Tethering is a process of sharing the internet on your phone with other devices, such as laptops, PC, and so on. This process in most countries is kind of illegal, but if you think about it, the reasons to ban sharing a limited packet of traffic or require a charge for it are kind of unreasonable.
Thankfully, today there are special apps that make tethering almost free (for iPhone) or completely free (for Android). Of course, only you are responsible for downloading these apps, it is your choice to do it or not, but this is a nice way to save up some money.
Without further ado, let’s contemplate the best tethering apps for Android and the only good ones for iOS.
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PadNet+
PadNet+ is the most popular tethering app on Google Play – at least it has the biggest number of downloads. The app works in three modes – Wifi, USB, and Bluetooth. Have in mind that Android 7.0 or later versions don’t support Wifi mode.
When you open PadNet, you see three checkboxes – no shenanigans, an absolutely user-friendly display. You can change your hotspot’s name and you can protect it with a password. What you also can do is to set a widget, which is very convenient. Download PadNet+ now and never pay for tethering again!
Peculiarities:
- No rooting is required
- Fast
- Wifi, USB, Bluetooth modes
- Free with a premium
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USB tethering
USB Tethering is an app designed to enable tethering between an Android device and a computer.
You just need to connect your Android device to your computer via a USB cable and enable USB tethering in the app. This will share their mobile data connection with their computer, allowing them to access the internet.
If you are looking for a simple app to enable USB tethering between your Android device and your computer, USB Tethering may be worth trying.
Advantages:
- Enables USB tethering between Android device and computer.
Drawbacks:
- Displays ads and asks for unnecessary permissions.
Easy Tether Lite
Easy Tether app works with Bluetooth and with USB. Like the app above, it requires downloading special software on your PC, tablet, laptop, whatsoever. BUT the lite version of the app doesn’t deal with secure sites, such as Gmail, online banking, Facebook, etc.
You can purchase the full version, of course, but it will cost you $10. Comparing to the money you spend monthly on your internet, it’s not that much, but the app above, for example, costs about $5 (although it a bit differs from this one – like it doesn’t have a Bluetooth mode). The name of the app doesn’t lie – it is indeed easy to use. The choice is yours! Just one more great option.
Peculiarities:
- No rooting is required
- USB and Bluetooth modes
- Free with a premium
Hotspot Shortcut
The Hotspot Shortcut app is a simple and convenient tool for those who frequently use their mobile devices as hotspots.
With just one click, the app enables users to turn on the mobile hotspot without navigating through the device’s settings. This feature saves users time and makes it easy to access the mobile hotspot feature.
Additionally, the app does not require users to have any technical skills to operate it. It is simple and user-friendly.
Advantages:
- Simple and convenient way to access mobile hotspot feature.
Drawbacks:
- Occasional crashes.
Tetrd
Another tethering app for Android which is the alternative to all the wireless apps – this one allows you to provide the internet from your device to your laptop using the USB cable. The advantage of such method is that it guarantees a more stable connection.
You can use this if your carrier or data plan doesn’t allow you to enable the built-in tethering feature of your device. Moreover, here you will find such an option as a reverse tethering – it means you can transfer the Internet from your laptop to your smartphone as well.
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SecureTether
This is a Bluetooth tethering app, but it doesn’t mean that here you will be able to provide only Bluetooth connection from your smartphone to your computer. On the other hand, it means, that you will be able to connect the internet on your devices using Bluetooth. There is no need in rooting of your phone or tablet for this app.
SecureTether also has a built-in strong firewall that helps protect your computer from hackers. When you are connected to the WiFi the program monitors all the incoming and outgoing connections to detect the spyware.
Another useful feature of SecureTether is it can block some heavy-weight websites or Windows updates if you are currently on data.
VPN Hotspot
This app is the two in one case. Now you can enjoy the anonymously browsing the Internet and provide WiFi to your laptop at the same time. You can use VPN Hotspot for connecting things that don’t support VPN like Chromecasts behind corporate firewalls.
This app is even more useful if you use the VPN each time when you are in the Internet but the usage of this program slows down the work of the latter almost twice. Because here the VPN is “built-in” into the system you won’t face such a problem. With the special settings, you can set the program to block all the unwanted/unknown users from the network.
FoxFi
A purely technical tethering app that allows providing WiFi from your smartphone fast. This one is only for Android devices, so it has the typical Android-apps interface.
The only thing that you need to know before launching FoxFi is that you will need to install the same app on your laptop/tablet, so those two devices could share WiFI. Overall, this app is extremely simple in usage.
TP-Link
TP-link is a famous company that is known for producing WiFI routers, so its appearance on this list is fully logical. If you already have one router like that at your house then it will be even easier for you to use this app. It is user-friendly, it’s not the most simple app in the world, but all the features of it are useful.
With the help of TP-Link, you can easily provide the Internet to form your phone to your laptop/tablet. With the advanced security of this app, you will be able to block all the unauthorized devices from the network. In addition, there is such a thing as parental control.
Wi-fi hotspot tethering wifi
WiFi Hotspot, developed by Pinnacle Labs, is a tethering app that allows users to share their mobile data connection with other devices.
You can turn their mobile device into a WiFi hotspot and share your internet connection with other devices. The app also provides options to secure the connection and set a password for added privacy and security.
It is a reliable and convenient solution for sharing their mobile data connection.
Advantages:
- Provides options to secure the connection.
- Allows users to share their mobile data connection.
Drawbacks:
- Battery drain.
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Quick USB Tethering Bluetooth
This is a software that lets you share your mobile device’s internet connection with other devices.
The app allows users to set up a Wi-Fi hotspot on their mobile device and connect other devices to it. The app also provides an option to share the internet connection via Bluetooth and USB tethering.
This feature is particularly useful when Wi-Fi is not available or when the user’s mobile data plan has limited bandwidth.
Advantages:
- Multiple tethering options.
Drawbacks:
- Only available for Android devices.
- Connectivity issues reported by some users.
