Best VPN for Android

Best VPN for Android : You who are looking for a good VPN service for your Android phone have many options. But if you want the best and the safest , it quickly narrows down.

The best VPN services for Android are provided by a small number of well-established players. What characterizes these is not only that they adhere to the best encryption systems and have a large number of servers located all over the world.

They have also developed software that is tailored to the Android operating system.

Because even if your smartphone has a computer brain almost on par with your PC, it looks different on the small screen. It must be adapted to the size and be easily manoeuvrable.

There are many reasons to install such a VPN service on your Android phone. Not least because it is the one you most often use on public networks. But let’s get back to exactly this, and first take a closer look at the best VPN services for Android.

Recommended VPN for Android

If you search for VPN from the Play Store on your Android phone, a myriad of available apps will appear. If you have absolutely no prior knowledge when it comes to VPNs, it is not so easy to see which one is the best.

There are also a number of free VPN services emerging. We would recommend steering clear of these if you are not quite sure what you are doing. These free services will be discussed further down in the article.

NordVPN

In this comparison, we have given a narrow victory to NordVPN over the also very popular service ExpressVPN.

Conclusion

NordVPN is based in Panama in Central America. The advantage of that is that this is far outside the jurisdictions of the EU and the USA. This makes the supplier’s guarantee of no logging feel much safer.

One of the essential points of VPN is that your traffic on the Internet is not monitored. Then it doesn’t help much if the VPN provider itself keeps logs of your activity. There are examples of certain free services reselling such logs to buyers who want to use them for commercial purposes.

Decisive for NordVPN’s top position, however, is the number of servers. It includes more than 4,300 servers located in various locations around the world.

A large number of servers is synonymous with no or little downtime. Should a server experience problems, just jump over to another one.

Now, there are admittedly other services that have their servers distributed over a larger number of countries than NordVPN. The NordVPN servers are nevertheless found in more than 60 countries, including Norway, and will probably cover your needs.

Should your desire be to identify your IP address to a more peripheral nationality that is not accessible from NordVPN, you can check if it is in the range of ExpressVPN or Hide my Ass.

From NordVPN, you choose where your server should be by clicking on a world map, or selecting the country from a drop-down menu. You will then be immediately connected to the selected server.

Good customer service is of course a must even with an unusually user-friendly program. NordVPN can be contacted 24/7. However, so can our other recommended services, so there is no big difference here.

Prices for paid VPN services are generally low, and do not make a big difference when we compare.

They should nevertheless be mentioned. NordVPN is roughly in the middle of the tree, somewhat below its main competitor ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN

Many consider ExpressVPN to be the best VPN service. They also have good reasons for that.

Conclusion

Like NordVPN, they are discreetly located outside the regulatory sphere of the major countries, in this case in the British Virgin Islands.

With over 3,000 servers spread over 160 locations, they are also responsible for extremely fast traffic. The extra time it actually takes to get your web connection through a remote server is reduced to a minimum.

That means a lot for an Android phone. This is how you can sit and stream TV programs via VPN when you are sitting in the waiting room, on the bus or need to fill other dead time.

In terms of the number of countries, ExpressVPN surpasses the competition with servers in 94 countries. It is therefore rarely a problem to find an offer from the country or in the language you want.

The Android app itself is also excellent. It is easy to install, and works intuitively and smoothly.

ExpressVPN has 24/7 customer support. They also have a very comprehensive and instructive website in Norwegian where they cover most of the points you might want information about.

In terms of price, they are above the hundred mark in monthly costs. The price per month can be reduced if you commit for a longer period. You can try out the service free of charge in the form of a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Surfshark

Surfshark hasn’t been around for as long as ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but has in a relatively short time acquired a position among the big ones. SurfShark, our third recommendation of VPN for iPhone.

Conclusion

Surfshark disposes of more than 3,200 servers in 65 countries. With it, they have the muscles needed to give your Android phone the security and speed expected from a good VPN.

They also use almost the same technology for encryption as NordVPN and ExpressVPN. 256-bit encryption has gradually become standard among the leading VPN providers. It will thus be impossible to track or monitor you, unless the VPN service itself uses some form of logging. That is not the case here.

Like ExpressVPN, Surfshark has settled legally in the British Virgin Islands, and does not have to comply with orders from either the US or EU countries.

To further strengthen security, Surfshark has installed additional programs Kill switch and CleanWeb.

With a Killswitch, the connection to the Internet is broken immediately if one of Surfshark’s servers should fail. Had the connection not been broken, you would have been “discovered”. That is, your real IP address is revealed.

CleanWeb is used to prevent viruses and other malware from being able to settle or do damage.

Many and fast servers mean that the speed does not suffer as a result of all the encryption and other security measures. You will always be able to enjoy a good movie right on your Android phone with this VPN service.

Another plus for Surfshark is that with a subscription you can install the VPN server on an unlimited number of devices in your household. That means you can not only VPN to your android phone, but also to computers, tablets, smartwatches, routers and whatever else you may have of objects that can connect you to the Internet.

Now NordVPN and ExpressVPN will probably also cover your needs anyway, as these can be installed on up to 5 devices with one subscription.

However, the cheapest subscription you can get is to choose one with a two-year commitment period from Surfshark. The price is then down to $2.95 USD per month. As with the other services, you can cut it out after 30 days if you’re not satisfied and get your money back.

About paid VPN services versus the free ones

As you can see above, you don’t need to pay a lot for a good, secure and well-functioning VPN service.

It is therefore also possible to download a VPN service without paying anything. Here, however, you can run the risk that the service has some shortcomings, and not least points of irritation. You also don’t have the same right to complain about something you didn’t pay for.

The biggest risk is that the free VPN service logs your activity. Then you are essentially back to square one, like when your internet provider had an overview of everything you did online. There are also VPN services that resell the information that emerges from the logs.

You can easily check if this is the case by studying the terms you have to accept for downloading, or simply asking the question on Google.

Less number of available servers

A free service is unlikely to have the same number of servers placed in as many places as the good paid services. First check whether the service actually has a server in Norway. Without one, it will not be able to give you a Norwegian IP address. You must have that if, for example, you are going to watch Norwegian TV from abroad.

Fewer servers can also result in a poorer connection and slower internet. It is not unusual for the servers to be overloaded in such networks.

Moreover, a non-revenue-based service will find it difficult to keep up with the big services technologically. If the encryption and programs they have today work as intended, it is not a given that they can react as quickly to changes that may come. The payment services have a stronger commitment in the form of their many user contracts here, and they have finances for new technical investments where necessary.

Two versions

Some services have both a free version and a paid version. As they actually have paying users, these are more trustworthy and generally better than the purely free services.

The free versions are basically the same as the paid versions of these services. The limitation is that you may only use the VPN for a limited amount of MB per month. It can hold up to some occasional surfing, but is small compared to loading heavy programs and streaming services.

We can really say that the free version is bait for as many people as possible to switch to the paid version as soon as possible. But if you intend to pay first, you should be able to choose freely. Feel free to compare the VPN service in question with those we have recommended above, in terms of price and performance.

Installing VPN on an Android device

VPN can be installed on any device that moves out into the web. However, the method of installing the VPN server differs depending on whether it is your computer, an iPhone, or a device using the Android operating system. Where a program is to be downloaded to the PC, we must instead find an app on the Play Store for the VPN service in question.

Some VPN providers do not cover Android, but the vast majority will probably have a method for easy installation on Android. You will quickly see if there is indeed an Android download icon when you go to the VPN provider’s page.

Such an icon will normally bring you straight to the App Store and the app in question. You can of course also go to the App Store first, and from there search for the app you want. At the same time, you get an overview of all the relevant VPN apps that actually exist.

After downloading in the usual way, you choose the payment method and activate the service.

Once inside, you decide where in the world you want to surf from. That is, you choose the country you want the server you connect to. For example, if you want to watch American Netflix, choose the United States.

Select protocol

You may also be asked which protocol you want to use for encryption. Here there will be a recommended protocol from the supplier if you have no other preferences.

A secure connection will be established between your Android and the server you choose. It is called a tunnel. All information that goes back and forth in this tunnel is encrypted. Your visible activity will therefore only be traced back to this server and the IP address it uses.

Access to Geoblocked content

In addition to being able to act with complete anonymity under a hidden IP address, you also get access to geo-blocked content in the country of the server you choose. For example, there may be national television broadcasts. Broadcasters normally have the rights to only show the programs in the country where they have their regular broadcasts.

This means that you can expand your television offer to series, films and documentaries and more from Swedish TV, the BBC or TV stations from any other country where the VPN provider has deployed a server. Netflix also has different content depending on which country you are in.

And when you are abroad, you can quench your homesickness with NRK’s ​​current programs or rich archive.

As you always bring your Android phone with you wherever you go, you will have access to this worldwide entertainment offer at all times.

Consider this before choosing a VPN for your Android

As mentioned, there are many who are on the offer side when it comes to VPNs. If you want to compare a bunch of selected services, there are especially these points that you should keep in mind:

• Safety
• Speed
• Own android app
• Can it be used on multiple devices
• Servers in Norway
• Costs
• Customer service
• Important to look for when choosing a VPN for Android

Safety has first priority!

Safety is of course important. Above all if you use your Android smartphone on public networks. Here, you are particularly vulnerable to hackers and others who want to gain access to your device for nefarious purposes.

See what type of encryption the service uses. The most secure is considered to be 256-bit encryption used by services such as Surfshark, ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Additional programs such as Kill switch are reassuring in case the server you are on fails.

Don’t forget to check whether the VPN provider is logging and reselling information about your Internet activity.

Speed?

When your traffic goes through a server, it will always slow down your browsing. If the service has many and fast servers, this difference will be close to zero.

For free services with a fixed number of servers, however, there can be a problem

Does the VPN service have its own app for Android?

This is of course crucial. Now almost everyone wants this offer, but there may be some VPN services with a limited offer. Check this out before paying for a service.

There is also a slight difference in the usability and stability of such apps. Here, you can get some way by googling reviews.

Can you use the VPN service on multiple devices?

You probably have more devices than your Android phone. Once you have a VPN, it might be a good idea to install it on everyone.

The good paid services can offer installation of up to five devices on one subscription. If you choose Surfshark, they actually have no upper limit for this.

What is the price of the VPN service?

So some are free, but you have to expect that there are some shortcomings.

Also, check whether they will suddenly start demanding money for the service after you have exceeded a certain limit. Several of the free VPN services also operate with a paid version.

Otherwise, it is not the price level that distinguishes the large VPN services to a particular extent. Check the prices of the recommended services at the top.

All also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Customer service and user service

It’s always good to be able to get help if you’re stuck. On paper, the major paid services must have 24/7 user support.

If you have a free VPN service, it is not as obvious that someone will stay up all night to help you with possible problems. Here, you probably have to figure things out yourself in most cases.

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