Best free VPN of 2024: It’s important to choose wisely

Pros

• Excellent free plan

• Great privacy tools

• Reliable and transparent no-logs policy

Why I like ProtonVPN

If you’re looking for speed and excellent privacy in a free VPN then ProtonVPN is your best choice. The only real limitation to this service is that you can only connect with one device at at time, other than that it’s practically a premium VPN.

The service comes from a trustworthy, privacy-focused company that has undergone a successful audit of its no-logs policy. It’s also mercifully free of ads — a rarity among free VPNs. You’ll be able to choose from five servers located all of the world including Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the U.S. Plus, there are no data limits, meaning you can surf and stream to your heart’s content.

ProtonVPN even showed decent speeds in my tests, just going to show that this is the free VPN to get.

Who should use ProtonVPN

Users who need anonymity and speed while using their VPN will stand to gain the most from ProtonVPN’s free version. Because you’ll only be able to connect with one device at a time though, users who want to use a VPN with multiple devices might need to look elsewhere.

Why I like CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost VPN provides an excellent VPN with plenty of servers optimized for different tasks such as gaming, streaming, and torrenting. While you do need to pay for the premium service, with access to all of its 9,000-plus servers and additional security features, CyberGhost also has a great browser extension that it offers for free. If you have either Chrome or Firefox you can download the extension without having to pay anything and enjoy access to a limited number of the VPN servers — currently sitting at eight servers in four countries.

Additionally, you are able to connect and use these VPN servers without having to worry about bandwidth limits or data capping. Unfortunately, in my tests I found that the servers I used in the browser extension were not able to successfully unblock streaming servers. However, if you start using the free browser extension and decide you like CyberGhost, you can always opt for a premium membership, which can be as low as $3 a month for a long-term plan and even comes with a generous 45-day money back guarantee.

Who should use CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost’s free version is ideal for users who don’t want to pay for a premium VPN service but also don’t want to worry about a monthly data cap. Plus, the fact that CyberGhost VPN’s free version is browser-based means that users who don’t want to bother downloading and setting up a new application can have the VPN based simply in either their Firefox or Chrome browser.

Why I like Windscribe VPN

The Windscribe VPN service seems to get better and better each time I review a new version. It not only has an excellent Pro version that is reasonably priced, but it has a stand-out free service as well. What makes Windscribe’s free service really shine is a combination of perks and speed. Not only do you get top-notch speeds, but you also get a maximum 10GB of bandwidth per month and no device limits. To get that bandwidth, though, you’ll need to confirm via email address — if not, you’re stuck at 2GB per month.

The free service offers 10 regional connections including the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and Romania. It also has a ton of privacy features such as blockers for site notifications and “we use cookies” banners, WebRTC leak protection, location spoofing, user agent rotation, and more.

The service is also extremely easy to use with a simple setup and solid performance for a free VPN. I not only recommend the Windscribe free service on its own, but also as an easy way to get to know the service before committing to a paid tier with premium features.

Who should use Windscribe VPN

Those who want a free VPN with fast speeds and a generous helping of extra perks will find that Windscribe is the go-to option. Most free VPNs are only good for location spoofing with no real added features, and that’s why Windscribe is so good. It offers way more for users and the fact that it gives you up to 10GB of bandwidth means you can use it multiple times throughout the month without having to worry about hitting the data cap.

Why I like Hide.me VPN

Hide.me offers a solid paid VPN service and the company is generous enough to provide the full premium feature set in their free version as well. Its server speeds are a bit inconsistent, but overall they are pretty fast and rank within the top 20 of all — paid or free — VPNs that I’ve ever tested. That makes it plenty speedy for the typical use cases for a free VPN. When you use Hide.me’s free service you’re limited to 10GB per month and one device at a time, as well as eight region choices including Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, U.S. East, and U.S. West.

Who should use Hide.me VPN

Hide.me’s free VPN is a solid option for any and all users. Not only are the speeds good for secure browsing, but you have access to their full premium feature set as well. The speeds are not quite as good as ProtonVPN and there is a monthly data cap, but the trade off is that with Hide.me you have access to useful features such as split-tunneling and the ability to choose between multiple proxy configurations.

Why I like TunnelBear VPN

I’ve always liked TunnelBear. It’s simple to use, affordable, and the speeds are fine. In my speed tests, TunnelBear was outside the top 10, but its speeds were still good enough for most browsing or online tasks.

That’s more than enough for what this free VPN would be suited for, since you will only get a maximum of 500MB per month with the free version. The idea is to provide a trial for testing out the service before making a bigger commitment. Thankfully, beyond the data limit, the free version of TunnelBear puts no restrictions on what features are available so you’re able to experience the full application for no charge.

The data limit won’t allow you to stream or play games for the most part, but it’s enough for quick hits when you’re on the road for checking email, or some basic web browsing. Plus, TunnelBear keeps track of your bandwidth usage so you can see when you’re getting too close to the limit.

Who should use TunnelBear VPN

TunnelBear’s free VPN is best suited for those who need a one-and-done VPN experience. The 500MB data cap is quite restrictive, but you have access to all of the premium features from an excellent VPN service. This includes split-tunneling, a unique HTTPS masking feature, and your choice of multiple VPN protocols.

Why I like AVG Secure VPN

You might be wondering why I’d even bother including a free-trial option. Well, AVG Secure VPN is not only a fine premium service on its own, but it provides a 60-day free trial for new users. That’s incredibly generous for a premium service — most other VPNs only offer one-week free trials at best.

AVG is a household name in security software and they don’t disappoint with their VPN either. The free trial gives you complete access to all of the paid features such as 10 simultaneous device connections, over 700 servers across more than 50 countries, and guaranteed streaming service unblocking with specific servers. The speeds aren’t the fastest I’ve ever seen, but they’re good enough for most general online activities. All-in-all, two months for free of AVG Secure VPN is a fantastic deal, just remember to cancel the subscription before the free-trial runs out.

Who should use AVG Secure VPN

Most people looking for a free VPN for shorter-term use will stand to gain a lot from AVG Secure VPN’s free trial. But I think it’s an exceptional choice in particular for those who are traveling for awhile and need a VPN while abroad. By taking advantage of a premium service’s speeds and broad server network you can access all of your streaming content no matter what country you find yourself in and you shouldn’t have to worry about frustrating data caps from other free services. Stream and browse to your heart’s content for no cost — well, at least for 60 days.

A VPN, or Virtual private network, is a way to encrypt your internet traffic and disguise your identity while browsing the internet. Through a VPN provider, you connect to their anonymized server with end-to-end encryption which redirects all of your traffic through that intermediary server thereby looking to outside viewers as if your location is that server itself.

Additionally, VPNs allow you to connect to servers all across the world. So if you are looking to access location restricted content, such as streaming services, you can gain access via connecting to the appropriate country’s server.

A VPN hides your IP address by redirecting it through a intermediary server hosted by the VPN provider. To anyone watching, the VPN server then becomes the source of your traffic instead of your own IP address. These remote servers can not only be in your own country, but they can also be located in different countries around the world. All of your network traffic from your computer to the VPN is sent over a secure and encrypted connection. 

While browsing the internet and connected to a VPN, the VPN acts as a middleman between your computer and a website. Your computer sends a request to the VPN which then passes it on to a website. The website in return sends its response back to the VPN which forwards it through the secure connection back to your computer. All of the traffic rerouted through the VPN appears as if it is coming through their server rather than your own computer. This keeps your ISP and other third parties from potentially snooping on your internet activity.

That will depend on how you wish to use a VPN. A free VPN can be a great option for those who just need a quick and simple privacy solution. Whether it’s a one-off use case or you’re happy to just do basic internet browsing, a free VPN might be the way to go. If, on the other hand, you want to use a VPN to stream shows and movies or need it to access servers in different countries then you’ll likely need to upgrade to a paid service.

Free VPNs will always come with tradeoffs. These can take the form of restrictions to available servers, speed constraints, or data limits. You may also find that free VPNs come loaded with ads or collect and sell your user date — thereby defeating the purpose of a private VPN.

It’s best to fully understand what you’ll get with any free VPN and make sure to stick with vetted, trustworthy services such as those in the list above. For more information, you can read our in-depth article explaining free VPNs.