Best VPNs for Android: 2 Paid Picks With No Data Caps, and What Android Won’t Do
The 2 best paid VPNs for Android phones and tablets, with real prices, safe ways to install them and the hotspot limit to know about.
Quick Answer
Proton VPN is the best VPN for Android for most people: Stealth for blocked networks, Moderate NAT for games and audited no-logs, from $2.49 a month. PureVPN is the lower price, from $1.69 a month, with obfuscation and a kill switch. Both cover 10 devices with no data cap. Android won’t pass a VPN over your hotspot, so devices on it need their own app.
Your phone jumps between Wi-Fi networks you don’t control, and every app on it can see your IP. Free VPN apps often pay for themselves with ads or data caps. These 2 paid VPNs for Android cover your whole phone with no data cap, and each adds something the other doesn’t.
The 2 Best VPNs for Android in 2026
Proton VPN has the deeper Android feature set. PureVPN costs less and adds its own ad and tracker blocker.
Proton VPN Plus
- Stealth and Moderate NAT in the Android app
- NetShield, split tunneling and kill switch
- $2.49 a month on 2 years ($59.76), 10 devices
- 30-day money-back guarantee
2-year plan
PureVPN
- Obfuscation, kill switch and split tunneling
- Tracker and ad blocker, with leak protection
- $1.69 a month on 5 years ($101.55), 10 devices
- 31-day money-back guarantee
5-year plan·$1.69/mo $12.95/mo
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Which Android VPN Fits Your Job
Find what you use your phone for. The last column shows the pick.
| Your job | Why it fits | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Public Wi-Fi at hotels, airports and cafés | Both encrypt your traffic on networks you don’t control, and both have a kill switch for when you move between Wi-Fi and mobile data. See is hotel Wi-Fi safe. | Proton VPN or PureVPN |
| Everyday privacy from your carrier and sites | Proton’s app is open source and audited, with NetShield on paid plans to block ads and trackers. PureVPN has its own tracker and ad blocker. | Proton VPN |
| Mobile games with Strict NAT | Proton’s Moderate NAT is in the app, under Settings, Advanced, NAT type. Mobile data is often behind CGNAT, so a VPN NAT setting is one of the few things you can change. See VPN NAT type and mobile hotspot NAT type. | Proton VPN |
| Networks that block VPN apps | Proton’s Stealth protocol and PureVPN’s obfuscation both disguise VPN traffic. See the best stealth VPNs. | Proton VPN |
| Streaming apps on your phone | Both list streaming on paid plans. Services change their blocks, so try yours during the refund window. See the best VPN for streaming. | Proton VPN or PureVPN |
| Apps such as CapCut, or Android TV | Each app can go through the VPN, and split tunneling lets you pick which. See VPN for CapCut and VPN for Android TV. | Proton VPN or PureVPN |
| Lowest monthly price | PureVPN starts at $1.69 a month on 5 years and $2.15 on 2 years, against $2.49 on Proton’s 2-year plan. | PureVPN |
Android VPN and Hotspot: Your Other Devices Aren’t Covered
Turn on a hotspot while your phone’s VPN is connected, and your laptop gets internet as usual, but outside the VPN. Proton’s support page says devices on the hotspot connect but aren’t protected, and that’s a limit of Android and iPhone rather than of any one VPN. Here are your options.
| Option | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Install the VPN app on each device | Both picks cover 10 devices, and the hotspot then carries their VPN traffic | Laptops, tablets and other phones |
| Use a VPN router | Everything on that router goes through the VPN | Consoles, TVs and devices with no VPN app |
| Root your phone | Proton says this is technically possible but advises most people against it: it can void your warranty and stop banking apps working | Not recommended |
More on routers in the best VPN for a router.
Android VPN Price: From $1.69 a Month
One plan covers your phone and 9 other devices, so you’re not paying per device. Long plans save the most, with PureVPN’s 5-year plan at $1.69 a month against $12.95 month to month.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| PureVPN, 5 years | $1.69 a month ($101.55 for 60 months) | Obfuscation, kill switch, ad and tracker blocker, split tunneling |
| PureVPN, 2 years | $2.15 a month ($58.20 for 27 months) | The same, and the plan to choose if you want an add-on |
| Proton VPN Plus, 2 years | $2.49 a month ($59.76) | Stealth, Moderate NAT, NetShield, split tunneling |
US prices before tax, read at checkout on November 6, 2026, during Black Friday offers. Seasonal deals, when running, show on the cards above. After the first term, plans renew at each VPN’s regular rate. Refunds don’t cover renewals, crypto, Google Play or App Store payments on PureVPN, or cash and bank transfer on Proton VPN.
Get Proton VPN Plus From $2.49 a MonthAndroid’s Built-In VPN and Always-On Setting
Android has a VPN menu under Settings, Network & internet, VPN. Google’s help page describes it as a place to add details from an administrator or to manage a VPN app, not a VPN service. Pixel 7 and later phones and the Pixel Tablet do include a VPN by Google at no extra cost where it’s available, but it doesn’t bring the NAT and Stealth settings above.
The same menu has an Always-on VPN switch, though Google says a VPN set up through an app won’t show it. So rely on your VPN app’s kill switch, which is in both picks. Read more about always-on VPNs and kill switches.
Where to Get an Android VPN App: Play Store, APK or F-Droid
| Source | Proton VPN | PureVPN | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | Yes | Yes | Easiest, and updates itself. Check the publisher |
| Provider’s own APK | Yes, on GitHub | Yes, on its site | For phones without the Play Store |
| F-Droid | Yes | – | An open-source app store, for Proton’s open-source app |
| MOD APK or a copy from a download site | Avoid | Avoid | Someone else changed the app, and a VPN sees all your traffic |
How to Set Up a VPN on Android in 4 Steps
- Choose your VPN and plan. Pick Proton VPN Plus or PureVPN. Long plans cost least per month. Go to the 2 picks.
- Install from an official source. Search Google Play and check the publisher. No Play Store? Proton also offers F-Droid and an APK on GitHub, and PureVPN has an official APK.
- Log in and allow the VPN. Open the app and log in. Android asks you to approve the VPN connection the first time, so tap OK, then connect to a nearby server.
- Turn on the kill switch and check. Turn on the kill switch in the app’s settings, then check that your public IP has changed. Try your apps on both Wi-Fi and mobile data during your refund window.
VPN Not Working on Android? 4 Quick Fixes
It won’t connect
Switch protocol or server, then try the other network: Wi-Fi if you’re on mobile data, or the reverse. If that network blocks VPNs, try Proton’s Stealth. See why your VPN isn’t working.
It drops when your screen is off
Battery savers can stop background apps. In Android’s settings, remove battery limits for your VPN app, and keep the kill switch on. More in VPN keeps disconnecting.
Your internet got slower
Pick a nearby server first, and use split tunneling to keep large apps outside the VPN. See VPN slowing down your internet.
You’re worried about mobile data
A VPN adds a little overhead to your data. See does a VPN use data for what to expect.
Related Guides
Sources (checked November 6, 2026):
- • Google: connect to a VPN on Android (Settings, Always-on, Pixel VPN)
- • Proton: sharing a VPN over an Android hotspot, Moderate NAT, protocols by app and its Android download page
- • PureVPN: its Android page (install routes, features, MOD APKs) and order page (totals)