Apps Like Surfshark VPN: 10 Alternatives Worth Trying on iOS

There is a reason Surfshark VPN: Fast VPN App sits near the top of most iOS VPN shortlists. Since 2018 it has piled up more than 121,000 ratings at a 4.71 average, and its headline feature - unlimited simultaneous connections on a single subscription - is genuinely useful if you want to cover a phone, an iPad, a laptop, and a partner's devices without counting seats. The app is clean, the connection is quick, and the feature set (kill switch, ad blocking, rotating IP) covers what most people actually need.

Where does it fall short? Two honest caveats. First, Surfshark now lives under the same corporate roof as NordVPN, so if you were reaching for it specifically to diversify away from the big players, that logic is thinner than it looks. Second, it has no meaningful free tier: the download is free, but you are committing to a paid plan to use it. If either of those matters to you, the alternatives below map to different priorities rather than just being "cheaper Surfshark."

If privacy pedigree comes first

The strongest reason to look past Surfshark is provenance, and here Proton VPN: Fast & Secure is the obvious pick. It comes from Proton AG, the Swiss team behind ProtonMail, and it carries that security-first reputation into the VPN space with a 4.61 rating. Crucially, it is one of the very few reputable providers with a genuinely unlimited free tier, so you can test its trustworthiness before paying anything. The trade-off is that the free plan restricts you to a handful of countries and slower speeds, which is by design.

VPN Windscribe: Fast & Secure belongs in the same conversation. Rated 4.64, Windscribe has quietly built a no-logs reputation that many louder brands only advertise, and its free allowance is generous enough for light everyday use. Think of Proton as the polished, audited flagship and Windscribe as the enthusiast favorite that rewards people who like to tinker with settings.

If you want raw speed and streaming reliability

Surfshark is fast, but two rivals are built around speed as the headline. ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN is the heavyweight, with over 417,000 ratings at 4.68 - a volume of feedback that is hard to argue with. It consistently connects quickly and unblocks streaming services with less fuss than most, and the app is about as frictionless as VPNs get. The honest caveat is price: ExpressVPN skews toward the expensive end, so you are paying a premium for that reliability.

NordVPN: VPN Fast & Secure, rated 4.66, is the other obvious speed pick and one of the most downloaded VPN apps on iOS. It offers a deeper feature stack than Surfshark (specialty servers, threat protection) and its NordLynx protocol is genuinely quick. Remember, though, that Nord and Surfshark share a parent company, so choosing Nord over Surfshark is a decision about features and interface rather than corporate independence.

If you want unlimited devices or long-tenured value

Surfshark's unlimited-connections pitch is matched by IPVanish VPN: Fast & Secure, which has offered simultaneous connections without a device cap for years. At a 4.55 rating it sits slightly below the leaders on polish, but for households that want to blanket every device on one account, it is a direct value competitor that has been around since 2013.

VPN by Private Internet Access is the other value veteran, rated 4.69 and operating since 2015. Its lightweight 48 MB app hides a deep set of configuration options, and it also supports a large number of simultaneous connections. PIA is the pick for people who want granular control (protocol selection, encryption settings) and a long public track record, rather than the most hand-holding experience.

If you want free, friendly, or minimal

Not everyone needs a full subscription VPN. If your goal is a friendlier on-ramp, TunnelBear: Secure VPN & Wifi is the most approachable option on this list. Rated 4.68 and around since 2012, its bear-themed interface makes VPNs feel non-intimidating, and its free tier is fine for occasional coffee-shop Wi-Fi protection. The caveat is a modest monthly data cap on the free plan.

For a genuinely different tool, 1.1.1.1: Faster Internet from Cloudflare reroutes your traffic through its network for privacy and, often, a speed bump, and its WARP mode is free. It is less a full VPN than a privacy-focused DNS-plus-tunnel utility, so treat it as a lightweight everyday layer rather than a replacement for a location-changing VPN. Its 4.5 rating reflects that narrower scope.

Two newer entrants round things out. NextVPN: Fast & Secure Proxy, rated 4.67, leans on modern V2Ray and Xray protocols and requires no account to start, which is a real plus in restrictive networks. X-VPN: VPN Fast & Secure, also at 4.66, has spent years refining a tap-once-and-connect experience with a free option. With both, apply the standard scrutiny you would to any less-established free VPN, and read the privacy policy before you trust it with sensitive traffic.

The short version

Surfshark remains an excellent default, especially for its unlimited-device value. But pick Proton VPN or Windscribe if audited privacy and a real free tier lead your list, ExpressVPN or NordVPN if speed and streaming are the point, Private Internet Access or IPVanish for value and control, and TunnelBear or 1.1.1.1 if you just want something light and friendly for public Wi-Fi.