When it comes to free VPN services, everybody wants the best. But is there any free VPN that can serve you best and be a worthy opponent against a paid VPN? Well, in a sense.

If you’re not willing to spend money on a VPN, that doesn’t mean you can’t get one. There are more than a couple of free VPN services for you to try.

A great free VPN service can usually be used, without major risks, to spoof your IP address to access censored web content or stay secure while using your banking app on a public wifi hotspot. Yet to get even that much, you need to steer clear of all the terrible free services out there – and that’s why I’m here to help you out.

In this article, you will learn about the free VPN providers, their advantages, and their limitations. I will also tell you how to choose a free VPN that best suits your needs. Finally, I will recommend you the best services to choose from.

For those who are not up for reading the whole article, I can already tell that the top-rated free VPN is ProtonVPN. What I like about it most is the lack of data limits and excellent security. Sure, it’s kinda slow and allows only one device, but these cons are easily outweighed by the above-mentioned pros.

As you can see, even the best free VPNs come with their own limitations. Therefore, you shouldn’t be surprised if there are only a few servers to choose from or if both streaming and P2P are unavailable. And more often than not, you’ll be paying with your privacy and personal data. Having in mind that this is contrary to what VPNs were built for, I encourage you to get a paid service if you can afford it. Even among the best overall VPN services, you can find options for less than $2.00/month.

Best VPNs for free – full analysis & comparison

Below you will find the Top 5 free VPN services. None of them are perfect, so this table will help you figure out which one of them suits your needs the most.

You figure out which one of them suits your needs the most.

Speed limit Data limit Server locations Streaming Torrenting ProtonVPN No No 3 countries No No Atlas VPN No No 3 countries Netflix US and NL Yes Windscribe VPN No 10 GB/month 10+ countries No Yes Hide.me VPN No 10 GB/month 5 countries No Yes TunnelBear No 500 MB/month 20+ countries No No

After some rigorous testing, I came up with a conclusion that ProtonVPN is the best free VPN, closely followed by Atlas VPN. The other three free VPNs, namely Windscribe, Hide.me VPN, and TunnelBear have monthly data limits and thus automatically belong in a second-tier.

I evaluated a number of different criteria, some of which didn’t make it to the table above, even though they are crucial for every VPN, be it free or paid one. The most important one of all is the data limit. It effectively decides what you can do with that VPN – browse some news sites with encrypted traffic and hidden IP or torrent safely to your heart’s content.

Then comes the speed limitations – most free VPNs won’t give you the best possible speeds and some may be slow because of their poor infrastructure. Speaking of which, the number of available server locations in different countries is another crucial criteria. After all, what’s the point of using a VPN that doesn’t offer you the one region that you need?

Streaming and torrenting are also very important for a free VPN. After all, most users get one to be able to unblock Netflix and use P2P. Unfortunately, only a few VPNs offer one or another and there’s only one named Atlas VPN that gives you both.

Moving beyond this free VPN table, we find security features, such as encryption, protocol selection, and kill switch. When it comes to privacy, a jurisdiction should be outside the Fourteen Eyes alliance and data retention laws. The VPN itself should have a no-logs policy.

Last but not least is the customer support. It would be naive to ask a free VPN to provide you a 24/7 live chat, but Atlas VPN does that, in fact. However, even a ticket system can work fine if you get a reply within a few hours.

1. ProtonVPN – the #1 best free VPN service 9.7 Visit ProtonVPN‍ Company location: Switzerland Protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec Support: Email Strong encryption

User-friendly apps

No Secure Core and Tor over VPN features

VPN for one device only

Slow

Torrenting not allowed ProtonVPN, unlike all other free VPNs on this list, doesn’t limit how much you can download, how quickly, or how often you can switch servers. Sadly, this provider won’t let you torrent, something that most other VPNs on the list allow. However, ProtonVPN is still a decent choice for any VPN user, who doesn’t download or stream but uses enough traffic to exceed any monthly limit. Besides, it’s the only free VPN without a data cap that has desktop apps. And that’s precisely why ProtonVPN is at the very top of our list. What the ProtonVPN free version also has is solid security fundamentals: military-grade encryption, industry-standard tunneling protocols, and a reliable kill switch. However, the more advanced security features like Secure Core multi-hop and Tor over VPN are left behind the paywall. But even without them, ProtonVPN’s free version has no match in terms of security. Additionally, with the free version of ProtonVPN, you’ll just have one device per user account, fewer servers to choose from, and fewer features to use. And they’d be really nice features to have, so you wouldn’t be a fool to pay for them. The good news is that you can download the free version on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. To sum up, this is really the best free VPN you can get, despite its low country count and no support for P2P or streaming. But for $4.00/month, you get the full list of 1000 servers in 50 countries plus Netflix, Hulu, and torrenting. For a deeper investigation of ProtonVPN, read our ProtonVPN review. Save the most on most popular ProtonVPN subscription

2. Atlas VPN – popular free VPN for Netflix & P2P 9.7 Visit Atlas VPN‍ Company location: United States Support: 24/7 email Good security

Military-grade encryption

Automatic public wifi protection

Easy-to-use VPN app

Fast connection times

Netflix US and NL

Limited number of servers

Speed cap Atlas VPN is a free VPN solution that offers what ProtonVPN doesn’t – Netflix and P2P. So why this VPN is #2 if it has everything that #1 hasn’t? The answer is simple – Atlas VPN has apps for iOS and Android only. But if that’s not a deal-breaker for you, you won’t find a better free VPN. This service protects you on public hotspots, where you’re most likely to use a portable device like a tablet or smartphone. This free and lightweight tool will make your connection safe with AES-256 encryption and IKEv2 tunneling protocol. Even if safety isn’t your primary concern, you could still make use of Atlas VPN. With this software, you’ll be able to go unblock Netflix US and the Netherlands libraries. You would be hard-pressed to find another free VPN that can pull that off. Even premium VPNs tend to struggle when it comes to streaming. Despite the limitations, speeds are good, too, so HD streaming should be possible, but 4K is reserved for the premium clients. What’s more, Atlas VPN allows torrenting and is safe enough to protect your P2P traffic. Unfortunately, neither SOCKS5 proxy nor port forwarding is available. Atlas VPN offers excellent service with no hidden fees. That has its own price, though – you will have a speed cap and only three locations to choose from. For initially $4,99, you can remove the cap and access servers in all 17+ countries. Finally, premium users are eligible for 24/7 email support. For a deeper investigation of Atlas VPN, read our Atlas VPN review. Save the most on most popular Atlas VPN subscription

3. Windscribe VPN – 10 GB/month and great set of features 9.4 Visit Windscribe VPN‍ Company location: Canada Protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2 Support: Email Generous bandwidth limit (10GB)

No-logs policy

Great set of free security and privacy features

User-friendly and easy-to-use clients

10+ countries

Based in a Five Eyes country

Average speeds and occasional connection drops

Earn extra free data with tweets and referrals

No Netflix Although Windscribe VPN is based in Canada, a Five Eyes country, it comes with a strict no-logs policy. In fact, they have received over 30 law enforcement data requests and had nothing to give them. What’s more, the free version has a full set of Windscribe’s security and privacy features. Those include a kill switch, ad blocking, secure hotspot (turns your phone into a wifi hotspot), multi-hop, STunnel (Stealth mode), DNS/IPv6/WebRTC leak protection, and timezone spoofing. This is almost unprecedented for a free VPN. Moreover, the Windscribe app is extremely well-designed and easy to use. You can download dedicated apps for all major platforms – Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Additionally, there are clients for Amazon Fire TV, Nvidia Shield, and Kodi. Sadly, free Windscribe won’t help you stream your favorite shows on a big screen because it doesn’t unblock Netflix. Windscribe’s average speeds and occasional connection drops might frustrate some users. However, the privacy that you get combined with a SOCKS5 proxy certainly makes it one of the best options for torrenting safely. You won’t be able to download much, though, because of the 10 GB/month limit. For $1.00/month, you will see the bandwidth limit lifted off, in addition to access to 480 servers in 60 countries. But most importantly, you will be able to stream Netflix US, UK, Canada, and Japan. The list can be extended to BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, and other platforms by getting a dedicated IP address. Overall, free Windscribe VPN may be good for browsing or occasional torrenting, as well as for gaining extra layers of security when accessing sensitive content via unsecured wifi hotspots. For a deeper investigation of Windscribe VPN, read our Windscribe VPN review. Save the most on most popular Windscribe VPN subscription

4. Hide Me VPN – good speeds but 10 GB/month only 9.1 Visit Hide Me VPN‍ Company location: Malaysia Support: Live chat Strong security features

No-logs policy

Decent speeds

Torrenting allowed

Generous 10 GB monthly bandwidth limit

Access to only three VPN servers

Can’t unblock Netflix

VPN for one device only Located in Malaysia, a country with no data retention laws that doesn’t belong to the Fourteen Eyes, Hide.me VPN has a true no-logs policy. What’s more, my tests have shown that it has no IP or DNS leaks. Furthermore, you can block WebRTC on Hide.me’s browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Moving on to security, this VPN comes with military-grade encryption and top-notch protocols in WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. An app-level and connection-level kill switches are also here, just as SOCKS5 proxy and split tunneling. The latter two will enhance your torrenting experience, which should be pretty good anyway thanks to relatively fast speeds. Of course, with a 10 GB/month limit, you won’t be using P2P that much. How about Netflix and other streaming services? Unfortunately, those are unavailable on Hide.me VPN free version. While this service has never been known as great for streaming, the website declares that Hide.me can give you access to the most popular streaming services and then some. Hide.me VPN is easy to use. There are clients for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV & Fire Stick. You can also set it up on Linux and routers. The main difference is that a free service allows one simultaneous connection compared to ten that premium users get. Are there any more reasons to upgrade to premium Hide.me VPN plan for $4.99/month? Yes, there are. You will get 1800 servers in 72 countries, static IP, and port forwarding. Unfortunately, premium users don’t get any privileges in customer support. This can be quite a nuisance knowing that there’s no live chat and a reply can take hours if not days. Overall, Hide Me VPN can be a great free VPN service. It all depends on your needs, actually. If you don’t plan on torrenting large files or watching Netflix, this VPN provider could be right up your alley. For a deeper investigation of Hide Me VPN, read our Hide Me VPN review. Save the most on most popular Hide Me VPN subscription

5. TunnelBear – biggest server list and smallest data cap 9.1 Visit TunnelBear‍ Company location: Canada Protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2 Support: Email Military-grade encryption

Kill switch

Relatively big server list (20+ countries)

Very low monthly bandwidth cap (500MB)

No Australia server

Doesn’t unblock Netflix or other streaming services

Doesn’t allow torrenting TunnelBear VPN is usually the top choice for most free VPN lists, but due to its extremely low 500 MB monthly bandwidth cap, I consider it just a teaser for getting the paid version. While you can get an extra 1 GB for tweeting about TunnelBear, most people that don’t have Twitter will probably skip that. What’s more, this VPN is known for logging more than a minimum, which doesn’t look good knowing that TunnelBear is registered in Canada, a Five Eyes surveillance alliance member. With that said, the free version of TunnelBear VPN offers almost everything you’ll find in its premium version, at least feature-wise. You get strong encryption, solid tunneling protocols, obfuscation (Stealth VPN), and a kill switch. The TunnelBear apps are also very user-friendly, with a few tongue-in-cheek design decisions thrown in to make using them joy, especially when connecting to servers in faraway countries. There are apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android plus browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. I recommend free TunnelBear for beginner VPN users to read and unblock web content, secure their internet traffic when using public wifi, or to simply spoof their physical location by changing their IP address. But should you upgrade to premium afterward? For $3.33/month you will get unlimited bandwidth, 5 simultaneous devices, and priority support. Is that worth the price, given that neither streaming nor torrenting won’t be possible? Well, you be the judge. To sum up, free TunnelBear is great if you need more countries to choose from when compared to the rest of the competition. Other than that, it’s hard to recommend this service when there are four better options available. For a deeper investigation of TunnelBear, read our TunnelBear review. Save the most on most popular TunnelBear subscription

When is free VPN a good option?

A free VPN can be good or even the best option in many scenarios. The answer depends mostly on your needs. If you have more than a few of those, chances are you will need more than one free VPN.

Choosing a free VPN is a good idea if you want:

Security . Best free VPNs have military-grade encryption and latest tunneling protocols that will make sure your data is safe from hackers, ISPs, and governments.

Privacy . A free VPN is enough to hide your IP address and location. Is it reliable enough to not log it and not sell it to third-parties? Only time can tell.

Avoid geo-blocking . This works only if your desired content is in the US, the Netherlands, or the UK because that’s about what most free VPNs give you. The exception is TunnelBear – you get all [country_list]+ countries.

Can a free VPN be a good option for streaming and torrenting? Unlikely. ProtonVPN offers the latter but the speeds are slow, while Atlas VPN gives you both but on mobile only.

When premium (paid) VPN is a better option?

In general, a paid VPN is always a better option because it doesn’t have the limitations of a free version. Of course, you don’t always have to pay for a VPN, especially if your needs are limited to browsing and hiding your IP address. Having said that, let’s look at the cases when it’s worth upgrading to premium.

Using a paid VPN is a good idea if you want:

Torrenting . While Atlas VPN gives you unlimited bandwidth and support P2P, the speeds will be average at best. This service is good enough for torrenting safely but lacks port forwarding and SOCKS5 proxy. Other providers either limit your monthly traffic or don’t allow P2P at all.

Streaming . Of all free VPNs, there are virtually none that unblock Netflix, not to mention other streaming services. Some do that on purpose to push users to go premium, others have but a few servers that are easily blocked. While Atlas VPN unblocks Netflix US and the Netherlands, it works on Android and iOS only.

Customer service . Most free VPNs will take their time to answer your questions. If that wasn’t enough, you can forget using live chat, not to mention a 24/7 one. So if a problem occurs, it means you’re probably on your own. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule when customer service is the same for both client types. However, this scenario doesn’t involve live chat or any type of 24/7 support.

No logging and no ads . Most free VPNs log extensively and sell your data to third parties. Even if they don’t, you get to see annoying ads all the time. There are only a few that fall under any of those two categories but the price of that is some severe limitations, like the number of GBs per month.

Best privacy and security. If you want to buy a VPN anonymously and create an anonymous account, there’s no way other than to go for some of the safest providers. They will be registered in privacy-friendly jurisdictions, have their no-logs policies court-proven or independently-audited, offer physical servers and features such as multi-hop and Tor over VPN.

Is paid VPN always the better option? Yes, unless you don’t spend much time online and need only basic protection or your budget is too low.

5 free VPN selection criteria: what’s important when choosing a free VPN?

No matter why you’re looking for a free VPN, you should take your time to evaluate the following criteria. Not all are equally important when picking a free VPN for yourself, but you should nevertheless have them in mind to avoid possible risks.

When choosing a free VPN, consider the following 5 criteria:

Business model . The majority of free VPNs supposedly ask for nothing in return, which means they are logging and selling your data. If they show ads, it’s less likely they are selling your information as well, though you should check that first. Finally, the best option is when a reputable VPN creates a free version with some limitations to promote paid service. Reputation . There are many popular free VPNs that have a poor reputation, for example, Hola VPN. Make sure you check on your selected provider first to see if it has been caught in some scandals and what the users on Reddit and other platforms have to say about it. Most importantly, don’t forget that if an app is on Google Play Store, has good reviews, and many downloads, it can still be malware. Logging policy . Virtually all VPNs claim to have a no-logs policy. However, some have put some effort into proving that by calling independent audits. Others were tested in court or by getting requests from law enforcement. So if torrenting is illegal in your country, you better make sure that your free VPN doesn’t log identifiable data. Limitations . Most free VPNs, even those that don’t offer a paid version, will come with some limitations. Usually, that will be the number of available servers and countries. And because they will be overcrowded, the speeds will be average at best. Premium VPNs like to limit your traffic to a few GBs per month, so even if they support torrenting, you won’t be able to download to the heart’s content. Finally, only a couple of free VPNs unblock Netflix. Security credentials . Paid VPNs usually don’t water-down security of free versions, which is why they will be a better option than most free VPNs. Anything below military-grade AES 256-bit encryption is unacceptable and tunneling protocols like L2TP/IPSec or PPTP shouldn’t be used anymore. Finally, a kill switch and leak protection are the other two essential security features of every free VPN.

Free VPNs without limitations – is this possible?

It’s virtually impossible to offer a free VPN without limitations. No matter what business model you choose, you will either sell user’s data, show ads, or do both. And if you will use free version to promote a premium plan, it will have to be limited in some way.

The most popular free VPN limitation is bandwidth. There are only a few examples that give more than 10 GB/month and most will throttle your speed too. Additionally, you will likely get only one device per free VPN account and some platforms, such as browser extensions, may be unavailable. Finally, free VPNs usually offer just a few servers in several countries to connect to.

However, there are free VPNs that beat one or a few of these debilitating limitations.

Free VPN with no speed cap

Speed caps are especially crippling because a VPN reduces your speed due to encryption. You can expect to have around 50% of your original speed when connecting to a server in another continent, but with a speed cap, the result will average at best.

Luckily, there are free VPN services without speed limits. Among those, we find TunnelBear, Hide.me VPN, and Windscribe. However, the latter is known for connection drops. While connection speed depends on a number of factors, such as your location, device, and ISP, I’d say that from those four, you may get the best results with Hide.me VPN.

Free VPN with no data cap

Data cap is another popular method for limiting free VPNs. Imagine getting a below-minimum wage and trying to live a whole month without a chance to make money on the side. That’s how a free VPN data cap feels. Usually, it’s 10 GB/month tops, with rock-bottom at 500 MB..

At the moment, there are two free VPNs with no data caps that are worth your time. The first one is ProtonVPN and the other is Atlas VPN. Choosing any of those means your VPN won’t disconnect unexpectedly and you will be able to actually use torrenting. In the case of Atlas VPN, it also means binge-watching Netflix.

Free VPNs for multiple devices and unlimited connections

Most VPNs allow at least five simultaneous connections while others don’t put any limit at all. This is important if you want to use a VPN on all your devices, which may include your smartphone, laptop, smart TV, and game console. So, what’s the situation with free VPNs?

The most likely scenario is that a free VPN will allow one connection per account. Therefore, you will have to delete it from your phone to have it working on your computer and vice versa. While this may not sound too bad for some, it really is annoying.

Are there free VPNs that allow multiple or even unlimited connections? The short answer is no. While there can be some shady services that will give you more than one simultaneous device, all reputable providers offer just one. At least the free versions usually don’t limit the number of supported devices.

Free VPN extensions for browser

A lot of free VPNs come in the form of a browser extension, which is actually a free proxy. The difference between these two is that a VPN protects your whole traffic and proxy is limited to your browser.

Many premium Virtual Private Networks offer apps for Chrome and Firefox, but they often require a desktop or mobile version installed first. For example, you can use Hide.me VPN browser extension without registration but without the app, you get only Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. And while Windscribe has a really powerful free proxy, multi-hop is available with the proper app only.

What’s more, browser extensions are usually the last to get updates and offer just a few features compared to major platform apps. For example, TunnelBear’s free Chrome extension dates back to October 2019 and allows only to switch servers, whereas Hide.me proxy includes WebRTC blocking, SOCKS5, and always-on mode. Finally, the best free service, ProtonVPN, doesn’t have any browser extensions.

Unlimited server locations

Among all free VPNs that are worth your time, only TunnelBear offers all server locations. However, this probably has to do with the fact that this VPN has only 1000+ servers in 20+ countries in total and they won’t get overcrowded because of a strict 500 MB/month limit and no access to P2P and streaming.

Other providers offer up to 10 countries for free users, with an exception of Windscribe – this service allows you a few more. Among those, you will often find the US because it’s the most popular destination and the one that has arguably the best Netflix library. You can expect to get locations on both East and West Coast.

The Netherlands is another popular destination because of its lax laws when it comes to torrenting. Canada, Germany, and the UK are also quite popular. You shouldn’t expect any servers in South America, Africa, or Australia. Even Asian locations are not that common – most likely it will be a server in Hong Kong.

Overall, European and North American servers dominate the free VPN market and will likely continue doing so in the near future.

Free VPNs to avoid at all costs

While you can reliably use all the best free VPNs that I listed above, I strongly recommend you to stay well away from the rest.

Here are the worst free VPNs that you should avoid at all costs.

1. Hola VPN

This Israel-based VPN service is built on a volunteer-powered P2P network. If you join, you practically have to share your IP address and bandwidth with other free and premium users as well. You should also know that Hola VPN collects data about you and your traffic, such as your IP address, which is the easiest way to trace you to your physical location.

2. VPN Gate

This Japanese free VPN keeps an extensive log about you and your online activity. What’s more, VPN Gate is also a free service that is built on volunteers where all individual peers can spy on your traffic and log whatever information they want. Even if these logs are supposed to be deleted every two weeks, does it sound like a great online privacy tool?

3. Betternet VPN

This provider logs your connections, creates tracking libraries for third-party advertising, and since there’s no kill switch, chances are it may leak DNS and your IP address as well. In other words, if you use Betternet for sensitive internet traffic, you could risk being exposed.

Free Android VPNs to avoid

We’ve discussed three of the worst free VPNs for desktop, but there are plenty of dangerous “VPNs” for Android that you should avoid. Here are some of the most popular ones:

Easy VPN

SuperVPN

CrossVPN

Archie VPN

One Click

Fast Secure Payment

These Android VPN services may contain malware like Trojans, adware, riskware, and spyware, but that is only part of the security risks you may face. These VPNs usually have vague privacy policies and may keep connection and usage logs as well, including your true IP address and the list of websites you visit.

Risk-free VPN trials: try paid VPN for free

When using free VPNs, it won’t be long till you start to really notice their drawbacks. These inevitable handicaps will probably make you want to try a premium VPN service sooner or later. Luckily, most providers offer a chance to try their products risk-free. Usually, that comes in the form of a money-back guarantee though some VPNs still offer free trials.

Here are some of the best VPNs that you can try risk-free:

PrivateVPN – 7-day free trial, 30-day money-back guarantee ProtonVPN – 7-day free trial, 30-day money-back guarantee Surfshark – 7-day free trial for mobile devices, 30-day money-back guarantee Ivacy VPN – 1-day or a 3-day free trial, 30-day money-back guarantee PureVPN – 7-day trial for $0.99, 31-day money-back guarantee

As you can see, you’ll have plenty of time to reconsider and get a quick refund in case you change your mind. You can find more risk-free offers on our Best VPN with a free trial page.

Free VPN FAQ

What is a free VPN

Free VPN services work just like paid VPNs but tend to offer fewer features and less quality. They use one or combine two of these three business models – selling user’s data, displaying ads, or promoting a premium version.

In general, free VPNs are pretty much like the paid ones: they encrypt your online traffic and route it via their servers which can be located anywhere in the world. They also hide your IP address from third-parties that include your ISP, hackers, and the government. However, free VPNs tend to be less safe to use and generally slower.

While unblocking streaming services and allowing to torrent safely are two popular reasons why people use VPNs, most free versions won’t allow either. Even if they do, a strict data cap will prevent you from watching in HD or downloading GBs of data.

Are there any hidden costs with free VPNs?

If a free VPN doesn’t promote its premium version and doesn’t show ads, most likely it is selling your data to third parties. This is probably the highest hidden price to pay because your data can easily end up at the hands of cybercriminals. Other than that, you will easily see that the price you’re paying is slower speed, data caps, and poor customer service, to name a few.

However, some paid VPNs may present themselves as free services that you can try for a week or even a month. Most likely they are talking about a risk-free money-back guarantee. This means that you will have to enter payment details first before you can use the VPN. When the trial period comes to an end, you will be automatically charged for the next month or even year.

Is free VPN safe?

Most free VPNs aren’t safe. In the best-case scenario, you’ll see plenty of ads, and your data will be collected using various trackers. In the worst-case scenario, a free VPN will be used to steal your bandwidth and personal information, while injecting malware into your device.

There are only a few trustworthy free VPN services and you can see them in the video and also listed above. By installing any of them, you can be sure that nobody’s going to steal your bandwidth or personal data. What’s more, these providers constantly update their apps, meaning that there’s less chance for hackers to exploit known security holes.

What’s more, just because a VPN is free, that doesn’t mean it uses less secure technologies. All of our recommended free VPNs come with military-grade encryption and the latest tunneling protocols. They also have kill switches and zero IP or DNS leaks.

Do free VPNs suit me best?

Free VPN is the best choice for you if you’re on a tight budget but want to add security and privacy to your online presence. If you don’t need features like Tor over VPN or port forwarding, you should be fine with any of our top free VPNs. They all provide virtually unbreakable security and hide your IP address just like the premium ones do.

If you already have access to Netflix and other streaming services, you won’t have to worry about the fact that free VPNs won’t unblock these for you. The same goes for torrenting, which will be severely limited by data caps. That is unless you choose Atlas VPN.

How free VPNs work?

Free VPNs work the same way as paid ones do – they encrypt your traffic and route it through their servers, effectively hiding your location and IP address. Tunneling protocols are used to secure your data and most free VPNs offer either OpenVPN or IKEv2 – the industry standard. Some even walk the extra mile, implementing the next-gen WireGuard protocol.

The only difference is the business model. Paid VPNs sell subscriptions and free VPNs usually sell user data, ads, or promote premium services. All best free VPNs use the latter model which is also the best for the user. Instead of using a shady service or seeing annoying ads, you get a service from a reputable provider that provides customer support and constant updates.

Benefits of free VPNs

When you go for a free VPN instead of a paid one, there’s an obvious difference in the quality of service. With that said, you may still find free VPN services useful for certain activities when you may not need maximum security, privacy, or lightning speeds. You can mainly use a better VPN service for:

Unblocking websites – to access geo-restricted content

Securing public wifi – not to leak sensitive data

Gaming & Torrenting – if speed and latency allow

Hiding your IP – to fake your geolocation

This doesn’t mean that with one single free VPN you’ll be able to enjoy all of these features, although our top 5 picks should essentially cover them. Nevertheless, there may be other free services that are more suitable for a specific usage or platform while they fail at others.

What is the best free VPN for Netflix?

Atlas VPN is the best free VPN for streaming services, such as Netflix. In fact, it’s the only one we can recommend because no other free Virtual Private Network unblocks Netflix. With Atlas VPN, you will be able to watch the US and the Netherlands libraries easily.

Another great thing is that Atlas VPN doesn’t have bandwidth limitations and the speeds should be enough to stream in HD. However, you will need a premium version for 4K streaming. Additionally, Atlas VPN has only Android and iOS apps at the moment, so you won’t be able to watch your favorite movies and shows on a big screen.

How to know if a free VPN will sell my personal data?

You can never be 100% sure unless you find well-documented data about that VPN selling users’ data before. That’s why you should do your own research before installing any suspicious apps. More often than not, a website of a VPN can tell if they are serious about their business or just looking for some quick cash.

Another step is reading the VPN’s privacy policy. Sometimes it plainly states that your data is monitored and logged, or even sold to third-parties. If there’s no such thing and you see ads in the client, more likely they will be profiting from your clicks. What’s more, if the ads you see are about enlarging your vital organs and instantly winning in online casinos, that probably means your VPN provider is from the lowest-tier.

Finally, a free VPN from a premium provider will most likely not sell your personal data. There’s simply too much to lose and a reputation can be quickly tarnished by shady deals. Most companies that use free VPNs to promote paid services have been running for years, have thousands if not millions of users, and are reviewed by A-list media from all over the world.

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