Do you have a Windows 10 Mobile device and having trouble finding a VPN for it? Not to worry, in this guide we look at the best Windows 10 Mobile VPNs and why they beat out the competition.
The best VPNs for Windows phone at a glance
Check out the list below to where we compare the best VPN For Windows phone.
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for Windows 10 mobile. It's lightning-fast, great at unblocking and offers easy-to-use apps for all platforms.
- NordVPN - Easy to use | Fully featured | Servers in over 60 countries
- Surfshark - A cheap VPN for Windows 10 mobile users. At just $2.49 it offers decent speeds for streaming and solid privacy too.
- Private Internet Access - A secure VPN for Windows 10 mobile. It has a fantastic no-logs policy and a whole host of privacy features built in.
- CyberGhost VPN - An easy to use VPN for Windows 10 mobile. It's a great pick for beginners and it works well with most major streaming services.
Get ExpressVPN the #1 VPN for Windows phones
Windows 10 Mobile is the latest and first mobile version of Windows that pulls together its desktop, tablet, and phone into a single OS. For this reason, it shares more with its desktop counterpart, but due to this fact not every VPN service will work well on the platform. In this article we have carefully selected the five best VPNs for a Windows phone.
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5 Windows phone VPN services | In-depth analysis
Below, we take an up-close look at our top VPN picks for Windows phone. For more information on any of these featured services, head on over to our VPN reviews for even more details, or visit each provider's website.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Windows 10 mobile devices. It's a well-known service that packs fast speeds and top of the line privacy into an easy to use app. ExpressVPN is a provider that has led the market for nearly a decade – pushing the boundaries of what customers can expect from a VPN service. A committed guardian of online privacy, they continue to innovate and impress users and industry followers alike with their attention to detail and professionalism. The VPN has servers in 94 countries and 24/7 live chat. In addition, it is a fully featured service that has every important VPN security feature available. This includes a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and obfuscated servers. ExpressVPN is one of the few services that has great integration on Windows Phones. And because you can test it risk-free for 30-days, it is a trustworthy service that is well worth your time. NordVPN is a truly-superb VPN service for Windows phones with tight security and privacy NordVPN is a no-logs VPN provider based in Panama that offers apps for all popular platforms; including Windows phones. The VPN is easy to use, and it provides all the most important privacy features including OpenVPN encryption. For those who want a lot of advanced features, particularly on their desktop device, NordVPN is an excellent choice with specialist features such as double VPN and VPN through Tor available. This VPN also implements obfuscated servers for those who require added privacy. With NordVPN you can unblock popular services such as iPlayer or Netflix US, and because the VPN has live chat support 24/7 - they are always there to help. This VPN gives you unblocking capabilities in over 60 countries, and because you can use it on upto 6 devices this VPN is great for families or people with a lot of devices. You can test this VPN risk-free thanks to its 30-day money back guarantee. Surfshark is the cheapest VPN for Windows 10 mobile on our list. For $2.49 you can enjoy decent speeds, unblocking and strong, well implemented encryption. Surfshark might be one of the newer VPNs on the market, but don't let that fool you - the service can more than hold its own when compared to other premium providers! Being based in the British Virgin Isles keeps Surfshark out of the reach of more restrictive jurisdictions, and its no-logs policy has been independently audited. Furthermore, strong OpenVPN encryption means you'll be secure regardless of whether you're using your Windows phone at home or on the go. Users can take their pick of more than 1,700 servers, and Surfshark is plenty fast enough to make HD streaming from Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime a breeze. We're particularly impressed by the unlimited simultaneous connections, so go ahead and share the love with friends and family! Surfshark also comes with a kill switch, P2P support and fantastic 24/7 customers service, who are on hand to answer questions via live chat and email. All in all, we'd definitely recommend taking Surfshark for a spin with its 30-day money-back guarantee. Private Internet Access is the Windows 10 mobile VPN app for you if privacy is a concern. It's famous for its no-logs policy and is stacked with privacy features to keep you safe. Private Internet Access (PIA) is a US-based VPN provider that keeps zero logs, a claim it has proven in court. The VPN was recently acquired by Kape Technologies – a CyberSec firm based in London whose primary aim is to help consumers gain protection online. PIA VPN has thousands of servers in over 74 countries, it provides strong OpenVPN encryption, and is one of the most popular VPN services among Reddit users. It also has live chat support and access to Netflix US. It's an all-round outstanding VPN that continues to impress us. Try it for yourself with its 30-day money-back guarantee. CyberGhost VPN is an easy to use service for Windows 10 mobile. It's great for beginners and can unblock streaming services like iPlayer and Netflix with ease. CyberGhost perfectly balances a low-cost price tag with premium features. You'll have access to more than 6,500 servers in 90 countries, which makes the service ideal for unblocking geo-restricted content. CyberGhost is able to access Netflix US, and though it sometimes struggles when it comes to BBC iPlayer, it's a fluid situation, and you can be certain the company is working hard to come up with a stable solution. A generous 45-day money-back guarantee allows you to test out the service on your mobile at your own pace, without worrying about losing money. CyberGhost is a formidable all-rounder, able to keep you secure when using public WiFi hotspots thanks to strong OpenVPN encryption. A zero-logs policy is the cherry on top, and you can check out CyberGhost's transparency report for yourself on its site! 1. ExpressVPN
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Why do I need a VPN for Windows phone?
VPNs are becoming more and more widespread by the day – and for good reason! They're versatile, customizable tools, able to protect a user's privacy via encryption and grant access to geo-restricted content in a few clicks.
Sadly, the vast majority of those hundreds of services have poor privacy policies, insecure networks, and poorly implemented or outdated encryption protocols. A VPN is supposed to keep you secure, but with so many doing such a lousy job, it can be a real headache having to choose.
The VPNS featured in this guide all provide you with the following benefits:
- Protection from snooping governments and hackers on public WiFi hotspots. For more information, check out our VPNs on public WiFi guide.
- Encrypt your data so ISPs cannot see what you get up to online. You can learn more about VPN encryption by clicking the link.
- Improve your anonymity when torrenting. Find out more with our VPNs for torrenting guide.
- Lets you change your location by ‘spoofing’ your IP address to a remote location
- Ability to bypass censorship and geo-restrictions, for example using a VPN for BBC iPlayer will allow you to watch it outside the UK.
Windows 10 Mobile VPN Overview and Considerations
If you're familiar with the desktop version of Windows 10, you'll be right at home using the mobile edition. It has many of the same features, including identical settings, menus, kernel, UI elements, and even a built-in Cortana functionality. Some newer phones (like the Lumina 950 or 950 XL) even allow you to plug in an external monitor, so you can turn your phone into a PC... kind of!
Sadly for Windows phone users – and despite many requests from them – OpenVPN isn’t available on the Windows 10 Mobile platform. This is a real shame, because OpenVPN is generally regarded as the most secure encryption protocol for internet connections. That means that users are limited to either PPTP or L2TP. Of those two encryption protocols, L2TP/IPSec is by far the best option, so please use that one.
Find all you need to know about encryption with our complete guide to VPN encryption.
Windows 10 Mobile VPN set up
Due to the fact that the Windows phone OS is complicated (and a VPN service requires far more integration into an OS than regular desktop apps), VPNs simply haven’t managed to create custom clients for Windows 10 Mobile. The same goes for OpenVPN GUI. For this reason, you will need to configure your VPN manually on a Windows Mobile device.
Manual configuration isn’t particularly tricky. All the VPNs in this guide have instructions for connecting to their network manually. To help you out, however, we have included a step-by-step guide for you to follow here as well:
How to manually set up your VPN on Windows phones
Follow the steps below to set your VPN up on a Windows phone:
- Set up a new VPN connection by swiping down on your phone from the top of the screen to reveal the menu. Now click on VPN.
- Once the VPN option menu has opened, click the + icon next to Add a VPN connection.
- Set up an L2TP connection (the most secure one available) by contacting your chosen VPN to get their server address and IPSec pre-shared key.
- Now that you have the details that you need from your VPN provider, go back onto the Add a VPN connection menu and fill in the following details:
- VPN provider: Windows (built-in)
- Connection name: Select a name of your choice like "MyVPN” or the name of your provider
- Server name or address: The VPN server address provided by your VPN
- VPN type: L2TP/IPsec with pre-shared key
- Pre-shared key: IPSec pre-shared key that you got from your VPN provider
- Type of sign-in info: Username and password
- Username: Your VPN username from when you subscribed
- Password: You VPN password from when you subscribed
- Finally, make sure you click on Remember my sign-in info, before clicking on Save.
Windows phone VPN installation troubleshooting
Sometimes, people experience a problem with the IPSec pre-shared key. To fix this issue, simply do as follows:
- In the VPN menu select "MyVPN” (or whatever you decided to call your manually configured VPN connection).
- In the Properties menu, click on Edit.
- When the Edit menu opens, re-enter the pre-shared key that you entered while manually setting up the VPN connection.
- Click Save.
This will fix the problem and you will be able to connect to the VPN without issues.
SSTP on Windows phones
Whilst SSTP functionally was added to Windows 10 mobile, you'll actually need to talk directly to your VPN provider to get it working. This is a pain, but unfortunately, no VPN provider we know of has this functionality up and running yet.
Conclusion
Here at ProPrivacy.com, we are at the forefront of knowledge about the VPN industry. Being in constant communication with VPN providers and constantly reviewing VPN services from around the world gives us the unique ability to be able to recommend the very best VPN services. We also understand how much of a disappointment it can be to splash out on a VPN, only to be let down because of poor connection speeds. Or even worse, because our trust is being broken and our privacy and security are being put at risk.
With that in mind, this article has been carefully put together with all the information you need to make a confident choice. Any of the VPNs in our list would make a wonderful choice for Windows Mobile, and ensure you have a simple, secure VPN experience!
Here's a quick reminder of the best VPNs for Windows phones:
- ExpressVPN - The best VPN for Windows 10 mobile. It's lightning-fast, great at unblocking and offers easy-to-use apps for all platforms.
- NordVPN - Easy to use | Fully featured | Servers in over 60 countries
- Surfshark - A cheap VPN for Windows 10 mobile users. At just $2.49 it offers decent speeds for streaming and solid privacy too.
- Private Internet Access - A secure VPN for Windows 10 mobile. It has a fantastic no-logs policy and a whole host of privacy features built in.
- CyberGhost VPN - An easy to use VPN for Windows 10 mobile. It's a great pick for beginners and it works well with most major streaming services.