The hype of keeping things secure and private continues to grow, raising the demand for more innovative VPN apps. Whether protecting private information on public internet spots, circumventing location blocks, or surfing the web incognito, people and businesses are big fans of VPNs. This brings opportunities for entrepreneurs, VPN enthusiasts, and core developers to make a fortune with VPNs. 

So, if you’ve been interested in developing your own VPN app, you’ve just landed on the right page! In this article, we’ll dive deep into how you can do it easily with our solid blueprint. Without further ado, let’s begin! 

Understand the Concept of VPN

Before creating your VPN app, first let’s understand what are VPNs. A VPN creates a secret path where everything you send becomes code. It encrypts internet traffic, creating a secure tunnel between the user’s device and a server. This protects sensitive data from being intercepted, which increases privacy. It also allows users to bypass geo-restrictions as well. 

To understand the VPN concept even better, you need to learn about protocols, encryption methods, and server configuration. Understanding these concepts, will help you to integrate the best possible techs and features with your VPN app that will help you to grab your audience. The performance of your VPN mostly depends on the protocols, servers, and encryption methods.

Craft a Solid Plan

Creating a VPN app begins with a solid plan. Who are you making this app for? The people? A certain company or industry?  Are you focusing on high-speed streaming, good transaction security, or bypassing censorship? When you can understand your audience’s priorities, it’ll help you develop an app that will meet their needs. 

Also, analyze your competitors. Look into existing VPN apps to identify gaps in the market and determine how your app can stand out with a solid Unique Selling Point (USP). Consider user interface design, support system, language, pricing models, server locations, and performance when defining your USP.

Specify the Features

Though the primary goal of a VPN is to pass your data through a secure tunnel and mask your IP, it’s not limited to this. It is not just about connecting and disconnecting the VPN. Other features are crucial for a VPN, including a Kill Switch, Split Tunneling, DNS Leak Protection, Protocol Switching, Multiple Device Login, Adblocker, and many more. So, before making your VPN, define the features you want to offer your customers.

Single Out Operating Systems

Picking the operating system is crucial when you are making a VPN application. Your VPN app has to be built differently for different operating systems, and different types of tech expertise are needed for each OS. For instance, you need Kotlin and Flutter for Android VPN, Swift and Flutter for iOS VPN, C++ and Rust for Windows VPN, Rust and Objective-C for macOS, etc. Additionally, you need skills in PHP and Laravel for backend and payment processing. Also, you can try cross-platform technologies for a faster development process.

Choose Business Model

Before you start developing the app, deciding what business venture you’ll set foot in is important. Regarding VPN, you have to determine the model your business will promote. There are various models for you to choose from based on your preferences. 

The subscription model offers consistent income through regular fees for ongoing services. In this model, people will pay monthly or yearly subscription fees based on their need. An ad-based model allows free access funded by advertisements. Your revenue will be dependent on the Ad CPM. You can also offer a freemium model where an user can use the basic version of your app with limited server for free but will have to pay the subscription fees to access the premium features and wide range of servers. A white-label model involves creating a VPN service for other companies to rebrand and sell. So, before you start making your app, define your business model and design the app accordingly.

Discover more about VPN business model here.

Design the User Interface (UI)

The first step to making an engaging and high-performing VPN app is to have an interactive user interface. Work on creating a simple yet elegant looking UI. Include the usuals like the CONNECT button, the servers they can connect to, and the account creation button at users’ fingertips. You can also include a SPEED TEST and an option to change protocols. Make them easy to access, big, and easy to read. Include a guide that can help users to access the app’s features. We recommend you to use Figma for designing the UI.

Optimize for Different Devices

There are wide range of devices now-a-days with unique shapes, display sizes, operating systems, and technologies. Your app needs to be compatible with different types of devices and become responsive throughout all the popular devices. To develop a solid app, it should be accessible on all types of devices like iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices. You can create your environment in UI frameworks like Flutter, React Native, or Dart, which lets you create the app once and use it everywhere. It will make your life much easier and that your apps look the same no matter where you use them.

Offer a Tailored Experience

One of the core part of designing your VPN app or developing its frontend is giving your users a tailored experience. Giving people the power to tweak their VPN as they want to is a great feature to have. VPNs like VPN Super Proxy have the option to choose from a list of servers. NordVPN has the option to adjust the kill switch when they want to. All these customizations help to make people rely on your VPN app for their privacy and safety, which gets them to use it more.

Extract UI

Extracting the UI happens when you translate your vision for the app into a code. When you get the final design of your app, the developers start coding, which forms the structure of it. If you’re doing it for Android, use Jetpack and XML. For iOS, they use Storyboard and SwiftUI, and for Windows, QML. The UI extraction is the beginning of developing your VPN app!

Configure Server Network

The primary goal of a VPN is to connect with servers from different location around the world. The performance of your VPN mostly depends on the quality and numbers of your servers. For your VPN application to work well, you need servers spread out in many places worldwide. These servers let people link to various spots and bypass any censorship. 

Invest in high-quality multiple server routes. You’ve got two choices: either do the hard work and set up your network of servers or team up with someone who’s already done it and can offer you some to use. At Nagorik Technologies, we help VPN entrepreneurs with servers configuration and server renting at an affordable cost.

Integrate Security Protocols

VPN protocols are sets of rules that defines how your data will be transmitted from your device to different VPN servers. Choose the proper protocol as they are important to your app’s performance. It connects the VPN to the servers and creates a private tunnel that hides the IP address. 

There are many options for you to choose from here. For VPN protocols, you can pick from OpenVPN, WireGuard, L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2, and SSTP. Most popularly used VPN protocols are OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2. However, you should choose your protocols depending on your target audience. For example, OpenVPN is best from streaming whereas WireGuard is better for gaming. Shadowsocks is the only protocol that can circumvent the great firewall of China, whereas V2Ray is mostly used to bypass Iran’s restrictions.

Incorporate Encryption Methods

The safety and security of your VPN app depends on encryption methods you are incorporating. For the encryption types, you can use AES-256-bit, Public Key, Symmetric, and TLS. The best one to use as of now is the AES-256, followed by Public-Key and TLS. Picking the best from those will help to make your VPN better and keep user information safe.

Connect User Authentication System

Set up a strict way to check if the user is legit. You’ve got choices like signing in once (SSO) using multiple proof checks (MFA) or crafting your own ways to make sure it’s them. Your app has to have tools for users to handle their subscriptions, look after their devices, and keep tabs on their sessions. Remember, bot installation is becoming a threat in app installation marketing campaigns. So, filter them through strict authentication system.

Develop  Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

Another element that you need in your VPN app is APIs. They help to connect the app with a certain software, making the development process smoother. VPN is a hard nut to crack, but with the help of different APIs, it becomes easier. You can make a sign-up, admin panel, payment, and login APIs to get started. Instruct your developers to develop your APIs based on your features and requirements.

Integrate Payment Gateway

Integrate different payment gateways for your VPN to allow a secure and smooth transaction when the time comes around. Start by selecting a API that can support different payment methods like credit cards, cryptocurrency, or PayPal. Make sure it is compatible with your app. Some APIs you can use are Square or Stride. Look at whether it aligns with the standard security measures like the PCI DSS. An ideal payment gateway should include multiple payment options with global currencies and make the checkout process smoother for your user. 

Build an Admin Panel

Having an Admin Panel is a crucial element that comes in handy in the backend of your VPN app. It’s a system where you can access all your features under one root. You can track the services, app programs, analytics, reports, revenue, customer support, and subscriptions and handle any bug all under one roof. It. It makes organizing the information regarding the app more manageable and easier to control. 

Keep a Steady Connection

A top-notch VPN app has to keep the connection steady, no matter how much the network likes to jump around. Add in features that allow you to reconnect on your own and use adaptable protocols to make things stable and the experience better for people using it.

Test the App

You need to check your VPN app to make sure it is solid, and it is working well. Check every nook and cranny, from how fast it connects to how smoothly it runs. See if the main parts are working properly, like changing servers, picking protocols, and the kill switch. Run the app on different devices and operating systems to double-check that they all work together.

Also, check how the app works during heavy traffic and with an unstable internet. Adjust the servers and the code at the backend to increase the speed and security.Lastly, release a beta version to get feedback from actual users. Use their feedback to work on the app and polish the features, remove bugs, and improve its performance.

Align with Legal Terms

When you’re building a VPN app, you cannot mess with security. People are counting on your app to keep their private and important information safe. So, always put security and compliance first. Adhere to a no-logs rule. It will prevent you from collecting or keeping information about user activities. You must inform your users about this rule to keep things clear and gain their trust.

On top of that, make sure you’re following data protection laws, like the GDPR and the CCPA. Make moves to keep user information safe and remove their data when they ask. Also, different countries have different rules and regulations for VPN. So, you need to go through the rules and align with the laws with the help of professional lawyers if required. Finally, You should also do security check-ups to see if there are any bugs in the app’s coding and setup. Find those issues quickly and fix them to keep danger at bay.

How Can Nagorik Help?

Nagorik is a leading VPN development company with experience working with top VPN platforms. We have worked with 20+ VPN brands including Enova VPN, Shark VPN, Voltify VPN, etc. With our expertise, we can help you craft the ideal VPN business of your dreams and allow you to create a name for yourself in this growing market. 

Here are some of the features we are offering:

• 100+ experienced developers to provide you with the best possible VPN app.
• 8+ years of experience in the VPN industry.
• Already worked with 20+ global VPN brands.
• Building VPN apps for all major operating systems including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, etc.
• Protocol expertise in all the major VPN protocols including OpenVPN, Shadowsocks, WireGuard, IKEv2, V2Ray, etc.
• VPN marketing and technical consultency.
• White-label and hosted solution opportunity prompt market penetration.
• 24/7 customer support for existing customer.
• Quality service at an affordable cost.
• You can checkout our reviews here.

Conclusion

Developing a steady and secure VPN app is not easy. You need both tech and business knowledge to do it perfectly. However, you are not alone here. Nagorik Technologies is always here to help you. We have 200+ designers and developers to deliver you the best VPN app. We have worked with 20+ VPN brands so far and have 8+ years of experience in VPN development. If you are planning develop your VPN app, feel free to contact us anytime. We are here to assist you.