What Is the Best Free VPN? 15 100% Free VPN Apps (Mobile & PC)

If you want one of the best virtual private network systems (VPNs), but you don’t have a lot of money to spare, then what you need is a free VPN.

The majority of VPN providers don’t have free versions. So, if you are wondering what is the top VPN service that won’t cost you a dime? Then allow us to educate you on what your options are.

This article will go over 15 totally free VPNs and look at pros, cons, pricing options for premium versions and other useful information about VPN features and tools.

Are there any free VPNs that work?

You want to know the deal with getting a free working VPN, but you are not sure if this really works, right?

There are many options for VPN gratis online, as this article will demonstrate. The thing you need to know about a free VPN connection is that it will never be as great as a premium VPN that you pay for. 

Paid VPNs will get you more server locations and a greater number of VPN servers per location. It will also have more security tools like a kill switch, split tunneling and a double VPN option. Most free VPNs will not have these features.

But are there any good free VPNs?

Now to the more pressing question, are there free VPN software options that are any good? Well, the answer is yes, there are, but as mentioned above, they don’t work as well as paid plans.

To learn all about good free VPN apps, one thing you can do is to download the free version and try it for a while, then you can try a free trial of a paid plan to see what the difference really is. 

No free VPN will be great for gaming, torrenting or streaming. But many will be adequate for private browsing, location hopping, and anonymous IP masking. 

If you still want the best Netflix VPN or the best Warzone VPN, you should also look at some of the cheapest VPN service options instead of just the totally free VPNs.

Another thing to add. It’s about data retention. The big selling point of most VPNs is that they do not log or retain your data for commercial purposes, like selling it for profit to advertisers. Or worse, by complying with Big Brother states to spy on their citizens. 

However, you should be aware that some free VPNs may use your data after they have totally anonymized it just for the purpose of improving their services. So as long as that is not a problem for you, you are good to go. Always read the fine print.

One final point. VPNs are not 100% fool proof. They cover a lot of important browsing privacy and security features, but not all. Always be prudent about what sites you visit, who you share your wi-fi with, and where you store your password and other sensitive data. Got it? Good. Now onto the show.

Best free VPN service comparison chart (10 top free VPN services rated)

Now, let us shoot a glance at this table comprising the best free VPN services. This table only shows you our top 10, but below we will go into even more free VPN providers. Wondering - where can I get a free VPN? Worry not since we provided links to each VPN service provider we discuss here!

All of our free VPN reviews will mention the starting price for their paid plans if the VPN provider offers those as well. These prices might be based on promotions or are otherwise subject to change, so be sure to check directly with the VPN provider’s website for the most up-to-date pricing. 

What is the best free VPN service? Here are the top 15 best free VPNs:

And now, time to truly get into the answer to the question, what are the best free VPNs? We’ll begin with our top ten free VPN list and then look at a few extra brands who deserve some special mention. We will also point out pros, cons and pricing for the premium version.

1. Hotspot Shield (Best 100% free VPN app overall)

Our roundup begins with our number one free VPN and that is Hotspot Shield. The free plan for Hotspot Shield gets you military-grade encryption and a solid no-logs policy. However, it is only good for 1 user on 1 device at a time, though that device could be Windows, Mac, iOS, Android or Chrome. You also only have access to 1 virtual location.

Pros:

Hotspot Shield is a top-rated VPN that’s got a 100% free version which will satisfy most of your private and secure online activity needs, especially on public wi-fi.

There are over 800 VPN server locations, and all of them are incredibly fast, with VPN connection speeds of 1 Gbps, which is the same you’d get with the paid VPN plans.

There are many great VPN protocols being used by Hotspot Shield, like Hydra, IPSec, and OpenVPN protocols.

Finally, there are no data limits and unlimited bandwidth.

Cons:

1 device, 1 free user and 1 virtual location means this is good for just 1 person at a time. No simultaneous connections.

You cannot do streaming or gaming with Hotspot Shield’s free VPN, so it’s not ideal for free Netflix unblocking.

Other cybersecurity tools this VPN offers in paid plans that are lacking in the free one include a kill switch, anti-phishing protection and smart VPN mode. 

Pricing:

• Hotspot Shield has a free plan

• Premium VPN plan is $7.99 per month billed annually 

• Premium Family plan is $11.99 per month billed annually 

Visit Hotspot Shield
 

2. Proton VPN (Safest free VPN)

If what you want is a free and safe VPN, then our number two pick is a great choice. Proton VPN is made by Proton AG, a Switzerland-based company who takes privacy and security to the next level. 

Pros:

When it comes to free VPN security, Proton VPN stands out among the bunch of free VPNs.

Proton VPN is also quite well liked for being very user friendly.

The free Proton plan has no data caps or speed limits, so you’ve got the bandwidth to surf with speed.

There is a strict no-logs policy with the free VPN version, so you could ideally use this for anonymous web browsing. There is also an anti-censor protocol.

As a free secure VPN with unlimited data, you get the full protection of Switzerland’s privacy laws.

Cons:

There are only 3 server locations with Proton free VPN, they are the USA, the Netherlands and Japan.

You only get a single VPN internet connection and masked IP address at a time.

The P2P tools which you could use for torrenting are not in the free plan.

Pricing:

• Proton VPN has a free plan

• Premium plan is $5.99 per month billed annually 

• $9.99 billed monthly

Visit ProtonVPN
 

3. Atlas VPN (Best free VPN for windows)

Our next name in virtual private network providers that has a great free VPN is Atlas VPN. Many consider it to be a top free VPN for Windows, although there are versions for MacOS, iOS and Android as well.

Pros:

There are many good VPN protocols used with Atlas VPN, like WireGuard and IPSec/IKEv2. The right VPN tunneling is a sure way to stay safe from hackers.

The free Atlas VPN plan offers private DNS leak protection for superior online privacy when connecting to websites.

You got P2P tools, which means Atlas VPN can be used for torrenting.

For a free app, Atlas can proudly say it is among the fastest VPN providers, with speed tests constantly breaking records.

Cons:

Atlas VPN cannot really be used for streaming sites like Netflix or Hulu if you stay on the free plan, though you will find this is true of most VPN providers.

This VPN works on only 3 server locations in only 2 countries, Japan and the States.

Pricing:

• Atlas VPN offers a free version

• Regular plan is $3.29 per month billed annually 

• $10.99 billed monthly

Visit Atlas VPN 
 

4. Hide.me (Best free mobile VPN)

There are many good options when you are looking for the best free VPN for mobile, including iOS and Android devices. Hide.me is a clear third place winner on our list because of its fantastic free mobile VPN.

Pros:

This is a free VPN for iPhones, iPads and Android phones. It uses tunneling security features like IKEv2 and OpenVPN.

There are generous data caps, no speed limits and no throttling. This is a good free VPN for streaming services.

Hide.me is a solid VPN for blocking malware, invasive ads, data trackers and logs.

There is full P2P support on every single server location they offer.

There is very good 24/7 customer support with Hide.me.

If you want to try the premium version there is at least a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Cons:

There are only 5 server locations in total, out of a total of 75 available on the paid plans. There is also a data limit of 10 GBs.

You can only connect 1 device at a time, simultaneous connections of multiple devices are reserved for the paid plans.

Pricing:

• Hide.me has a free VPN

• The paid plan is $3 per month billed annually 

• $9.95 billed monthly

Visit Hide.me 
 

5. TunnelBear (Fastest free VPN)

TunnelBear is our fourth free VPN on the list and it is quite renowned for being quite the free fast VPN, going head to head in a speed race against other big names like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, neither of which offer free versions like TunnelBear does.

Pros:

Aside from the great speeds, you get top-grade encryption with AES-256 by default. This will keep your nosy ISP from getting a clear view at your online activity.

TunnelBear does regular independent audits on their security features, having about one audit per year by Germany’s cybersecurity company Cure53.

Great server list in over 47 different countries, from Canada to Taiwan and everything in between, although if all are available in the free pan is not 100% clear.

Cons:

You don't exactly get an unlimited amount of data with TunnelBear, capping you out at 500 MBs of secure browsing data.

Some of the more popular VPN security tools are not available with the free plan, like the kill switch, split tunneling and VPN obfuscation, though it’s unclear how great those features are in the premium version compared to the above-mentioned NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

Pricing:

• TunnelBear has a free VPN plan

• Unlimited plan is $3.33 per month

• Teams plan is $5.75 per user per month 

Visit TunnelBear 
 

6. Windscribe (Top free streaming VPN)

If you are in the market for one of the best free VPN for streaming movies, may we suggest Windscribe? This is one VPN that gets you great private browsing along with other useful functionalities like ad blockers.

Pros:

Windscribe is free to download, but of course there is a premium version with slightly better features. There is free 10 GBs of data per month, and strict no-logs policy.

For desktop, Windscribe VPN works on Windows, Mac and Linux, and for browser extensions, you have Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge.

For using Windscribe to stream TV and movies from around the globe, it works on Amazon Fire TV, Nvidia Shield and Kodi, and there is also a great VPN for routers. There are servers in over 60 countries to get you all the content from the likes of Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime and more.

Some features include ad blocking, double VPN, auto-connect, split tunneling, timezone changing, GPS spoofing and static IP addresses.

Cons:

While there are surely many Windscribe free features, when you get to the pricing page, it does get a bit confusing. However, this is mainly for Windscribe Pro that includes unlimited data.

Pricing:

• Windscribe offers free VPN plan

• Windscribe Pro costs $5.75 per month billed annually 

• $9 billed monthly

• There is also a ‘Build a Plan’ option

Visit Windscribe 
 

7. PrivadoVPN (Great free no-log VPN)

PrivadoVPN has a great name for when it comes to emphasizing privacy, security and anonymity when surfing the web. If you want a free VPN that doesn't keep logs, PrivadoVPN is a great choice.

Pros:

PrivadoVPN has solid cybersecurity tools, like IP leak protection. You can get IP address masking, and can do regular DNS leak tests and other internet protocol vulnerability protection. Of course, PrivadoVPN’s tight no-logs policy is industry famous.

Other fine PrivadoVPN features include stable transfers and point-to-point encryption, which is great for secure file sharing and torrenting.

Another huge benefit is that PrivadoVPN allows for unlimited devices on its free VPN plan.

Cons:

There is a data limit with PrivadoVPN’s free VPN, which compared to unlimited data on the paid VPN plan, feels lame.

Similarly, the free plan gives you only 1 simultaneous connection, as opposed to the 10 connections if you pay. This is what you’d expect with VPNs that do not offer free plans like Surfshark and NordVPN.

Pricing:

• PrivadoVPN has a free VPN plan

• Paid plan is $4.99 per month billed annually 

• $7.99 monthly

Visit PrivadoVPN 
 

8. Turbo VPN (Best free VPN for Android)

Turbo VPN is a very big name in VPNs, along with ExpressVPBN and Surfshark. Turbo VPN has free VPN downloads for mobile devices, and many would dare say that it is the best free Android VPN.

Pros:

The Android VPN app is totally free and it works great, as does the iOS app. It is user friendly and well designed. There is also a light VPN that is free for Windows PC and MacOS. 

All of Turbo VPN’s free VPNs come with a no-logs policy and unlimited bandwidth.

There is a second option called Turbo VPN Android Lite, this protects you from data leaks, and unblocks restricted or censored content.

You can also use the Lite plan for streaming, gaming and international shopping.

Cons:

As usual, the Turbo VPN Pro is where most of the good stuff is at, like 21,000 servers in 45 server locations, and 5 device simultaneous connections.

You do not get the throttling detector in the free version so it might slow you down when you want to access certain content.

Pricing:

• Turbo VPN has a free VPN

• Turbo VPN Pro costs $5 per month billed annually 

• $11.99 billed monthly

Visit TurboVPN 
 

9. ZoogVPN (Totally free VPN for online privacy)

Like many of our VPN alternatives here, ZoogVPN is a totally free VPN that also offers some premium versions. But the free ZoogVPN is where it’s at for Linux, PC, iOS and Apple.

Pros:

The totally free  ZoogVPN plan gets you renewable 10 GBs of data every single month, no questions asked.

There are 5 server locations to choose from, which is not a lot, but at least it's a bit more than many other free VPN alternatives. Though it's unclear where they are located, it could be Canada, France or Thailand for all we know.

Ikev2 and OpenVPN VPN protocols are put to great use here with ZoogVPN.

Really simple to set up and very quick to log on to a server and get connected securely.

Cons:

There are some pretty advanced security features that are only available on the premium plan, like the kill switch, unlimited bandwidth, advanced firewall bypassing and torrenting-friendly servers. 

Pricing:

• There is a free monthly plan for ZoogVPN

• The paid VPN is $2.99 per month billed annually

• The monthly subscription costs $9.99

Visit ZoogVPN 
 

10. Opera (Good free unlimited VPN)

Opera is a maker of alternative web browsers for those who are fed up with the small choice of big-brand corporate names like Apple, Microsoft or Google/Alphabet. Opera also makes a free VPN to go with its browser, as well as a pro VPN.

Pros:

Even the free Opera VPN comes with unlimited browsing bandwidth, making it the number one choice for many who want a free VPN with unlimited data.

The free VPN is built right into the Opera browser for any desktop computer or Android device, meaning there is zero set up time, and a unified dashboard experience.

This is a no-logs VPN, so no worries about your information being captured and sold to the highest bidder. There is also DNS leak protection.

It works great on mobile devices that use the Android operating system.

Cons:

Contrary to what many people want to believe, the Opera browser and VPN are not open source apps.

Only 100 servers, compared to the more than 3,000 servers in Opera Pro VPN.

Also, when it comes to customer support, the free VPN won’t help too much, as live chat customer support is for paying customers.

Pricing:

• Opera has a free VPN 

• Opera Pro is $5.19 per month billed annually

• $10.59 billed monthly

Visit Opera 
 

11. Browsec (Good free international VPN) 

You can download and start using Browsec VPN for free, or you can check out Browsec premium that includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. It is the free VPN plan we will try and discuss here.

Pros:

Browsec offers VPN apps for Mac, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Android and iOS, as well as Opera and Linux.

You can use Browsec to unblock content no matter if there are geo-restrictions getting in your way. As for security, Browsec has got that sweet AES-256 encryption.

Browsec scores points for its ease of use and simple installation.

Cons:

If you want the very best VPN for torrenting or for business, you might need to consider the Browsec Premium package, or otherwise something like Surfshark.

Connection stability is not top-of-the-line with the free Browsec VPN.

Pricing:

• Browsec VPN is free

• Browsec Premium is $2,49 per month billed annually

• $4.99 billed monthly

Visit Browsec 
 

12. VeePN (Top free VPN for Chrome) 

VeePN is not exactly a free VPN service, however there is a free VeePN Chrome extension which is pretty good.

Pros:

The free VPN from VeePN for Chrome can be used to unblock geo-censored content, and if you are the type of person who watches streaming sites like Netflix on your computer using the Chrome web browser, this is a good choice.

You get unlimited traffic and no data caps on bandwidth, making it among the best mobile VPN providers.

Even this free version of the VPN gets you access to over 2,500 VPN servers in many locations around the world.

There is a really simple one-click setup for VeePN. 

Cons:

VeePN also makes more robust VPN apps which are not free like the Chrome extension version.

There is a very good router VPN but this is also not included for free.

Pricing:

• VeePN makes a free Chrome extension VPN

• Paid plan is $5.83 per month billed annually 

• $10.99 billed monthly

Visit VeePN 
 

13. Urban VPN (Great free router VPN)

Urban VPN might be one of the coolest VPN providers on our list today. It is fully free, totally fast, and guarantees you one hundred percent anonymity. It is also a leading free VPN for routers.

Pros:

If controlling your router’s IP address is part of what you are looking for in a free VPN, then Urban VPN is a stand-out option. You can also get a strong password generator and manager.

There are a great many other cybersecurity tools by Urban that work with the VPN, like an ad-blocker, malware detector, and tools to prevent ISP throttling.

You get over 80 VPN server locations to access the internet with a hidden IP address. 

Urban VPN has tools and resources to handle regular WebRTYC leak tests and DNS leak tests.

There are loads of free VPN apps for streaming and gaming, for example, to get free unblocked Netflix, Disney or Amazon Fire TV stick content. As for gaming, you got Roblox, Warzone and GameLoop.

Cons:

Urban VPN is a relatively lesser known brand name in the VPN scene, and this might be considered a drawback for some users. However, we are sure time will change that as Urban VPN gets the recommendation it deserves.

Pricing:

• Urban VPN is a totally free VPN and set of VPN-related apps

Visit Urban VPN 
 

14. Avira (Top free Mac VPN) 

The Avira Phantom VPN for Mac is one of the leading free VPNs for MacOS as well as other operating systems.

Pros:

There is strong data encryption with Avira, as well as DNS leak protection and a dedicated virtual IP address.

You can choose from VPN server locations in 37 countries around the world, with a total of 1,400 VPN servers.

You can run unlimited devices with Avira. 

Torrenting with Avira works pretty smoothly.

Cons:

Avira Phantom VPN, whether for Mac or other OS systems, is not the easiest to set up and run.

All the good customer support options are on the paid pro VPN option.

Pricing:

• Avira Phantom VPN for Mac is free

• Avira Pro is $12 per month or $88 per year

Visit Avira VPN 
 

15. Radmin VPN (Best free VPN for PC) 

Radmin VPN is a VPN that specializes in many things, among them it does amazing VPNs for connecting remote terminals to a single local network.

Pros:

Radmin VPN works with Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11, making it a top free PC VPN.

If you need to set up virtual private networks, Radmin VPN is the way to go, and it's also quite user friendly.

There is your standard no-logs policy, AES-256 encryption, an auto-update feature and a built-in firewall tool for gaming networks.

Cons:

This one is strictly Windows and PC, so that’s a drawback if you have multiple devices using different operating systems or platforms, like Mac or Linux.

The look and feel of Radmin VPN is a bit on the old fashioned side, but that’s no big deal.

Pricing:

• Radmin VPN is free

Visit Radmin VPN 

Which free VPN app is best for me? Our final key takeaways

Thank you dear reader for working your way through this article about getting a VPN for free. So, what are the big takeaway points?

The best free VPN according to this piece is still Hotspot Shield, although we are certain a lot of people will jump up and swear that Proton VPN is the best free VPN. These things are always a bit subjective.

Otherwise, Atlas VPN, Hide.me and TunnelBear are more very popular names when it comes to free VPN providers that are really good. Same thing goes for Turbo VPN and Windscribe.

Some of the lesser-known names on this list include PrivadoVPN, ZoogVPN, Urban VPN and VeePN. We hope you found these VPN discoveries useful for your comparisons.

So, that about wraps it all up. Remember kids, if you want to hide your IP address, block malware and ads, unblock restricted or censored content, or get notified if at any time during your online activities you are at risk of a data leak or data breach, you must get a VPN. 

It doesn’t have to be a free VPN if you can afford it and want to pay a modest monthly fee. But when it comes to geting something for free, then who can complain, right? So therefore we did this study of the best VPN services for free and you are most welcome for it.

FAQs

Is VPN free?

You can find a VPN service free of charge. In most cases, VPN providers have free VPN plans alongside their paid premium VPN plans. In other cases, there are a few VPN services that are totally free and do not have a paid option. Free VPNs will come with limitations, however.
 

Are free VPNs safe?

Free VPNs are safe, but they are not nearly as safe as premium paid VPNs. Free VPNs come with minimal security features like encryption and a no-logs policy, but often lack other cybersecurity tools like the kill switch, split tunneling, double VPN server chains, DNS leak protection and VPN obfuscation.