers are easily detectable. So yeah they often get blocked anyway. So if the private relay is not exactly your best option well.
Can you really get a free VPN for your iPhone?
Can you really get a free VPN for your iPhone? Yes, you can and two of my personal best free VPN for iPhone 2022 options are the atlas VPN and proton VPN free for starters with this two VPN for iOS choices.
How are free VPNs better?
You get yourself an audited no logs policy which is important since a lot of non-reputable VPNs tend to sell their user’s data so a no logs policy is a nice transparency move that way. I can rest assured that my data will not be captured or sold off oh. And there’s one more thing that these free iPhone VPN 2022 picks do better than the private relay. And that would be with system-wide encryption. You’ll no longer be limited to one browser all your apps will go through the same VPN server and traffic will be safe and encrypted. Now, still security is just the baseline of a VPN.
I mean there’s so much more to it right I’ve used these two best free VPNs for a while. Let’s pick them apart one by one the atlas VPN free version allowed me to set up two devices at once. So I tested it both on iPhone and an iPad and both work great within the free VPN for iPhone app. They offer servers in three locations sure it’s free and also can’t complain. But to compare this to the top premium market leaders well the difference is significant anyway. I also found that the atlas VPN free apps fully support the wire guard tunneling protocol wire guard not only boosts the speeds of this best free VPN for iPhone. Pick but also comes with advanced encryption yep cha-cha 20 plus. They have an effective kill switch so thanks to this feature. If your VPN connection drops none of your data will get leaked.
Atlas VPN limitations
It’s pretty nifty but hey it’s not like streaming works anyway. So yeah a free VPN is not exactly a long-term solution. You’re going to notice the limitations very quickly but atlas isn’t the only free iPhone VPN 2022 choice.
Proton VPN free version review
Let’s have a look at the proton VPN free version proton earns points for being open source which means developers or anyone with a bit of knowledge can look through it and point out any vulnerabilities. It also doesn’t have a data cap which is the main difference between proton and atlas but these best free VPNs are still relatively similar. I found servers in three different locations and with a variety of tunneling protocols with wire guards being among them. But I do have to mention that when I tested them out proton speeds weren’t as great as they might be due to the high server load. So keep that in mind.
What does proton VPN lack?
So yeah proton might be among the best free VPN for iPhone picks but I’m still riddled with limitations. I wasn’t able to access many features without upgrading streaming didn’t work well and the slow speeds got a little bit annoying.
It’s not really worth upgrading-why?
Okay so now my question is it worth upgrading for any of these apps? Well, sure these two are the best free VPN for iPhone 2022 options. But as their premium counterparts well they aren’t really the best options on the market. If you’re looking for a good premium iPhone VPN. There are some better options out there.
Bigger server pool
But I have two main reasons why I usually use Surf shark and Nord VPN on my iPhone instead of atlas and proton. First server options and performance atlas has just about 750 servers and a proton has about 1800. And sure that’s a solid amount of options but in this case, bigger is better more servers mean that the server loads won’t be as high. And the closest servers to you won’t be countries away all of that combines for a better VPN performance. And that’s one of the biggest reasons why Nord and surf shark mobile app versions consistently top the VPN speed charts. Since they’re coming in with about 5632 servers respectively. And I love me some great speeds so there you go.
Value for money
Now the second reason is value atlas VPN isn’t the most feature-packed solution. So in that sense, it’s great for beginners considering the fact that it also allows unlimited simultaneous connections and goes for around two dollars a month. It’s a solid budget-friendly option. On the other hand proton, VPN is kind of the opposite in both ways. It’s packed with features stuff as tore over VPN for extra privacy. And even a VPN accelerator for greater speeds. But the cheapest plan currently goes for five dollars a month. And yeah that’s quite the price jump. So since surf shark and Nord VPN for iPhone can both match proton in speed and features. Well, I tend to lean towards them especially since the prices are quite a bit lower. Those are two of my main reasons.
Streaming geo-blocked content
But there’s actually one more would anyone love to stream some foreign Netflix libraries any of you. Yeah okay, I thought all of you might. So I spent months testing and I simply had to have better luck with Nord and surf shark when trying to access foreign libraries. They opened 15 and 28 foreign libraries respectively. And that’s plenty to satisfy my streaming needs. Okay, sure atlas and proton can open the main streaming sites but they seem to struggle quite a bit more. And I get Netflix errors a lot more often. So yeah overall it’s a bit of a headache to choose a proper premium option.
Conclusion
I think the answer to what is the best free VPN is simple actually you got two great options to choose from free or premium.
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