The Best Free VPNs of 2023
Our free VPNs reviews are the result of over 40 hours of research on 17+ free VPNs companies from across the web. These reviews and our free VPNs guide help small businesses and startups find the best free VPNs for their business.
Written by: Digital.com Staff
Updated November 21, 2022Our Top Picks
- Just $1.39 per month when paid triennially
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Unique SafeSwap tool automatically rotates your IP address
All Atlas subscriptions also come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you roughly one month to see whether the platform works for you. In July, its team also introduced a new SafeSwap feature that enables users to rotate their internet protocol (IP) address automatically without having to switch between different servers. Atlas claims to be the only VPN currently offering this function.
If you don’t want to commit to a three-year plan, you can still get access to Atlas for $9.99 per month or $2.49 per month paid annually. Atlas only accepts credit cards, Google Pay, and PayPal, putting it behind competitors that support other payment methods like cryptocurrencies and even cash.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Just $1.39 per month when paid triennially
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Unique SafeSwap tool automatically rotates your IP address
Cons
- Issues with customer support
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- 3 Years: $1.39/month
- 1 Year: $2.49/month
- 1 Month: $9.99/month
- Free Trial/Demo30-Day Free Trial
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Over 3,000 servers in 94 countries
- Applications for almost any device you can think of
ExpressVPN also supports more devices than most other VPN providers, with clients available for Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS, routers, Chromebooks, and Kindle Fires. There are also ExpressVPN applications for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and various smart TV systems including Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV. You can even install the application directly on your router to protect every device on your network.
While ExpressVPN doesn’t offer an ongoing free option, all of its subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. After that, you can keep your account open for $12.95 per month, $9.99 per month paid every six months, or $8.32 per month paid annually. Atlas and other cheap VPNs offer significantly more affordable subscriptions, but ExpressVPN is the best choice if you’re looking for as many servers as possible.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Over 3,000 servers in 94 countries
- Applications for almost any device you can think of
Cons
- Starts at $8.32 per month after 30-day money-back guarantee
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- One-month: $12.95
- Six months: $9.99
- 15 months: $6.67
- Free Trial/DemoNot provided
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- Free plan comes with 500 MB of data per day
- Family plans for $19.99 per month/$11.99 per month paid annually
Hotspot Shield is also well-known for its support for streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus. One difference with other privacy-focused VPNs is that Hotspot Shield’s privacy policy includes references to some logging, which may turn some users away. The platform was also publicly accused of violating its privacy policy in 2017, and it has never undergone an independent audit or taken other meaningful steps to address the allegations.
The free Hotspot Shield tier comes with one device, one location, and 500 MB of daily data. Individual paid accounts are available for $12.99 per month, or $7.99 per month if you pay for a year at a time. All plans come with a password manager plus antivirus software and a spam call blocker, and you can also get a family plan with five accounts for $19.99 per month or $11.99 per month paid annually.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- Free plan comes with 500 MB of data per day
- Family plans for $19.99 per month/$11.99 per month paid annually
Cons
- Some privacy concerns
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- Free for Basic
- $7.99/month for Premium
- Free Trial/DemoNot provided
- Works with Xbox, Linux, browsers, routers, and more
- Just $59 for two years of VPN access and 2 TB of encrypted cloud storage
- 30-day money-back guarantee
While Ivacy’s blog contains a post claiming to announce the release of a free “Ivacy Lite” option, that article came out in 2018 and there is currently no information on the website about any free access. However, you’ll likely have to pay a monthly, annual, or biennial fee to use the service. We were surprised to find this service openly advertised on its blog and yet missing from the rest of the website.
Ivacy costs $9.95 per month when you pay for individual months, but that goes all the way down to $3.66 per month for a full year. Two-year subscriptions are available for a one-time payment of $59, which works out to just $2.45 per month. These plans also currently come with 2 TB of encrypted cloud storage, making it one of the better deals on this list for users who are looking for storage in the cloud.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Works with Xbox, Linux, browsers, routers, and more
- Just $59 for two years of VPN access and 2 TB of encrypted cloud storage
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Unclear messaging about Ivacy Lite
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- 2 Years: $2.45/month
- 1 Year: $3.66/month
- 1 Month: $9.95/month
- Free Trial/DemoFree version available
- Excellent customer support
- Just $2.50 per month paid annually
- Decent free plan with 200 MB of daily activity
While Kaspersky’s VPN comes with its own branding and customer service, it’s worth noting that it’s powered by Hotspot Shield — as the Kaspersky website notes, the “Kaspersky VPN uses Hotspot Shield technologies.” Meanwhile, we would expect its VPN to offer similar performance to Hotspot Shield itself. Since there’s no difference in the servers themselves, you’re mostly paying for access to Kaspersky’s support team instead of Hotspot Shield’s team.
The free tier of Kaspersky Secure Connection is limited, with just 200 MB of traffic per day and no control over the server you connect to. Users can upgrade to a paid subscription for $4.99 per month, or $29.99 per year when paid annually, which is essentially a 50% discount. These plans come with simultaneous access on up to five devices.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Excellent customer support
- Just $2.50 per month paid annually
- Decent free plan with 200 MB of daily activity
Cons
- Essentially a licensed version of the Hotspot Shield VPN
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- Pro: $20.74/month
- Free Trial/DemoFree version available
- No bandwidth limits on free plan
- Paid access from $48 per year ($4 per month)
- Apps for Linux, Chromebook, Android TV, and other devices
ProtonVPN has always had a limited command-line tool for Linux, but its new Linux desktop application makes the service more accessible than ever for Linux users. It also released clients for Chromebooks and Android TV near the end of 2020, making ProtonVPN one of the most versatile providers when it comes to access on different devices.
The three main limitations of the ProtonVPN free tier are servers, simultaneous connections, and internet speeds. The Basic tier comes with more than 350 servers plus a second connection, higher speeds, an ad blocker, and peer-to-peer (P2P)/BitTorrent support for $4 per month paid annually. Plus adds access to all 1,200-plus of ProtonVPN’s servers along with up to 10 connections, up to 10 Gbps speeds, and support for Secure Core, TOR connections, and streaming services.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- No bandwidth limits on free plan
- Paid access from $48 per year ($4 per month)
- Apps for Linux, Chromebook, Android TV, and other devices
Cons
- Free tier comes with one connection, 23 servers, and speed caps
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- Free version available
- $4/month for Basic
- $8/month for Plus
- $24/month for Visionary
- Free Trial/Demo7-Days Trial
- Seven-day free trial plus 30-day money-back guarantee on Android, iOS, and macOS
- Add on antivirus, identity protection, and private searching for $1.49 per month
- Whitelist specific websites to avoid routing activity through the VPN
Users can also bundle the VPN with Surfshark One, a broader cybersecurity service that comes with identity protection and private internet searching. The Surfshark team also introduced antivirus software into the Surfshark One package in August 2021 to make it a more comprehensive solution for internet users. Surfshark One can be added onto any Surfshark VPN subscription during checkout for just $1.49 per month.
The VPN itself costs $12.95 per month when you pay monthly, or $6.49 per month when you pay every six months. Annual plans are available for a lower rate of $4.98 per month, and new customers can also get two years for the price of one when they open their first subscription. Every Surfshark subscription option comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Seven-day free trial plus 30-day money-back guarantee on Android, iOS, and macOS
- Add on antivirus, identity protection, and private searching for $1.49 per month
- Whitelist specific websites to avoid routing activity through the VPN
Cons
- Starts at $4.98 per month for annual plans after the introductory offer
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- One-month: $11.95
- 24-month plan: $1.99/month
- 12-month plan: $5.99/month
- Free Trial/Demo30-Day Free Trial
- Annual security audits
- Servers in several South American countries
- Delete account data at any time
TunnelBear currently offers servers in a total of 41 countries — far more than some of the alternatives, but still well short of top competitors like ExpressVPN (94) and Hotspot Shield (more than 70). Like ProtonVPN, most of TunnelBear’s servers are concentrated in Europe and North America, but there are a surprising number of options in South America including Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.
In contrast to ProtonVPN, TunnelBear limits free users by total bandwidth rather than by speeds or server access. You’ll only be able to use the service for up to 500 MB of monthly data, making it more suitable for testing or extremely light usage rather than anything consistent. Unlimited plans are available for $9.99 per month, $5 per month paid annually, or $3.33 per month paid every three years.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Annual security audits
- Servers in several South American countries
- Delete account data at any time
Cons
- Free plan limited to 500 MB per month
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- Free for limited usage (500mb of secure browsing)
- Unlimited: $3.33/month
- Teams: $5.75/user/month
- Free Trial/DemoNot provided
- Build your own plan for $1 per location per month
- No speed caps on free plan
- Split-tunneling, port forwarding, and multihop connections
While ProtonVPN stands out for offering unlimited data, it also restricts connection speeds for free users, so Windscribe may offer the better free option for those who would rather deal with a limit on bandwidth instead of connection speed. Windscribe also offers helpful features like split-tunneling and port forwarding along with multihop connections, enabling users to send their activity through two different VPN servers instead of one. You can also use the platform to appear as if you’re browsing from the country in which your server is located.
Paid Windscribe plans are available for $9 per month or $49 per year, which works out to roughly $4.08 per month. It also offers a unique “build a plan” program in which each server location costs $1 per month. If you want access to three locations, for example, you’ll only have to pay $3 per month. While that might sound like a good deal on paper, it will significantly limit your connection choices — users on the regular Pro plan can switch between all of Windscribe’s servers.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Build your own plan for $1 per location per month
- No speed caps on free plan
- Split-tunneling, port forwarding, and multihop connections
Cons
- No live chat or phone support
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- Monthly plan: $9.00
- 1 year plan: $4.09/month
- Build a Plan: $1/location/month
- Free Trial/Demo1 Day Trial
- Just $1.87 per month when paid biennially
- Get around streaming service restrictions
- Supports BlackBerry devices
Additionally, ZoogVPN offers 24/7 support through chat, phone, and email, giving customers more options than most other VPNs. It has also received high marks for its performance on various streaming services. While many providers struggle with the blocks these platforms place on VPN connections, PCMag and other publications and users report reliable performance on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and other streaming services through ZoogVPN servers around the world.
ZoogVPN also provides one of the better free options we’ve seen. Free users are limited to three server locations, a single device, and 10 GB of monthly data, but they can still take advantage of most of the platform’s features. Paid plans start at $9.99 when you pay monthly, but you can get a full year at the much lower price of just $2.99 per month. Biennial subscriptions come with an even greater discount, going all the way down to $1.87 per month. Overall, ZoogVPN is one of the top free and low-cost VPNs on the market.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Just $1.87 per month when paid biennially
- Get around streaming service restrictions
- Supports BlackBerry devices
Cons
- Servers in just 26 countries
What Customers Are Saying
Summary
- Starting Price
- 2 Years: $1.87/month
- 1 Year: $2.99/month
- 1 Month: $9.99/month
- Free Trial/DemoFree version available
How We Chose the Best Free VPNs
Looking for a free VPN is a confusing process. There are some reputable providers out there, but free VPNs often come with a catch — for example, your VPN might sell your activity data to third parties. Privacy is one of the main reasons to use a VPN in the first place, so having your data exposed largely defeats the purpose of getting one.
To help you find the right free VPN, we focused on a few critical factors. While we were able to identify certain strengths and weaknesses of each VPN on this list, the best option for you depends on what you need and what you’re willing to sacrifice.
How They Make Their Money
Naturally, the first thing we had an eye out for is how each of the providers on this list make their money. If they’re not getting it from you, they’re getting it from somewhere else. The best providers are generally upfront about what they do rather than trying to hide their practices.
The most common way that reputable VPNs offer free services is by having paid subscribers subsidize the cost. This is essentially a strategy for lead generation — in other words, having the opportunity to convert free users into paying members is worth the cost of keeping them active. We’ve noted other business models where applicable to help you understand what you might be getting into.
Limitations
Free VPNs typically come with certain restrictions. Some of the most common limitations include bandwidth limits, speed caps, and access to a smaller range of servers. Some providers offer a limited-time free trial with all of the features that are available with the premium service.
If you only need a VPN for a few tasks each month, bandwidth limits might not be a problem. On the other hand, you might prefer a free VPN with speed caps and no bandwidth limits if you use a lot of data on basic web browsing and other low-impact activities.
Security
Most people want a VPN to stay safe online, but that only makes sense if you trust your provider. Fortunately, some VPNs are taking steps toward transparency by voluntarily undergoing third-party audits of their logging practices or even of their entire code.
While promises of “no-logging policies” are easy to find in VPN marketing copy, they don’t mean anything unless they’ve been verified. We’ve highlighted providers who were willing to have their claims be tested by an independent security expert. We’ve also touched on other relevant security features such as kill switches, anonymous payment options, and 256-bit encryption.
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