Best 5 Free VPN Services
Hide your IP without any fees with our selection of the best free VPN services of 2022 ! Free VS Paid VPN… All you need to know!
Let’s be honest, nobody likes paying for things they can get for free. And VPN services are not an exception to this rule. In fact, when most people first start searching for a VPN service, they don’t even consider getting a paid VPN because it seems like there are plenty of totally free VPN options to choose from. However, this feeling is misguided. While many VPNs are advertised as free to use, the service they offer is usually slow, unreliable, and even unsafe. Many people who initially choose a completely free VPN app or extension ultimately end up switching to a paid VPN. So is there a free VPN service that works? In this article, we will tell you all about free VPNs for Android, iPhone, PC, Mac, and other devices.
Paid vs Free VPN Services
| Feature | Free VPN | Paid VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Number of servers | Limited number of servers to choose from | Large server base that includes specialty servers |
| Number of VPN protocols | Limited selection of VPN protocols | Multiple protocol support |
| Bandwidth | Limited bandwidth | Unlimited bandwidth and server switches |
| VPN speed | Slow VPN speed | Maximum VPN speeds |
| Connection stability | Unreliable VPN connection | Stable VPN connection |
| Number of connections allowed | Only one connection allowed at a time | Multiple simultaneous connections allowed |
| Type of VPN software | Browser extensions | VPN apps for all types of devices |
| Logging policy | User activity may be logged or tracked | No activity or connection logs |
| Data collection policy | May collect your data and sell it to third parties | Complete data anonymity |
| Security quality | Poor security with weak, outdated, or nonexistent encryption | Strong 256-bit AES encryption |
| Streaming service compatibility | Incapable of unblocking streaming services | Unblocks streaming services |
| Access to websites and services | Frequent lack of access to certain websites and media | Can access all services without restrictions |
| Ads | Injects targeted ads and spam into your browser | Hides intrusive ads |
| Malware protection | May invite malware to the user’s device | Protects the user from malware and flags dangerous websites |
| Source code transparency | Limited transparency | Open-source |
| Customer support | No customer support | 24/7 customer support |
| Additional features | Zero or few extra features | Numerous additional features |
As you can see from this table, there are lots of differences between paid and free VPNs. But how important are these distinctions? Let’s take a closer look at some of them.
While free VPNs use only a small number of servers, paid VPNs typically have a large variety of servers in different countries. This gives you a lot more browsing flexibility and allows you to choose which country you want to appear to be in when you’re online. This is useful because a lot of content is only available in certain geographical regions. Plus, paid VPNs usually allow users to unblock geographically restricted content on streaming platforms, while free VPNs do not. Free VPNs also generally give a very unstable connection, which can cause a lot of issues if you try to stream videos or work.
Paid VPNs can usually be used on all types of devices, including PCs, MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, smart TVs, etc. However, free VPNs are generally available only as browser extensions, so their capabilities are severely limited.
And of course, one of the biggest issues with free VPNs is privacy. Since companies that create this free software still need to get paid somehow, they usually collect user data and sell it to the highest bidder. The source code of this free software is not open to the public, so there’s no way of knowing what it does to your device or data once it’s installed. Free VPNs also often intentionally inject intrusive ads into the content the user is trying to browse. Plus, these services generally have weak or nonexistent security with outdated protocols and a lack of encryption. Moreover, they are unlikely to protect you from malware and may even cause your device to become infected with a virus. In contrast, paid VPNs get their money from customers who pay for the service, so they go to great lengths to secure customer data, protect devices from malware, minimize ads, and overall be as trustworthy and transparent as possible.
As you can probably guess from everything outlined in this section, our recommendation is to always opt for a paid VPN service instead of selecting even the best free VPN for Android, iOS, or another device.
How to Get A VPN for Free?
If you want to get a quality service and keep your data safe but don’t want to spend money, there are still some methods that will allow you to use a high-quality paid VPN for free. Even though most of these offers will be limited to a timed free trial or provide restricted browsing capabilities, they are still much better than even the fastest free VPNs.
CyberGhost – best free VPN in browser
CyberGhost is the best option for people who are looking for a free VPN browser extension, as this company offers free extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers.
In addition, this company offers a free 24-hour trial period. All you need to do is create an account using an email address and you’ll get access to the same features as paying customers. This is a great opportunity for people looking to try out the service before purchasing a plan.
NordVPN – best free unlimited VPN
NordVPN offers a risk-free 30-day trial that will allow you to use their service for an entire month without paying a dime. This is an excellent opportunity to try out the full scope of NordVPN services and see what they have to offer. And if you love the service and want to keep using it for a reasonable fee, you don’t have to do anything—just don’t cancel the trial after the first 30 days are up.
TunnelBear – best free VPN for PC
TunnelBear offers 500MB of free secure browsing under their free plan. The main drawback of this option is that after you have used up your 500MB, you will have to switch to a paid plan to continue accessing the service.
Hotspot Shield – best free VPN for Android
Hotspot Shield offers free and paid VPN plans. The free plan has fewer servers and features, as well as a slower connection, but it doesn’t place limits on the amount of data you can put through their servers.
Proton VPN – best free VPN for Mac
This is another company that offers both free and paid plans for their VPN service. The free ProtonVPN plan features only three countries for browsing, offers medium browsing speed, and doesn’t support torrent services or the Tor browser.
Avast SecureLine VPN – best free VPN for torrenting
This company offers a 7-day trial, so it’s a great option if you’re looking for a VPN you can use for torrenting. Avast also doesn’t require you to hand over your credit card details to sign up for the trial, so it’s definitely a plus. The only downside is that the free trial only lasts 7 days.
Windscribe – best free VPN for iOS
Windscribe is a good option for people who don’t consume a lot of data or only need a VPN service on their mobile device, as this company provides 2GB of bandwidth per month free of charge. You can also get more data by creating an account with your email address, tweeting about the company, etc.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a VPN to download for free, you have lots of options. But unfortunately, most completely free VPNs offer a low-quality service and rarely give you full protection. Thus, we recommend opting for a paid solution instead. There are lots of affordable options to choose from, so check out our reviews of the best Canadian VPNs to find a service that suits your needs and budget. If you’re fully set on using a completely free VPN and don’t mind the drawbacks, we recommend opting for free versions of paid VPNs or free limited-time trials.