Free VPN services promise you security without costs. We show you what to look for in free VPNs and guide you to reputable and free VPN providers. Black Friday offers you special opportunities.
Restricted
No costs but restrictions on locations or bandwidth.
Features of these VPN offers:
- ✘ Permanently free
- ✓ Location and bandwidth limitation
- ✓ Mostly no P2P
Fewer server locations and bandwidth or volume limitations restrict these VPN services. However, they are permanently free to use.
Free Trials
Fully functional and unrestricted VPN clients for a limited time.
Features of these VPN offers:
- ✓ Permanently free
- ✓ Location and bandwidth limitation
- ✓ Mostly no P2P
Fewer server locations and bandwidth or volume limitations restrict these VPN services. However, they are permanently free to use.
Such a VPN is already very practical. It conceals your IP address and your location when you surf the internet. You easily bypass country restrictions on streaming services and watch US-exclusive content long before the German premiere. And in online shops, you always get guaranteed the best offers worldwide for your desired products and services. Such a VPN must be expensive, right? No, quite the opposite.
While you have to pay a certain fee monthly for most VPN services you can find online, there are also some free VPNs. With those, you often enjoy almost exactly the same benefits, only you don’t have to pay a cent for it. However, there are sometimes significant differences among these free VPN services. In general, you can divide them into three categories:
Especially easy and guaranteed secure is the free trial period that you can choose with VPN providers before using their paid offerings. For a few weeks, you get a comprehensive VPN for your devices without paying any money and usually without any further obligation. You only need to cancel the trial subscription in time before it automatically renews after expiration. This offer is ideal if you only need a VPN for a certain period, such as a two-week vacation.
For most providers, the trial period includes access to all available servers. This allows you to redirect your internet traffic through various countries and access online and streaming offerings that are otherwise country-restricted. So, it’s no issue if you’re lying on the beach in Mallorca and want to access the familiar German streaming content from Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video. Alternatively, you can switch to a US server with your VPN and enjoy American programming, even from US providers like Sling TV, HBO Max, or Hulu.
In one sentence: With a VPN, you become a digital nomad – you can (virtually) relocate to any place and thereby unlock tremendous advantages.
- CyberGhost
- VPN in a Complete Package: Security for All
- With an extensive server selection and impressive speeds, CyberGhost stands out as a VPN service provider. Its use ensures the highest level of security and anonymity on the web.
- Free Option: 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Free Locations: All countries and server locations
- Bandwidth Limitation: No bandwidth restrictions
- Volume Limitation: No volume restrictions
- Special Features: All features fully accessible for free for 45 days
Another type of free VPNs is what we refer to as permanently free VPN services. These are also usually provided by major VPN providers. In contrast to trial versions, they are not time-limited, allowing you to use them indefinitely. However, you may have to compromise on functionality, such as bandwidth, available servers, or the number of devices. Often, the limitation is primarily on server locations.
The option for anonymous browsing is available, along with sufficient protection and the essential features that a robust VPN should have. Undoubtedly, a good deal if you only want to occasionally check your emails and surf the internet. However, if your primary goal is to stream foreign content and use other services with high bandwidth requirements, this offer might not be suitable for you.
Let’s steer clear of the last group of “dubious providers.” You should do the same, especially in the Android and iOS app stores. Even if providers promise a free VPN, you often pay with your data. Server costs need to be covered somehow. If there’s no professional and reputable service behind it, this usually happens through advertising and the sale of personal data. In the worst case, you might even encounter malware and viruses. So, stay away!
Free VPN Services – The Best Free Services in 2024
Let’s start with a brief overview of the entire test field. Afterward, we’ll highlight the pros and cons of each service. We avoid dubious providers; all VPN services listed here can be used without concerns and have been tested individually by us and in the comprehensive VPN comparison.
- CyberGhost
- 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- All features fully accessible for free for 45 days
- NordVPN
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Full-featured VPN, usable for free for 30 days
- Surfshark
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Free during the trial period, then one of the most affordable VPN services on the market
- ExpressVPN
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Perfect VPN for free streaming during holidays
- Proton VPN
- Permanently free, without advertising
- 3 countries (USA, Netherlands, and Japan)
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Free version can only be used on one device
The first four candidates in the test field are all full-featured VPNs that you can use for one to one and a half months for free. We recommend these, as you don’t have to make any compromises here – as much as possible, you should opt for these.
Use VPN for Free: Utilize Providers Generous Trial Periods
The best VPN providers are so confident in their product that they offer their full-featured VPN service for 30 or even 45 days for free. Take advantage of this and opt for a full-featured VPN service.
We have tested the money-back guarantees with all providers and have not encountered any issues with refunds in a single case. In the fastest scenario, the money was returned in less than two hours. Simply canceling during the free trial period is sufficient. You can handle this through customer support, and you don’t need to fear any uncomfortable questions.
CyberGhost VPN
- 45-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- All features fully accessible for free for 45 days
CyberGhost actually offers two free variants. There is a seven-day trial version and a 45-day money-back guarantee. Unfortunately, the former is not (anymore) really usable. The trial version is so restricted that you won’t be satisfied with it.
More intriguing is the generous 45-day money-back guarantee. You can use CyberGhost to its full extent for a whopping 45 days – without any restrictions. Whether it’s emails, internet, or streaming, you have access to the entire infrastructure on almost all devices.
What speaks for CyberGhost?
When you create an account with CyberGhost and become a Ghostie, you gain access to over 9,200 servers in 91 different countries. The VPN client is available for almost all operating systems: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, FireTV, Smart-TVs, and consoles are supported with native apps. If that’s not enough, you can manually configure the protocols and, for example, teach your router to connect via CyberGhost VPN.
In terms of speed, you don’t have to make any compromises. Most servers are even adequately sized for P2P and streaming, allowing you to access almost all streaming services worldwide. The strict no-log policy and high security standards ensure privacy protection in all cases.
Even in terms of pricing, CyberGhost has nothing to hide. You secure comprehensive protection and full functionality in the cheapest plan for just under two euros per month. If free is not enough, this is one of the best offers among VPN providers.
NordVPN
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Full-featured VPN, usable for free for 30 days
At NordVPN, you can also use all features and locations without restrictions during the trial phase. The money-back guarantee is valid for 30 days. Similar to CyberGhost, you have a market leader here that confidently gives you 30 days to get to know the VPN service.
Use NordVPN for free for 30 days and thoroughly test the service. Whether advanced security features like DoubleVPN and MultiHop or specific servers for file sharing and streaming – you have full functionality, and you don’t need to worry about data volume and bandwidth.
What speaks for NordVPN?
Our experience with the VPN provider. NordVPN provides you with more than 5200 servers in 60 different countries. That’s fewer than CyberGhost but significantly more than with purely free VPN services.
Outstanding are the advanced security features. The Kill Switch immediately interrupts the connection if the VPN connection drops, ensuring you remain anonymous on the network under all circumstances, and your real IP is never visible to third parties. If you value this point, we recommend switching to the NordLynx protocol and using DoubleVPN for maximum protection.
NordVPN also performed well in unlocking popular streaming services during testing. This applies to both accessing the service itself and reliably streaming HD content.
Surfshark
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Free during the trial period, then one of the most affordable VPN services on the market
With Surfshark, you can also test all features of the VPN service for free for 30 days. No bandwidth or volume limitations diminish the enjoyment, and the same applies to server and country selection.
Surfshark is particularly recommendable because it is one of the most affordable VPN services on the market. After the free use, you are already fully protected here for just two euros per month. Few competitors can match that, often only with extremely long terms or special offers.
What speaks for Surfshark?
Firstly, the truly excellent price when you switch to a real subscription. Besides CyberGhost, Surfshark is the cheapest provider in the test field. But Surfshark can also compete with the infrastructure of the two aforementioned VPN services. With over 3200 servers in over 60 countries, it provides a more than satisfactory selection for most users.
The support for devices includes the most common operating systems. A plus with Surfshark: You can use the VPN service with as many devices as you like. However, in some countries, you may have to live with slower speeds. While developed countries are well-connected, it may be tight in some exotic locations.
Using Surfshark for free – even beyond the trial period You can use Surfshark for free for 30 days. Here too, you can take advantage of the free period, and with a few steps, you can use Surfshark VPN for free on the network. Furthermore, Surfshark often offers free months. You can grab them by participating in these promotions. This way, you “extend” your free usage period.
ExpressVPN
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- All countries and server locations
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Perfect VPN for free streaming during holidays
The last candidate among the full-featured VPN services is ExpressVPN. The VPN veteran is relatively expensive in the regular version, typically so much so that in our rankings, we generally recommend CyberGhost or NordVPN.
However, ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing it to be used for free for a month. And there is one aspect where ExpressVPN truly excels: streaming. The VPN service is well-suited for HD/4K streaming and reliably provides access to all major streaming services – this was evident in the test of the best VPNs for Netflix and similar platforms. Therefore, the service is a clear recommendation for this use case.
What speaks for ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is considered a genuine premium VPN. The infrastructure, device support, and features within the VPN clients are impeccable. It’s no wonder that ExpressVPN is frequently used, especially for streaming.
Those who use the VPN service know why. However, after the free trial period, it does come with a price. ExpressVPN is among the most expensive services in VPN comparisons, but it also offers a true premium VPN.
Free VPN: Permanently Free VPN Services
In addition to the trial periods offered by major VPN providers, you also have access to real, permanently free VPN services.
ProtonVPN
- Permanently free, without advertising
- 3 countries (USA, Netherlands, and Japan)
- No bandwidth limitations
- No volume restrictions
- Free version can only be used on one device
With ProtonVPN, we introduce the first permanently free VPN service here. The Swiss VPN service comes without ads and without bandwidth or volume limitations. Although you are limited to one device and can only access three countries, you have the most important country, the USA, included.
In testing, the free version of ProtonVPN performed exceptionally well. Of course, with three server locations, bandwidth might become a bit constrained at times, but you will never be artificially throttled. For secure and carefree browsing on the go, ProtonVPN is definitely suitable. However, streaming and P2P are not available; these features are reserved for the paid versions.
Conclusion
There are also free VPN services available – without compromising on security. You usually have to accept limitations in server selection and data volume, which can be problematic for bandwidth-intensive activities. Streaming or file sharing is rarely, if ever, possible with free VPNs; for these functionalities, you must upgrade to the paid versions or take advantage of the providers’ trial periods.
The Best Free VPN Services in Review
- ProtonVPN (Permanently free with unlimited data volume)
- hide.me (Permanently free without registration)
- Atlas VPN (Permanently free)
- Windscribe (Free as a browser extension)
- Hotspot Shield (Permanently free)
- NordVPN (Free trial for 30 days)
- CyberGhost (Free trial for 45 days)
- Surfshark VPN (Free trial for 30 days)
- PrivadoVPN (Permanently free)
- ExpressVPN (Free trial for 30 days)
- TunnelBear (Permanently free)
