by Stephan Kubrik
digitalwelt Lead Columnist for IT Security
IP Address Changers for Android
Nowadays most of us live our lives through our personal electronic devices. From online shopping and video streaming to banking and paying bills to private conversations and other personal activities, we use our phones and tablets for just about everything we do.
And because of our increasing dependence on these devices, it’s super important to ensure that our online activities are done in as a secure environment as possible. That’s where VPN (virtual private network) software can help. Let’s talk about virtual private networks and the best VPN apps (or ip address changers) for your android devices.
Top VPN Tools | Updated: November 2024
Advertisement: Sponsored ListingsVPN for Android Basics: What Is VPN for Android and Why Is It Useful?
Using a VPN on your Android device allows you to securely connect to another computer or network over the Internet. Connecting to a VPN gives the appearance that the traffic you generate is coming from that network instead of from your Android device. Here are some ways that VPN for Android can be helpful:
- An Android VPN app will let you binge like a boss on Hulu and Netflix.
- It’ll allow you to stream audio and video that is otherwise locked down to a specific global region
- If you’re into the torrenting thing, you can keep your activities from being recorded or logged.
- You’ll be able to keep nosey people from knowing your business on those public Wi-Fi access points. Also, your true location will remain hidden.
What Is the Fastest VPN for Android?
Speed is an important consideration when deciding on the best VPN for your Android device. Faster is better for sure. Express VPN consistently reaches average download speeds of over 105 Mbps, making it probably the fastest VPN for Android on the market.
What Is the Best VPN for Android?
The trial Android VPN app is a great way to familiarize yourself with how a VPN works using your Android device. Why not check out a 30-day free trial of a popular paid Android VPN app like NordVPN or opt for the 30-day money back guarantee offered by HideMyAss VPN?
Why We Don’t Recommend Free VPNs for Android: While it is true that a totally free VPN can be a great way to become accustomed to how a VPN actually works, we’ve found that the totally free Android VPN apps tend to fall short in the areas of security, speed, reliability and customer service. We’re not saying to stay away from these all-free VPN apps for Android, we are simply urging you to be aware of the possible limitations.
What Is the Safest Vpn for Android?
Keeping your information and online activities safe and secure is at the top of the list when using a VPN app with your Android devices. Whether you’re just browsing the Internet, shopping, banking or streaming audio or video, we’re big fans of NordVPN and its top-notch security standards.
Now let’s dive in and take a look at three of our favorite Android VPN apps. These are in no particular order and we’ll tell you our favorite at the end.
ExpressVPN for Android
ExpressVPN Pros for Android
Compelling reasons to choose ExpressVPN as your Android device VPN include:
- Logging & Security: They have a strict no IP & DNS logging policy and you don’t have to worry about browser leaks.
- Speed: Reliable & fast download speeds well over 80 Mbps.
- Versatility: Can use with Hulu, Netflix and other streaming services.
- Usability: Their Android app is quite easy to setup and use.
- Torrenting/P2P: Blazing fast and secure with no restrictions.
- Presence: Over 3000 servers spread over almost 100 worldwide locations.
- Avg Download Speed: 106 Mbps
- Google Play User Rating: 4.2/5.0
- Usability: Easy
- Logging: No
- Works with Netflix: Yes
- 1-Month Cost: %exvpm-en% (cost decreases to $6.67 with a longer subscription)
- Torrenting Allowed: Yes
ExpressVPN Cons for Android
- Monthly cost is the big downside to ExpressVPN for a single month. It does, however, come with a 30-day money back guarantee and the monthly cost does go down with a longer subscription. The going deal now is subscribe for 12 months and get 3 months for free to bring the monthly cost down to $6.67.
How ExpressVPN Rates on Google Play
Google Play users who rated ExpressVPN (almost 119K) gave this Android VPN app 4.2 out of 5 stars.
Why is ExpressVPN Good for Android?
ExpressVPN is an exceptional choice for an Android VPN app because of its speed and reliability, security protocols, versatility and sheer presence. It is also very affordable, especially if you sign up for a longer subscription.
Key Features of ExpressVPN for Android
With ExpressVPN for Android you’ll get:
- App Control: When connected, you can control which of your apps go through the VPN and which ones don’t need to. This is called ‘split tunneling’.
- Top Speed: ExpressVPN strives to keep their servers optimized so you’re always assured of the top speeds possible.
- Massive Presence: 3,000+ servers spread across over 150 locations in nearly 100 countries. ExpressVPN is huge.
- Connect Automatically: You can have your VPN for Android automatically connect to any available network.
- Superior Data Leak Protection: Keep your data intact and keep your business your business.
- Multi-Language UI: Use this Android VPN app in over 12 languages.
- Protective Quick Kill Switch: If you can’t for some reason connect to the VPN, you’ll be able to swiftly stop all traffic, thereby protecting your data and activities.
- Custom Settings: Tweak your settings so that it’s easy to get to your frequently used services and apps.
How to Set Up ExpressVPN for Android
Setting up ExpressVPN is super-simple process!
- Create and sign into your account.
- Download the app software.
- Follow the easy step-by-step setup instructions.
- Connect.
You can find detailed instructions on configuring and using the ExpressVPN for Android app by logging into your account.
NordVPN for Android
NordVPN Pros for Android
Here are some solid reasons to give NordVPN a try.
- Over 5200 insanely fast servers.
- No logging.
- Works relatively well with Netflix.
- Free from IP and DNS leaks.
- Your data is locked down with double encryption.
- P2P and torrenting are permitted.
NordVPN Cons for Android
- Everything has a downside, unfortunately. The biggest one for NordVPN is the 1-month price of $11.95. You have to sign on for 2 years to get a monthly price of $3.30.
How NordVPN Rates on Google Play
NordVPN rates out at 4.5 out of 5 stars for Google Play users who submitted a review (nearly 195K total).
Why Is NordVPN good for Android?
NordVPN is a great Android VPN option because of its high level of encryption, its enormous number of servers worldwide, no logging policy and ease of use.
How to Use NordVPN on Android
Setting up and using your NordVPN Android app is very similar to what we described earlier with ExpressVPN. Create your account, download the app, install and configure the app using the step-by-step instructions. Connect and you’re all set—it’s pretty straightforward.
HideMyAss VPN for Android
HideMyAss Pros for Android
Some reasons to consider HideMyAss VPN for Android include:
- HideMyAss offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
- Almost 950 servers located throughout nearly 200 countries.
- Download speeds are good.
- Using the app is relatively easy.
HideMyAss Cons for Android
HideMyAss 2024 has a few more downsides to it than ExpressVPN or NordVPN:
- HideMyAss logs VPN activity.
- Netflix is a no-go sometimes.
- Little to no customer support.
- Some regions of China have blocked the service.
How HideMyAss Rates on Google Play
The Hide My Ass Android VPN also rates a 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google Play. It has, however, far less reviews at just over 29.5K.
Why is HideMyAss good for Android?
HideMyAss is a good choice for your Android VPN app in that it has acceptable download speeds, a decent number of servers and it offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
What Makes a VPN Great for Android?
There are several factors we look for and question we ask when deciding on the best VPN app for Android devices.
- Security & Privacy: The higher encryption level the better.
- Logging Policy: No logging is preferred.
- Speed: Downloads and uploads as close to 100 Mbps is great!
- Monthly Price: Cheap is good, but keep in mind you may just get what you pay for in terms of quality, reliability and customer service.
- App Usability: The app must be easy to use so you can get a quick, stable connection.
- Server Location: Are the servers located in countries with more lenient logging and data recording laws?
- Google Play Reviews: Reviews are by actual Android VPN users. If you see an app with a lot of mid to low reviews it would be a good idea for you to do some more research on the app before using it.
Overall Winner
ExpressVPN and NordVPN are neck-and-neck with very similar upsides and features. Both offer high levels of security and speed and are easy to use. However, the monthly price of NordVPN is slightly lower than ExpressVPN and for that reason we are picking NordVPN as the best VPN app for your Android devices.
by Stephan Kubrik
digitalwelt Lead Columnist for IT Security
Stephan Kubrik is a Computer Scientist and expert on VPNs and computer viruses. Stephan has been researching for the Fraunhofer Society and has been developing software for the autonomous discovery of computer viruses and trojans using artificial intelligence.
He was previously a Research Associate at the Technical University of Cologne, studied Computer Engineering, and regularly publishes in IT magazines and journals, including the PC Magazine and digitalwelt.