The Best Free VPNs 2024

PrivadoVPN, Proton VPN, TunnelBear, and Windscribe are our favorite VPNs with trustworthy free versions. 

Many free VPNs are known to have poor privacy practices, lack security features, or outright sell your data for profit. Let's dig in to why we selected these four options as the best free VPNs.

The best free VPN services

Despite the general warnings, there are a handful of trustworthy, truly free VPN services that aren’t just free trials. Many of them do have limits, but they should still be more than enough for casual users who value privacy.

If you’re looking to save money on a VPN, here are our top four free VPN services:

• PrivadoVPN
• Proton VPN
• TunnelBear
• Windscribe

VPN
Free version
Unlimited data
# of free server locations	13 server locations	5 server locations	47 server locations	10 server locations
Learn more	Get PrivadoVPN Read PrivadoVPN Review	Get Proton VPN Read Proton VPN Review	Get TunnelBear Read TunnelBear Review	Get Windscribe Read Windscribe Review

PrivadoVPN

What we liked

PrivadoVPN is a newer VPN, based out of Switzerland. It offers a fairly generous free tier, along with some reasonably priced premium plans. The servers, and your connection, are fully encrypted, and the company keeps no logs of any of your traffic or data.

If you want to watch Netflix with a VPN, you’re in luck. The free plan of PrivadoVPN works with Netflix and many other popular streaming services, so you can watch content that may be blocked in your location.

The free plan gives you a healthy 10 GB of full-speed data every month. The performance is quite good, with no arbitrary speed limits.

What we didn't like

PrivadoVPN’s biggest downside is that the free plan only supports one VPN connection at a time. That means if you have the VPN installed on your phone, router, and computer, only one of these devices can access it. This could be a hard limit for some to work around.

Data cap	10 GB/mo
Speed cap	No speed limits
Simultaneous connections	Unlimited
Server locations	13 server locations
Headquarters	Switzerland
No-logs policy	No logs
Encryption	AES-256
Details	Get PrivadoVPN Read PrivadoVPN Review

Proton VPN

What we liked

Proton VPN is one of the best VPNs on the market, so we love that it offers a free service as well. Proton's free VPN has no caps on bandwidth or on speed. You'll also still get security features like a kill switch. 

Proton is a provider dedicated to privacy, and this extends to its free version. Its strict no-logs polciy, which has been independently audited and tested in court, extends to Proton Free. Plus, it offers open-source apps so anyone can check and make sure it's secure. 

What we didn't like

Proton Free lacks many of the features that makes Proton Premium so great. You won't get access to its unique features like the VPN Accelerator for faster speeds or servers optimized for streaming torrenting. Also, the 24/7 live chat is limited to paid subscribers. 

Data cap	No data limits
Speed cap	No speed limits
Simultaneous connections	1
Server locations	5 server locations
Headquarters	Switzerland
No-logs policy	No logs
Encryption	AES-256 or ChaCha20
Details	Get Proton VPN Read PrivadoVPN Review

TunnelBear

TunnelBear is a Canadian VPN that’s all about simplicity. The idea behind this VPN is to get you browsing securely and privately with as little hassle as possible.

To that end, it hides many of the more advanced features and technical settings that most VPNs pride themselves on. The features it does offer are packaged in a way that makes it easy to understand.

The result is an easy-to-use service that works very well. This is also the only free VPN we’re aware of that doesn’t limit you to certain servers when you’re on the free plan — you can access all 48 server locations across 46 countries. Performance is snappy across the board, and the free version can access Netflix.

What we didn't like

Unfortunately, the free version of TunnelBear has a major issue: a 2 GB monthly data limit. This means it's effectively limited to occasional use and emergencies, and the Netflix access is almost entirely useless.

You can earn an extra 1 GB by posting about TunnelBear on social media, but that’s still only 1.5 GB — far less than any other provider on this list. That said, if you only need a VPN occasionally, TunnelBear might be your best option.

Data cap	500 MB/mo (you can earn 1 GB extra by posting on social media)
Speed cap	None
Simultaneous connections	1
Server locations	47 server locations
Headquarters	Canada
No-logs policy	No logs
Encryption	AES-256
Details	Get TunnelBear Read TunnelBear Review

Windscribe

What we liked

Windscribe provides a solid free VPN offering. You get 10 GB of monthly data allowance and access to a healthy 14 server locations across 11 countries. Windscribe is also the only free VPN on this list that offers unlimited simultaneous connections, so you can seamlessly transition from phone to laptop to tablet without a hiccup.

Windscribe’s performance, though not as fast as some of the other VPNs here, is more than adequate, and it doesn’t appear to throttle speeds in any way. And you can really put that speed to use because it supports Netflix streaming.

What we didn't like

The main downside of Windscribe is complexity. Although the apps offer a number of features and configuration options, this can make them tough to use for the less tech-savvy among us. If you can deal with that, though, Windscribe is a fine choice.

Data cap	10 GB/mo
Speed cap	No speed limits
Simultaneous connections	Unlimited
Server locations	10 server locations
Headquarters	Canada
No-logs policy	Logs the last time you connected and the amount of data you’ve used for the month
Encryption	AES-256
Details	Get Windscribe Read Windscribe Review

Best premium VPN free trials

You can’t get paid VPNs completely free. However, many of the top paid VPNs offer free trials and/or offers like a 30-day money-back guarantee. This is a great way to try them out risk-free before purchasing. Of the VPNs that offer these trials, these four are our favorites.

VPN	Free trial	Money-back guarantee	Learn more
	Yes — 7 days for Android	30 days	Get NordVPN Read NordVPN Review
	Yes — 7 days for Android, iOS, and macOS	30 days	Get Surfshark Read Surfshark Review
	Yes — 7 days for Android and iOS	30 days	Get ExpressVPN Read ExpressVPN Review
	Yes — 3 days for Android, 7 days for iOS, 24 hours for Windows and macOS	30 days	Get CyberGhost Read CyberGhost Review

What to look for in a free VPN

There are a few key features and specs to watch for when choosing any VPN — but especially a free one. Here are some of the most important things to consider:

• No-logs policy: Most people use a VPN to protect their privacy. To this end, you should review the logs policy of any VPN you use, free or not, to see what they keep and what they don’t. Ideally, you want a provider that masks your IP address and keeps no logs of your personal data whatsoever.
• Data and speed limits: Many of the trustworthy free VPN options are limited versions of paid services. This often means data usage and speed are limited. Make sure your choice offers enough data to meet your needs.
• User reviews: It’s always a smart idea to pay attention to user reviews — especially when the product or service deals so heavily with something as sensitive as your privacy. User reviews will often expose issues that may not be readily apparent.
• Number and location of servers: A VPN is only as good as its servers. The location, in particular, can have a big impact on speed, latency, and privacy.
• Business model: VPNs are operated by companies, and those companies need to make money to stay in business. The old saying applies here: if you’re not the customer, you’re the product. Ensure that your choice of provider has a way to make money that doesn’t involve selling your data. Examples include premium VPN plans.
• Encryption: Make sure any VPN you use encrypts your data with AES-256-level encryption. It should also use a secure VPN protocol like WireGuard, OpenVPN, or IKEv2.
  

Are free VPNs safe?

It depends on how free they are. VPNs require a lot of infrastructure and can be expensive services to maintain. If the company has no way to turn a profit, it won’t last long. For this reason, most VPNs are premium services, and nearly all of the trustworthy free options are free versions of those paid services.

If you find a 100% free VPN that has no other obvious way to make money, there’s a decent chance your data is the product they’re selling. Plus, there are some other risks you should consider:

• VPNs are, by nature, able to track your data. Free options may not have the same rigorous security measures and safe logging practices that premium options offer.
• Some free VPNs have been known to display outright malicious behavior, such as selling data or embedding malware in the service.
• Some VPNs, particularly free ones, are not clear about ownership. In some instances, there is evidence of ties to certain governments that may have ulterior motives.
• This isn’t exclusive to free VPNs, but If you log into accounts with any VPN, the company that owns that account can still see your activity. For example, if you log into Google when performing a search, it will still be recorded in your Google search history.

Free VPN apps also tend to come with limitations, such as a lack of unlimited data or missing features like split tunneling and a kill switch. Others may slow your connection speed or keep free users from accessing VPN servers that support torrenting or allow you to unblock shows in other countries on BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other streaming sites.

6 free VPNs to avoid

We’ve said it several times now, but it bears repeating: not all free VPNs are trustworthy! These six, in particular, have reputations as insecure, shady, or outright malicious:

• Hola: Hola keeps a lot of data and has a poor reputation for privacy and security.
• Hoxx VPN: Hoxx VPN has poor security, sketchy logging practices, and slow speeds.
• SuperVPN: SuperVPN has a reputation for poor privacy practices and lack of transparency, particularly around who owns it.
• Turbo VPN: Turbo VPN has a poor reputation for security and, despite its name, is very slow.
• Betternet VPN: Betternet fails to live up to its promise, with slow speeds and a lack of basic privacy and security features.
• Psiphon: Psiphon performs well, but logs way too much data for an app that’s meant to protect your privacy.

FAQs

Bottom line

VPNs are excellent privacy tools, but they can be expensive, and the free options out there can be… well, anything but private.

Fortunately, there are some options for those who want a free, secure VPN. Our four favorite free VPNs are PrivadoVPN, Proton VPN, TunnelBear, and Windscribe. Each of these offers solid data, speed, and — most importantly — privacy practices.

If none of these free VPNs meet your needs, you can spring for a paid option, such as the powerful NordVPN (check out the NordVPN plans). You can also try some other useful online privacy tools, such as a password manager, ad blocker, or secure search engine.