Introduction to Free VPNs
Millions of netizens use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to surf anonymously and ensure privacy. As with all providers, there are good and bad ones; the bad ones don’t take your privacy seriously. Speaking of bad ones, the ones that don’t charge end up costing the most. Everyone loves free stuff which is why most of the leading VPN providers advertise themselves as Free VPNs. Anyways, whether it’s a mouth-watering complimentary dessert or a self-protecting software like antivirus, VPN, etc. freebies are generally subpar compared to premium or paid offers.
Always remember this:
“If You’re Not Paying, You’re the Product”
Why Experts Prohibit Downloading Free VPNs?
In the past 3 years, 67% of enterprises globally experienced data breach, Garrett Bekker, the author of the 2018 Thales Data Threat Report said; “Clearly what we are doing for decades is not working, the question which boggles in the minds of business and IT leaders is; what will stop these breaches?”
In his research report, he states that strong encryption is the ultimate solution. Encryption secures data to meet privacy regulations. Question is, does these VPNs provide strong encryption protocols? No, and they don’t even claim to offer one.
How Free VPNs Use Your Connection?
It is critically important to dig into some of the specs of Free VPN service before you plan to use. Although it doesn’t sound harmful at first glance, it is, and you’re not aware of it.
You must be familiar with the name “Hola Unblocker,” in the recent past, it was caught selling users bandwidth for malicious Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks. This controversy serves as a reminder that a Free VPN Download can come easy on your pocket but is often at your risk.
Free VPN Are Selling Your Data – Is it True or a Myth?
It is of no surprise that Free VPNs are not reliable. However, what's astonishing is that popular VPNs available for free save data of their users despite repeatedly claiming that they don’t.
You must be thinking that what is the use of my online data or search history? Well at first it looks like it doesn’t have any credence, but later you’ll realize how vital this data is. You must have come across different ads on the internet when using Free VPN service right? Those ads and the CTAs (Call-to-Action) are the results of what you search online. It depicts your likes and dislikes and interest in a particular category.
It is true that VPNs are selling your collected data and VPNs that require no sign-up or credit card detail lead that list.
Is there any such thing like a “Best Free VPN?”
Don’t worry! Not all free services are highly precarious. Some still not counted as the red-liners. Fortunately, there are a handful of zero-cost VPNs; compiling a list of the top free VPNs (no particular order followed) based on our experts’ opinion, customer reviews and ratings, features, OS, and more.
But Wait – Do You Know?
The usage of VPN has exponentially increased, and according to a report published by Forbes, the VPN market had reportedly collected $15 billion in revenue back in 2016. Another story by Go-Globe reported that the VPN market is expected to reach a whopping $35.37 billion by the end of 2022.
Now, ask yourself, in this market where money is the main driving factor; do you still think, there can be any such thing as FREE. Who wouldn't want to fill their buckets with money?
According to the same research following stats were reported:
- 25% of people have used a VPN at least one time within 30 days.
- 50% users installed VPN to access the blocked content
- 34% users installed VPN to access social media
- 31% users needs a VPN for Anonymity
- 30% users need a VPN to access internet at workplace/educational institute
- 18% used a VPN to hide their IP from government
In light of the above statistics, we can get a clear idea of how many of these VPN users can be a freebie. How? Let’s get into the details:
Free VPN comes with limitations, either it offers less number of servers or bandwidth. In both cases, a free VPN is not a long term choice for streamers and torrents. Apart from this kind of users, all other users can be achieved with a simple no-cost VPN service.
As per the research, 67% of internet users go with a freemium account. And, based on this fact, many premium users shifted to the freemium module or a Free trial.
That’s all for the statistical analysis; let’s move on to our article.
The Free VPNs listed here offer restricted free versions, some limit the bandwidth for a certain period, some limit the number of devices to connect simultaneously, some restrict the servers (can’t jump or a server in particular), or else.
Not all free VPNs are risky to use; well-known names operate some. Though they can’t match the service offered by paid one; however, consider the following, before connecting to any freebie.
- Find out how the intended VPN makes money (refer to the non-monetary aims.)
- Ask yourself why you need the VPN service – unblock websites, a free VPN is okay, but if you’re worried about security and privacy, you should better upgrade to their paid subscription or go for a premium VPN provider.
- Performance is an important factor, especially when finding a freebie. Performance can be measured via speed throttling, servers’ limitations, bandwidth control, servers’ availability and other complementary yet essential features.
- How long do you need a VPN for? Many VPN providers offer free trials for 30 days so you can essentially use and cancel without any cost.
Paying for a VPN subscription unlocks all features; you’ll get all the servers’ locations, more simultaneous connections, unlimited bandwidth and speed, added security features, multiple protocols, larger servers’ network, and everything to keep your digital footprints anonymous.
Even some free VPNs throw in extra features at their paid tiers, so, to get the most out of a VPN, forking over some bucks.
Most people confuse between Free VPN and Free VPN trial. Let’s clear that confusion first:
Difference between Free VPN and VPN Trial
A free VPN is something that works for a particular period or restricts you to a specific data limit. You don’t need to provide an email or credit card details for no-cost VPN it is easy to go. Meanwhile, a VPN free trial is offered by a popular VPN service provider which provides a feature-packed service for a limited time only. This VPN trial demands credit card details to charge after your trial expires.
Free VPNs have a limited number of servers whereas, VPNs with a Free trial period offer many servers to surf through. Lastly, VPN you use on a trial period offer secure encryption protocols; they range from OpenVPN which uses SSL encryption, L2TP and IPSec. With all these Encryptions combined your online activity becomes private and secure.
Whereas with these VPNs security protocols are a bit shady, it only provides only one kind of encryption which is Point-to-Point Tunneling (PPTP). This encryption is supported by most of the computers but is considered no longer secure.
Using a version of a Free VPN is better than using none.
Set Up a Free VPN Now!
- Go to the website of a VPN and click through
- Subscribe and download the VPN client for your desired platform
- Install the VPN
- Run the VPN app and select the preferred protocol
- Choose the server location that you like to connect
- Done! Your location has spoofed already.
Although the steps to download a VPN is universal across a range of devices, but it’s nearly impossible for any VPN to be a good and as well as a foul weather friend of all the operating systems; the friendliness of a VPN varies with devices.
Best free VPN for Windows
Our charm for Windows is undeniable; we always prefer larger screens for playing games and streaming favorite content, here comes the real deal, once you connect to the internet, you will start exposing in the virtual world. So, to avoid the dangers of getting snipped, VPN software is a must. Employing a free VPN is far better than Proxy software. A free VPN for PC helps you with remote access of folders and file-sharing, letting you securely connect to various locations.
Recommended free VPNs for Windows are;
Best Free VPN for Android
Our smartphones have more stuff than our lockers, so the idea of protecting these devices is super cool; some devices are more susceptible and vulnerable to threats and scams, Android being the most threatening. Since Android is the most favorite and easy-to-go target for hackers, so it’s better to keep your devices protected with the best Android VPN. If you’re short on a budget this month and want your device to be protected, opt any of the free Android VPN given below; they are the best!
Best Free VPN for iOS (iPhone and iPad)
Apple iPhone is widely regarded as a secured stable device, but with the increasing threat of security breaches and hacking, even iOS needs a trusted VPN for Free. Since Apple has strict privacy and security criteria than android; thus, VPNs that work on iOS devices are regarded as more reliable than others. Here’s a list of VPNs which iPhone and iPad users can benefit from.
Best Free VPNs for Mac
Let’s be straightforward: we don’t want anyone to see what we’re doing on the Internet – get around government firewalls for censored information, looking at adult websites, using torrents and don’t want letters from Internet Service provider when we do.
Although Android is highly susceptible that doesn’t mean Mac is the exception, anyways get your Mac protected with one of the best free Mac VPN given as follows;
Best Free VPN for Kodi
When we look for a VPN for Kodi, we are concerned more than just avoiding detection while accessing illegal addons. Since Kodi is remotely hackable, and addons are also riddled with security flaws. Whether you want to add legal streams, access illegal content, use the approved addons, or merely want to make your Kodi more secure from the keylogger and man-in-the-middle attacks.
Even subtitle files can hack your device!
And one more thing, Kodi isn’t anonymous, means your online activity is under accurate observation (a hacker or a government agency.) A VPN with Kodi will anonymize your online activity while encrypting all data leaving Kodi. Have a list of best free Kodi VPN;
No matter whether you’re using a smartphone, or Raspberry Pi or a PC; all these VPNs can be installed.
Best Free VPNs for Chrome
The most widely-used browser that we all use often is Google Chrome; wider the reach, more the susceptibility; Google marked all non-HTTPS websites non-secure. Other attacks that a Chrome user experience are resources theft, identity theft, system damage through the arbitrary code, phishing, locked out of accounts, denial-of-service, and so many other hacking attempts.
So, get yourself protected without investing a single penny; these free VPNs for Chrome will offer the desirable protection (only the premium ones will provide the optimum.)
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Zenmate. (Free version with unlimited data available as a browser extension.)
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Best Free VPNs For Firestick
Amazon Firestick is an excellent plug-and-play gadget that offers impressive streaming experience; through the Firestick offers you streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, but depending on your geo-location. However, with the use of a free VPN for Firestick, you can breakthrough the geolocation restrictions.
Find the most-suitable VPN for your Firestick from the given list.
Best Free VPNs For Torrenting
It’s highly possible that the given data by a VPN might not be sufficient enough to download anything; with such a speed limited or location limited VPN, you can never finish your desired downloads and can’t be protected entirely!
So, forget every other VPN and consider these; they are some of the best VPN Firestick.
You must’ve witnessed our slight biases towards free VPNs throughout our guide, honestly speaking, that was justified; your privacy is not the old dress that you can easily share with others or some bucks that you lost in the robbery. So, to validate our biases empirically, we have a clear comparison between free and paid VPNs.
Free vs. Paid VPN – The Final Call Will Be Yours!
All the free VPNs listed in this round-up come with our approval. The best free VPN can’t afford premium options: server options, top-tier speeds, and extra features.
We don’t hesitate in recommending a good free VPN for casual browsers and newbies, if you want a complete VPN experience, then our guide of the Best VPNs in the UK will be of great help.
Unfortunately, free VPNs are usually restricted in one way or another; no matter how quickly the market for free VPN is rising, your online privacy is still at stake. Practically speaking, anything which is free always end up in more disasters than the absence of it, but even you can give any of the best free VPNs, a try but with precautionary efforts.
Speed, data limits and location are the primary restrictions imposed by free service providers, limiting the usage and practicality of the VPN; the threat of selling your data is still there, you can’t escape that.
Think again!
Conclusion and Recommendation for Free VPNs
There are plenty of variations in Free VPNs, so it is a good idea to read our further reviews about some and then plan to use;
Free VPN is best for:
Free VPNs come in handy in crucial times; it can help;
- Students to bypass school firewall.
- Streamers to watch an episode or movies.
- Sports fans to catch a one-day match.
- Travelers for accessing geo-restricted Social Media.
- Money savers to book a flight or a hotel room.
Free VPN is worst for:
Though there are many pros of using a free VPN download, we can’t overlook some of the cons which are thoroughly mentioned above. Free VPNs are not for;
- Privacy Seekers.
- Business Professionals.
- Activist/Journalists.
- Torrenters.
- Online shoppers (risks financial details)
Regardless of your choice, it is essential to understand that a VPN is a simple way to access the obstructive side of the internet anonymously.
Final Word:
Want military-grade protection with empty pockets? There is good news! With one of the best yet paid VPN – ExpressVPN, you can try their service for free for 30 days. Then simply just cancel within the given time to avail their money-back guarantee. If you want a VPN again in the future, then just repeat the process. Yes it may be a little sneaky but it does work as Express always honour their guarantee. Isn't this just cool if you want to use a VPN for a short period?