Securing your privacy online doesn't have to come at a cost, which is why free VPNs are a handy addition to any device. From keeping you anonymous by hiding your IP address to sneaking past strict geo-blocks, VPNs will help you escape any watchful eyes; unless it's a sketchy free VPN that does the exact opposite. Unfortunately, there are plenty of those, but a few trusted VPN providers offer free plans, and they're worth their no-charge fee.
While these services enable you to browse a streaming service's country-specific libraries so you can catch new streaming movies, and offer the tools to protect your online identity, they have their limits. With strict data limits and a small server network in a handful of countries, you won't have full control over managing your privacy. That said, it's still a bargain to surf the web privately without charge.
If you're not making the most of what the best paid VPNs can offer, our pick of the best free VPNs will give you the essential online privacy you're after.
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- Source: NordVPN
NordVPN
Best VPN overall
- Source: Surfshark
Surfshark
Might as well be free
- Source: Windscribe
Windscribe
Best for Light Use
- Source: PrivadoVPN
PrivadoVPN
Best for streaming
- Source: Hide.me
Hide.me
Most customizable
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Proton VPN
No data limits
- Source: Hotspot Shield
Hotspot Shield
No data limits
Top free VPN apps you can install today
So, let's get this out of the way—NordVPN isn't a free service, not completely. You can give it a try for 30 days, and if you don't like the VPN, you can get your money back without a problem. It's also our favorite VPN overall, regardless of what you're looking for. Whether it's to crack Netflix or to browse the internet securely, Nord is consistently fast, easy to use, and is available for nearly any device you can think of.
But this is a roundup of the best free VPNs, so its inclusion needs some explanation. Free VPNs have a major frustration, which we already mentioned above—almost all of them have some harsh limitations. Some of them have hard data caps before you're cut off for the month, while others have many important features locked behind paywalls. Depending on what you're looking for, you may have to jump around services to get what you need throughout the month.
There's something even more important to keep in mind with free VPNs, however. Many of the random free VPNs in app stores and the like aren't going to keep you secure. If anything, they are more likely to steal your data and sell it, which is more or less the opposite of what you wanted. All of our picks for this roundup are from reputable companies that keep your data safe, but if the risk of trying other VPNs outside of the big names is real, and it isn't worth it to take a chance on a VPN.
With all that out of the way, NordVPN is your best pick for a VPN in general. If you test the service thoroughly before your first 30 days are up, you'll likely bite the bullet and pay to stay with them. NordVPN is simple to use and has many available features to keep your information safe and secure. And, as of the time of writing, you can get the Basic plan for $2.98/month, 74% off the normal price.
You do have to pay for two years upfront to get that price, and the cost ramps up if you want a more feature rich plan, but you can't go wrong with an $83 investment to get everything you're getting from a free VPN, without the hassle or risks.
As of the time of writing, Surfshark's Starter plan is $1.85/month if you pay for two years of service upfront (which comes out to $51.80). Is Surfshark completely free? No, not after the 30-day free trial. You still have to pay that $51.80 and get your money back. But the price of Surfshark is, put simply, dirt cheap. It might as well be free, given how little you're paying.
It's ultimately a small investment to save you a lot of headaches trying to figure out if you've hit the data limits on a VPN or wondering if another is safe. No more worrying about features being behind paywalls, either—you'll have access to a full-fledged VPN that works without a hitch.
If you want more, even Surfshark's more feature-rich plans are extremely cheap. The One+ plan, which includes nearly everything Surfshark has to offer (including access to Incogniti to remove your personal data from the internet) is only $4.28 a month at the time of writing. NordVPN has Incogniti as an add-on at checkout instead of in a plan (and the add-on alone is $4.33 a month), so Surfshark One+ can be well worth the price of admission.
That said, Surfshark also has a few features that are only available as add-ons, such as Dedicated IP, which helps you avoid being blocked from websites due to having a shifting IP address. But there isn't a free VPN that has these add-on features anyway, so you're not likely to miss them.
Windscribe, one of the most popular free VPNs in the world, has been around for a long time and is trusted by many users. Its free tier is ridiculously easy to operate; this is best represented by the web browser plug-in that can be installed and used within just a couple of minutes. Simplicity also translates to the Android app, which makes it a breeze to choose your server and connect.
Speaking of servers, there are currently 20 city locations across 10 countries to choose from. That's a generous number compared to the handful that most free VPNs offer. In the US alone, there are servers in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Seattle, and Washington.
Server availability also extends beyond the domestic selections, including those in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Turkey, Hong Kong, and more. Unsure of which to choose? Simply click "Best Location" and Windscribe will do the work for you.
Windscribe doesn't skimp on the added extras, either. Its so-called R.O.B.E.R.T. tool blocks malware, ads, trackers, porn and gambling site access, and even clickbait articles. They're turned off by default, but very easily enabled in the settings. The same goes for its split tunneling tool, a very unusual free VPN feature, giving you more control by specifying what applications will and won't be channeled through the VPN. It's known to help unblock Netflix catalogs in various countries, too.
Regarding data limits, Windscribe's default is 2GB per month. That goes up to 10GB if you supply your email address and 15GB if you tweet about them. So it's not as good as the unlimited data offered by Proton VPN or Hotspot Shield, but it's still a fair amount per month.
If your main reason for getting a free VPN is to stream worldwide TV shows, then PrivadoVPN is the best option on this list. It's rare for a freebie to function well enough to get around the geo-restrictions that prevent streaming services from being accessed outside their native setting, but PrivadoVPN has that power.
So if, for example, you want to watch US Netflix exclusives outside the country, you can connect to one of its US servers. Similarly, you can watch BBC iPlayer from outside the British Isles by connecting to its UK server.
On the flip side, bear in mind that after your first 10GB of usage each month, the speeds are throttled to a bare minimum. So box-set bingers beware; streaming may be scuppered a few episodes into the season. Before that cap kicks in, however, PrivadoVPN's speeds are just as fast as they are at the premium tier. Which is to say, rapid.
This free VPN is extremely easy to set up and use, and navigating its Android app is super straightforward. Once in, there are four servers in the US to choose from or one server in each of its other ten countries (e.g., UK, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, India, and New Zealand). You'll also have the choice between three protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2, or the speedy WireGuard.
"Internet Privacy is a basic human right and with the Free plan, we give our users the freedom to browse the internet privately."
That's the very straightforward reason Hide.me pledges when you download its free Android app for the first time. The app officially has server locations in six countries, which is more than a lot of freebies on the Play Store, but less than other options in this guide. The US, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, and Spain are all included.
Alternatively, you can use the "Best Location" option. When we did so, it placed us on a UK server; that came as a surprise, considering it's not a location listed in its free options. The Hide.me app is easy enough for beginners to get started — it doesn't even ask for your email address, so anonymity appears to be prioritized. And if you're a VPN pro who likes to tinker, you can choose from many protocols (including WireGuard), VPN tunnels (IPv4 or IPv6), and even configure your DNS.
There's a tantalizing list of additional features in the Android apps Settings tab, but these are reserved for premium users only. So that means no SmartGuard tools to block ads or protect you from malware, no auto-connecting, and no kill switch or split tunneling.
With its five available locations and 200-odd servers, Proton VPN appears like any other free VPN. But unlike many of its competitors, it has no usage caps. That's a really eye-catching bonus, especially if you're planning to have Proton VPN turned on all the time.
As a company, Proton is probably best known for its secure email, so it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of privacy smarts integrated into its free VPN tier. For example, DNS Leak Protection, alternative routing, and a fully functioning kill switch are all included (although you'll have to upgrade to a premium plan if you want additions like malware blocking). Thanks to the availability of the WireGuard protocol, connection speeds are fast, too, without any throttling to slow you down.
There are some quirks to be aware of on its free Android app, though. It has locations in the US, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, and Romania, but you don't get to choose which one you use, and you can only change location every 20 minutes. Plus, there are no streaming or P2P servers with Proton VPN Free, so it's not the ideal tool to use for watching Netflix or torrenting.
Hotspot Shield is a well-established VPN that's been in the game for over a decade, but it gets a lot of its credit for its free VPN plan. As it should; its Basic plan is one of the few that offers unlimited bandwidth and data, meaning data-hungry users looking to break down blocked websites won't be stopped by restrictions (which is good news for streaming).
That's not its only major perk. There's no limit on bandwidth, and you can expect speeds up to 1GB/s from its range of over 800 servers available. It even brings a choice of VPN protocols for Basic users, including its proprietary Hydra VPN protocol, known for its speed and reliability, and OpenVPN. There's no lack of security features, giving users anti-phishing protection, a kill switch, split tunneling, DNS leak protection, and plenty more.
Of course, free VPNs have their limitations, and Hotspot Shield has a few of them. First and foremost, its Basic plan is supported by ads, but only Android users will have to face them. For privacy's sake, this isn't a good sign, seeing as these ads are supported by Google Ads, which collects user information. There are no ads in sight in the iOS, macOS, and Windows versions, but only up to five VPN locations are available — depending on what system you use. For example, macOS users will only get one US location, while Android and iOS users will get up to four, including Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, and the UK, along with an Auto option.
Despite its ads, Hotspot Shield has a strict no-logs policy and has been tested by an independent auditor to back its claims. Otherwise, you can expect a full VPN experience for free with Hotspot Shield.
Consider a paid VPN for the best experience
While many are here to grab the best free VPN (no) money can buy, there's a reason paid VPNs are regarded as essential privacy tools. They offer unlimited data with superb speeds, a vast server network in numerous countries around the globe, and deliver an advanced privacy and security tool suite.
Beyond kill switches and split tunneling, which are tools only a handful of free VPNs offer, paid VPNs come with anti-tracking, web protection from malware and malicious links, double VPNs, and even dark web monitoring. You may also find Smart DNS features that help get past streaming service blocks much easier than free VPNs.
Of course, not all paid VPNs offer these traits, but the best services always have unique features to give you the upper hand when it comes to privacy or streaming. Yes, many paid VPNs ask for a hefty monthly sum — some for under $2 per month if you opt for a two-year plan. However, if you're on a tight budget, that's when a handy free VPN comes in.
Protect your devices instantly with the best free VPN app
It's easy to find and download a free VPN from the Google Play Store , as the app store is littered with thousands of options. They may work, but you'll lose the very thing a VPN protects: your online privacy. They can track and sell your data to the highest bidder, and there's the risk of malware being installed. It isn't ideal, but reliable free VPNs stick to their word — even if they are few and far between.
Windscribe stands out for its generous offering of up to 15GB of free data and 10 countries to choose from, along with its strong AES-256 encryption to keep your data safe. While you'll have to go the extra step to reach this monthly data limit, it's a small price to pay to roam the web without risk with no fees attached. Better yet, its incredibly fast speeds and easy-to-use app interface make it a fantastic option for most.
If you need a quick way to access the full catalog of shows on a streaming service, PrivadoVPN is up for the challenge. Its 10GB data limit offers around 10 hours of content, which lets you binge your way through a fair amount of shows, and its servers in 13 countries have proven to get past major streaming platforms like Netflix and BBC iPlayer. That's a major bonus for streaming fans, but beware that its speeds may dip if it's overused.
Data limits can be frustrating, too, so it's good that Proton VPN's free plan offers uncapped data. This service focuses on privacy over all else, as it can be switched on for as long as needed. However, it also means it isn't the best choice for streaming, as you won't be able to choose your location. Still, that's full-time protection without forking over cash.
To make the most out of all these free VPNs, just use them all! Payment isn't an issue here, after all.
