Best Free VPN: Top 8 Free VPNs in February 2024 (2024)

Free VPNs provide secure connections and encrypted data at zero cost. Browsing with these best free VPNs will ensure that your data, activities, and browsing history remain private.

However, free VPNs often have limitations. Data and speed caps imposed by free VPNs can limit your streaming, downloading, and gaming. If you need a service that’s capable of more, choose Surfshark — it’s the cheapest premium VPN in the market and won’t hold you back.

On a budget? PrivadoVPN came out on top in our testing and research of the best free VPNs. Keep reading for an overview of every free service we tested and where it ranked on our list!

Free VPNs vs. VPN Free Trials

You always need to be careful with “free“ products and services, and VPNs are no exception. Although some free VPNs perform very well, other VPNs can offer a bad user experience or even put your privacy in danger.

Here are a few examples of the shady, predatory tricks some free VPNs might pull on you:

• Monitoring the websites you visit: Hoxx VPN and Psiphon Pro track your traffic and share it with third parties.
• Lending your connection to other customers: Hola VPN sells your data connection to other customers and lets them share your IP address.
• Spreading malware: Turbo VPN was flagged for containing adware and harmful spyware.
• Compromising and leaking user data: SuperVPN, GeckoVPN, ChatVPN, and QuickFox all have a history of compromised user data.

Does this mean you can’t use free VPNs without putting yourself in danger? Not at all. If you stick to the top choices recommended in this article, you minimize potential risks.

Comparison: Free VPNs vs. Affordable VPNs

Free VPNs are generally limited in some way, whether it’s a traffic cap or speed limit. Premium VPNs, on the other hand, are more secure and offer more options. Let’s look at how our completely free VPN services stack up against Surfshark, a very affordable premium VPN.

Of course, the most obvious downside of a premium VPN is its price. Luckily, you can try premium VPN services for free.

You can get a Surfshark free trial by taking advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee. Just ask for a refund before those 30 days are up, and the subscription won’t cost you a dime.

Plus, Surfshark offers a pretty good deal if you decide to invest in a trustworthy VPN: for only $ 2.29 per month, you get all the advantages of a premium VPN.

Our Top 8 Best Free VPNs of 2024

If a totally free VPN is what you’re looking for, we rounded up the most reliable options in one list. You don’t even have to provide your payment information or make use of a money-back guarantee.Free really means free with these VPN providers.

Feature	1. PrivadoVPN	2. Proton VPN	3. hide.me	4. TunnelBear	5. Windscribe	6. Atlas VPN	7. ZoogVPN	8. Hotspot Shield
Free data per month	10 GB	Unlimited	10 GB	500 MB	10 GB	10 GB	10-50 GB	15 GB (500 MB per day)
Countries with servers	47	70+	8	42	11	2	3	3
P2P traffic allowed	✔	✖	✔	✖	✔	✔	✔	✔
Encryption protocols	IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN	IKEv2, WireGuard, OpenVPN, and Stealth	IKEv2, OpenVPN, SoftEtherVPN, WireGuard, and SSTP	WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 (depending on the device)	IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard, WStunnel, and Stealth	WireGuard and IPSec/IKEv2	IKEv2, OpenVPN	Hydra, IKEv2/IPSec, WireGuard
Operating system	Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Android TV, and Fire TV	Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Android TV, Linux, and Chromebook	Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Android TV, and Fire TV	Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android	Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Fire TV	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, smart TVs	Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux
Extra security features	Kill switch	Kill switch	Kill switch and split tunneling	Kill switch and advanced encryption for countries with a lot of censorship	Kill switch, split tunneling, and ad blocker	Kill switch and split tunneling	Kill switch	IP and DNS leak protection, traffic obfuscation, DNS filtering
Website	Get PrivadoVPN	Get Proton VPN	Get hide.me	Get TunnelBear	Get Windscribe	Get Atlas VPN	Get ZoogVPN	Get Hotspot Shield

All these free VPNs have their strengths and weaknesses. Read on to find out which one fits your needs best.

1. PrivadoVPN: Best free VPN for PC and Mac Users

PrivadoVPN is the best free VPN on the market and our editor’s choice. PrivadoVPN promises to keep your identity private, and it delivers on that promise. There are many reasons why this provider ended up at the top of our list, so let’s dive right in.

What makes PrivadoVPN a good free VPN?

Devices: PrivadoVPN has some great features that make it one of the best free VPNs out there. To start, it has apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Android TV. There is even a Fire TV Stick App, which we thought was pretty cool for a free VPN!

Servers: There are loads of server locations available for free users, especially compared to other free VPNs like Proton VPN and Atlas VPN. This makes PrivadoVPN one of the more suitable free VPNs for circumventing geographic restrictions on the web.

Using the free version of PrivadoVPN will grant you access to a reasonable spread of servers. We noted these locations:

• The United States
• The Netherlands
• Canada
• Mexico
• Switzerland
• Germany
• United Kingdom
• Argentina
• France
• Brazil

This means you can use PrivadoVPN to easily gain access to websites, apps, and streaming platforms that work in those countries.

Fantastic privacy standards: During our tests, we were impressed by Privado’s privacy and security features. This VPN provider is based in Switzerland, which is known for its strong privacy protection laws. As such, PrivadoVPN can guarantee users a strict zero-logs policy, which means that the provider does not keep track of your browsing behavior. Exactly what we’re looking for!

Military-grade security: PrivadoVPN offers AES 256-bit encryption and top-notch protocols like IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN. In layman’s terms, it protects your data properly. PrivadoVPN Free also comes with an automatic kill switch. This means that if the VPN connection drops, it will block your access to the internet, so your data won’t spread online. These are essential security features often found only in paid VPN services. The fact that you get it all for free with PrivadoVPN is commendable.

Works with streaming: PrivadoVPN works wonders with most streaming services. We were able to watch HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime, as well as non-US Netflix libraries. However, like many VPNs, PrivadoVPN did struggle with the US version of Netflix at times. The data limit might result in further struggles, as we’ll discuss in more detail below.

Allows torrents and P2P: If you’re old-school and into P2P file sharing, you’ll be happy to know that PrivadoVPN allows its users to torrent to their hearts’ content. We tried downloading some torrents and didn’t encounter any throttling issues, which made us very happy.

Limitations of PrivadoVPN

Speed restrictions after hitting the 10 GB monthly data limit: This is where things get messy. PrivadoVPN offers unlimited speeds — as long as you stay within the monthly 10 GB data limit.

While most free VPNs will simply cut you off after reaching your data cap, you can still use PrivadoVPN after depleting your 10 GB of monthly data. Even though that’s great in itself, there is a catch: you’ll be limited to just one server and a 1 Mbps connection speed. This is something we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy: agonizingly slow internet! Take our word for it: a 1 Mbps connection speed can be very frustrating, especially when streaming!

No Linux support: We have some harsh news for Linux lovers: PrivadoVPN has no dedicated Linux app. Linux users are better off using a free service like Windscribe.

One connection at a time: You can only use PrivadoVPN’s free version on one device at a time. This means you cannot use the same free PrivadoVPN account on several devices simultaneously. However, you can easily circumvent this issue by creating multiple accounts using different anonymous email addresses.

Overall, PrivadoVPN performed exceptionally well in our tests and has several impressive features you wouldn’t expect from a free service. We also tested Privado’s premium version if you’re curious about our take on their paid VPN plan.

2. Proton VPN: Best free VPN with unlimited data and many extra benefits

Proton VPN is one of the most well-known free VPNs, with a huge user base and solid reputation. As one of the only unlimited free VPN options, this provider is ideal if you need unlimited data to browse the internet for as long as you like.

What makes Proton VPN Free a good choice?

Works on many devices: ProtonVPN works well on almost all of your devices. We’ve tried it on Mac, Windows, Android, Android TV, iOS, Linux, Chromebook, and even on some routers. Extensive device support is not its only perk, however.

Fantastic privacy and security: This popular provider from Switzerland offers user-friendly software, an excellent free package of security tools, and high-level encryption.

As you might expect, Proton VPN doesn’t keep any logs of user data. As long as your VPN connection is activated, you’ll be safe and anonymous. In addition to a kill switch, we saw that Proton VPN sports these secure VPN protocols:

• OpenVPN
• WireGuard
• IKEv2
• Stealth (to help overcome censorship)

No data limit: Most notably, Proton VPN Free has no data limits. That’s a huge thing for us — Proton is the only reliable free VPN that offers uncapped data. It also doesn’t have any speed limits, so you can use this free VPN for as long as you want.

Access to the complete Proton security suite: Creating a Proton account gives you access to a whole suite of other security services. These include:

• Proton Mail, a secure email service
• Proton Calendar, a feature with end-to-end encryption
• Proton Drive, free secure cloud storage of 1 GB

If you choose to upgrade to a premium Proton VPN plan, you get upgrades for all these services, making it a great all-in-one online privacy provider.

Limitations of Proton VPN Free

Low connection speeds: Although the free version of Proton VPN doesn’t have a speed cap, it can be quite slow at times. This makes sense, considering the large volume of free users using a limited spread of free Proton VPN servers. Internet speeds can dip as the servers struggle to handle all the traffic.

Lack of server locations: Free users are not spoiled for choice when it comes to Proton VPN’s server locations. You’ll be able to connect to 38 servers in the Netherlands, eight servers in Japan, and 22 servers in the US. Since there are only three countries with free servers, Proton VPN’s unblocking capacities are a bit limited when compared to, for instance, the free version of PrivadoVPN. Unfortunately, server variety is something you’ll often have to sacrifice when using free VPNs.

One connection at a time: You can use Proton for free on one device at a time. Seeing as it’s a free service, however, you could theoretically register multiple accounts with different email addresses. This way, you can protect every device you own with a separate, free account.

No torrent support for free users: Torrent lovers will have a bad time with Proton VPN free, as it doesn’t support torrent downloads. This means you cannot safely download files, even from the best torrent sites, when you are connected to a free Proton VPN server. However, if you choose to upgrade to the premium version, you will be able to torrent with Proton VPN.

Lousy streaming capabilities: Are you a streaming enthusiast? If so, we recommend you avoid Proton VPN’s free version. We couldn’t get Netflix or any other major streaming services to work properly. Proton VPN is useful if you want more privacy, but it’s not our best pick for entertainment and streaming purposes.

3. hide.me: Best free VPN in terms of customer support

Hide.me is a trustworthy VPN that allows P2P file sharing and has excellent free customer support. If you’re a beginning VPN user who likes to torrent safely, we think that this is the best free option for you.

What makes hide.me a good free VPN?

Extra goodies during the first week: If you’re curious about hide.me’s premium servers and features, their free version is all you need. During the first week of your membership, you’ll be able to try hide.me premium with a seven-day free trial. After that, you’ll be limited to the free features.

Great customer support: As part of our review process, we always check a VPN provider’s customer support — and hide.me delivered. The customer support representative was quick to respond to our query, and their advice was on point. If you need assistance, you can count on hide.me to follow through.

Solid privacy protection: Hide.me is a zero-logs VPN that is certified by independent third parties. This means the provider doesn’t store any information about your internet activities, which is good news for the privacy-conscious. Not to mention, hide.me is based in Malaysia, so it doesn’t have to deal with invasive privacy laws like VPN providers that are headquartered in 14 Eyes countries.

Torrent support: In the past, hide.me didn’t allow free users to download torrents. Luckily, hide.me changed this policy, and free users can now download safely via torrent sites. Do keep in mind the monthly data cap of 10GB!

Compatible with many devices: hide.me has an app for most major operating systems, including Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, Linux, and even Fire TV Stick.

Decent security and encryption protocols: Unlike many other free VPNs, hide.me offers plenty of different VPN protocols to choose from:

• IKEv2
• OpenVPN
• SoftEtherVPN
• WireGuard
• SSTP

Limitations of the free version of hide.me

Very few free VPN servers: The free subscription to hide.me only gives you access to servers in eight countries: Canada, Spain, the US, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Singapore. Not very impressive, but it’s still about average for a free provider, in our experience.

Not good for streaming: Hide.me free VPN does not work with Netflix US. We tested this ourselves and weren’t able to unblock any geo-restricted shows or movies on Netflix. The hide.me website mentions that their free version can’t unblock most streaming sites. This is a real shame, but not surprising, considering this is a free service.

Not great for binge-watching and downloading: Another drawback of the free version of hide.me is that it has a data limit of 10 GB per month. If you want to stream or download anything, you will reach this data limit rapidly. If streaming is important to you, a premium VPN option like Surfshark or NordVPN is a much more compelling alternative.

One connection at a time: Similar to most other free VPNs, you’ll only be able to protect one device at a time with hide.me.

Annoying upsells: One thing that made hide.me drop in ranking for us was that it can be pushy with its upsell campaign. There’s always a button that urges you to switch to premium when using the free version of the app. Moreover, if you click on any premium feature, you are pressed to upgrade. Some users might find this annoying — we sure did!

4. TunnelBear: Best free VPN if you’re looking for many server locations

TunnelBear combines a practical VPN with many servers and a fun VPN with a lot of cartoon bears. While it has a narrow data limit, we think that people who enjoy a broad choice of server locations and a flashy interface will have a great time with TunnelBear’s free service.

What makes TunnelBear a good free VPN?

Huge server network: The main reason why TunnelBear is one of the best free VPNs is because of its huge server list. Even with the free version, TunnelBear allows you to choose from all of its available servers in 42 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Brazil, India, and Italy. They give you the same experience as with their premium version, which is unique among free VPNs.

Many options for streaming: We tested TunnelBear to see if it could unblock online streaming sites with those countless servers. The results were a resounding success. TunnelBear was able to circumvent geo-restrictions from sites like Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and YouTube. While it cannot unblock all versions of Netflix, we were even able to enjoy Netflix UK with TunnelBear’s free VPN!

Extremely fun and user-friendly: Who said VPNs needed to be boring? As you can tell from the screenshots in our TunnelBear review, this VPN’s software is clear, fun, and easy to use. The visual style is unique and engaging, and the app is very easy to install. Our editors are big fans of all the bear-related puns in this app.

Solid security and encryption: TunnelBear’s security and encryption are also very solid. This free VPN offers some great extra features, like a kill switch (VigilantBear) and obfuscation technology to hide the fact you’re using a VPN (GhostBear). This means you’ll be able to unblock more streaming services with TunnelBear VPN Free than with any of its competitors.

Simultaneous connections: TunnelBear Free is available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS and can be used on multiple devices at the same time, just like their paid one. Would you like a “bear” on your phone as well as your computer? No problem. Although this might make you wonder… What’s the catch?

Limitations of the free version of TunnelBear

500 MB data limit: The biggest disadvantage we found from using TunnelBear is the data limit — you only get 500 MB per month. Most people would surpass this data limit in a day, especially when streaming. You can add another 1 GB of free data if you tweet about TunnelBear, but that’s not ideal for people looking for more online privacy.

Limited customer support: Customer support is limited for free users, with paying customers getting “priority customer service.” So you might have a harder time getting help without TunnelBear Premium. If you’re looking for active customer support, hide.me might be a better option for you.

Torrenting not allowed: Unfortunately, TunnelBear doesn’t allow P2P traffic on its servers, so you won’t be able to torrent using TunnelBear.

Can’t unblock Netflix US: Another drawback is that, while TunnelBear did great with unblocking streaming in most cases, it didn’t work consistently. Moreover, we couldn’t access Netflix US at all. Your best bet for that is still a premium VPN.

5. Windscribe: Best free VPN for fast connection speeds

Windscribe is a good, popular, free VPN that works on almost all operating systems and devices, including Linux. It also offers fast servers and a reasonable data limit. We conducted a thorough Windscribe review and found that even the free version mostly lives up to the hype.

What makes Windscribe a good free VPN?

World-class security measures: This service’s security measures are world-class, even though news broke in July 2021 that Windscribe hadn’t updated some of their servers for years. They’ve clearly moved past that hiccup and are now back on track.

Works on all major operating systems: A big reason why Windscribe is considered one of the best free VPNs is because it works on all major operating systems: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and even FireTV Sticks. For Linux users, especially, Windscribe is the perfect free option.

Unlimited simultaneous connections: You can use Windscribe on as many devices as you want at the same time, so the entire family can be protected with just one account.

Servers in many countries: The free version of Windscribe has fewer options than the paid package. For free users, Windscribe only provides 11 servers in a handful of countries. Paying customers have access to servers in as many as 63 countries. However, for a free VPN, the number of server locations is still surprisingly high.

Fast and seamless browsing and downloading: Windscribe servers are very fast, which is our favorite part of this VPN. The servers maintained good speeds when we used them for browsing, even while downloading torrents.

Respected security protocols: The privacy-conscious users among us will also appreciate that Windscribe offers multiple strong security protocols:

• IKEv2
• OpenVPN
• WireGuard
• WStunnel
• Stealth

Extra security features: Windscribe VPN free offers some great extra security features, like an ad blocker that will prevent ads with malware from reaching your device and a kill switch. You even get a split tunneling option. This allows you to determine what part of your traffic should pass through the VPN, which is something you rarely see in a free VPN.

Limitations of Windscribe free VPN

2 GB data limit: This free VPN service has a data limit of 2 GB per month. However, if you choose to share your email address with Windscribe and verify your account, you get 10 GB a month.

Keep in mind that this is technically a payment: you “pay” with your email address and get more data in return. Unfortunately, Windscribe can use your data for marketing and might share it with third parties. That’s why we recommend you use an anonymous email address to sign up for Windscribe.

On top of that, it’s important to remember that 10 GB might be enough to scroll through Reddit and Twitter, but not much else. You’ll burn through it pretty quickly, especially if you stream movies or download content.

Annoying interface and software: Windscribe’s software is not as easy to use as that of some of the other free VPN providers listed above. Most of the buttons in the software take you to your account page on their website, which feels very ineffective. We would prefer it if you could change your account settings in the VPN application itself.

No Netflix streaming: Unfortunately, we were unable to access Netflix with Windscribe. While this is a downside, it is rare to see a free VPN that can unblock Netflix these days. However, you can easily watch Netflix with a VPN offered by premium providers.

6. Atlas VPN: Best free VPN for Android and iOS

Atlas VPN Free comes with generous bandwidth and some great features for mobile devices. It’s the perfect option if you need a VPN on the go and don’t feel like spending money on it.

What makes Atlas VPN a good free VPN?

Great mobile apps: Atlas VPN is a relatively new provider, but they’re already excelling when it comes to their mobile software. It’s very easy to use, as you can connect with a single tap, and it even comes with some exclusive features. On top of that, you can use the free version of Atlas VPN immediately after installing the app: you don’t even have to create an account or sign in.

Split tunneling: One of the features offered on mobile is split tunneling, which allows you to use the VPN connection on some apps but not on others. This way, you can protect your online activity while browsing social media while enjoying high speeds when streaming content. This is a unique feature to be offered by a free VPN service, so if it strikes your fancy, Atlas VPN might be the choice for you.

No speed limits: With Atlas VPN, you get a cap of 10 GB per month without any speed limits. This isn’t as good as the unlimited data that Proton VPN free offers, but it’s still enough for everyday use. Just don’t expect to use Atlas for lots of streaming and torrenting.

High speeds: Free users can access three locations: the Netherlands, Los Angeles, and New York. Our speed tests indicated that Atlas VPN offers pretty high speeds across all of these servers. While you may be limited in the number of locations you can choose from, at least you won’t have to deal with long waiting times and loading wheels.

Top-of-the-shelf security: In terms of security, Atlas is considered one of the best free VPNs, as your data is protected by AES-256-bit encryption and the highly secure WireGuard protocol, as well as IPSec/IKEv2. That may sound technical, but it just means that strangers won’t be able to read your data, no matter how hard they try. The free version also offers a kill switch, which you can enable from the settings menu.

Limitations of Atlas VPN’s free version

Only three server locations in two countries: Compared to other options, like TunnelBear, the three servers spread over the US and the Netherlands offered by Atlas VPN Free might feel quite limiting. There’s simply not a lot of choice!

Can’t unblock streaming services: Unfortunately, we weren’t able to unblock Netflix or any other streaming services when using Atlas VPN’s free servers. If you’re looking for a great streaming experience, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

Not suitable for long streaming sessions or downloading: While a 10 GB data limit is quite generous among free VPNs, it can become a problem if you plan on using your VPN constantly. Especially if you like binge-watching TV shows or enjoy torrenting (which is allowed with Atlas VPN), you’ll quickly find yourself reaching that ceiling and being left without a VPN connection.

Collects data: Although Atlas VPN claims to be a “no logs” VPN, it does collect some data, such as device identifiers, which are codes attached to your smartphone, computer, or any other device. The VPN is also based in the US, a 5 Eyes country, which means the US may share user data with other member countries. This is a real bummer for us since we’re all for online privacy.

Malfunctioning kill switch: During our tests, we experienced a few technical issues, the biggest of which was that the kill switch didn’t work properly. We can’t be sure that will happen to you when you try Atlas VPN, and we trust that the provider will fix this bug as soon as possible, but for the sake of transparency, we wanted to mention it anyway.

7. ZoogVPN: Best free VPN with a ‘Refer a Friend’ program

ZoogVPN is a free zero-logs VPN provider with a useful referral program. Unfortunately, its security isn’t as good as that of other free VPNs (it doesn’t use 256-bit encryption), and the free version can only be used on one device at a time.

What makes ZoogVPN a good free VPN?

Multiple encryption protocols: ZoogVPN is known as one of the best free VPNs because it offers multiple encryption protocols. Free users can choose between IKEv2 and OpenVPN. Paying subscribers have more options, but OpenVPN is good enough for the average internet user. ZoogVPN free doesn’t have as many VPN protocols as some of the other entries on this list, but it’s still secure enough when compared to most free VPNs.

Available for many devices: ZoogVPN has apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and smart TVs. This makes it very versatile. We found it a real plus that we could test this VPN on whatever device we wanted, and you can do the same!

Kill switch: While testing the free application of ZoogVPN, we noticed it also offers a kill switch. This feature ensures that all internet traffic is interrupted when the secure VPN connection unexpectedly drops. In other words, it protects your data so it doesn’t leak without you noticing. Excellent news for your privacy!

Limitations of ZoogVPN

Lower levels of encryption: One downside of ZoogVPN free is that it uses 128-bit encryption instead of the AES 256-bit offered by most other VPNs. 128-bit encryption is still good and won’t be easily breached by anyone, but it’s a miss when compared to the other entries on this list.

Access to just five servers: With ZoogVPN’s free package, you can only access five servers: in the UK, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, and Singapore. This is a limited number, even if the server locations are nicely spread out over the globe.

One connection only: You can only use the free version on one device at a time, so if you want to use it on both your phone and your computer, you’ll have to turn it off on one the moment you connect to the other.

10 GB data limit: ZoogVPN has a data limit of 10 GB per month. Data limits are always a bummer, but ZoogVPN has a nice workaround: every paying customer you refer to ZoogVPN will earn you an additional 5 GB of data, up to 50 GB per month. While 10 GB is a limiting data cap, it’s not as bad as most of the other free VPNs, especially if you have a lot of friends willing to subscribe to its paid plan.

Inconsistent internet speeds: The VPN servers of ZoogVPN are quite fast, as seen in our ZoogVPN tests, but when they are under heavier loads, free users will be the first to notice.

Can’t unblock Netflix: When we tested ZoogVPN’s free servers, Netflix did not work, and we experienced considerable lag at times.

8. Hotspot Shield: Best free VPN with a generous data limit

Hotspot Shield is a popular free VPN with some of the most advantageous data limits. However, it uses 128-bit encryption, and the free version of the app is not very user-friendly. It also caught some flak over the years for its lack of data protection on free plans. Even so, for a free service, it offers some interesting features you might like.

What makes Hotspot Shield a good free VPN?

Unique VPN protocol: Hotspot Shield is one of our best free VPNs, as it uses a proprietary VPN protocol, Hydra, which is based on the industry standard of OpenVPN. This is a powerful, secure protocol — something we don’t usually see with free services.

Extra security options: This VPN features other security features not available on most free VPNs. These include IP and DNS leak protection (to prevent third parties from seeing your data), traffic obfuscation (to disguise your internet traffic), and DNS filtering. If you’re looking for a secure free VPN, Hotspot Shield is one of the most feature-rich choices.

15 GB data per month: Hotspot’s free VPN has the best data limits (after Proton VPN) if you add them all up. With Hotspot Shield, you get 500 MB per day, which means you have around 15 GB per month if you use it well.

As with every free service, there is a catch. Let’s talk about Hotspot Shield’s downsides.

Limitations of Hotspot Shield

Not the best speeds: Hotspot Shield VPN free had decent speeds when we tested it, but it was not the fastest VPN.

Limited daily data: Your unused daily data doesn’t roll over to the next day of using Hotspot Shield for free. So even if you just used 100 MB in a day, the remaining 400 MB are lost. This might not be a problem if you want to use the VPN to browse social media, but it’s a real bummer if you want to download anything that’s larger than 500 MB. In that case, we recommend choosing a different VPN.

Lots of ads: The free version of Hotspot Shield isn’t too user-friendly. It pushes ads on you, and a lot of users reported random disconnections, although we experienced none of that when testing the app.

Data collection: Hotspot Shield has a bad reputation related to user data collection. They had a few scandals in the past, and their current privacy policy is less than ideal.

Based in 5 Eyes: Hotspot Shield’s parent company, Aura is based in the US, a 5 Eyes country with an equally bad record of protecting their citizens’ privacy. You can find out more about this in our Hotspot Shield review.

How Did We Determine Our Top Eight Best Free VPNs List?

Our top criteria for these eight best free VPNs was that they had no direct or hidden subscription costs. VPNs with free trials that automatically turn into a paid subscription were not included in our list.

Additionally, we wanted VPNs on our list that did not collect your information extensively. This is a common problem with free VPNs, so we disqualified any app we found that didn’t take data protection seriously. Here are the other criteria we considered during our research:

• Encryption: A VPN provider needs to have secure encryption protocols and be able to safeguard your data effectively.
• Data limits: If you use the internet frequently and for data-heavy activities like gaming, you must ensure that a free VPN provider will offer an acceptable data limit to cover your daily needs.
• Speed caps: Decent speeds are important for most online activities as they give you an uninterrupted experience. A free VPN service that offers that is a winner in our books.
• The number of available servers and server locations: The more servers and locations provided by a free VPN, the better. This will allow you to access websites that may be unavailable in your location, like a specific streaming platform.
• The maximum number of simultaneous connections: If you want a free VPN for all your family members, one that offers you the choice to connect many devices at the same time is a sure winner.

Free VPNs vs. Paid VPNs

You need to be careful when using free VPN services. Many free VPNs don’t protect your data properly. These apps may keep logs of your activity or even collect data to sell for marketing purposes.

Free VPNs may also request access to all kinds of sensitive information, like your contacts, photos, and social media. Some free providers even infect your device with spyware and other malware.

Apart from these unsettling facts, many free VPNs have other disadvantages that paid VPN services don’t. Here’s our brief overview of the main differences and similarities between paid and unpaid VPNs.

As you can see, premium VPNs often offer features and options you’re not likely to get even with one of the best free VPNs. Plus, some paid VPN subscriptions are quite affordable. Best of all, most of them offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try them without committing to a plan.

Like with free VPNs, not all paid VPNs are created equally. Some offer strict security features that go beyond the advantages mentioned above, while others might be worse than some of the free VPNs listed here.

At VPNOverview, we only recommend the very best VPN services. If you’d like to know more, you can take a look at our full VPN review ranking list.

Which premium VPNs are affordable?

There are several VPNs that offer very good VPN connections at low prices. Many good cheap VPNs are just as good, if not better, than a VPN with a higher monthly fee.

Here are just some of the most affordable premium VPNs in the market:

1. Surfshark ($ 2.29/mo): Fast, affordable, and secure, Surfshark’s biggest selling point is its unlimited simultaneous connections.
2. CyberGhost ($ 2.19): CyberGhost is extremely beginner-friendly and offers special gaming and streaming servers, making it perfect for VPN newbies or younger users.
3. Private Internet Access ($ 2.19/mo): PIA offers thousands of servers worldwide, one of the biggest server networks we’ve seen.

Want more recommendations? Check out our full list of the best cheap VPNs.

Free VPNs You Should Avoid

There are also numerous free VPNs out there that you should avoid. Many aim to track your data and sell it to others. Their usage harms your privacy instead of protecting it.

Some free VPNs even sell your connection to other users. Your bandwidth is given to premium users of the service, who in turn use your connection and IP address as their very own “VPN server.”

Below, you’ll find an overview of some unsafe free VPNs that are relatively popular and why you should avoid them.

These aren’t the only unsafe free VPN providers out there. Many VPNs in the App Store and on Google Play don’t have clear policies regarding data processing and privacy. We recommend sticking to tried-and-tested VPN providers that our cybersecurity experts have vetted.

If you come across such a VPN yourself, always be careful. Don’t assume you’ll be able to browse the internet anonymously with these VPNs. Feel free to let us know in the comments about other VPNs to avoid and help us further protect our visitors.

Conclusion: What is the Best Free VPN?

At the moment, our best all-around free VPN is PrivadoVPN. We found this provider to be the absolute best choice when it comes to security, as it has a strict no-logs policy and features such as those that enable torrenting.

Otherwise, Proton VPN is our best VPN if you’re looking for unlimited data, while Windscribe performed best when we tested free VPNs for speed. TunnelBear is the most user-friendly free option that we found while also offering the best server network. Finally, Atlas VPN is your best bet for a free smartphone VPN.

The table below includes our best free VPN providers at this moment for specific purposes and criteria:

The free VPN services recommended in our article support multiple platforms and operating systems. So, whether you’re looking for a free VPN for iPad, Android, or iPhone, our recommended VPN services should work for your device.

However, the moment you start using a free VPN regularly or for streaming, you will quickly run into data limits and speed caps. Similarly, you will often experience restrictions when you try to download shows and movies with a free VPN.

In such cases, we recommend choosing a cheap paid VPN. You can also experiment a little bit with different free VPN trials. Surfshark’s the best choice in this regard.

If you’re looking for a free VPN service, make sure to choose one of the trustworthy providers listed in this article — especially since many free VPN apps in the Play and App Store don’t work properly or are a threat to your privacy and security.

If you want to know more about the best free VPNs for different purposes, take a look at these articles:

• The Best Free VPN for Netflix
• The Best Free VPNs for PC

C

Chris BluvshteinAuthor

Senior Journalist

Chris is a tech journalist with many years’ experience covering online privacy and cybersecurity. He’s also a published author and works as a Product Manager for some of the most innovative software development companies.

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