I'm always seeing people online and on my social media asking for recommendations on the best free VPN. After all, protecting your digital data is more important than ever. However, there are simply so many options to choose from – it can be almost impossible to work out which ones are worth using, and which ones are going to do more harm than good.
That's why we've tested and reviewed dozens of the best VPNs – including tons of free VPNs – and ranked them in our guides. When we test them, we focus on privacy first and foremost, but ease of use, connection speeds, and even streaming site unblocking all come into play. The free VPNs on this page are, at the very least, perfectly safe to use, and they won't slow you down.
If you're just an occasional user wanting to improve your online privacy, though, look no further. On this page are the best free VPNs available right now – and in my opinion, the only free services that are worth considering.
Why you might want a premium VPN
If you pick the right free VPN, you'll have a decent tool for casual use – but for all-day use, you might encounter some issues.
Firstly, streaming. Some free VPNs can unblock a couple of Netflix libraries, but a paid VPN near-guarantees access to everything you want, all the time. Free VPNs also often have data limits, which run out quickly when streaming. If you're looking to stream, our top premium pick is NordVPN, which currently costs $2.99 per month.
Premium VPNs also offer thousands of servers in a huge range of locations around the world, while the most offered by any free VPN we recommend is 14. The best cheap VPN, Surfshark, offers 100 locations, and costs $1.99 per month.
Other factors like speed, additional privacy features, add-ons like malware protection, and even simply not having to use an app with sections grayed out all contribute to making premium VPNs a more pleasant experience overall than most free VPNs.
Understood? Good, so if you're sure it's a free VPN you need, then you'll find our top picks just below.
Recent updates
In my latest update to this page I've made it even easier for you to find the products you're here to learn about. There haven't been any significant changes to any of my top picks, so the ranking has stayed the same.
The best free VPNs of 2024
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PrivadoVPN: The best free VPN overall
Top line: PrivadoVPN is my top free VPN recommendation because it offers an excellent balance of privacy, content unblocking, and ease of use. The interface is simpler than its biggest rival, Proton VPN, and it's incredibly fast – beating many paid services. If you're looking to unblock every streaming site, you'll need to go with a premium provider like NordVPN, but PrivadoVPN Free did manage to get access to UK and US Netflix. If you're not willing to pay, PrivadoVPN is the best choice.
Speed, streaming and data: ★★★★★
Faster than many paid VPNs, and the best free VPN for streaming.
In our PrivadoVPN Free review we saw speeds of up to 900 Mbps on our ultra-fast connection – almost 20 times the speed needed to stream 4K Netflix – making it one of the fastest VPNs. It's comparable to ExpressVPN, which topped out at around 900 Mbps, and faster than Private Internet Access, which could only hit around 430 Mbps.
PrivadoVPN was able to unblock UK and US Netflix, and BBC iPlayer in our testing, which is better than Proton VPN Free, making it the best free VPN for streaming. However, this is nowhere near as comprehensive as the best streaming VPNs, which can unblock just about every global streaming service.
The 10 GB data limit should be more than enough for most daily purposes, but if you do end up watching a load of Netflix, be aware that you'll end up burning through this very quickly. Should that happen, you'll still have technically unlimited data to use, but you'll be capped to 1 Mbps (which is very slow).
If you're in a pinch and desperately want to watch an episode or two of something not available in your country, PrivadoVPN is absolutely your best choice.
Privacy: ★★★★☆
Well-made apps and good core privacy features, but no audit.
At its core, PrivadoVPN is built around AES-256 encryption, which is the industry standard. In short, even if your traffic is intercepted it'll be totally unreadable. OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols are both available, and while most users will now use the swift and secure WireGuard, it's nice to have OpenVPN as an option.
In our testing, we found no privacy issues with PrivadoVPN
In our testing, we found no privacy issues with PrivadoVPN. The kill switch (which cuts your connection if the VPN drops out) proved to be reliable, and it also has a comprehensive no-logging policy. However, this policy is yet to be audited by a third party, so we have to take it at face value. If you'd prefer a VPN that has had its logging policy audited, take a look at Proton VPN in the #2 spot in this guide.
There are a couple of adjustments you can make – switching between OpenVPN UDP and TCP, and selecting your port – and obfuscation allows you to hide the fact you're using a VPN at all. However, if you're not interested in these, you can totally ignore them and still get great performance.
Apps: ★★★★☆
Super simple to use, but few extra features
PrivadoVPN's interface is very simple. All you need to do is install the app, tap the "on" button, and wait a second or two. There are similarities with premium rival ExpressVPN here, in as much as when you open the software, you'll be met with a big on/off button, and not much else. The settings menu allows you to adjust features like the kill switch and protocol, but that's about it. If you were expecting to customize a lot of features, you'll be disappointed, but in reality it's intuitive and very easy to use.
Locations: ★★★★☆
Good coverage with servers in 10 countries.
Having a server in the right country is essential for optimal performance, and PrivadoVPN has one of the best spreads I've seen from a free VPN. With 13 locations in 10 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States), you've got a good shot at finding a server near your real location.
This is PrivadoVPN Free's biggest limitation – most top providers like NordVPN and ExpressVPN have servers in over 100 countries.
13 locations in 10 countries is a generous spread for a free product
However, in comparison, Privado's closest rival Proton VPN only offers servers in five countries. What's more, Proton VPN doesn't allow you to actually choose which server you connect to, while PrivadoVPN offers you full control over which server to use.
Choose it if:
✅ You want to be able to choose and change your server at will
✅ You need a very fast connection
✅ You're a beginner looking for a simple, effective free VPN
Avoid if:
❌ You really need unlimited data
❌ You demand a fully audited no-logs policy
Final verdict
PrivadoVPN Free offers an almost unbelievable amount of functionality for a free VPN. While it can't match up to the likes of NordVPN of ExpressVPN, it gets the closest out of all the free alternatives. I'd like to see an independent audit of the privacy policy sooner rather than later, but it's super simple to use, and very reliable. For most people, it's the one to go for.
Best free VPN with unlimited data
Top line: Proton VPN is the best free VPN if you need absolutely unlimited data, and maximum privacy online. Just like the paid version, its privacy claims have been verified by a third-party audit, and connection speeds are very good. Its biggest limitation is that you can't directly choose which server you connect to, meaning it could take minutes to find the one you want through trial and error. This means it can't match PrivadoVPN for overall performance, but it's a great choice if you need more than 10 GB of data.
Speed, streaming and data: ★★★★☆
Unlimited data makes Proton perfect for always-on protection.
Proton VPN and PrivadoVPN are effectively two sides of the same coin. Proton's unlimited data allowance means that you can just connect and forget about your VPN. You won't end up running out of bandwidth, which is perfect if you just want basic privacy protection active 24/7.
Peak speeds of around 520 Mbps (about 10 times faster than you need to stream 4K Netflix) mean that you won't be held back either, but unlike PrivadoVPN Free and Proton VPN's paid plan, the free version can't unblock any streaming sites. That said, there is a dedicated server for accessing the unbiased news published by Deutsche Welle, which is essential for people who are subject to strict state censorship.
Privacy: ★★★★★
The best free VPN for privacy.
This is Proton VPN Free's strongest area, and we found in our Proton VPN Free review that unlike many free VPNs, it doesn't hold back any essential privacy features from free users. You'll get a kill switch, access to both WireGuard and OpenVPN, and a big bonus is that Proton owns all of its servers. This means it doesn't rent from third parties, which in turn means that your data isn't exposed to anyone you're not aware of.
If your main priority is privacy online, Proton is the best choice.
The no-logs policy – Proton's promise that it does not store any of your data – has also been independently audited. This is in contrast to PrivadoVPN's, which has not yet been proven by a third party.
There are a couple of privacy-based features that aren't available on the free plan. For example, the Secure Core servers, which route your traffic through an extra server before sending it on its way, are limited here. The NetShield ad and tracker blocker is also unavailable, but all the must-haves are present.
Overall, Proton VPN is the gold standard when it comes to free VPN privacy, and is comparable to the likes of ExpressVPN and NordVPN. If your main priority is privacy online, Proton is the best choice.
Apps: ★★★★☆
Powerful, but complex.
If you're looking for a free VPN, it's likely that you just want a simple experience that gets the job done. Proton VPN certainly does the latter, but the layout isn't as intuitive as PrivadoVPN's. That said, on desktop the map-based interface is fairly easy to use – although on mobile it can appear quite busy.
This has a purpose for paid subscribers – you can use the Profiles tab, moderate your NAT, all sorts of techy things – but on the free plan this is all grayed out and just takes up room. Of course, it's still perfectly usable, and the apps on all platforms are very reliable.
Locations: ★★☆☆☆
Decent selection, but no manual server choice.
Proton VPN gives free users access to around 100 servers in five locations – the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Romania, and the US. On first glance, that appears to be a fairly decent spread, although not quite up there with PrivadoVPN Free.
However, when you start trying to play around with which server to use, you'll encounter Proton VPN's biggest limitation: you can't choose which server to connect to.
Proton VPN's biggest limitation is that you can't choose which server to connect to.
If you're just setting and forgetting, this might not be an issue. However, let's imagine you're in the UK, and you're assigned to the Japan server. You'll probably want to connect to the Dutch server instead. Instead of being able to simply select the Netherlands server and connect, you have to "re-roll" your server. This process randomly assigns you to another location, and if it's not the one you want,. you have to wait 90 seconds to do it again.
Proton has clearly done this to manage load on its most popular free servers. However, when you consider PrivadoVPN manages to deliver consistently faster speeds while allowing you to choose freely, it seems a little stingy of Proton to restrict this.
Choose it if:
✅ You need unlimited data
✅ You want the best privacy of any free VPN
✅ You might upgrade in the future
Avoid if:
❌ You want to manually select your server
❌ You want to stream overseas content on Netflix
Final verdict
If you're looking for maximum privacy from your free VPN, Proton VPN is my top recommendation. It's fast, has had a number of independent audits, and is widely trusted in the community. However, it's no good for streaming global content, and many people may find not being able to choose your exact server too much hassle.
Best free VPN Chrome extension
Top line: Windscribe is a popular VPN provider, well-known for its zany marketing and a strong commitment to its users' privacy. In our Windscribe Free review, though, we found that its free VPN was its best offering. It stands in the middle ground between PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN – it's fast and has more servers than Proton VPN, but it also has a plenty of extra features that PrivadoVPN doesn't offer. The downside is that it's not very easy to use, and it can't quite match the privacy that Proton VPN offers. I recommend installing its Chrome extension instead – I rate it as one of the best Chrome VPNs around.
Speed, streaming and data: ★★★★☆
A generous 10 GB of data plus decent streaming power.
Windscribe is on par with PrivadoVPN here, with the same data allowance of 10 GB a month, excellent speeds of around 900 Mbps, and the ability to unblock a few Netflix locations and BBC iPlayer. This is very impressive, and it definitely outdoes Proton VPN in this area.
One tiny difference is the fact that PrivadoVPN offers unlimited – albeit incredibly slow – data once you've run out of your monthly allocation, whereas Windscribe will cut you off. Of course, you could just make another free account, but who wants to do that?
Privacy: ★★★★☆
Good privacy features, but no recent audit.
In terms of privacy, Windscribe has the most features of any free VPN I've featured here. There are the basics like a kill switch – known here as "firewall" – and split tunneling, but it doesn't stop there. There's auto-connect, packet size adjustment, MAC spoofing, obfuscation, and more. If that's all meaningless jargon to you, this won't make a difference – but if you're interested in this, it's a big green flag.
Windscribe has the most features of any free VPN I've seen.
The R.O.B.E.R.T. feature is another useful addition which blocks trackers, ads, and malware, as well as offering to block various other things like adult content, gambling sites, social networks, and even "clickbait." This is free to use, and every time I open the app, I'm amazed at just how much Windscribe gives you.
There is one big drawback, however, and that's the fact that despite being a well-established VPN, Windscribe has not undergone the same auditing process as many other VPNs. Its desktop apps and mobile apps were audited in 2022, but that's it. A post on the website claims that a full server audit was due in 2024 (Q1), but it hasn't yet materialised.
Apps: ★★☆☆☆
Plenty of options, but a pain to use.
If Windscribe's features are its biggest asset, its apps are its greatest downfall. On desktop, the client opens up as a very small window which extends in various ways to display the servers and the settings menu.
Windscribe's apps are small, complex and fussy to use.
It's easy enough to connect – just click the on/off button – but doing anything else is confusing. There are tons of different layers in the menus, which can be a real pain if you just want to nip into the app to use a certain feature. Obviously, a product with so many features has to work out how to display everything, but making an app with a bigger footprint would be the easiest way to fix this, rather than squashing everything into a tiny box.
That said, once you get it going, the apps are stable on both desktop and mobile, and I haven't experienced any issues with the core VPN's performance.
Locations: ★★★★☆
The best server selection of any free VPN.
Another of Windscribe's strong suits is the range of servers it makes available for free users. You get 14 locations scattered across 11 countries – a couple more than PrivadoVPN – and unlike Proton VPN, you're free to select whichever one you like, whenever you want.
This is still nothing compared to the likes of Private Internet Access or ExpressVPN – but for free, I can't complain too much.
Choose it if:
✅ You want the most features as possible for free
✅ You need servers in a country only offered by Windscribe
✅ You're a Chrome user
Avoid if:
❌ You're a beginner, or like simple apps
❌ You value independent audits
Final verdict
If you're looking for the most powerful free VPN, Windscribe could be your best bet. It's flexible, offers a decent amount of data every month, and barely restricts any features on the free plan. However, be prepared to live with annoying apps and the lack of an independent audit.
Best free VPNs compared
This table compares my top three free VPNs in all four areas that define its placement on this guide. Compare each provider, and see which one suits you the best.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | PrivadoVPN Free | Proton VPN Free | Windscribe Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed, streaming and data | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
| Privacy and security | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ |
| Apps | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Locations | ★★★★☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | ★★★★☆ |
Other free VPNs worth considering
I think the vast majority of people will be best off picking from either PrivadoVPN, Proton VPN, or Windscribe. However, I've reviewed lots of other free VPNs, and some are still worth considering. Below are two more options that made the cut.
Tested by
These are the experts who have tested, reviewed, and ranked the best free VPNs in this guide:
Mo is VPN Editor at Tom's Guide. He's covered VPNs since 2020, and in that time he has helped test and review over 100 providers. Mo handles the day-to-day testing of VPNs, making sure that they work for real people in real situations. He also undertakes ongoing streaming testing to make sure these services can unblock everything they claim, and produces video content to discuss and demonstrate the software.
Anthony is the Senior Security and Networking Editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and malware to password managers. He also undertakes VPN testing for Tom's Guide and TechRadar, which includes running all of our US-based speed tests.
How to choose the best free VPN
This page is exclusively designed to help make your decision-making process easier when it comes to choosing a free VPN. My top choice is the VPN I think will best suit most people, but before you pull the trigger it's good to consider exactly what you want from your free VPN.
For day-to-day privacy, you'll want reliable and proven privacy features, and a nice simple interface that doesn't get in the way of actually staying protected. I'm confident that all the providers here are safe to use, but you may prefer to go with a provider that has undergone privacy audits like Proton VPN over one that hasn't.
If you're into TV and film, you might want a free VPN that you can unblock Netflix libraries from around the world, and other streaming sites. both PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN are good here, with PrivadoVPN edging out all the competition as the most reliable for this.
How many devices you'd like to use your plan on is important, too. While it's easy to set up multiple accounts to get around limits, a good number of simultaneous connections can makes things much easier if you've got more than one device you want covered..
Finally, are there any specific locations you want to access? If so, make sure the provider you go for has a server in, or at least near this country. Also make sure you can actually choose the locations you connect to – Proton VPN's recent update has made this impossible, and you're forced to go with the automatically selected server.
The most important thing, though, is that you choose a free VPN that genuinely protects your privacy – and all the providers I've included here are solid in this respect. Don't just sign up to the first VPN you find in your app store, as even services with hundreds of thousands of users have been proven to be dangerous.
How we test the best free VPN services
With free VPNs, we have slightly different priorities than we do when testing paid products – check out how we test VPNs.
When it comes to free VPNs, there's less focus on the added extras, and more on making sure it really keeps you safe online. Simple apps and good fundamentals are important here. Streaming performance and extras like antivirus and ad blocking are considered premium features, and while some free VPNs do offer these, they're very much nice-to-haves, rather than the make or break features they can be when reviewing paid services.
We make sure all the apps, including iPhone, Mac and Android VPN apps are robust, and ensure all the features are working well. Core privacy features like the kill switch see extra scrutiny, and there are a number of tricks we employ to see if it can be trusted to protect you in every situation.
We'll also test streaming performance – which is often poor for free VPNs, but some have impressed – and finally test out any and all support options. General ease of use is also considered, and we scour the all-important privacy policies to root out any dodgy practices or ambiguities.
How does a free VPN work?
Free VPN services encrypt your data while it's in transit, creating a virtual tunnel through the internet. This separates your data packets from the countless others around them until they reach the service’s exit nodes many miles away from where you are.
Not only is the data encrypted, as it would be during a normal secure web session, but the routing information about the sender and intended recipient is hidden as well. If you're using a good product, this process is exactly the same for free VPNs as it is for paid versions.
You may have noticed the word "protocol" come up throughout this article, so it might be helpful to define it properly. Essentially, an encryption protocol is the way that your internet traffic is encrypted – imagine a very complex and computer-based version of the Enigma code used by the Germans in World War II. They're at the heart of every VPN, and there are a number of different protocols that can be used.
Today, the most popular VPN protocols are OpenVPN, and WireGuard. Various implementations of Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), which include IPsec by itself or in combination with Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) or Internet Key Exchange versions 1 and 2 (IKEv1 and IKEv2), are still seen, but are rapidly becoming outdated.
A VPN's scrambling and unscrambling of your data can sometimes slow internet traffic to a crawl. The best free VPN will have fast servers connected to huge data pipes to minimize this performance decline. They also have thousands of servers located in scores of countries, ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe.
Is there a free VPN without limitations?
Perhaps, but I highly recommend not downloading a free VPN that offers an unrestricted product.
This goes back to the old adage that you never get something for nothing. If your free VPN has no restrictions, it's likely it won't have a paid plan for you to upgrade to. If that's the case, ask yourself the question, "how is this company making money?"
If this is the case, it's likely, if not guaranteed, that it's either selling your data for profit or inserting extra ads into the sites you visit – or quite possibly both.
By using a limited "freemium" VPN, there's a clear way the company makes money – by users upgrading, or simply purchasing the paid version straight away. Of course, there are scam products that masquerade as a legitimate providers, but all the options on this page have high-quality paid products, and good freemium versions that are 100% safe to use.
When might a free VPN not be a good choice?
A free VPN is likely to come up short for those looking to stream or torrent, or people looking for a gaming VPN. That's because these activities use up tons of data. If you've got unlimited data with your VPN, that's not an issue, but if you've only got 500 MB to play with, that's only about one episode in standard def on Netflix – and that's only if you can actually access the service.
Also, you might find that your connection speeds drop, and for gamers and torrenters that's a killer. Those activities rely on having high speeds, and only the best paid-for services can provide that.
Finally, some free VPNs struggle with privacy issues, and the addition of ads can be a real pain for users. If you want the most secure service, you'll have to pay for one – at least then you'll know exactly how your VPN is making money, rather than hoping it's not using your info to cash in.
Are free VPNs legal?
In short, yes. VPN software itself is no less legal than any other mainstream software.
However, using it to torrent copyrighted files is still illegal, as is accessing any other illicit content.
Essentially, while a free VPN is perfectly legal to own and use, it doesn't make illegal acts legal just because it makes the crime harder to detect.
Free VPN FAQs
Free VPN vs paid – which should you get?
I've discussed free vs paid VPNs before, but if you're looking for a short answer, it's quite simple. Free VPNs are best used very minimally – perhaps you need to check a price of a product in another country. Paid VPNs should be used if you're planning on regularly using the software, and nowadays even cheap providers deliver excellent performance.
Are free VPNs safe?
Our Cybersecurity Commissioning Editor Olivia Powell covered the question of whether free VPNs are safe in detail, but in essence, it boils down to choosing the right one. I consider all of the VPNs I've featured on this page safe to use, but if you head straight to your app store, you're bound to come across seemingly popular VPNs that are best avoided. Be vigilant, and make sure you're downloading as reputable product before you trust it with your traffic.
Is there a completely free VPN?
Well, it depends on what you classify as 'free'. There are plenty of free VPNs that don't part you from your cash, but you could be paying for them by watching ads or even unknowingly giving them your data to sell.
The best free VPN services tend to be 'free versions' that are intended to give you a taster of a paid product before asking you to actually hand over your money. The best providers like Proton VPN and PrivadoVPN do this by using data limits and server restriction to create an incentive to upgrade. Many people do, which pays for the company's costs overall.
I'd recommend avoiding any free VPN that doesn't have a paid option – if there isn't a paying customer-base supporting the development of the software, who knows where the company's getting its money?
Is a free VPN better than no VPN?
If you're using a good-quality provider like the ones I've recommended on this page, a free VPN absolutely is better than no VPN.
All the providers I've covered here offer industry-standard encryption, a range of server locations, and a usage amount of data that shouldn't be too restrictive if you're only using it sporadically.
That said, VPNs work best when they're active 24/7, and only Proton VPN Free offers an unlimited data cap. Here, paid VPNs will perform best, but in a pinch, a free VPN is much better than no VPN at all.
Disclaimer
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 paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
