One of the most popular security apps in the digital age, a Virtual private network is essential to protect your information from cybercriminals, make your browsing more anonymous, and stream shows from other countries. Even better as with the best free VPN services all of this won’t cost you a penny.
I’ve reviewed hundreds of VPNs over my four years in the industry, and I constantly test leading services to make sure my rankings are always accurate. I’ve also compared the pros and cons of a free vs premium vpn to help you pick the right service—analyzing speed, server locations, unblocking capability, privacy, and security.
Unfortunately, even the best free VPNs come with restrictions, and any service that says it doesn’t should immediately be treated with caution. It typically means the service will be turning a profit in some other way, usually with invasive advertising or by selling your data to third parties—defeating the privacy purpose of a VPN.
Ultimately, this renders most of them practically useless for unblocking content, and can give you a false sense of security. The best free services exist to give you a taste of the full product, and often limit both your speed and the amount of data you can use.
The three best VPNs
Paid VPNs offer so much more than their free counterparts. That’s because even the best free VPNs are limited versions designed to entice you into upgrading to a premium subscription.
If you want to get the Best VPN services for free, take advantage of moneyback guarantees and see how they compare with the top free options.
Since my latest VPN test results came through, there haven’t been any major changes to my top providers. My latest round of tests should be completed within the next month, however.
The best free VPNs in 2024
Let’s deepdive into my top free VPN picks for today.
Subscribe if:
✔️ You want a free Netflix VPN: PrivadoVPN is one of the only free providers that can reliably unblock Netflix.
✔️ You need a fast free VPN: WireGuard encryption is accessible on PrivadoVPN’s free plan, which means you get fantastic speeds no matter what.
✔️ You want premium features: most services block features behind a paywall, but not PrivadoVPN. Split tunneling, autoconnect, and kill switch functionality are included as standard.
Don’t subscribe if:
❌ You need totally unlimited data: PrivadoVPN offers unparalleled performance, but only for 10 GB. After that, your speeds are seriously restricted.
❌ You want a Linux app: Linux installations only operate a commandline interface. If you need a graphical user interface (GUI), I recommend ProtonVPN.
Bottom line ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔒 PrivadoVPN Free is an excellent service with unblocking capabilities that blow even some premium competition out of the water. Try it for yourself and see why it’s my top free VPN in 2024.
Want to know more?
Check out our indepth PrivadoVPN review for a closer look at the service, and see why it’s my top free VPN pick for 2024.
I also love the fact that, contrary to many other freebies on the market, Privado’s free option offers plenty of customization and security features. These include a kill switch and alwayson VPN to protect your data at all times and cut your internet use if your VPN connection drops.
The free platform even offers splittunneling, so you can access local services while streaming your favorite shows abroad. You can even control your encryption protocol, and switch to WireGuard for a faster, more secure VPN experience.
▶ Try PrivadoVPN: the best free VPN
With its 865 Mbps download speeds, PrivadoVPN’s free servers are just as fast as its paidfor ones. This knocks Proton VPN’s free servers out of first place for the fastest free VPN with 740 Mbps. The higher server count also means that PrivadoVPN’s servers are less likely to become congested, too.
However, if the data tap runs dry, you then get unlimited data via its “overquota” mode, where you’ll be placed on a speedrestricted server offering only 1 Mbps. While this might seem slow, it’s still plenty for daytoday internet use, and most users won’t likely need more than 10 GB every month. In a recent discussion with Privado’s engineers, they revealed the majority of its free subscribers only use around 4 GB of data per month.
PrivadoVPN is one of the only VPN providers to handle its own bandwidth and transit routes. This means you get fantastic speeds and almost no server congestion—it’s a free service with a truly premium feel.
Click to read more about my trip to PrivadoVPN’s data centers ↓
Last September I flew out to Amsterdam to see PrivadoVPN’s servers in person. I was absolutely blown away by the capacity of throughput available and the room available to expand further. PrivadoVPN’s teams are constantly innovating to improve the capability of its data centers, and the attention to detail was astounding. From cable management to little details like tagging, external power supplies, and accidental removal protection on every plug.
As we analyzed the server stacks, Mo and I saw that PrivadoVPN uses RAMonly straight passthrough servers for its traffic. This means that no user data can be stored when you’re using the VPN, so if authorities came knocking, there’d be nothing to hand over.
Ultimately, what reassured me most was how the engineers were hungry to improve the service, and better serve customers. I encouraged them to pursue opensourcing and independent thirdparty audits, and believe we’ll see the provider pursue one or both of these sooner rather than later.
The choice of 13 locations over 10 countries beats most free services, including Proton VPN’s free plan which only offers 3 countries. Here’s a quick list of the free server locations:
- United Kingdom
- United States (4 locations)
- Canada
- France
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Argentina
The apps are easy to use and reliable, but the service has some issues and limits. PrivadoVPN Free only supports a single connection, so if you install it on your laptop and your phone, you can only use one at a time.
Overall, PrivadoVPN Free is an excellent service that blows the competition out of the water. Its streaming results are a standout feature, and if paying for a VPN just isn’t an option, PrivadoVPN gives you a premium service without a premium cost—or any cost for that matter.
Subscribe if:
✔️ You want an unlimited free VPN: unlike most free providers, Proton VPN doesn’t cap data usage on its free plan.
✔️ You want a free opensource VPN: Proton VPN is proudly opensource, meaning anyone can audit and verify its claims.
✔️ You want a free Linux VPN: Proton VPN offers free installation on Linux and even comes with a graphical user interface (GUI).
Don’t subscribe if:
❌ You need a server in the UK: ProtonVPN only offers free servers in the US, Netherlands, and Japan. If you need servers elsewhere, I would recommend PrivadoVPN or Windscribe.
❌ You want a free torrenting VPN: if you want access to Proton VPN’s P2P servers, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium version. We’d recommend PrivadoVPN instead.
Bottom line ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
🔒 Proton VPN is a wellknown brand with a history of fighting for digital privacy and internet freedom. While it’s recently been knocked off of its throne, it’s still an absolutely fantastic service.
Want to know more?
Check out our indepth Proton VPN review for a closer look at one of the most popular free VPNs in the industry.
Proton VPN Free used to top my free VPN charts, thanks to its mix of features, power, and app quality. While it may have lost its place, it’s still a remarkable service that doesn’t pile on the limits and restrictions to nag you into upgrading. This is a free VPN you could use longterm.
For starters, users can use their software as long as they want as Proton comes with no data limits. That’s a big plus in a market where almost all other free VPNs might allow you 500 MB to 10 GB a month at most. This also ultimately translates into better privacy as you don’t have to choose where you use the VPN when data’s running low. If you feel there’s a risk, or you’re unsure, then just get connected—Proton VPN Free is always available.
Proton hasn’t punished free users by omitting key features, either. Some free providers drop the kill switch, WireGuard, and maybe even support, but Proton VPN Free has all the core privacy features you need to stay safe online.
▶ Download this great VPN directly from the Proton website
There are still significant limits. You only get access to three locations, for instance: USA, the Netherlands, and Japan. Although you can install Proton VPN on as many devices as you like, you can only connect one at a time. There’s no access to Proton VPN’s specialist streaming servers, no P2P support, or bonus extras such as ad and malwareblocking—to use them, you’ll have to upgrade to a premium plan.
None of this prevents Proton VPN Free from doing its central job, though, and much better than most of the competition. Its wellengineered, opensource, and audited apps are easy to use, but also stuffed with useful tweaks, tools, and technologies.
The service previously topped my free VPN speed charts but has since been knocked off of its pillar by Privado. Speeds of 740 Mbps are nothing to scoff at, as some premium providers aren’t that fast. However, the limited number of services comes with a high potential for congestion, so those speeds may not always be available.
Most of Proton’s services come with free options, including its highly acclaimed ProtonMail service. Plus, on June 28, Proton Pass was launched to give people access to reliable password management through its security toolkit.
In an effort to combat censorship around the world, Proton launched the VPN Observatory to monitor spikes in VPN usage. The Observatory will act like a canary in the coal mine, signaling to the world when sudden acts of censorship have taken place.
Proton VPN Free may not be quite right for everyone. If you absolutely must have a location in the UK, for instance, or some other country not on Proton’s very short list, then PrivadoVPN and Windscribe have more than 10 countries to choose from.
For most users, Proton VPN Free delivers just about everywhere. It’s fast, secure, has excellent features, and it’s also effortless to use.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Dark and edgy with plenty of flair | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of use | Not the simplest design, but still fairly intuitive | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Performance | A superfast service, but with a small risk of congestion | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Unblocking | Dedicated Deutsche Welle servers but few locations to choose from otherwise | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Security and privacy | Opensource, audited, and reliable | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customer support | Lots of onsite support and excellent agents | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Subscribe if:
✔️ You want unlimited simultaneous connections: Windscribe doesn’t care how many devices you use, but it does give you a 10 GB data limit.
✔️ You want plenty of server locations: 14 server locations is more than any other free VPN service I recommend.
Don’t subscribe if:
❌ You want a free VPN that’s fast: Windscribe’s speeds are decent, and more than enough for most tasks, but I saw much better speeds from the competition.
❌ You need more than 10 GB of data: 10 GB doesn’t go as far as it used to, and if you use it to stream or torrent, it’ll run out quickly. If you need a truly unlimited service, I would recommend Proton VPN instead.
Bottom line ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔒 Windscribe offers plenty of server locations and reliable service, but lacks the speed and quality of PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN.
Windscribe Free VPN is a quality Canadian service whose appealing mix of features more than justifies its place in the top three.
The data allowance is a little more restricted than my two top VPNs, at a strict 10 GB a month. That’s enough to protect a lot of online activity, though, and Windscribe Free VPN has its own plus point as compensation. Yet, while most free plans restrict you to only one connection, Windscribe has no limits. This means you can install and use the software on as many devices simultaneously as you need.
The network is another highlight, with Windscribe Free VPN users able to choose from 14 locations across 11 countries. That beats PrivadoVPN Free (10 countries), Proton VPN (3 countries), and many others.
▶ Put Windscribe to the test for free
Windscribe’s premium service was one of the few VPNs that maxed out the speed testing line in my latest round of tests, and my previous testing has shown it’s an aboveaverage free service when it comes to performance, which is thoroughly commendable.
Recent revamps of the apps have made them a bit more simple in their design, but I dislike how cluttered they feel. Even still, it’s a step in the right direction, and the new server location search function is incredibly helpful.
There are some surprising plus points, too. Although Windscribe Free VPN doesn’t include the specialist Windflix dedicated streaming servers, I found the service still successfully unblocked UK Netflix and BBC iPlayer. I like that it doesn’t disregard content unblocking for nonpaying customers.
Put it all together, and while Windscribe Free VPN can’t quite match Proton VPN and PrivadoVPN, it gets very close, and the service could well be the right choice for some people but when you consider that all of these services are free, why would you pick anything other than the best?
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Simple and intuitive, albeit a little cluttered | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of use | Pretty easy to use for beginners | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Performance | Not as fast as PrivadoVPN or Proton VPN | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Unblocking | Not bad, but not guaranteed | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Security and privacy | Opensource and reliable | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customer support | Email tickets are quickly resolved, but no live chat makes it somewhat inconvenient | ⭐⭐⭐ |
Subscribe if:
✔️ You want free Disney+ VPN: Atlas VPN unblocked the popular streaming service effortlessly in my testing.
✔️ You need a free Mac VPN: 2 GB per day is a generous allowance for Mac users wanting to use the VPN regularly.
Don’t subscribe if:
❌ You need an unlimited free VPN: data limits are common with free providers, so if you need unlimited bandwidth, I recommend using Proton VPN.
❌ You need a reliable free VPN: my testing showed some usability errors. As such, if you need a free VPN you can trust at all times, I recommend PrivadoVPN or Proton VPN.
Bottom line ⭐⭐⭐½
🔒 Atlas VPN is a decent free VPN that struggles to compete with my top picks.
Want to know more?
Check out our indepth Atlas VPN review for a closer look at this popular free VPN.
Atlas VPN Free first caught my eye with its impressive data allowance. Not the 10 GB you get with its Windows VPN, Android VPN, and iOS VPN—although that’s not bad—but its Mac VPN really goes the extra mile. Mac users get, in fact, an outstanding 2 GB a day.
The service isn’t as generous with its locations, though. There are just three: the Netherlands, Los Angeles, and New York. You’re able to connect a couple of devices simultaneously, though (our top two free VPNs only allow one), and my speed tests found Atlas VPN Free reached an aboveaverage 320 Mbps. Factor in the P2P support, and Atlas could be a smart torrenting choice.
▶ Try Atlas VPN for yourself
I’m not quite as convinced by the apps. They cover the basics, and what you get works well (the kill switch passed all my tests, for instance). But they’re a little short on features, with a few small usability hassles, and can’t match the likes of PrivadoVPN.
The service does have an independent audit, and that’s a step above many competitors. But it’s also relatively limited, covering the iOS app only. Meanwhile, TunnelBear Free VPN now has annual audits covering all its apps, servers, infrastructure, and more.
In other areas, though, Atlas VPN Free delivered a little more than I expected. It doesn’t support unblocking any streaming sites, for instance, but I found the service got me into Disney Plus, and maybe you’ll have luck with other sites.
Overall, while Atlas VPN Free has some issues, I found it generally did a good job of protecting me online, and Mac users in particular will love the 2 GB per day data allowance.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Basic and generally underwhelming | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of use | Some usability problems and an awkward design | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Performance | Decent speeds on offer | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Unblocking | Pretty good considering it’s a free plan | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Security and privacy | About industry standard, but not many features | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customer support | Decent website content but no live chat | ⭐⭐⭐ |
Subscribe if:
✔️ You want a free torrenting VPN: Hide.me is one of the few free VPNs that support P2P torrenting.
✔️ You need an anonymous free VPN: simple signup processes mean you can get a free VPN without revealing who you are.
Don’t subscribe if:
❌ You want a free VPN that’s fast: Hide.me had underwhelming results compared to the competition
❌ You’re a VPN beginner: if you’re looking for your first VPN, Hide.me has a pretty complex UI. Instead, I would recommend PrivadoVPN.
Bottom line ⭐⭐⭐½
🔒 Hide.me offers a decent free platform that’s good for torrenting, but its slow speeds and limited servers make me go back to PrivadoVPN every time.
Want to know more?
Check out our indepth Hide.me review for a closer look this popular free VPN service.
Hide.me Free VPN is a solid midrange service that doesn’t hit the mark in every area, but still has more than enough standout features to make it worth a closer look.
Installing the service gets you a decent 10 GB of data a month, and access to five P2Pfriendly locations: east and west coast USA, Canada, Germany, and Netherlands. Not the best around, but enough to get by for most users, and it’s useful as a torrenting VPN.
▶ Download now on the Hide.me website
The apps have more features and customizability than most of the free competition, which is a huge benefit. Autoconnect on accessing untrusted WiFi, custom DNS, split tunneling, a powerful kill switch, advanced protocol tweaks, and capable browser extensions—they’re all here. Great news for experts, although others might feel this makes for a more complex and intimidating interface compared to services like Privado and Proton.
Hide.me Free VPN also supports the speedy WireGuard protocol, so you can take advantage of the latest and greatest in VPN encryption protocols. However, performance is a concern for if you use the free plan. Its paid service is one of the fastest VPN services around, but I found Hide.me Free VPN averaged only downloads of around 25 Mbps. That’s significantly less than the speeds I saw from PrivadoVPN and the other top providers.
That’s enough speed for browsing, streaming, and most other tasks, though, and if you’ll use Hide.me Free VPN’s more advanced app features, it could be the right service for you. However, when you factor in the competition, it’s not really worth it when you can get so much more for nothing elsewhere.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | A simple design that’s clutterfree, but somewhat boring | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of use | Quite complex for beginners | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Performance | The premium version maxed out my testing lines, but the free version is pretty lacklustre | ⭐⭐ |
| Unblocking | Pretty average unblocking capabilities | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Security and privacy | Decent security and plenty of features to pick from | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customer support | Good customer support and an indepth knowledge hub | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Subscribe if:
✔️ You need lots of data: Hotspot Shield offers a truly unlimited plan for anyone who needs more than 10 GB.
✔️ You want a fast free VPN: regularly boasting about its speed, Hotspot Shield doesn’t hold back with its free servers.
Don’t subscribe if:
❌ You want more than one server location: if you need a closer server, or just another location whatsoever, I would pick any of the others.
❌ You need a kill switch: most services come with a kill switch as standard. I don’t know why Hotspot Shield is holding out on this one.
Bottom line ⭐⭐⭐
🔒 Hotspot Shield offers a subpar service when compared to the competition.
Hotspot Shield Basic is a popular free VPN plan with a very major plus: last year, the provider began upgrading the service to offer unlimited data across all platforms. Mac, Android, and iOS now support unlimited data, with Windows joining the party later.
In a world where most free VPNs restrict you to 10 GB a month or even less, being able to use the service as much as you like is a huge advantage. So, you might be wondering, “Why is Hotspot Shield Basic not higher up the list?”
▶ Try Hotspot Shield for yourself
One major catch with the service is that it only allows connecting to a single US location. PrivadoVPN and Windscribe support around ten countries, while TunnelBear offers almost 50.
Usability issues and irritations include mobile apps that regularly display video ads when you connect. The Mac app has no ads but does open pages on the Hotspot Shield website every time you connect and disconnect.
One big privacy problem is that Hotspot Shield Basic doesn’t include a kill switch. If the VPN connection drops, your traffic may be unprotected.
Oh, and if you experience any problems with any of this, there’s no live chat or email support. You’re left to browse the Hotspot Shield website and figure out a solution yourself.
This makes it difficult to recommend Hotspot Shield Basic above the competition, even with its unlimited data. But it may still be useful for simple tasks, or as an emergency backup for another provider, and it’s worth checking out the service for yourself.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | A clean and simple design | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of use | Intuitive apps that are easy to use but contain ads | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Performance | Decent speeds, but nothing spectacular considering Hotspot Shield’s claims | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Unblocking | Mediocre unblocking capabilities | ⭐⭐ |
| Security and privacy | Lacking a kill switch is a serious problem | ⭐⭐ |
| Customer support | No live chat or email support is disappointing | ⭐⭐ |
Subscribe if:
✔️ You want a VPN that strips out all of the jargon: Tunnelbear is great for technophobes because of its simple design and plain language. No more confused staring at an app—TunnelBear handles it all for you.
✔️ You need a bigger server network: Tunnelbear offers one of the biggest free networks I saw on the market, counting almost 50 servers across 47 countries.
Don’t subscribe if:
❌ You want to do more than scroll on Reddit: a 500 MB allowance just feels insulting compared to the competition.
❌ You want to unblock foreign shows: TunnelBear is pretty open about content unblocking and clearly wants to wash its hands of people using its VPN for streaming shows abroad.
Bottom line ⭐⭐⭐
🔒 TunnelBear VPN is a wellknown brand that doesn’t really live up to the hype. Still, it’s proven secure—so it has that going for it at least.
Want to know more?
Check out our indepth TunnelBear Free VPN review for a closer look at the service, and see why it’s not higher up the list.
While most VPNs sell themselves on their lengthy lists of advanced technical features, TunnelBear Free VPN is all about creating a simple service that is easy for anyone to use. And it takes this to a surprising extreme.
Most VPNs boast around all the protocols they support, for example, and give you stacks of settings in their apps—great if you understand VPN protocols, but what if you don’t? Don’t worry, TunnelBear strips away the technical difficulty of VPNs.
▶ Head through to TunnelBear
TunnelBear Free VPN simplifies this by not even mentioning protocols in its website feature lists, support pages, or most of its apps. This isn’t because it’s underpowered—the Windows app still supports WireGuard and OpenVPN, the best protocol choices around. It just handles them itself, rather than exposing users to the lowlevel details.
The apps have other advanced features, although TunnelBear tries to soften these with less technical language. There’s a kill switch called VigilantBear, for instance, and split tunneling called SplitBear.
The result is a service with some positives. It’s easy to use, with a huge choice of 48 locations across 47 countries. Speeds are good at 300 Mbps, and TunnelBear’s annual VPN audits—the most indepth in the business—give a huge amount of reassurance that your privacy is protected.
There’s also a real problem, though, in TunnelBear’s miserly data allowance of just 500 MB a month. This might be enough if you only need to securely check your email very occasionally, or unblock a single website. But it’s far behind the free 10 GB you’ll typically get elsewhere.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Clean, simple, and who doesn’t like bears? | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Ease of use | Easy to use and intuitive for beginners, but not much customization for technical users | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Performance | Average at best | ⭐⭐ |
| Unblocking | Unblocked US Netflix in my tests, but openly admits it doesn’t support content unblocking | ⭐⭐ |
| Security and privacy | Regular audits give me faith, but a lack of control over encryption protocols is a doubleedged sword | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Customer support | No live chat from such a large brand is quite surprising | ⭐⭐⭐ |
How I pick free VPNs
With so many free VPNs to choose from, and with all of them claiming to be the best and most “unlimited” of them all, I take a very strict approach to choosing which ones make it on the list. I test VPNs every single day, and I’ve lived and breathed them for the past three years (nearly four).
A VPN is only included in one of my pages if it meets all of the following criteria:
- It’s a VPN I have actually tested: I wouldn’t recommend something I’ve never had my hands on. How can I verify it works if I’ve never used it? I’m always testing VPNs, and always happy to consider new entries for the list, but I won’t recommend a service that doesn’t deserve to be here.
- It’s a reliable service: you can trust it to keep you and your loved ones safe online. This means no invasive privacy policies, no stealing your IP address, and a genuine nologs policy is vital. Many services claim they have a nologs policy, but their thirdparty partners do the tracking instead.
- It’s actually worth using: what’s the point of a free VPN if you can’t really use it? If it doesn’t work, it’s not going on the list. Likewise, if the privacy policy isn’t up to scratch, or the encryption isn’t good enough, or the servers are too slow, then what’s the point when there are some excellent services out there offering free plans?
Countless services have reached out to me in the past looking to get on this page, and they have been thoroughly ticked off when I’ve explained why they don’t meet my standards.
In short, it comes down to this: if I wouldn’t feel comfortable with my friends and family using it, how could I ask you to use it?
My VPN industry rankings
Want to know how each of my free VPN picks fares against the rest of the market? check out my industry rankings below.
| Provider | Rating | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ExpressVPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The best VPN overall and our top pick for most use cases. |
| 2. NordVPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ | The fastest VPN, plus a full security suite with adblocking and malware protection. |
| 3. Surfshark | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ | The best cheap VPN, and also the fastest in our tests. |
| 4. Private Internet Access | ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ | The best Linux VPN. A dedicated GUI for Linux, and a nologs policy that was proven in court twice. |
| 5. IPVanish | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The best of the rest. An upandcoming provider that supports Linux. |
| 6. PrivadoVPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The best free VPN. It even unblocks Netflix. |
| 7. ProtonVPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | A popular free VPN service with a history of advocating for the freedom of the internet. |
| 8. Windscribe | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | A fast service with a popular browser proxy. |
| 9. CyberGhost VPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | A popular and easytouse platform that’s great for beginners. |
| 10. Mullvad | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Good for Linux, and you can even pay in cash. |
| 11. PureVPN | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | One of the cheapest premium VPNs on the market. |
| 12. Hide.Me | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | A speedy service with plenty of customization. |
| 13. Atlas VPN | ⭐⭐⭐½ | A new player in the VPN industry that’s already making waves. |
| 14. TunnelBear | ⭐⭐⭐½ | A reliable free VPN but no support for content unblocking. |
| 15. Mozilla VPN | ⭐⭐⭐½ | A well known brand with a VPN that currently underperforms. |
| 16. Hotspot Shield | ⭐⭐⭐½ | A fast VPN service with lots of great features. |
| 17. VyprVPN | ⭐⭐⭐ | A reliable VPN with a dedicated protocol for bypassing even the most severe censorship. |
| 18. Norton VPN | ⭐⭐⭐ | Known for its popular security suite with a lacklustre VPN. |
| 19. PrivateVPN | ⭐⭐½ | An excellent cheap service that offers plenty of support for streaming and torrenting. |
| 20. AstrillVPN | ⭐⭐½ | A midrange VPN that’s popular for bypassing Chinese censorship. |
| 21. FastestVPN | ⭐⭐½ | Making its way up the list, but not yet living up to its name. |
| 22. StrongVPN | ⭐⭐ | Another midrange VPN that continues to improve. |
| 23. AirVPN | ⭐⭐ | Built by hacktivists, for hacktivists. |
| 24. Goose VPN | ⭐⭐ | An incredibly cheap midrange VPN. |
| 25. TorGuard | ⭐⭐ | A torrentfriendly VPN that’s good for accessing foreign content. |
| 26. UltraVPN | ⭐⭐ | Fast and secure with plenty of server locations. |
| 27. Le VPN | ⭐⭐ | Lots of locations to choose from and integrated SmartDNS technology. |
| 28. VPNArea | ⭐⭐ | A midrange VPN that struggles to hold up against the industry leaders. |
| 29. ZoogVPN | ⭐⭐ | A fairly underwhelming VPN from Greece. |
| 30. Google One | ⭐⭐ | Google’s history with data doesn’t give us much faith in the service. |
What is a VPN?
A virtual private network (VPN) is a cybersecurity tool that protects your device from hackers, cybercriminals, and snoopers. It encrypts your data and routes it through a secure server elsewhere in the world. This lets you pretend to be in another part of the world by changing your IP address (a number that identifies your device and location).
When you put all of this together, you get a service that shields your digital privacy, and lets you unblock censored or restricted content—no matter where you are.
How I test free VPNs VPN review methodology
My VPN reviews begin with a detailed look at the provider’s website. What features do you get? How useful is the support site? Has the provider gone through an audit, and if so, what did it say? And are there any catches in the small print?
VPNs can vary hugely between platforms, so I test and compare apps on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. I look at usability, features, settings, and more, and make sure each app works as expected.
Peeking under the hood can give you very useful information about a VPN, so I also dig deeper into the Windows app, exploring the files it uses, the settings, and whether it’s properly setting up your connection for the best possible privacy.
Speed matters, even for a free VPN. I test performance from a UK cloud PC with a speedy and ultrareliable 1 Gbps, giving each VPN plenty of bandwidth to show me just what it can do.
Providers might claim to have a kill switch, but does this really give you the protection it claims? I use various techniques to force a VPN connection to close, and monitor each app to make sure it handles each situation correctly.
The limited data on most free VPN plans means they’re not ideal for unblocking streaming sites. But it’s still interesting to see who delivers on the unblocking front, and who doesn’t. To find out, I check whether each provider can access exclusive regional content on (depending on the available locations) US Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, and BBC iPlayer.
Should I use a free VPN?
Honestly, there isn’t one easy answer to this question. It depends on what you want to use your free VPN for. If it’s just about having a bit more security on your laptop or mobile when using public WiFi, they can be just the ticket. Jump on the service, turn on an encrypted server connection, and crack on with your online activities safe in the knowledge that no prying eyes will be able to see your private information.
But if your main purpose is to have a streaming VPN say, or want to use it while downloading terabytes of torrent files, a free VPN just isn’t going to do the trick. For starters, most of them limit you to a daily or monthly data allowance that you’ll rinse through in no time at all. Most don’t have the kind of easy access support or server range required to make those activities easy with a virtual private network.
Remember: price doesn’t always equal quality, and some of the best VPN services cost as little as $2/£2 per month. The best cheap VPNs will give you much better performance and protection—without breaking the bank.
How to choose a free VPN five mustask questions
The last couple of years have witnessed the rise of global threats to individual privacy, with longmaintained rights to anonymity and net neutrality being undermined with a cloak of legitimacy.
While virtual private networks are not the panacea to being safe, secure and private on the internet, it is an essential component of the arsenal for individuals inclined to seek these liberties.
If you don’t have one yet, you can grab one for free, without having to pay a single penny for one. Just be careful though as not all free VPN providers are created equal and some might even compromise your security.
Here are five questions you need to ask yourself before you download and install one.
- What is its business model? Providers are in for the money and running such a business does cost a lot, especially if it is a popular one. Some will use their free version, just like Dropbox, as a marketing tool to entice potential customers to move to a paid version once they are happy with the free one. Most, however, will sell user data or provide logging and usage information to a third party that will, again, compromise your privacy.
- How does it protect my device? Most providers usually use a desktop application that runs in the background, encrypting your data while you surf the web. However, that only solves part of the problem. Your laptop can still be fingerprinted because of the permissiveness of tracking solutions found on almost all websites online. A few, including Windscribe, have a more holistic approach by integrating the equivalent of a super adblocker
- What do I lose by going free? Usually, one can expect a free product to have some corners cut, and that is indeed the case for all providers—this even holds true when it comes to things like free Antivirus. Some offer more free bandwidth than others, major locations, and even ad blocking, P2P, and firewall with an easy paidfor upgrade path that unlocks unlimited bandwidth with more locations and OpenVPN Configs.
- Does the VPN provider log anything? Make sure that your provider doesn’t store users’ internet activity. You can usually check that on the terms and conditions page or the enduser license agreement, commonly known as EULA. Sadly, plenty of providers prefer to frustrate end users with long T&Cs or privacy statements that often hide significant details about how they operate. On the other end of the spectrum are providers that will erase everything after your session closes and don’t keep logs.
- Can I sign up anonymously? Having a provider that you can subscribe to without an email address and one that accepts Bitcoin payments, for maximum privacy, is mostly the best you can expect online. Some providers also offer double hopping, where you can obfuscate your traffic further by essentially doubling down on privacy.
Are free VPNs dangerous?
While the main criticism of free VPNs is that they just aren’t half as useful as the paidfor alternatives, there are genuine dangers lurking with some proponents (thankfully not with the services pinpointed above).
For example, research in 2020 suggested that around 40% of the free VPNs available on the Google Play Store do not protect their users’ privacy to an adequate level. So the extra online protection you thought you would be getting just isn’t there.
How to get a premium VPN for free
Can’t decide on whether to go for a free VPN or a premium paidfor option? There may be a perfect compromise, as pretty much all the world’s best providers let you try them risk– and cost–free. Check out the best VPN free trials to see what the best prices are right now.
You’ll see some familiar names mentioned there. My #1 VPN service, ExpressVPN is also on the list, letting you give it a try for 30 days—absolutely riskfree.
It’s worth pointing out that you do have to pay upfront for these services. But they pride themselves on making the money back as hasslefree as possible, allowing you to claim a full refund online without trouble.
Why is a free vpn good?
Free VPNs are the perfect way for people who can’t afford a premium service to protect themselves online and access foreign content in the face of oppressive censorship. But with the vast array of questionable services that exist, it’s hard to know what VPN you can trust. That’s why we’ve highlighted the best free VPNs in this article—to show you the reality of free VPNs, and how they differ from their premium counterparts.
Free VPN FAQs
What is the best free VPN?
My testing showed PrivadoVPN to be the best free VPN on the market right now. However, if you need unlimited data, I recommend opting for Proton VPN instead. Please note, however, that Proton comes with server location restrictions compared to other leading free VPN services.
Are there any fake VPNs?
Yes, there are lots of scams out there, and many of them target popular app stores in order to trick you into thinking they’re legitimate. It’s vital that you pick a proven and reliable service.
My recommended VPN services, both free and premium, are all extensively tested by myself, our experts, and other leaders in the industry, so you can try and buy with confidence that what you’re downloading does exactly what it says on the tin.
Tested by
Meet the experts behind this free VPN guide:
A privacy purist at heart, Andreas is a VPN expert who believes the best VPN doesn’t have to be the most expensive—it’s about what’s right for you.
Mike Williams
Mike regularly reviews our top picks, and loves looking behind the curtains to see how a VPN works in the background. If there’s a skeleton in the closet, he’ll find it.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paidfor is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.