Best Free VPN

Introduction

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are used by internet users for quite different tasks. Free VPN services are quite appropriate for some of those tasks and less appropriate for others as most free VPNs have a limited monthly data allowance, limited download speeds and other restrictions. That's because the operators of these free services want to encourage you to upgrade to their paid VPN service.

An example of an appropriate task for a free VPN is connecting to a public wi-fi network in order to improve your internet connection privacy and security. Another would be while travelling overseas where the use of a VPN can not only improve general online security but also allow access to sites like Google and Facebook that might be blocked by foreign government firewalls.

A less appropriate use would include watching streaming media services such as HBO, Netflix and major sporting events that are restricted to users from particular countries. Here the bandwidth limitation and/or data allowance of most free services would be a severe limitation. Some free VPNs actually ban access to streaming video sites.

A totally inappropriate use of a free VPN would be for users such as journalists and whistle-blowers who require maximum anonymity. Free VPNs can provide a degree of anonymity but nowhere as much as VPN services that specialize in providing anonymity. Happily most average users don’t have such demanding anonymity needs.

BitTorrent users face a particular problem with free VPNs as most ban BitTorrent altogether, including the three top rated programs listed in our reviews below. And even for services where it is allowed, heavy BitTorrent users are likely to face issues with data allowance limits.

So in the end it’s another case of different strokes for different folks. Some will a find a free VPN service entirely adequate for the needs while others will find the opposite.

Whatever, our advice is to try a free VPN before you subscribe to a premium service. Even with the limitations imposed on most free services you may still find such services entirely adequate for your needs.

A word of caution though: In preparing these reviews we were surprised at the number of free VPNs on the market, many of which we had never heard of. While that is no issue in itself, it does raise the question of who exactly you are dealing with when you utilize a VPN service.

When you use a VPN you are routing all your personal internet traffic through the servers belong to the company that operates the VPN service. It is appropriate for users to question the background of that company.

Unfortunately getting an answer to that question is not straightforward as many of the VPN services are located in remote countries and are not particularly up-front in discussing their company and its background. This is a perfectly understandable approach as it is in the interest of their customers to reveal as little information as possible to hostile governments, copyright vigilantes, cyber-criminals and others who want to know more about VPN users.

Understandable or not it makes it difficult for us to establish the bona fides of many of these less well known VPN providers. So in these reviews we have chosen to limit our recommendations to established services from companies that have been around for a while. This is not to suggest there aren’t other good free VPN suppliers but when it comes to the security of your personal data, a conservative approach is the correct policy.

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Rated Products

TunnelBear VPN - Free version

If you only want to use a VPN to protect public wi-fi connections or for casual use when travelling, this is a great choice.

Our Rating:

Gizmo's Freeware editor award for the best product in its class!

License: Free

Exceptionally easy to install and use, Uses same server network as paid version except Australia, No speed limits, Reasonable network speed, Minimal logging, Strong 256bit encryption using OpenVPN, No ads, Clients available for Windows, OS X, iOS and Android.

BitTorrent not allowed, Monthly data limit of 500MB, No servers in Australia, VPN Protocol cannot be changed.

Read full review...

CyberGhost VPN - Free Version

Offers both free and paid services, and the free service with no fixed data allowance limit and no deliberate throttling of download speed.

Our Rating:

License: Free (Limited features)

Fast network speed for a free service; No monthly data limits; Large number of servers; Secure 256 bit encryption over OpenVPN; No logging; Clients for Windows, OS X and Android.

No BitTorrent allowed; Disconnects after 3 hours so you must reconnect; Have to queue for access to free servers; Free servers limited to 15 countries; No servers in Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore and 11 other countries; Ads for CyberGhost Premium shown every 90 minutes; No free service for iOS.

Read full review...

SurfEasy VPN

A Canadian based VPN service owned by Opera Software providing both a free and paid service, with the free service data capped to 500MB per month.

Our Rating:

License: Free (Limited features)

Owned by a reputable company - Opera Software; Free service has access to all servers; Can be used on 5 devices simultaneously; OpenVPN connection with 128 bit encryption; Minimal logging; Clients for Windows, OS X, iOS and Android; Works with Windows XP.

BitTorrent not supported; 500MB monthly data limit; Networks speeds not that fast; Free service lacks browser anti-tracking feature found in paid service.

Read full review...

Hotspot Shield VPN

Perhaps the best known free VPN service based in the USA but their free offering is feature limited and ad supported.

Our Rating:

License: Free (Limited features)

Desktop versions have a reasonably generous 750MB data limit every 24 hours (mobile 250MB); Secure 256 bit encryption over OpenVPN; Easy to use clients for Windows, OS X, iOS and Android.

Free service only has access to US servers; Intrusive advertising injected into your browser; Privacy policy is very open ended and thus quite worrying; No access to Netflix, Hulu and some other video streaming sites; The slowest network speed of any of the free VPNs we tested.

Read full review...

Editor

This category is maintained by volunteer editor gizmo.richards. Registered members can contact the editor with comments or suggestions by clicking here.

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Comments

FYI, the ProtonMail folks have got into the VPN biz.
No idea how good it is.
https://protonvpn.com/
https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/20/protonmail-releases-free-vpn-to-public/

Thanks for the information. Seems quite good, and trustworthy, as their ProtonMail is already excellent.

Their is already a waiting list to register for their free version.

Why no mention of Opera browser with built in VPN. It's very easy to use, reliable, reasonably fast and seems to have no data limit. I've been using it since Opera released it and have never had a problem. I wouldn't use it for any online financial transactions but for anything else it's fine. Just wish other browsers (I prefer Firefox) would emulate Opera.

I subscribed to a paid service for a month but couldn't see any benefit from it over what Opera provides, so I didn't renew my subscription.

Much as I am an advocate of "free" PC content I have to say that in the case of VPN's you will be better off, safer and more secure by researching and choosing the paid ones.

VPNBook is an Editor's Choice at PC Magazine. Does anyone have further information on it?

VPNbook was actually on my shortlist for review but I dropped it after reading a damning post from the "Anonymous" hacktivist group. To quote "‘Logs from vpnbook.com and voxility.com have appeared in the court discoveries and indictments of some Anons facing prosecution for their involvement in #Anonymous activities. Do not use these services..." Now I have no brief for the Anonymous group but I have confirmed their claim is factually correct. This means that VPNbook logs personally identifying information. That ruled them out for these reviews.

Thanks for your reply. However, I'd like to follow up with a question which I intend to be respectful, not argumentative.

My interest in VPNs is to protect myself or my wife when connecting to the internet at a coffee shop, which you note as an appropriate use of a free VPN. For this use, how would it be a problem that a VPN is willing and able to turn over privately-identifiable information in a legal case?

You point out that a free VPN is inappropriate for journalists and whistle-blowers because of a lower level of anonymity. So why would VPNBook not be appropriate for the Free VPN category -- able to protect normal users at coffee shops, but not others who require absolute anonymity?

ZenMate for Google Chrome & Firefox...also free...https://zenmate.com/

I looked at ZenMate but decided not to review it as the server network for the free service is quite small - only 4 countries from memory. This could explain a number of user comments I read that complained about the network speed of the free service.That aside they have a few things going for them: German based, zero logging and clients for all major platforms. Most importantly they make their money by offering a premium service and that is a good thing. Much better to use a free VPN service with a clear commercial objective than one that appears to have none. In the latter case you have every reason to be suspicious as it costs serious money to run a VPN network. As the old saying goes "If a product is free then it is probable you are the product."

Do installed VPN's encryption cover all network traffic, and would that matter?

As a generalisation most VPNs do encrypt all network traffic from the PC on which the VPN client is installed. Traffic from other PC's on the network will normally be unencrypted. At a more detailed level the issue is more complex as there are a number of areas of potential leakage on the host PC as well as some options for encrypting all network traffic such as using a router based VPN. What this means is you should not take your security and anonymity for granted just by simply installing a VPN, particularly a free VPN from an unknown developer.

Is there any free VPN,which we can use on DD-WRT routers?

DD-WRT is Open Source Linux based firmware that is used to replace the firmware that is installed on commercial routers. Additionally you can purchase a router with DD-WRT firmware built-in. In fact some VPN companies sell DD-WRT routers pre-configured for connection to their service which is not a bad option as configuring a DD-WRT router for a particular VPN is not for the faint hearted. Now to answer your question. CyberGhost has a DD-WRT setup guide on their site at https://support.cyberghostvpn.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/667/184/how-to-configure-openvpn-for-flashed-dd-wrt-routers and TunnelBear has a Linux installation guide which should allow you to work through a DD-WRT installation https://www.tunnelbear.com/updates/linux_support/ I've not tested whether this works with their free service but from the documentation it looks like it should.

Personally I'd like to see everyone boycott the websites that enforce geo-restrictions. Good point by cressan regarding anonymity. Just because your told your invisible doesn't necessarily make it so.

Have you looked at VPN Gate? http://www.vpngate.net/en/

VPNGate is an experimental free VPN network created by the University of Tsukuba in Japan. It is an interesting project that utilises a large worldwide network of servers provided by volunteers. As a result network speed is incredibly variable. Apparently speeds in Asia are usable but when I tested it it ran even slower than Tor. I'm also not entirely happy about sending my traffic through servers hosted by volunteers.

The proliferation of VPNs is natural, given the paranoia generated by the press about privacy. Unfortunately, there is no way of verifying any VPN's authenticity, free or otherwise. And what about MS diagnostics, which has the potential to make encryption a moot point anyway.

So I use a password manager (LastPass) for login security. They have their own encryption, as do my financial institutions. If you use a VPN you are effectively double tunnelled.

The best use for a VPN is securing your portable when using public connections. This raises two questions on checking VPN effectiveness.

I use the Zenmate Firefox and Chrome addon on Laptops I set up. I use it because It is easy for the inexperienced to use, doesn't have ads or caps, and doesn't require an install (works with Linux).

I test by using OpenDNS with a filter set. OpenDNS without Zenmate should flag the filtered site. OpenDNS with Zenmate should not.
My 1st question, is that the best way to check for man in the middle vulnerability?

I also test for Flash leakage (many sites still use Flash) with Cloakfish.com, which will reveal a Flash leaked IP. My router is where my OpenDNS address resides, so the laptop IP is issued by the router (192.168.1.xx). The OpenDNS WAN issued IP is for the router, not the laptop.

My 2nd question is, with Flash turned on, Cloakfish.com reveals the Flash leaked IP as the router IP. How does the Flash plug-in know what the router IP is? (The Ipconfig command shows the laptop to router LAN IP as192.168.1.xx.)

Thanks

Andy

I have an answer to my 2nd question. The problem with a browser addon VPN is the tunnel only applies to the browser initiated ports. Flash sends info on unencrypted port or ports outside the browser's control, and the receiver of that data sees the router IP and returns it to the Flash plug-in.
This raises a question. Do installed VPN's encryption cover all network traffic, and would that matter? I think this is important and will raise it as a separate question.

Very useful for these days but why TOR software is not listed..?

Tor is an excellent product but is in a different product category than VPNs. See our review of Tor and similar services such as JonDo: http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anonymous-surfing-service.htm

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