Best Free VPNs For May 2024
Editorial Note: This content has been independently collected by the Forbes Advisor team and is offered on a non-advised basis. This content is not part of the comparison service provided by RunPath Regulatory Services. Forbes Advisor may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.
Most free VPNs seem cost-efficient, but harbor malware or engage in underhanded practices that expose them to such attacks. So, to help you, we’ve compiled the best free VPNs. While they may not be completely free, we recommend taking advantage of the opportunities they offer for free.
Featured Partners
1
NordVPN
Lowest Monthly Price
INR 329.07 ($3.99) + 3 months free
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
No. of Servers
5,000+
2
Surfshark
Lowest Monthly Price
INR 197.29 + one month free
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
No. of Servers
3,200+
3
Private Internet Access
Lowest Monthly Price
INR 158.89
No. of Devices
Unlimited
No. of Servers
30,000+
- 8 Best Free VPNs of 2024
- Top Free VPN Of 2024
- Proton VPN
- hide.me
- FlyVPN
- AtlasVPN
- Windscribe
- VPN Unlimited
- CyberGhost
- Hotspot Shield
- Comparison of Best Free VPNs
- Are Free VPNs Safe?
- Methodology: How We Select Best Free VPNs
- What Is A Free VPN?
- How To Choose the Best Free VPN
- How Does Free VPN Work?
- What Are The Drawbacks Of Free VPN?
- Benefits of Choosing Premium VPN Instead of a Free VPN
- More VPN Resources
8 Best Free VPNs of 2024
- Proton VPN: Best Free VPN for Enhanced Anonymity
- hide.me: Best Free VPN for Leak Protection
- FlyVPN: Best Free VPN for Gaming
- AtlasVPN: Best Free VPN for Security and Speed
- Windscribe: Best Free VPN for Unlimited Device Connection
- VPN Unlimited: Best Free VPN for Lifetime Protection
- CyberGhost: Best for Ease of Use
- Hotspot Shield: Best Free VPN for Streaming
Top Free VPN Of 2024
Comparison of Best Free VPNs
Are Free VPNs Safe?
While using a completely free VPN appears cost-efficient, there are a few reasons to avoid them. Free VPNs often limit speed, data usage, the number of servers and device connections and hardly unblock streaming sites. But that’s not all—no VPN can operate without money, so they tend to make their money in other ways, which often turns out bad for users. Here’s what most of them do:
- They sell user data to advertising agencies and analytics companies.
They rely on weak security features, leaving you vulnerable to cybercriminals and government spies. - They display ads that link you to malicious sites or redirect your traffic to partner sites, earning them commissions and causing you frustration.
So, to save you some money, we recommend choosing a free version of some of the best VPN. While some offer free plans without compromising your data or identity, we recommend optimizing the opportunities they provide to explore their features and functions for free through trial periods and money-back guarantees.
Methodology: How We Select Best Free VPNs
With a broad range of free VPNs to choose from it can be difficult to narrow down your choice. When awarding our Forbes star rating, we stuck to reputable VPN brands with a track record for security and customer service, backed up with a highly regarded fee-paying VPN service.
We used the VPN provider’s own websites to check details around data limits, the number of connections allowed (simultaneous active devices) and server locations as well as if the free VPN offers unblocking of streaming services and any additional features.
What Is A Free VPN?
Some providers offer fully free VPN although it is usually a limited service. In many cases you might be offered a time-limited trial or a money-back guarantee with some fee-paying VPNs. But for this you’ll typically have to give credit card details and you’ll be auto-subscribed into the plan unless you cancel within the offer period.
How To Choose the Best Free VPN
When considering which free VPN to choose, you’ll generally want to ensure the VPN you choose offers specific features for your needs, advanced security and unblocking features, optimum speed and performance, and a privacy policy you can trust. And since you’re trying to see if it’s worth your money, choose one with a trial opportunity period fair enough to let you access its premium features.
Essential Features of a Free VPN
Even though you’re not paying for it, here are a few details to look out for when choosing a free VPN.
- Privacy and security: Look for solid encryption protocols and privacy features such as a kill switch and dedicated IP, which can protect you from malicious threats.
- Streaming capability: Consider VPNs that provide content-unblocking features even during trials.
- Privacy policy: Look out for a VPN with a strict no-logs policy that is also transparent and audited.
Speed and Performance
Because VPNs pass your data through specific servers, they tend to slow down your internet speed. Still, consider the average download and upload speed a free VPN offers. After all, you need speed for video streaming, online gaming and the like. You can use speed tools such as Ookla to see how these VPNs fare in terms of speed and performance.
Trial Plan and Money-back Guarantee
You need to consider a few things when jumping on VPN free trials or their money-back guarantee to explore their paid versions. You’ll need to determine if the trial period offers enough time to test the VPN. Also, pay attention to the money-back guarantee. Ask these questions:
- Is the refund open to everyone, or is it a case-by-case policy?
- Can I get a refund if I subscribed through a third party or paid with, say, cryptocurrency?
- Will I get a full refund?
- How long does the refund process take?
How Does Free VPN Work?
Many VPN providers offer a free service alongside their premium or paid-for VPN and the free service will be more limited, with data caps, slow speeds and limited connections, for example. Typically the paid-for VPN will subsidize the free service.
While free VPN may suit some users, for example those trying out different VPN services or people who just want a temporary VPN while they are using public WiFi in a library or coffee shop, for example, generally free VPN will be too limited for most users.
Be aware that with some free VPN services you’ll get ads and your data might be sold to other companies. If you want to avoid this check the terms and conditions of the free VPN provider or ask if they sell your data.
What Are The Drawbacks Of Free VPN?
With free VPN you won’t get the range of services you’d get with paid VPNs. You’re likely to be limited to one or two servers, slower speeds and there is usually a cap on data usage, typically around 10GB a month. For this reason free VPN probably won’t suit those who want to stream or for gaming.
It is also important to be aware that with free VPN your internet activity may be monitored by the provider, you could experience pop-up ads while you’re online and your data could be sold to third party companies.
Service quality and experience can vary markedly between different free VPNs so using a bit of trial and error and testing different services out can help until you find the best one that suits your needs, or before opting for a paid VPN service.
More VPN Resources
We hope that the following resources will help you to select the right VPN for you and learn how to get started with your new VPN.
Explore Our Best VPN Guides
- Best VPN
- Best Mobile VPN
- Best VPN for Windows
- Best VPN for iPhone
- Best VPN Chrome Extensions
- Best VPN for Mac
- Best Android VPNs
VPN Setup Guides
- How to Set Up a VPN
- Playstation VPN Setup Guide
- Xbox VPN Setup Guide
- How to Turn Off a VPN
- VPN Not Connecting: Troubleshooting
Learn More About VPNs
- What Does a VPN Hide?
- VPN Statistics
- Are VPNs Legal?
- Are VPNs Safe?
- Do VPNs Slow Down Your Internet?
- Is a VPN Worth It?
- Proxy vs VPN
Anonymous Browsing and Content Access
- How to Browse Anonymously
- How to Unblock Websites
- How to Unblock YouTube
- How to Change Your IP Address
- How to Hide Your IP Address
Compare VPNs
- ProtonVPN Vs. NordVPN
- Surfshark Vs. NordVPN
- NordVPN Vs. ExpressVPN
- Surfshark Vs. ExpressVPN
- Private Internet Access Vs. Nordvpn
Our VPN Reviews
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.