Apple iCloud Private Relay review: score, privacy and prices

0.93

out of 10not in the main ranking (too little published data)
Built into a browser / OS median 2.5

  • Built into a browser / OS
  • Jurisdiction:USA, 5 Eyes
  • Owner:Apple Inc.
  • Data completeness60%
  • Checked2026-10-15

In 10 seconds

Strongest against its segment

  • Security and protocols1.8 vs 1.8
  • Censorship bypass0.0 vs 0.5
  • Price and fair terms2.4 vs 3.4

Weakest against its segment

  • Network and streaming0.0 vs 2.8
  • Privacy and jurisdiction0.0 vs 2.3
  • Platforms and support2.1 vs 3.9
  • Jurisdiction in the 5 Eyes alliance
  • Auto-renewal on by default

Compare Apple iCloud Private Relay side by side with other VPNs

How the score adds up

Six sub-scores, each against the median of Built into a browser / OS services in the main ranking (None services). Open a line to see which published facts earned points and which were missing or not disclosed.

Apple iCloud Private Relaysegment median

  • Privacy and jurisdiction30% of the score · segment median 2.30.0
    What earned points
    • No-logs policy +2
    • Independent no-logs audit +3
    • No-logs confirmed in court +1
    • Warrant canary +1
    • Transparency report +1
    • Sign-up without email +1.5
    • Account number sign-up +0.5
    • Stores connection IP (penalty) −3
    • Public incident (penalty) −2
  • Security and protocols20% of the score · segment median 1.81.8
    What earned points
    • Kill switch +2
    • DNS leak protection +1.5
    • RAM-only servers +1
    • Post-quantum encryption +1
    • Perfect forward secrecy +0.5
    • Security audit +2
    • Open-source clients +1.5
    • 2FA +1
    • Multi-hop +1
    • Bug bounty +1
    • Only PPTP / L2TP (penalty) −2
  • Price and fair terms15% of the score · segment median 3.42.4
    What earned points
    • Free plan +1.5
    • Free trial +1
    • Trial without a card +1
    • Crypto payments +1
    • Cash payments +0.5
  • Censorship bypass15% of the score · segment median 0.50.0
    What earned points
    • Stealth / obfuscation +2
    • VLESS / Reality +1.5
    • Trojan +1
    • Hysteria2 +1
    • Shadowsocks +1
    • AmneziaWG +1
    • obfs4 +0.5
    • TUIC +0.5
    • NaiveProxy +0.5
    • Mirrors or Telegram channel +0.5
    • VoIP in the UAE (claimed) +0.5
    • Manual configs +0.5
  • Network and streaming10% of the score · segment median 2.80.0
    What earned points
    • 10 Gbps servers +1
    • Dedicated IP +0.5
    • Port forwarding +0.5
    • MENA locations +0.5
    • Torrenting allowed +1
  • Platforms and support10% of the score · segment median 3.92.1
    What earned points
    • Routers +1
    • Browser extensions +0.5
    • Split tunneling +1
    • Ad / tracker blocker +1
    • 24/7 live chat +2
    • live chat +0.5
    • Support on Telegram +0.5
    • Status page +0.5

Apple iCloud Private Relay pricing

The cheapest way in is €0.85 a month, paid upfront for the longest term. After that term, Apple iCloud Private Relay renews at its standard price. Market median across the main ranking: €3.13 a month.

Price per month over 3 years, iCloud+ 50GB plan

€0.85/mo for 1 months then €0.85/mo €5

first termrenewalmarket median €3.13/momonths →

Real cost over 1, 2 and 3 years

What you pay to keep Apple iCloud Private Relay running: the first term, then renewals at the published renewal price. Where no renewal price is published, plans shorter than a year are counted as repeat payments at the current price; longer plans show a dash after their term. Converted to euros at the rates used in our data (1 USD = €0.86). The lowest cost for each period is marked.

Plan and first termFirst paymentThen1 year2 years3 years
iCloud+ 50GB, 1 mo €0.85 €0.85 / 1 mo€10.22€20.43€30.65
iCloud+ 200GB, 1 mo €2.57 €2.57 / 1 mo€30.86€61.71€92.57
iCloud+ 2TB, 1 mo €8.59 €8.59 / 1 mo€103.10€206.19€309.29
iCloud+ 6TB, 1 mo €25.79 €25.79 / 1 mo€309.50€618.99€928.49
iCloud+ 12TB, 1 mo €51.59 €51.59 / 1 mo€619.10€1238.19€1857.29

Compare Apple iCloud Private Relay’s full cost with other VPNs, for any number of devices

All plans as published

PlanTermPrice for termPer month€ / monthRenewal priceRenewal term
iCloud+ 50GB1 mo$0.99$0.99€0.85$0.991 mo
iCloud+ 200GB1 mo$2.99$2.99€2.57$2.991 mo
iCloud+ 2TB1 mo$9.99$9.99€8.59$9.991 mo
iCloud+ 6TB1 mo$29.99$29.99€25.79$29.991 mo
iCloud+ 12TB1 mo$59.99$59.99€51.59$59.991 mo

Refunds, trial and payment

Refund window
Not stated
Free trial
Not stated
Auto-renewal
Yes subscription
How to cancel
Apple Account settings
Payment methods
Apple Account payment methods
Renewal note
monthly subscription

Everything Apple iCloud Private Relay publishes

Every fact we collected about Apple iCloud Private Relay, as the provider and reviewers state it. Empty fields are left out; key fields we could not find say “Not stated”. “Partial”: only on some platforms, servers or plans.

Company
Legal entity
Apple Inc.
Registered in
US
Related brands
  • iCloud+
  • Hide My Email
  • Apple One
Surveillance alliance (5/9/14 Eyes)
5
Website languages
Not stated
Currencies on the site
USD

Plans, prices and add-ons
Plans
  • iCloud (free 5GB, no Relay)
  • iCloud+ 50GB/200GB/2TB/6TB/12TB
  • Apple One bundles
Billing terms
monthly
Cheapest price a month
$0.99
Monthly plan
$0.99
2-year plan, total
No
Lifetime plan
No
Renewal
monthly subscription
Family plan
Yes share any iCloud+ plan with up to 5 family members
Dedicated IP add-on
No
Port forwarding add-on
No
Double VPN add-on
Yes included (two-hop by design)
Antivirus
No
Password manager
No
eSIM
No
Identity protection
Hide My Email (included)
Cloud storage
included (50GB-12TB)
Other add-ons
  • Custom Email Domain
  • HomeKit Secure Video
  • Apple Invites

Discounts and programmes
Discount shown
No
Promo codes
No
Sale running when checked
No
Student discount
Not stated
Discount for crypto payment
No
Bonus months
Apple One 3-month trial with eligible device
Referral programme
No

Limits and restrictions
Devices at once
Not stated
Streaming restrictions
some sites need extra steps without real IP
Country restrictions
not available in all countries/regions

Free plan
Free plan
No free 5GB iCloud excludes Private Relay
Free data
Not stated
Ads in the free plan
Not stated

Payment and subscription
Payment methods
Apple Account payment methods
Bank card
Yes Apple Account
PayPal
Not stated
Apple Pay / Google Pay
Yes Apple
Cryptocurrency
No
Coins accepted
No
Cash
No
Gift cards
Not stated
Auto-renewal by default
Yes subscription
How to cancel
Apple Account settings
Email needed to sign up
Yes Apple Account
Account-number login
No
Identity check (KYC)
No
Money-back guarantee, days
Not stated

Free trial terms
Trial length
Not stated
Where the trial is offered
Apple One with eligible device activation
Trial limits
one per Apple Account/family
Instead of a trial
No
Card needed for the trial
Not stated

Server locations
Countries
Not stated
Servers
Not stated
Server countries
Not stated
Middle East and North Africa
Not stated
Virtual locations
Not stated
Own servers
Yes hop 1 Apple; hop 2 third-party
P2P servers
No
Streaming servers
No
Obfuscated servers
No

Network features
RAM-only servers
Not stated
IPv6
Not stated
Dedicated IP
No
Static IP
No temporary IP
Residential IP
No
Double VPN / multi-hop
Yes two-hop
Tor over VPN
No
SOCKS5 proxy
No
Smart DNS
No

Protocols and encryption
  • WireGuard✕ No
  • OpenVPN✕ No
  • IKEv2✕ No
  • L2TP/IPsecNo
  • SSTPNo
  • SoftEther✕ No
  • Own protocolNot stated
  • VLESS / Reality✕ No
  • VMess✕ No
  • Trojan✕ No
  • Shadowsocks✕ No
  • Hysteria2✕ No
  • TUIC✕ No
  • NaiveProxy✕ No
  • obfs4✕ No
  • AmneziaWG✕ No
  • PPTP✓ No
Other protocols
encrypted DNS
Perfect forward secrecy
Not stated
Post-quantum encryption
Not stated
Manual configuration files
No
Open-source apps
No

Censorship and blocking
Obfuscation (stealth mode)
No
Countries it claims to work in
Not stated
Mirror sites or Telegram channel
No
Calls in the UAE
No

Security
Kill switch
No
DNS leak protection
Yes encrypted DNS
Own DNS servers
Yes encrypted DNS via relay
Split tunnelling
Yes per website/network settings
Ad and malware blocker
No
Two-factor sign-in
Not stated
Security audits
Not stated
Bug bounty
Not stated

Privacy
No-logs policy
Not stated
Independent no-logs audit
Not stated
Shared with third parties
egress via third-party content providers
Transparency report
Not stated
Warrant canary
Not stated
Anonymous sign-up
No

What the privacy policy says is collected

Yes: collected. No: not collected. Partial: kept briefly or only in part. Not stated: the policy does not say.

  • EmailApple Account✕ Yes
  • Connection IPhop 1 sees IP◐ Partial
  • Session timesNot stated

Apps and devices
  • Windows✕ No
  • macOSSafari✓ Yes
  • Linux✕ No
  • iOSSafari✓ Yes
  • Android✕ No
  • Android TV✕ No
  • Fire TV✕ No
  • Apple TVNot stated
  • Chromebook✕ No
  • Smart TV✕ No
  • Routers✕ No
  • NAS✕ No
  • Raspberry Pi✕ No
  • Game consoles✕ No
Browser extensions
No built into Safari

Speed, streaming and gaming
10 Gbps servers
Not stated
Speed test in the app
No
Netflix
No
BBC iPlayer
No
Disney+
No
Prime Video
No
DAZN
No
beIN Sports
No
Shahid
No
OSN+
No
Gaming features
No
Torrenting
No

Support
Live chat
Not stated
Live chat 24/7
Not stated
Phone
Not stated
Telegram
No
WhatsApp
No
Help articles
Yes support.apple.com
Server status page
Not stated

For teams and business
SSO / SAML
Not stated
Admin panel
Not stated
Zero-trust access (ZTNA)
Not stated

What users say

Reviews never change our score. Ratings are smoothed: a source’s average across all VPNs counts as 50 extra reviews, so a few five-star reviews cannot outrank thousands.

  • Trustpilot

    1.86 of 5, smoothed

    From 200 collected reviews (raw average 1.42; all VPNs 3.66). Last 90 days: 1.18 from 71.

    The company replied to 0 of 180 negative reviews (1–2 stars).

Ratings shown on the platforms themselves: Trustpilot TrustScore 1.5 (530 reviews).

Reviews per month, last 12 months

  1. Mar ’2610 reviews, average 1.5
  2. Apr ’2618 reviews, average 1.44
  3. May ’2637 reviews, average 1.59
  4. Jun ’2642 reviews, average 1.74
  5. Jul ’2639 reviews, average 1.13
  6. Aug ’2624 reviews, average 1.17
  7. Sep ’2620 reviews, average 1.2
  8. Oct ’2610 reviews, average 1.4
Bar height: number of reviews collected that month. Full-colour bars: months with an average of 4 stars or more; pale bars: below 4.

20 Reddit and forum threads mention Apple iCloud Private Relay (titles and search snippets only).

Latest reviews and related rankings

Latest reviews

Short excerpts with a link to the original. We do not reproduce reviews in full.

  • Trustpilot · 5★ · 15 Oct 2026 · DE

    Dualingo hat mir einfach Geld abgebucht

    Original review

  • Trustpilot · 1★ · 10 Oct 2026 · GB

    Apple are thieves!

    Original review

  • Trustpilot · 1★ · 09 Oct 2026 · IT

    Fanno pena

    Original review

Rankings by user reviews

Reviews of similar VPNs

Questions about Apple iCloud Private Relay

Answers built from what Apple iCloud Private Relay publishes. Open a question to read the details.

Apple iCloud Private Relay alternatives: similar VPNs ranked by our score

6 alternatives to Apple iCloud Private Relay (0.93) from the same segment, by features, price and owner. Highest: DuckDuckGo VPN (Privacy Pro) (2.93).

Alternatives to Apple iCloud Private Relay

6 alternatives: similar features
#ServiceScoreFrom
1DuckDuckGo VPN (Privacy Pro)
Built into a browser / OS · USA Independent no-logs audit: ✓ Yes
2.93€7.16per month
2Vivaldi (built-in Proton VPN)
Built into a browser / OS · Norway Free plan
2.54—
3Brave VPN
Built into a browser / OS · USA
2.41€7.16per month
4Samsung Secure Wi-Fi
Built into a browser / OS · jurisdiction not stated Free plan
1.24€2.00per month
5Epic Privacy Browser
Built into a browser / OS · jurisdiction not stated Free plan
0.97—
6Microsoft Edge Secure Network
Built into a browser / OS · USA Free plan
0.40—

Apple iCloud Private Relay compared side by side

In our rankings

Apple iCloud Private Relay appears on 1 topic pages. Its place on each:

Similar VPNs

Apple iCloud Private Relay compared

Owner and jurisdiction

Tools for Apple iCloud Private Relay

Sources and changes

Collected 2026-10-15. No changes recorded since the first import.

Website
https://support.apple.com
Pages checked
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102602; https://www.apple.com/icloud/

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