VPN APK: heres how to download the best

Date:
Tue, 02 Jan 2018 09:19:04 +0000

Description:
We detail the best places to grab Android application packages, if you prefer this route to installing the providers official client.

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Getting hold of an Android Package Kit, or APK, is sometimes the best way to get an app on your Android device, especially when it comes to VPN services. Its the file format that ensures the VPN software is going to be compatible with your Android device, but going down the path of an APK isnt normally
done via the more commonly used Google Play store.

Youll generally find that APK VPNs can be found through third-party vendors, which can also mean youll need to be a little more cautious about what you find. For example, some packages might look tantalisingly good, but equally they might contain malicious content, which is an obvious thing youll want to avoid.

Nevertheless, there are a host of reasons why youd want to install applications this way (rather than going through Google Play). This can range from having the ability to install any version of any application (not just the latest) through to testing those that havent been released yet. It can therefore be a good way to do things differently, just as long as you take your time and double-check anything that might not be what it purports to be.

Youll definitely want to be cautious about the legitimacy of your download sources. Just as is the case with Windows software, make sure the APKs you download are not pirated copies, are free from malware, and havent been compromised in any way.

To help you in this cause, on this page weve listed our recommended APK sources for getting your fix of VPN providers. Just bear in mind that while the APKs might be free, you still need to pay for the actual service from the respective VPN provider in many cases. Fear not though, as we also have a
list of best VPN services handy, as it happens. Meanwhile, down at the bottom of the page, we explain the benefits of using a VPN APK for some users. 1.
APK Pure

APK Pure has one of the largest repositories of VPN APKs on the web with
more than 250 results listed. Sadly, theres no way of sorting them out (by date or price) but you can theoretically filter the results by region, although at the time of writing that function appeared to be broken.

Each VPN page has a very small description, a prominent download button (with the file size), a few screenshots, the version number, the OS requirement, list of newest features, the launch date and a list of previous VPN APKs.

As expected, there is also a list of related VPN services (mostly competitors), and APK Pure offers a discussion forum for each product with a rating system. The download site claims to be 100% safe as it curates and hand-verifies all apps prior to publishing. 2. APK Mirror

It may not have as many VPNs (just around 200) as its competitors but APK Mirror offers a range of VPNs that you cant get anywhere else. For example, its the only one weve listed here to offer Samsungs Enterprise VPN services for download. So, as you can probably guess, it isnt a bad idea to combine this repository and the aforementioned one (APK Pure) together to get your
fix of VPN APKs.

APK Mirror allows you to sort APKs by app name or by developer name. It shows the number of downloads and the size of the download, but unlike APK Pure, it doesnt have a discussion forum or a user rating system, just a standard Disqus-based comments area. It does, however, show the certificate fileprints as well as the file hashes of each file. Nice! Theres also a raft of options to make downloading files easier: QR Code, PushBullet and even RSS Feed. 3. APK4Fun

At the time of writing, APK4Funs search facilities appeared to be broken. Run by Google Custom Search Engine, this repository lists more than 6,000 results for VPNs, an impressive number. Sadly, you can only access 100 ( ed: You can also use the search operator site:www.apk4func.com VPN to unearth around 400 VPNs ).

As with the competition, it uses a star rating system which is directly
pulled from Google Play (rather than generated by users on-site). It provides the usual details to check the integrity of the file youre downloading, and offers up to six sources to download your files from.

Note that we did encounter some dead links to external servers, but not to APK4funs own servers. Why this is the case is a mystery, and sadly, you wont be able to download older versions easily (archived versions are not located on a central page). 4. Uptodown

This is the only website weve highlighted here which has adopted an infinity scroll layout rather than a classic next/previous navigation model. Doing so allows Uptodown to sit well with its intended audience namely smartphone users especially as it sports a narrow design, making it a great choice to sift through the 140+ VPN providers listed.

Filtering options are limited only to specifying the platform. You cant sort by date or by type (whether theyre free or not). The product page offers previous versions of the APK, and details the permissions required for installation, giving a brief description and the usual screenshots and
sharing buttons.

This site does have its own commenting and ask a question sections but we found them fairly empty. Uptodown uses VirusTotal to scan for malware or spyware using a whopping 57 antivirus solutions. 5. Aptoide

There are far more VPN APKs on Aptoide than anywhere else. Indeed, we counted to 500 before giving up. That said, our latest global VPN audit showed there were 340 providers worldwide so we are rather dubious about Aptoides search result claims here.

At any rate, Aptoide which utilizes a similar narrow page layout as Uptodown
doesnt curate content from Google Play, instead operating its own comment
and rating system (with some success), while adding its own details like the MD5 and SHA1 signatures.

Downloading APKs is a fairly straightforward process, and we love the fact that it shows how many downloads each brand has had. All the main features
are here: you can download older versions, you can share the page with
others, you have access to other alternative VPN APKs easily, and the list of permissions required by each app is presented. The benefits of VPN APK

There can be plenty of positives to be had from using VPN APK, just as long
as youre diligent about the resource youre using and stick with the more well-known ones listed above. The great thing about a VPN that works seamlessly with the Android operating system is that youll be able to enjoy the same levels of privacy and security as is found on other popular
computing platforms.

The additional benefit is that youll be able to browse online knowing that youve also got an extra level of security, which is always a good thing. A
VPN offers much more freedom too, with the ability to skip around
geographical boundaries by not letting services know where you are. This can be useful for services such as streaming TV shows, which can often prevent users from accessing their content if they happen to be overseas or are situated in an unusual location.

Having the ability to effectively cover your tracks as you browse the
internet can also pay dividends when it comes to avoiding the dreaded
targeted advertising that is the bane of many browser sessions. While all
this sounds fine and dandy, you should still exercise a great deal of caution when considering a VPN APK arrangement.

If youre in any kind of doubt, youll probably be better off sidestepping what seems like a decent enough free VPN and heading in the direction of a reputable, paid-for VPN. Services from the likes of ExpressVPN , NordVPN and Surfshark have gained their sterling reputation for good reason, so parting with some cash might be the best way forward if youre after a fuss-free
online life.

We've featured the best business VPN's .



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/vpn-apks-heres-how-to-download-them


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