A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is crucial for protecting your online privacy, masking your internet traffic, and bypassing geo-restrictions. With increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks and relentless data harvesting by advertisers, safeguarding your personal information is more important than ever. While premium VPNs offer the best speed and features, several excellent free VPN options provide robust privacy protection at no cost. While some trade-offs exist, free VPNs can still deliver good speeds, valuable features, and strong security.
Proton VPN
The Proton VPN logo appears on a white background.
- Country of registration: Switzerland
- Cost: Free, or $11/month; $66/year (Basic); $118/two years
- Servers & Locations: 136 servers in 3 countries (free), 6,380 servers in 112 countries (paid)
- Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
- Simultaneous Connections: One (free)
Proton VPN ranks among the top paid VPN services, and its free version also impresses. It offers unlimited monthly data, no third-party ads, and no persistent upgrade prompts. However, some limitations apply. The free version provides access to servers in only three countries: the U.S., Netherlands, and Japan, restricting streaming options. While Proton VPN doesn’t impose data caps or throttle speeds, free servers can become congested, potentially leading to slower connections.
Despite these limitations, Proton VPN remains a robust, privacy-focused service, offering valuable protection whether you opt for the free or paid version.
Windscribe VPN
The Windscribe logo appears on dark blue background.
- Country of registration: Cayman Islands
- Cost: Free, or $9/month; $69/year; $1/location/month
- Locations: 10 countries (free), 134 cities in 69 countries (paid)
- Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, FireTV
- Simultaneous Connections: Unlimited (free)
While Windscribe’s free VPN doesn’t quite match Proton VPN’s features, it offers relatively fast speeds and servers in several countries including the U.S., Canada, U.K., Hong Kong, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, and Romania, expanding streaming possibilities.
Windscribe’s free version has a monthly data cap, ranging from 2GB to 15GB. Anonymous accounts receive 2GB, while providing an email address during signup increases this to 10GB. Sharing about Windscribe on X (formerly Twitter) grants an additional 5GB. Paid subscribers enjoy unlimited data and access to a wider network of servers.
Hide.Me
The Hide.me logo appears on a white background.
- Country of registration: Malaysia
- Cost: Free, or $10/month; $45/year; $60/two years; $120/three years
- Servers & Locations: 8 locations (free), 2,600 servers in 91 countries (paid)
- Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and major platforms
- Simultaneous Connections: One (free)
Hide.Me’s free VPN offers unlimited data, eliminating usage restrictions. However, speeds might be slower than the paid version due to server load. A paid subscription allows for 10 simultaneous connections and access to servers in 91 countries. Hide.Me provides a well-rounded free VPN solution for privacy-conscious users seeking unrestricted bandwidth.
PrivadoVPN
- Country of registration: Switzerland
- Cost: Free, or $11/month; $36/year; $48/two years
- Servers & Locations: 13 servers (free), 66 cities in 49 countries (paid)
- Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, FireTV, iOS, Android
- Simultaneous Connections: One (free)
- Special Features: P2P transfers, SOCKS5 proxy support
PrivadoVPN’s free plan offers access to servers in a wider range of countries. The primary limitation is a 10GB monthly data cap. It supports both streaming and P2P traffic and adheres to a no-throttle policy. Paid plans offer additional features like 10 simultaneous connections, ad blocking, malware protection, and 24/7 customer support.
TunnelBear
A TunnelBear graphic shows the app open on multiple devices.
- Country of registration: Canada
- Cost: Free, or $10/month; $60/first year; $120/first three years
- Servers & Locations: 5,000 servers in 47 countries
- Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
- Simultaneous Connections: One (free)
TunnelBear uniquely offers free users access to the same servers and speeds as paid subscribers, enabling high-quality streaming. However, a 500MB monthly data cap applies, which can be increased to 2GB by posting about TunnelBear on X. Unlimited data is available with a paid subscription.
