Are you looking for a VPN but don’t really want to pay for yet another paid software subscription? Well, it’s only natural to consider the option of getting a free VPN instead. They essentially carry out the same functions as the paid ones, minus the cost and certain undeniable benefits.
Realistically speaking no free VPN can match the services of a paid one, especially in terms of complete online anonymity, open access to geo-restricted websites, and the freedom to browse whatever you want without the fear of being tracked. However, for casual users, a free VPN can certainly be useful. A user’s daily usage and personal requirements also play a key deciding factor in whether one should go for a free VPN or a paid version.
While there are hundreds of free VPNs out there, you need to know which ones are the right ones to download, since some of the dodgier free apps end up bombarding you with unwanted ads and may even sell your data to third-party clients.
Hence, it’s important to understand how a free VPN works before entrusting it with your online activity. Knowing how providers can afford to offer a free service in the first place and what sacrifices you’ll have to make in terms of functionality and privacy is essential, and will certainly govern your decision.
Paid VPN vs. Free VPN
There are very few VPNs that offer a truly free experience. Instead, many companies offer time-limited trials or money-back guarantees. With that said, every VPN listed puts some restrictions on its free version.
While some services limit the amount of bandwidth you can use in a given period, some keep the number of simultaneous connections low and some restrict you to certain servers, meaning that you can’t jump to a better-performing server or easily hide your location.
How to Choose The Right Free VPN?
Since there are a lot of options to choose from even among the free VPN versions, it’s generally a good practice to try out a few, before reaching a conclusion. A great VPN service should be easy to use and shouldn’t have too many barriers, even when you’re using a free subscription.
We have carefully curated a list of the best free VPNs that offer completely free subscriptions with the best services. While they aren’t the only ones, they are the best we’ve reviewed so far.
Proton VPN: Unlimited Data Allowance
Supported on: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux | Servers countries: 3 | Data limit: Unlimited
The feature that makes this VPN stand out from the rest is that it comes with zero limits on the amount of data usage. In other words, you’re free to use as much data as you want every month, which is something you rarely witness for a free VPN provider.
The free version of this service has servers in three locations: in the US, Japan, and the Netherlands. There are clients for Windows and Mac, as well as apps for Android and iPhone. You’ll also find some unusual features for a freebie, like split tunneling and DNS leak protection.
If we talk about the downside, free users get a lower priority when it comes to speed as compared to paid users. Also, you’ll need to upgrade to its Plus tier if you want to use your VPN for streaming.
Privado VPN: Global Server With a Juicy Data Limit
Supported on: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS | Servers countries: 12 | Data limit: 10GB per month
While this one may not offer completely unlimited usage like Proton, the 10GB data limit every month might be more than enough for most people. Unless you keep it on all the time or are really binging foreign content, then 10GB should be plenty enough for you.
However, Privado does beat Proton in terms of its server locations. There are servers in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, as well as its native Switzerland. That kind of global coverage is rare for a free VPN, making it a definite plus point.
While it might not be able to boast the fastest server speeds out there, it does, however, include some handy features like P2P servers, auto-connect, and a VPN kill switch.
Hotspot Shield VPN: Free VPN That Gets You Started in an Instant
Supported on: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS | Servers available: 1 | Data limit: 500MB per day
The free plan limits the user’s data usage to 500MB per day, which may sound restrictive at first, but it’s actually quite generous when compared to some of the other free versions available.
If security is your sole aim, then Hotspot shield boosts the same ‘military-grade encryption’ that most premium VPNs brag about. In addition to security, both the mobile and desktop versions of the software are user-friendly and easy to understand.
While the paid version gives you the option to connect to any one of the 70-odd countries, the free version limits the user to only one US-based server that the software automatically chooses for you, and you’ll have to put up with ads if you’re running the VPN on Android.
Windscribe VPN
Supported on: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux | Servers countries: 11 | Data limit: 2-10GB per month
With Windscribe the user gets 2GB bandwidth per month as standard, which is obviously less than the others in the list. But that can be easily upgraded to a more acceptable 10GB if you give Windscribe your email address. The free version lets you choose from 11 remote server locations including the UK, Hong Kong, Germany, Canada, Turkey, and eight US cities.
Additionally, getting started with its desktop client as well as its Chrome extension is simple and easy – you’ll be jumping around the world on different servers in no time. Although, Windscribe is less consistent than some competitors at times, in terms of speed.
TunelBear VPN
Supported on: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS| Servers countries: 20+ | Data limit: 500MB per month
The major restriction with the free plan, in this case, is that you are limited to 500MB of data each month. This obviously means that you won’t be able to keep it on all the time, putting torrenting and streaming completely out of question.
However, it’s still not all bad, One key selling point here is that the free version doesn’t limit you on available servers, meaning that you have all 20+ countries of the premium service at your disposal. Furthermore, TunnelBear recently tweaked its privacy policy a bit and now it collects even less data on users, hence removing the need to supply a first name to sign up, and ditching its record of the user’s number of total lifetime connections.
These were some of our recommendations regarding the best free VPNs out there. If you know some other options, let us know in the comments below.
Stay Connected with ProPakistani
Get the latest tech news, telecom insights, and product launches wherever you prefer.
Add ProPakistani to Preferred Sources and see more of our stories in Google Search and Top Stories.
I think the writer should understand that Pakistan has blocked most VPNs through deep packet inspection esp. ISPs using Transworld routes. Such a ‘nice’ democracy
They cannot simply block them all, even china couldn’t till this day. These vpn providers keep fighting back and keep changing their sw these bans are not that effective.
Btw, tor browser is another good option for browsing / streaming
I don’t think freemiums can be trusted when it comes to security and anonymity. If you are looking to stay private and completely anonymous then it would be wise to spend a few bucks. Long gone are the times when the market had a strong monopoly and high prices. Now, you can get good service providers for as low as 2-3 dollars a month. By good i mean Express, Ivacy VPN, Nord etc.
Hi