Best Free VPNs of 2024 (2024)

You know the saying, “you get what you pay for?” Well, that’s true in cybersecurity, too. For the most part, you’ll have to pay for any service worth using, except when it comes to VPNs.

That’s right – there are plenty of VPN providers out there that offer free versions of their products, free trial periods, and money-back guarantees that make using their service risk free. We’ve listed our favorites below. But before we dive into the list, you should know that most free VPNs are stripped-down versions of the VPN provider’s services. While they might work in some applications and for certain needs, they’re usually outshined by the paid versions.

The Best Free VPNs of 2024

1. Surfshark - Best VPN Free Trial
2. Hotspot Shield - Fastest Free VPN
3. NordVPN - Best Full-Featured VPN with Free Offers
4. PrivadoVPN - Best Free VPN for Unlimited Devices
5. Atlas VPN - Best Free VPN for Privacy
6. TunnelBear - Best Server Network

Why We Don’t Always Recommend Free VPNs

You might notice in our review of the best VPNs that our top picks all cost money. While we’ve tested out many decent free VPNs, they simply do not provide as good an experience as premium VPNs because many free VPNs put limits on things like:

• The number of servers you can can connect to
• Your daily or monthly data usage
• The number of devices you can connect
• The speed of your VPN connections

Still, we’d rather have those limitations than the alternative – sketchy VPN brands offering free services with no limits whatsoever. The difference is that those limited free VPNs are from well-established service providers that also have paid-for products. Their intentions are clear: They are offering limited free services to attract customers to try out their VPN in the hopes of eventually getting them to buy a subscription. They are out to impress, and so they are less likely to do things like gather and sell your data or infect your device with malware.

Since they have limitations, however, the best way to pick a free VPN is to choose which ones have limitations you can live with according to how you plan to use it. For example, if you’re looking for a good VPN for traveling, pick a free VPN with more server locations than others. If you’re looking for a good VPN for streaming, choose one with no speed limits and a higher data usage allowance.

With that out of the way, let’s have a look at the best free VPNs available today.

Side-by-Side Comparison of the Best Free VPNs of 2024

A Closer Look at the Best Free VPNs of 2024

• 1. Surfshark - Best VPN Free Trial

  Editors Rating:

  9.5 /10

  View Plans

  

  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Multi-hop	Yes
  Camouflage Mode	Yes
  Kill switch	Yes
  Split Tunneling	Yes
  Netflix	Yes
  Torrenting	Yes

  Data Usage Limit

  Surfshark offers a free trial so it’s not like any of the free VPNs on this list. The free trial is good for 30 days, after which you’ll need to renew your subscription (not free) to keep using Surfshark or cancel the service entirely. In our experience, though, canceling Surfshark is quick and easy. There’s no need to talk to a live agent, since there’s an automated cancellation protocol via the chat bot.

  Server Limit

  Since it’s a free trial of the premium service, we got access to the entire Surfshark network. And Surfshark has one of the largest server networks we’ve seen with over 100 locations.

  » Interesting Info: Best Free VPNs for Torrenting

  Speed Limit

  There were no speed limits with Surfshark. We enjoyed speeds of up to 240 Mbps upload and download, although the speed was highly dependent on the server location. We got those speeds from the automatically-selected fastest server at the time we connected, but when we chose a server that’s a little farther away, our network speed dropped to about 200 Mbps.

  Device Limit

  For both the free trial version and the premium version, Surfshark has no device limits. What’s more, it has apps for almost every platform that supports VPN apps, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, FireTV, Chromecast, and more.

  What We Like

  • Full access to premium features
  • Speedy connections
  • Strong encryption and access to OpenVPN and WireGuard
  • Unlimited simultaneous connections

  What We Don’t Like

  • Have to pay the initial subscription fee
  • Have to cancel within 30 days to request a refund
  • Free trial works only once per account
  • Shorter free trial for in-app purchases

  The Surfshark free trial we’re talking about is the money-back guarantee that comes with every Surfshark subscription. That means you’ll have to buy a subscription first, but you’ll be refunded if you cancel before 30 days. Surfshark offers a few different options for subscriptions, which we’ve detailed in the chart below:

  Surfshark plan	Monthly costs	1-year plan	2-year plan
  Surfshark Starter	$15.45	$3.99 per month	$2.49 per month
  Surfshark One	$17.95	$4.09 per month	$3.19 per month
  Surfshark One+	$20.65	$6.49 per month	$4.97 per month

  

  When we tried Surfshark, we canceled on the 25th day and our access ended right then. The process was smooth. First, we logged-in to our Surfshark web dashboard, and then started a chat with the chatbot. From there, we selected the automated protocol that initiated the cancellation and refund. It took about six business days for the refund to reflect on our credit card statement.

  A 30-day money-back guarantee is normal in the VPN industry, but we found Surfshark the easiest to cancel, which is why we think it’s the best VPN free trial. For example, with NordVPN, we had to chat with a live agent and there were hoops to go through – they asked why we were canceling and they were insistent we let them “fix whatever the problem was” before letting us go. With Surfshark, it was literally no-questions-asked.

• 2. Hotspot Shield - Fastest Free VPN

  Editors Rating:

  8.9 /10

  View Plans

  See Also

  List of The 5 Best Free VPNs in 2024 & Some You Should AvoidThe 3 best free VPNs (and why you get what you pay for)5 Best Free VPNs for Gaming in 2024 — Fast With No Lags

  

  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Multi-hop	Yes
  Camouflage Mode	Yes
  Kill switch	Yes
  Split Tunneling	Yes
  Netflix	Yes, but not in all regions
  Torrenting	Yes

  Data Usage Limit

  Hotspot Shield doesn’t technically have a data usage limit, but there is a time limit. The VPN is ad-supported. Every 15- to 30-second ad it showed granted us free access for 15-minutes, and if we ran out of time, we could just watch another ad over and over to extend it. Watching multiple ads in a row to stack up the limit was even an option. Four ads equals one hour – more than enough to use it to browse during our lunch breaks.

  If you get sick of the ads, though, Hotspot Shield’s premium version costs $7.99 per month. We think that’s a little expensive when you consider Hotspot Shield’s footprint — they only have 800 servers — but if it gets the job done and you like the free service, it’s something to consider.

  Server Limit

  We found this the most limiting aspect of Hotspot Shield VPN. It gave us only four server options – Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, and London – unlike TunnelBear, our best pick for server availability, which has over 20 free locations worldwide. Needless to say, Hotspot Shield isn’t a good VPN for changing Netflix streaming regions.

  

  » Learn more: How to Watch Netflix With a VPN

  Speed Limit

  On the other hand, Hotspot Shield’s speed was impressive. Despite the company’s claim that the premium version is four times faster2, the speed we got from the free version rivaled even the fastest premium VPNs. We got 237 Mbps and 220 Mbps download and upload speeds via the Singapore server using our 250 Mbps fiber-optic network. That’s a less than 12-percent decrease.

  Device Limit

  We didn’t have to sign up for an account to use the free VPN, so there was no device limit. However, if you register your free account and try to sign in on multiple devices, there will be a five-device limit.

  What We Like

  • Speed that rivals premium VPNs
  • Can extend free access with ads
  • Works on up to five devices per account
  • Doesn’t log browsing activities

  What We Don’t Like

  • Only four server locations
  • Detected and blocked by Netflix on several occasions
  • Apps take time to load
  • In-app pop-up ads

  Hotspot Shield came out on top in terms of download speed when we tested and compared VPN speeds, but that was the premium version. We were pleasantly surprised to find that even the free version boasts such fast connections.

  Add to that the time-based usage limit, and you get a free VPN that’s good for downloading large files. We wouldn’t count on it for streaming, though. On more than a few occasions, Netflix was able to detect we were using a VPN, which prevented us from changing our Netflix region and downloading episodes in advance. We were still able to stream internationally available titles though thanks to Netflix’s recent policy change regarding VPN use.3

  

  One more thing to note is that Hotspot Shield makes it clear that the purpose of the free version is to get users to upgrade to a premium account. There were pop-up ads in the apps, banners plastered all over with Hotspot Shield Premium promotions, and skippable ads when connecting and disconnecting. Luckily, you won’t have to spend a lot of time in the app. We only ever used it to connect to the VPN and watch ads to extend our time limit.

• 3. NordVPN - Best Full-Featured VPN with Free Offers

  Editors Rating:

  9.7 /10

  View Plans

  

  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Multihop	Yes
  Camouflage Mode	Yes
  Kill switch	Yes
  Split Tunneling	Yes
  Netflix	Yes
  Torrenting	Yes

  Data Usage Limit

  NordVPN’s free VPN is a special offer attached to its premium plans. You get free access for a certain number of months if you sign up for a one-year or two-year subscription. We know; calling that a ‘free VPN’ is a stretch, but it’s a great way to save money on one of the most secure VPNs out there. And keep in mind, because the included free VPN is the premium version, there aren’t going to be any data limits. You can use NordVPN to your heart’s content during those free months.

  >> Learn More: NordVPN Deals

  

  Server Limit

  You’ll get access to all of NordVPN’s 6,000+ servers in 61 locations. NordVPN may not offer as many server locations as Surfshark (has servers in 100 countries), but it has one of the best server networks we’ve seen. They are fast and secure. All NordVPN servers run on RAM. That means they don’t retain any data once powercycled. RAM-based servers are currently the gold-standard of VPN servers, offered only by top-tier VPNs like NordVPN, Surfshark, Private Internet Access, and ExpressVPN.

  >> Compare: NordVPN vs. Surfshark

  Speed Limit

  Once again, it’s a premium VPN. NordVPN isn’t going to limit your speed. You’ll enjoy just as much access as paying NordVPN users, because even though you’re using free months, your account is as good as a premium NordVPN account.

  So how’s NordVPN’s speed? Well, in our VPN speed tests, it ranked 3rd out of the 12 VPNs we tested. That’s pretty good. And we didn’t just test NordVPN’s fastest servers. We connected to an Australia server from New York – a distance of about 10,000 miles. NordVPN lost only about six-percent of our download speed and four-percent of our upload speed.

  Device Limit

  This is one area that NordVPN limits, and the limit applies to all users. You can connect only up to six devices at a time. To clarify, that’s a limit on simultaneous connections. You can download and set up NordVPN on as many devices as you want, just as long as you don’t connect them to a NordVPN server simultaneously.

  In our opinion, six devices is just enough for personal use. On a daily basis, we have NordVPN connected on two smartphones, an iPad, a laptop, and a desktop computer. That’s five devices, so if we wanted to watch on our Apple TV, we could still connect it to NordVPN. That said, we do wish it offered at least 10 simultaneous connections.

  >> Check Out: The Best Apple TV VPNs

  

  What We Like

  • No data, speed, and server limits
  • Free access to a premium VPN
  • Offer stands almost all year round (with additional months on special days)
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

  What We Don’t Like

  • Requires a purchase of a one-year or two-year plan
  • Limit of six simultaneous connections
  • Offer is valid only for first-time customers
  • Only 61 server locations (fewer than other premium VPNs)

  Besides the fact that it requires a subscription, we call NordVPN a ‘premium VPN’ because it offers rarely-seen features that even most paid-for VPNs don’t. For example, it offers multi-hop servers, Threat Protection (malicious site and ad blocker), dedicated P2P servers, and RAM-based servers. Those features make NordVPN one of the top VPNs in terms of security and privacy.

  Because of that, we really appreciate NordVPN’s complimentary free months. Those are given to new users buying a one-year or two-year subscription. It changes from time to time; sometimes it’s two months, most times it’s three. We even see NordVPN offer up to four months of free access during special periods, like NordVPN’s Black Friday sale. Considering that a month-long subscription costs $12.99, those free months are nothing to sneeze at.

  So how much do you need to pay to get your complimentary NordVPN access? Check out NordVPN’s pricing below:

  	Basic (NordVPN only)	Plus (NordVPN + Data Breach Scanner + Password Manager)	Complete (All Plus features + 1 TB Secure Cloud Drive)
  1 year + 3 months free	$68.85	$82.35	$97.35
  2 years + 3 months free	$83.43	$107.73	$134.73

  In case you’re wondering, the one-year Basic subscription averages $5.74 per month while the two-year subscription averages $3.48 per month, not counting the free months. Those are in the lower range of VPN pricing.

• 4. PrivadoVPN - Best Free VPN for Unlimited Devices

  Editors Rating:

  9.0 /10

  View Packages

  

  How We Review

  Data Usage Limit

  PrivadoVPN offers 10 GB of free data per month, but it doesn’t carry over to the next month so you have to use it all up or it goes poof! 10 GB is enough to last a month for light browsing – scrolling on Facebook, searching home improvement ideas on Pinterest, etc. – but it’s not enough for video streaming. It didn’t even last us a week of browsing TikTok while on break, and unlike Hotspot Shield, there was no option to extend the usage limit without paying for the premium service.

  The good news is that premium service is relatively affordable, especially when you sign up for a long-term plan. When you subscribe for two years, the monthly cost is just $1.99, and if you want to go month to month, it’s only $10.99.

  Server Limit

  PrivadoVPN offers generous options of server locations. It has 10 free locations – the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Argentina, Brazil, India, Netherlands, and Mexico. It was able to unblock streaming libraries from those locations too. Netflix uses approximately 1 GB of data for every four hours of streaming, so PrivadoVPN could work as a free Netflix VPN.4

  

  » Further Reading: VPNs Best for Netflix

  Speed Limit

  Connected to the “best” available server according to the app, we got a 146 Mbps download speed and 34 Mbps upload speed from PrivadoVPN. That’s a huge decline compared to our 250 Mbps network speed, but understandable since it’s a free VPN.

  Device Limit

  PrivadoVPN allowed us to use the free VPN on as many devices as we liked. This is a rarity for free VPNs, especially those that require users to create an account. That said, there’s one caveat – all the devices we signed in on shared the 10 GB monthly limit. Moreover, we could only connect one device at a time.

  What We Like

  • Generous 10 GB data limit
  • Unlimited device sign-ins
  • Based in Switzerland (privacy-friendly country)
  • 14 free locations

  What We Don’t Like

  • Doesn’t allow simultaneous connections
  • All devices share the 10 GB data limit
  • No data limit carry-over
  • Generally slower speeds

  PrivadoVPN is great for users with multiple devices who want access to a free VPN. With it, we were able to work on our laptop and surf the web on our smartphones all while enjoying free protection. The 10 GB monthly limit is generous, too; just make sure to keep an eye on your remaining allowance as it refreshes only once and there’s no option to extend it.

  

  As for the reliability of the VPN, it was able to bypass all geo-restrictions we tried it on, from unlocking Netflix libraries to accessing sites we blocked from our office network. It also passed our WebRTC and DNS leak tests, standard tests we perform on VPNs to test their IP protection and see if they’re working.

  One piece of advice we have is if you decide to upgrade to premium, be sure that you’ll no longer need the free one. Once we upgraded and even after the subscription expired, we could no longer go back to the free version. We had to create a new account with a new email address to regain access to the free VPN.

• 5. Atlas VPN - Best Free VPN for Privacy

  Editors Rating:

  9.0 /10

  

  How We Review

  Product Specs

  Multi-hop	Yes
  Camouflage Mode	No
  Kill switch	Yes
  Split Tunneling	Yes
  Netflix	Yes
  Torrenting	Yes

  Data Usage Limit

  The usage limit for the free Atlas VPN was a paltry 5 GB per month – only half of what PrivadoVPN provides. There was also no option to exceed the limit besides the referral bonus that grants seven days of premium access for every new user you refer. We didn’t try the referral program, but it’s common in a lot of VPNs we’ve tested.

  And if you want to sign up for the premium service, it’s a similar price point as PrivadoVPN. Month-to-month Atlas costs $11.99, but if you sign up for three years, that monthly cost nosedives down to $1.70.

  Server Limit

  Atlas VPN provided us access to three free locations – Amsterdam, Las Vegas, and New York. That’s only two countries, and since we’re in New York, the only server that actually changed our IP address location was the Amsterdam server. There’s nothing much we could do with a Dutch IP address that we couldn’t already do with our current U.S. IP address, but we enjoyed binge watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy on Netflix … until the 5 GB limit ran out, of course.

  Speed Limit

  Atlas VPN was faster than PrivadoVPN overall, but it still cut our network speed by more than half. Our download speed while connected to the Amsterdam server was 102 Mbps while the upload speed was 141 Mbps.

  » More Information: Best Free VPNs for iPhones

  Device Limit

  As far as we can tell, you can sign in on multiple devices using the same free account. We set up Atlas on two iPhones, one Android, a Macbook Air, and a Windows laptop. However, only one of those devices could connect at a time, so like PrivadoVPN, simultaneous connections were not possible.

  What We Like

  • Tracker blocker and data breach monitor
  • Bypasses geo-restrictions
  • Unlimited device sign-ins
  • Decent speeds for a free VPN

  What We Don’t Like

  • 5 GB monthly data limit
  • Doesn’t allow simultaneous connections
  • Servers in three locations only; two are in the U.S.
  • Requires email when signing up

  Atlas VPN wasn’t the best performer among the free VPNs we tested. The speeds were good, but the 5 GB monthly data allowance and the limited server option hampered our ability to use Atlas VPN on a daily basis. 5 GB was simply not enough.

  While that’s the case, we found Atlas VPN a privacy-focused free VPN. For starters, the VPN encryption standard for the free and premium versions were the same – 256-bit AES, otherwise known as military-grade encryption. The same goes for the privacy policy, in which Atlas maintains that it doesn’t log any identifiable information about users’ browsing activity.

  

  We also liked that Atlas included extra security and privacy features even in the free plan. For example, there was the Shield feature that we’ve never seen in any of the free VPNs we tested. Essentially, when we’re connected to Atlas, it monitored the websites we visited and blocked off potentially harmful ones. Checking the log, it even blocked ads and trackers. The Shield feature was similar to Threat Protection when we reviewed NordVPN, currently our highest-rated option.

• 6. TunnelBear - Best Server Network

  Editors Rating:

  8.8 /10

  

  How We Review

  Product Specs

  MultiHop	Yes
  Camouflage Mode	Yes
  Kill Switch	Yes
  Netflix	Yes
  Torrenting	Yes

  Data Usage Limit

  We found conflicting information regarding the data limit of TunnelBear. Their website mentions 2 GB per month5and 500 MB per month on separate occasions6, but the Android and Windows app we tested said we had 8 GB of data when we first logged in. And indeed, we were able to use every bit of that 8 GB allowance by the end of the month, so neither TunnelBear pages were correct.

  If you don’t want to deal with the data limits, though, you can always consider signing up for the premium service. The unlimited version costs $3.33 per month when you sign up for three years, and if you want to go month-to-month, it’ll cost you $9.99.

  Server Limit

  What we found great about TunnelBear is it offers the same server locations to premium and free users. We were able to choose from the over 40 countries where its servers are located.

  Speed Limit

  TunnelBear was on the sluggish side, even when we upgraded to a premium account. It only gave us about 110 Mbps of download and 90 Mbps of upload speed, which was acceptable for a free VPN but slow for a premium VPN.

  Device Limit

  We were able to log in using the same account on up to five devices and connect them simultaneously to TunnelBear. We couldn’t sign in on more than five devices, though, but it was easy enough to create a second account using a different email. So if you need multi-device access to a VPN, TunnelBear is a good option, especially with its generous 8 GB data limit.

  What We Like

  • 8 GB data limit per month
  • Interactive user interface
  • Over 40 server locations
  • Five simultaneous connections

  What We Don’t Like

  • Sluggish speeds
  • City-level selection of server is locked for free users
  • Inconsistent website information
  • Almost non-existent customer support

  We found TunnelBear a really great free VPN for unblocking websites because of its over 40 server locations and decent speeds for a free VPN. It also hardly gets detected as a VPN because there are many servers, which means users are well-dispersed. We tested an older free version of Hotspot Shield before with only one server location in Las Vegas, and because all free users used to connect to it, it easily got tagged and blocked by Netflix. Multiple users connecting to Netflix using the same IP address is an obvious indication of VPN use.

  

  When it comes to server locations, the only difference between the free and paid TunnelBear VPNs is that the latter gets city-level server options. That means if you select the United States location, for instance, you can choose between the 13 cities where TunnelBear is located. With the free account, we only got to select the country. That’s it. That’s their only difference when it comes to servers, and that’s why we think TunnelBear has the best server network for a free VPN.

What to Avoid When Looking for a Free VPN

Normally, after our “best VPNs for” lists, we put a section about what to look for in VPNs so our readers can do their own research if they want. For free VPNs however, we find it easier to list what NOT to look for. There are so many free VPNs going around that it’s much easier to eliminate those with red flags that weed out the ones that are worth the download.

If you see any of these from a free VPN, stay away; the risk is not worth it:

• Unclear, vague, or non-existent privacy policy: Even though you’re using a free service, you still deserve to know what data will be collected, how it will be used, with whom it will be shared, and how it will be kept secure. Free options that don’t provide that information are likely going to profit off of your data.
• Community-powered networks: Some free VPNs are able to operate without actual servers by utilizing their users’ networks as proxy servers. If you connect to a “server” in Australia, for example, that’s actually the network of another user in Australia. And if you sign up for such community-powered VPNs, your device and network will be used as proxy servers as well. That’s risky because your IP address will be tied to the internet activity of whoever’s connected to your network. If they use it for illegal activities, you could be legally liable.

» Learn more: Do VPNs Hide Your Browsing History?

• No company background: Circling back to what we said earlier, it’s an absolute must to avoid VPNs with generic names, most of which have no company background. It’s imperative to choose a VPN company with whom you can entrust your browsing data, and without clear information on who’s running the show, it’s just impossible to trust such VPNs that don’t provide company information.
• Too much ads: It’s normal for free VPNs to show ads – even our top-pick Hotspot Shield does it – but some go overboard showing ads every few seconds you spend in their apps. Even worse, there are free VPNs that will inject ads into your browsing. If you start to see ads where you haven’t seen them before – for example, on an ad-free website like ours – that’s likely adware caused by a free VPN.
• Malware: This is a little harder to detect since free VPNs that contain adware will obviously hide their malicious intent. Hence, before using a free VPN, you must ensure your device has sufficient malware protection. If your antivirus software detects malware after installing a free VPN, get rid of the malware and the VPN immediately.

» Further Reading: Setting Up a VPN

• Device performance issues: Lastly, if your device starts being sluggish after installing a free VPN, that’s another red flag. It could mean that the VPN app is doing something else in the background besides connecting you to a tunnel. It could be sniffing for passwords, downloading bloatware, or infecting your device with malware.

In any case, we recommend being extra vigilant when choosing a free VPN to use. It’s like walking alone at night – you might make it to your destination safely, but it doesn’t hurt to be extra watchful.

Do Free VPNs Offer The Same Level of Protection as Premium VPNs?

Assuming you find a VPN that doesn’t have any of the red flags mentioned above, you can rest easy knowing that most of the safe-to-use free VPNs offer the same protection as premium VPNs. Let’s take our six best picks as examples.

When it comes to encryption, all of them use 256-bit AES, which is the gold standard for VPN encryption. That’s the same encryption standard used by the strongest VPNs in the market.

As for VPN protocols, ProtonVPN, Atlas VPN, Surfshark, and TunnelBear all use OpenVPN and WireGuard. VPN protocols are a set of instructions VPNs follow when creating their secure tunnels, and OpenVPN and WireGuard are widely considered the best VPN protocols today. As for Hotspot Shield, it uses Hydra, a proprietary VPN we’ve proven secure in our review of UltraVPN, another VPN that uses Hydra.

Lastly, we did WebRTC leak and DNS leak test on all six of them and they all passed. These leak tests are standard to our testing process, and they determine whether a VPN is leaking our IP information (unsecure) or not. Since they all passed, we can say that our top-pick free VPNs offer adequate privacy and security.

Do Free VPNs Work on All Devices?

Besides the limit on the number of devices you can connect, some free VPNs also do not work on all platforms. For example, even though Atlas VPN has an app for Fire TVs, it’s reserved for paying users. Typically, free VPNs work on common platforms like Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS. They also have extensions for Chrome and Opera browsers sometimes. However, it’s much harder to find free VPNs for Linux, smart TVs, and gaming consoles.

Conclusion: Free VPNs vs. Premium VPNs, Which Is Better?

We think you know what our answer is going to be. We’d choose premium VPNs over free VPNs any day of the week. However, if you’re in a situation where buying a VPN subscription is not a viable option, we have nothing against the use of free VPNs. Despite having limitations, free VPNs can offer adequate privacy and security, just as long as you use a trustworthy one.

FAQs About Free VPNs

• What are the best free VPNs of 2024?

  The best free VPNs of 2024 are Hotspot Shield, PrivadoVPN, Atlas VPN, Surfshark and TunnelBear. Hotspot Shield is our top-pick because of its excellent speed that rivaled even the best premium VPNs, but bear in mind that it still has limitations. It’s powered by ads, for example, and it offers access to only three locations.

• Can free VPNs bypass geographic restrictions?

  Most free VPNs can bypass geographic restrictions, but for best results, we recommend free VPNs with servers in more than 10 locations.

• What are the limitations of free VPNs?

  The limitations of free VPNs often include data usage limits, speed capping, and limited simultaneous connections. Some VPNs may also limit the number of server locations you can access.

• Are free VPNs safe?

  Not all free VPNs are safe, which is why we recommend getting a free version of a reputable paid VPN rather than downloading a VPN advertised as 100 percent free.

• Are free VPNs the same as proxies?

  No. Free VPNs offer data encryption, while proxies only route your traffic through a proxy server. While proxies are more affordable, VPNs offer more privacy and digital security.