Given the rise of privacy breaches globally, virtual private networks or VPNs have become a must-have for all. This applies to both regular internet users as well as cybersecurity and IT professionals.
Some reputable VPN service providers have your back by offering trials, specifically free trials. That means you can simply try their services and pick the best VPN with a free trial that best fits your requirements. The entire process remains risk-free. Hence, you don’t have to worry about your money.
Wondering where can you find such VPNs?
In this extensive guide, we have handpicked the best VPNs with free trials for you to try in 2024. You can test any or all of them to find the VPN that serves your purposes the best.
Quick look – Best VPN with a free trial
VPN provider | No. of servers and locations | Subscription costs per month | Trial policy | Devices supported |
---|---|---|---|---|
NordVPN | 5,000+ servers in 60 countries | $3.99 – $11.95 | 30-day paid trial with a money-back guarantee | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, Chromebook, Chromecast, Fire TV, Raspberry Pi, game consoles, routers, browser extensions |
Private Internet Access (PIA) | Thousands of servers across 84 countries | $2.69 – $9.95 | 7-day free trial for mobile users (iOS and Android) 30-day money-back guarantee after subscription | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers, and browser extensions |
ExpressVPN | 3,000+ servers across 160 locations in 94 countries | $8.32 – $12.95 | 30-day paid trial with money-back guarantee | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chromebook, Amazon Fire devices, Smart TV, Chromecast, Roku, game consoles, Blackberry, routers, and browser extensions |
PrivateVPN | 200+ server locations in 63 countries | $2.50 – $9.99 | Free trial for 7 days (on request) 30-day paid trial with a money-back guarantee after subscription | Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, routers |
Surfshark | 3,200+ servers in 65 countries | $2.49 – $12.95 | 7-day free trial for mobile users only (iOS and Android) 30-day paid trial with a money-back guarantee | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chromebook, Amazon Fire devices, Smart TV, Chromecast Roku, game consoles, Blackberry, routers, and browser extensions |
IPVanish | 2,000+ servers across 75 locations in 53 countries | $3.75 – $5.49 | 30-day money-back guarantee on annual plans only | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Fire TV, ChromeOS, and routers |
VyprVPN | 700+ servers in 70+ countries | $1.67 – $6.47 | 30-day paid trial with a money-back guarantee | Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, Smart TV, routers, Blackberry, Blackphone, Synology NAS, QNAP, Anonabox |
HMA | 1100+ servers across 290+ locations in 210+ countries | $2.99 – $11.99 | 7-day free trial (with a credit card) 30-day trial with a money-back guarantee after subscription | Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, Smart TV, routers, Smart TVs, game consoles, and browser extensions |
Hotspot Shield | 1800+ servers across 115+ locations in 80+ countries | $6.88 – $19.99 | Free basic version 7-day free trial (with credit card details) 45-day trial with a money-back guarantee | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Smart TV, routers, browser extensions |
ZenMate | 4,200 servers in 80 countries | $1.64 – $10/99 | 7-day free trial (no credit card required) 30-day trial after subscription with a money-back guarantee | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, router (DD-WRT compatible – manual config), browser extensions |
CactusVPN | 36 servers in 11 countries | $3.95 – $9.99 | 3-day free trial (no credit card required) 30-day trial with a money-back guarantee after payments | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire, Android TV, routers, browser extensions |
SaferVPN | 1,300+ servers in 50 countries | $2.50 – $12.95 | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, routers, Chromecast, Smart TV, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, game consoles, browser extensions | 1-day free trial (no credit card required) 14-day money-back guarantee with the monthly plan, 45-day money-back guarantee with annual and biannual plans |
CyberGhost | 8,000+ servers in 90+ countries | $2.25 – $12.00 | As long as you like (no credit card required), a 3-day money-back guarantee | Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Amazon Firestick, Smart TV, Roku, gaming consoles, routers, and browser extensions |
Proton VPN | 1,700+ servers in 60+ countries | $3.99 – $9.99 | Unlimited free trial (no credit card required) 30-day money-back guarantee | Windows, macOS, Android, Android TV, iOS (e.g. iPhone, iPad), Apple TV, Chromebook, Chromecast |
Windscribe | 700+ servers in 62+ countries | $4.08 – $9 | As long as you like (no credit card required) 3-day money-back guarantee | Windows, macOS, Android, Android TV, iOS, Apple TV, |
What does a VPN free trial mean?
Before moving on to the best VPN free trials of today, let’s first make it clear what a VPN with a free trial is.
You’ll find two types of VPNs in the market – free VPNs and paid ones.
The free VPNs are easy to use since they appear to have the least monetary risks. (Although, they have other problems. We’ll talk about it in detail later.) That’s how they pull customers’ attention.
On the other hand, paid VPNs, including those offering affordable subscription plans, still cost you money. That too, (seemingly) for the same services as that of free VPNs. (At least, this is what a regular user perceives after looking at the two)
While paid VPNs are almost always better than free VPNs, you can’t judge them easily unless you risk your money to assess a paid VPN’s service. Thus, it’s pretty clear that the only obstacle for paid VPNs in gaining customers is their subscription fee.
To overcome this confusion, paid VPNs offer free (or free of cost) trials of their services to lure customers. Some of these include VPNs that offer no credit card free trial. It means you don’t have to make any payments or submit payment details to test their service.
Meanwhile, others offer a paid trial with a money-back guarantee. In other words, the trial generally remains free if you claim your money back. But you have to make upfront payments.
Since the trial offers for both these paid VPNs generally cost you nothing, they are generally considered as VPNs offering a free trial.
If you find a paid VPN offering no feature to test its service without money, then it isn’t a VPN having a free trial.
Things to consider when choosing the best VPN free trial
After going through the above lists of the best VPN-free trials and the worst choices, you may wonder what made us categorize the two.
Apparently, both types of VPNs are… VPN, of course, offers trials (whether free or paid), isn’t it?
No need to ponder over this anymore. Here we list all the factors that we considered while selecting the best and the worst VPN offering a free trial.
Though this isn’t a comprehensive list. You can certainly add more to it. Perhaps, when you sit down to actually test a VPN, you may come up with some more.
Duration offered for the VPN trial
A free trial would be worthless if it only lasts for a few hours. Of course, you cannot judge a VPN’s feasibility for you within a few hours of use. Also, given the vulnerability of the internet to slow down, ISP throttling, and other technical issues that may arise to ruin your schedule, you cannot thoroughly assess a VPN’s performance.
Therefore, the first thing that you should look for when selecting a VPN that offers a free trial is the duration.
Usually, the VPNs offering a no-credit card required free trial allow short-duration trials. These may last anywhere from 24 hours (1 day) to 7 days at maximum.
Obviously, you can’t evaluate a VPN’s performance within 24 hours only, can you? Ideally, if you go for free trial VPNs, then choose the one that offers the maximum duration of free trial so that you can test it thoroughly while performing all your activities such as video streaming, gaming, or even torrenting.
On the other hand, VPNs with paid trials and money-back guarantees offer a longer test duration. In most cases, it can last between 7 and 14 days. Many top-notch VPN brands offer a 30-day trial with a money-back guarantee. With a little more research, you can even find VPNs offering even longer trial durations, such as CyberGhost, which offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.
The only problem with these VPNs is that you need to vigilantly monitor the number of days that have passed for the trial phase. Since those VPNs already have your payment details, your subscription will renew automatically right after your free trial ends.
Therefore, you should apply for the money-back offer a bit earlier. For example, if you test a VPN with a free trial for 30 days and find it unsuitable for your activities, then make sure to apply for the money-back offer between the 25th and 28th day of your trial. This will give you more margin to become eligible for the refund whilst ruling out any possibilities that may invalidate your appeal.
Data allowed to use during the trial
Apart from the durations, some VPNs also limit the amount of data you can use within the permitted time.
For example, the free trial VPNs may offer a few MBs (such as 500MB) to a few GBs to test. In fact, some paid trial VPN services also limit this data that they frequently skip mentioning prominently.
In fact, this is the reason why we recommended reading the fine print earlier in this article. Since, as a customer, you won’t find this information, clearly, you won’t be able to manage your usage during the trial period. Eventually, when you appeal for a refund, you get to find out that you’re ineligible for the refund due to excessive data use.
Therefore, before testing a VPN with a free trial, make sure to find out about any bandwidth limitations during the trial phase. You can also contact the VPN’s customer support to seek this information.
Number of servers and locations offered
Often, the best VPNs boast a huge number of servers for their customers. (Maybe this is what they charge for.) Some VPNs even offer a few thousand servers with tens of locations globally.
But how would you know if these servers are worth using unless you check them out yourself?
Well, VPNs that offer free trial, particularly the VPNs that offer no credit card free trial, limit the number of servers and locations available to free users.
Though it’s understandable that VPN services cannot afford to open up all the servers for free users. Yet, such a limitation coupled with a short trial duration simply makes it impossible to assess a VPN’s performance.
At this point, VPNs with paid trials and money-back guarantees clearly win since they (often) do not limit the number of servers. You get the same speed and the same number of servers and locations that regular users receive.
Plus, since you get more time for trial usage, you get the liberty to evaluate the VPN’s performance and feasibility for you to the fullest.
Therefore, when choosing a VPN, make sure to double-check the number of servers and locations offered to you.
Customer support
VPN is a critical security tool that directly manages your online privacy. That’s the reason why we always mention customer support as a major parameter for VPN analysis.
The same remains true for using a VPN during the free trial period.
Certainly, using a VPN with a free trial doesn’t mean you are less important than a regular user. However, many VPNs offering a free trial doesn’t take this matter seriously and often restrict customer support to subscribers only.
That’s where such VPNs lose points, at least, for us.
Therefore, before you start using a VPN on the free trial, make sure that you’ll get adequate customer support during the testing phase, too, so that if you encounter any issue at any point, you can seek help from the support team.
Support for torrenting, streaming, and gaming
The most common reason why most people use VPNs is that they need to change their location to unblock streaming platforms like Netflix, or they want to protect their real identity while gaming or torrenting.
Despite being common, many VPNs often do not adequately support these activities. In most cases, VPNs lack the right infrastructure needed for these activities. Or even if they do arrange for it, they are unable to withstand the harsh VPN blocking practices employed by services like Netflix.
But how would you know about all this unless you test a VPN yourself?
Unfortunately, the VPNs offering free trials without upfront payment often lack the support for these activities during the trial phase. It means that if you choose VPN claims to unblock Netflix USA abroad, you can’t verify it unless you subscribe to the VPN. In this case, it’s a risk to your money.
However, this isn’t the case with VPNs offering trials after subscription.
Since you gain access to all VPN services the moment you subscribe, you can easily test this VPN for gaming, torrent downloads, and streaming activities. In fact, these VPNs are safer to test because if you find them failing to support torrenting or unblocking Netflix, you can have your money back.
Best VPN with a free trial – Our detailed analysis
1. NordVPN
The VPN knows its strengths, hence offering a 30-day no-risk trial with full VPN features, ensuring a no-questions money-back guarantee.
Pros
- Seamless unblocking of restricted content including streaming platforms
- Multiple servers from same location
- Super-fast speed
- Enhanced security with malware protection and adblocke
Cons
- Desktop apps are unimpressive
Indeed, the fast-speed connection and impressive features have made NordVPN one of the leading VPNs of today.
The service offers superior data encryption, stealth browsing, greater anonymity that escapes VPN detection, and hassle-free unblocking of restricted content, including streaming platforms.
Besides, the amazing security features that jazz up the functionality of NordVPN are sure to attract every privacy-savvy user. Some of these include split tunneling, obfuscated server technology, and double VPN.
Apart from these key features, NordVPN also brings to you an inclusive cybersecurity pack – the CyberSec. This security suite includes dedicated tools to protect you from phishing websites, DDoS attacks, and intrusive ads.
On top of everything, NordVPN is also a VPN with a free trial – thanks to its risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
It means you just have to sign-up for the service by choosing an appropriate subscription. Enjoy using the VPN to its fullest for 30 days without worrying about your money. If you find the VPN does not meet your requirements, just reach out to NordVPN customer support and ask for a refund. Within a few days, you’ll receive a 100% refund of your amount.
Nonetheless, if you wish to get acquainted with the VPN first without paying, try testing it on your Android device. For Android users, NordVPN offers a 7-day free trial via its app on Google Play.
While you still have to enter your payment details to start the trial, you won’t be charged before 7-days.
2. Private Interenet Access (PIA)
Besides offering a 30-day trial with a risk-free money-back guarantee, it also allows you to test the VPN entirely free for 7 days on your iOS or Android devices.
Pros
- WireGuard support
- Security add-ons such as adblocker and email breach alert
- Supports torrenting
- Affordable pricing plans
Cons
- Inconsistent speed
With PIA, you get a chance to test their service by taking advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee.
While that’s something common among all VPNs we have listed until this point, PIA gives you the liberty to subscribe to the app from whichever device you want. All you need is to register your account with the VPN and choose an appropriate payment method.
In the case you are subscribing to the app via mobile (iOS), then keep in mind that payments made through iTunes can only be refunded via the App Store (This might make getting a refund difficult). Though, Android users making payments via Google Pay can simply reach out to the VPN’s support team to ask for a refund.
However, to keep your money safe with a guaranteed refund policy, you may choose any other payment method such as cryptocurrency, PayPal, or even credit cards and more.
Or, you may simply test this VPN first on your phone (Android or iOS) by utilizing their 7-day free trial.
After your subscription, you get a whole month to test this VPN using all its features and see if that’s what you need. If you aren’t satisfied, simply send an email to the VPN support or reach out to them via the contact form. Share your order details with them and have your money back within 5-10 working days.
Wondering why you should try this VPN at all?
Well, PIA is also among the oldest players in the VPN market that achieved a credible stance for providing outstanding services. What you get with PIA VPN is superior security, cost-effective privacy, and the freedom to use VPN on all your devices at any time.
3. ExpressVPN
It offers the best risk-free trial to the new users for 30 days without limiting any features. Don’t like the VPN, have your money back – simple as that!
Pros
- Seamlessly unblocks all restricted content
- Unblocks streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more
- Fast speed servers
- Good for torrenting, gaming, and Tor as well
Cons
- Relatively costly
- Fewer simultaneous connections
After reading this name, you might wonder when ExpressVPN became free?
Well, the service isn’t free at all – not even for a few days.
However, ExpressVPN offers a trusted no-risk money-back guarantee for 30 days.
In simple words, it means that you just have to pay them upfront for the subscription. Then, your trial starts immediately, and you get a whole month to test the VPN with all its features.
If you find this VPN unsuitable for your requirements, simply ask for a refund on chat and your request will be processed immediately.
No questions, no arguments, no convincing. Just tell them why you need to quit, and they’ll refund you with no ill feelings.
The only thing you should keep in mind is to contact them by or before the 30-day window ends. You won’t get a refund once the trial ends and your subscription renews.
Certainly, when your money remains safe, and you even get it back after the trial, doesn’t it become free?
One thing that we need to mention for iOS users of this VPN is that if you have subscribed to ExpressVPN via iTunes, then the 30-day money-back guarantee won’t apply to the service in this case. Instead, users need to apply to the App Store for a refund by contacting Apple Support.
Though, to avoid the hassle, simply subscribe to the VPN for a trial via any other device you own. Once done, you can then download the VPN on all your devices (including iPhones) and test it accordingly.
Although, after using this amazing VPN, you won’t likely ask for a refund. Rather, you may consider a long-term subscription to the service.
Why?
Because ExpressVPN is one of the leading VPNs of today providing a highly secure and fast-speed VPN service. It has established a huge network with over 3000 servers placed globally. Thus, it offers you IP locations from 160 different locations across 94 countries.
Plus, the advanced security, robust encryption, fast speed connection, and superb no-logs policy make this VPN worth a try.
4. PrivateVPN
This modest VPN not only offers a 30-day trial with a money-back guarantee but also offers a 7-day entirely free trial without restricting any features.
Pros
- Unblocks all major streaming platforms
- Robust IP leak protection
- Remote control support
- Supports torrenting, gaming, and Tor
Cons
- Not strictly no-logs VPN
- Kill switch available for Windows users only
The next VPN that also offers premium services and is worth a trial is PrivateVPN.
Particularly, what makes PrivateVPN worth a trial is its 7-day free trial offer. Here, by “free”, it does mean free trial since they do not require any payments from you for it.
You can simply reach out to their support team and ask them for the gift code. After you receive the code and register to PrivateVPN, your 7-day trial will start immediately.
After the 7 days, if you are curious to test the VPN for some more days, simply subscribe to one of their pricing plans. Your money remains safe across all these plans for 30 days since the service offers a money-back guarantee.
Plus, PrivateVPN offers all these plans for very affordable costs. So, you don’t have to invest a fortune to test the service.
It means you get an overall duration of 37 days to test PrivateVPN – that too – with all of its features. It’s quite a long time to check a service’s feasibility. If you aren’t satisfied, just ask for a refund from them by sending an email to their support team.
Although, PrivateVPN offers impressive services to make you fall for it. Some noteworthy offers include superior data encryption, good network diversity, and tremendous ability to bypass geographical restrictions.
Moreover, with advanced features like ‘Stealth VPN” mode, you can even use this VPN in repressive regions like China.
5. Surfshark
Together with a no-risk money-back guarantee for 30-days, Surfshark also offers an entirely free 70-day trial for mobile and Mac users.
Pros
- Unblocks all major streaming platforms and blocked content
- Works great for torrenting and gaming
- Very affordable pricing plans
- Additional security features such as adblocking and phishing protection
Cons
- Free trial limited to mobile users only
- Distant servers demonstrate average speed only
The next impressive free trial VPN service on our list is Surfshark. Like ExpressVPN, Surfshark also provides top-notch services that will surely impress you.
Apart from the robust security, stealth browsing features, and user-friendly app design, the most lucrative feature with Surfshark is the bunch of security features that protect your privacy, such as an adblocker, malware protection, and email breach alert feature.
Also, Surfshark offers numerous unique VPN features such as double VPN, camouflage mode to evade detection, NoBorders mode to bypass all VPN blocks, app whitelisting, and much more.
Whether to wish to unblock Netflix or iPlayer or you want something to keep your torrenting anonymously without compromising on speed, Surfshark can handle them all.
And the biggest plus is, subscribing to Surfshark gives you 24/7 online security as it offers unlimited simultaneous connections.
But how would you test all of this?
Well, Surfshark offers a 7-day free trial!
But, there’s a catch!
This free trial is only available to Android and iOS users. That means you cannot thoroughly test it (though all VPN features are available to you) during this time.
However, you can still test this VPN on other devices by availing yourself of their 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee.
Don’t like the VPN, simply contact their customer support and have your money back.
6. IPVanish
This secure VPN provider also offers a 30-day no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. But make sure you subscribe to its yearly or 2-year plans to avail of the offer.
Pros
- Impressive speed
- Supports multiple device platforms
- Suitable for P2P and torrenting
- Affordable pricing
Cons
- Money-back guarantee applies to annual plan subscribers only
- No kill switch for iOS users
Another good VPN that you may test for personal use is IPVanish. Just like its names, it truly vanishes your IP address from the online world by masking it with its own.
The VPN has a modest network of 2000+ servers. Yet, it still manages to offer IP locations from 53 different countries.
Plus, it provides users with additional privacy features such as split tunneling and a kill switch. Also, it has a customizable ‘Scramble’ option to evade VPN detection.
If you wish to test all of these features yourself, feel free to subscribe to IPVanish by taking advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee.
Though you have to subscribe to the yearly plan for this, the money-back guarantee applies to annual plan subscribers only. Nonetheless, as far as they abide by their promise of a refund, your money remains safe. So, you get a whole month to evaluate this VPN’s usability for you.
7. VyprVPN
A modest yet secure VPN service allowing users to test the VPN risk-free for 30-days. It offers a money-back guarantee across all subscription plans.
Pros
- Very affordable pricing plans
- Unlocks all major streaming platforms and blocked content
- Supports multiple VPN protocols including WireGuard
- Customizable kill switch (app-level or system-level configuration)
Cons
- Kill switch for Windows and Mac only
- No China servers
VyprVPN isn’t precisely a free trial VPN provider. But its outstanding features coupled with top-notch security protocols make it a must-try.
In brief, VyprVPN, together with the common features of a VPN, offers added tools to protect customers’ security. One such innovation is the use of the Chameleon protocol which warrants security with fast-speed connectivity. It scrambles the traffic to evade VPN detection by deep packet inspection.
Plus, the VPN’s Smart IP feature keeps shuffling the IP addresses in the background, thus protecting you from possible IP bans.
That’s how it succeeds in providing an unrestricted browsing experience to its customers even in suppressive regions like Russia and China.
We also liked its customized setting for the kill switch. You can either activate it for certain apps. Or, you can turn it on for system-level protection for thorough security.
The best most enticing thing about VyprVPN is its tested and audited zero-logs policy for all platforms. No matter which device you install the VPN, it will never log any of your details.
Want to try this VPN? While you can’t test it without a credit card, you can certainly avail yourself of its 30-day money-back guarantee.
8. HMA (HideMyAss) VPN
Like any good VPN, HMA VPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. But it also facilitates users by offering a 7-day free trial initially.
Pros
- Blazing fast speed
- Unblocks most restricted content
- Compatible with multiple device platforms
- Highest number of locations offered
Cons
- Doesn’t support payment via cryptocurrency
- Relatively fewer number of servers
Formerly popular as HideMyAss, the VPN rebranded as HMA (whilst still carrying the original name) after Avast acquired it in 2016
Nonetheless, this rebranding didn’t really affect the popularity of this VPN which has existed since 2005. Rather it probably added to it, particularly after HMA transformed into a “no-logs” VPN in 2020. It means that, together with its exciting features and impressive performance, it has now gained another plus point for protecting users’ privacy.
It also offers a 7-day free trial. But you need to enter your payment details to start the trial. For these 7 days, you won’t be charged. But, if you forget to cancel your trial, your subscription will start automatically while charging the fee from the payment method you provided.
Still, it isn’t a problem because the VPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. It means you get another 30 days to test the VPN with the satisfaction that your money remains safe.
In all, you get 37 days to test HideMyAss VPN. In case HMA fails to impress you during all this time, feel free to apply for a refund.
For this, you should first apply for a refund by signing in to your VPN account and clicking on the “Cancel Subscription” option. Enter the details as required and also send an email to HMA support (as a reply to the email you initially received from HMA at the time of subscription) asking for a refund.
Any VPN with a free trial with no credit card required?
Yes.
While VPNs offering trials with money-back guarantees are always better since you get more time to test the VPN. However, you won’t be wrong to go for an entirely free VPN before risking your money.
So, here we list the VPNs that offer free trials without requiring your credit card details. Pay only when you are sure to subscribe to the VPN.
9. Hotspot Shield
This amazing VPN not only offers extended trial periods for 45-days with a money-back guarantee but also has an entirely free VPN app version – of course, with fewer features.
Pros
- Optimized servers for streaming and gaming
- Separate free version with basic functionality
- Compatible with multiple platforms including smart TVs and routers (paid plans)
- Antimalware protection, spam call blocker, and password manager with a Premium plan
Cons
- Limited data with the free version
- No kill-switch with the free version
Hotspot Shield doesn’t precisely offer a no-credit card trial. Rather it lets you use the service free of cost.
Basically, the VPN comes in a ‘freemium’ mode. That is, alongside a feature-rich premium mode, it also offers an entirely free version for customers.
With premium mode, you can buy the VPN subscription in three different pricing plans. The most feature-rich here is the ‘Premium’ plan that provides antivirus protection, phishing protection, spam call blocker, and password manager.
Whereas, the other paid plans offer all VPN-related features such as a kill switch, Smart VPN (split tunneling), unlimited data, dedicated streaming and gaming modes, 5 simultaneous connections, and support for multiple devices such as Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, and even Smart TVs and routers.
However, the free version lacks all of these features. Also, it caps daily data use to 500MB, with a slower connection speed. Besides, you can only use the free version on a single device with no support for Linux, smart TVs, and routers.
Therefore, if you wish to superficially test this VPN, only then you should go for the free version.
Otherwise, if you wish to test Hotspot Shield to its fullest, subscribe to a paid plan and test the VPN for free for 7 days.
In fact, Hotspot Shield is the best 7-day free trial since it also offers a 45-day risk-free money-back guarantee. That means you get 52-day of free testing of the VPN in all! (Isn’t it amazing?)
10. ZenMate
Together with its 30-day trial with a money-back guarantee, ZenMate offers a 7-day free trial as well as entirely free browser extensions for users to protect their browsing sessions.
Pros
- Free browser extension with 4 locations
- Good at bypassing geo-restrictions
- Unblocks major streaming platforms
- Easy to install
Cons
- No cryptocurrency payments supported
- Inconsistent speed
Zenmate is the sister VPN of Private Internet Access (PIA) and CyberGhost, in that all three of them (now) belong to the same parent firm.
It started off as a browser extension but also offers dedicated VPN apps for numerous devices.
Zenmate is the best option for those looking for a VPN with a free trial and no credit card requirement. It’s because its browser extension is available for free, works just like a VPN (unlike other proxy extensions), and offers 4 different locations.
Thus, by registering with Zenmate and installing the extension, you can get an idea of how the VPN will work.
If things go well, you can upgrade your subscription to a paid version and enjoy a free 7-day trial. Here again, you can test all the VPN features without being charged.
Yet, if you forgot to cancel your subscription (in case you don’t like it), or want to test it for a few more days, continue using the VPN app for 30 more days. Zenmate has your back with a risk-free money-back guarantee.
It means that if Zenmate fails to impress you even after 37 days of use, just reach out to their support team. Tell them why you want to quit the VPN and have your money back.
11. CactusVPN
While it’s a small VPN service, still, it takes pride in offering quality services, which is evident from its attractive 3-day free trial alongside a 30-day paid trial with a money-back guarantee.
Pros
- Suitable for torrenting
- Fast speed
- Bypasses geo-restrictions seamlessly
- Also offers Smart DNS
Cons
- Very small server network
- Tricky no-logs policy
These guys take care of your convenience and are confident in their services. Hence, they defiantly offer a 3-day free trial with no feature restrictions. You can test the VPN as you like and see if it meets your browsing requirements.
CactusVPN offers dedicated servers for P2P to support anonymous torrenting. Whereas, you can also use this VPN for a secure streaming and gaming experience without speed lags.
If you aren’t concerned about the limited number of locations offered, then CactusVPN is a nice privacy tool that suits your pocket.
If you find the 3-day trial insufficient, feel free to pay them for a subscription. You’ll get a whole month for evaluation with full safety to your money – thanks to their risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
12. SaferVPN
Another free-trial allowing VPN. It offers 1-day free-trial with money back guarantee of a month.
Pros
- Dedicated streaming servers
- Impressive speed
- Unblocks all major streaming platforms
- Suitable for Tor
Cons
- Doesn’t work in China
- Fewer servers
The next VPN having a free trial worth mentioning here is SaferVPN. It is also not as popular as the leading VPNs of today. Nonetheless, it does offer impressive services that suffice to make it a must-try for privacy freaks.
SaferVPN offers a 1-day free trial to all first-time users without requiring your credit card. This trial doesn’t come with any limitations. It means you get a whole day to test the VPN without fearing for your money.
If you wish to test the VPN for some more days, feel free to subscribe to any one of their pricing plans. The VPN offers a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Thus, your amount remains safe with them while you evaluate the VPN’s feasibility.
Though, SaferVPN offers really good features to grab customers. These include robust encryption, a kill switch, built-in malware protection, amazing device compatibility, seamless evasion of content blocking, and strict no-logs.
Don’t believe it or have queries? Reach out to their support team at any time as they offer 24/7 live chat support.
13. CyberGhost
This user-friendly VPN comes with an extended 45-day trial with a money-back guarantee, but it also offers a 24-hour no-sign-up free trial. Plus, mobile users also enjoy a 7-day free trial.
Pros
- Supports torrenting and gaming
- Dedicated servers for streaming
- Satisfactory speed
- Also offers an adblocker, phishing site blocker, anti-tracker
Cons
- Confusing privacy policy
- Not suitable for Tor
CyberGhost also manages to list itself as a VPN that boasts a free trial by offering a 1-day trial.
Nonetheless, followed by this 1-day trial, you can continue to test the VPN for more days by subscribing to one of its paid plans. You will be charged, of course, but your money will remain safe with the service providers as they offer a money-back guarantee.
But you need to remain careful here.
With the monthly pricing plan available for $12.99, you only get 14-day of trial. Whereas, if you subscribe to its 1-year or 2-year plans, you get a 45-day money-back guarantee.
So, depending on your requirements, you can subscribe to an appropriate pricing plan and see if CyberGhost works for you.
What makes this VPN great is its support for 7 simultaneous connections and more server locations.
However, make sure to carefully select your servers for streaming, gaming, and torrenting.
You may likely not get the best speeds from distant servers.
14. Proton VPN
Another top reliable VPN service provides generous free trial with money-back guarantee.
Pros
- Supports all major platforms
- Unblocks streaming sites
- Powerful apps
Cons
- Allows connection only to three locations for free users
Proton VPN uses a combination of encryption and secure tunneling protocols to protect your data. It also includes features such as split tunneling support, which allows you to choose which apps or websites should use the VPN connection.
Proton VPN offers various security features, including end-to-end encryption, a no-log policy, and secure server networks to protect against cyber-attacks. It also has a kill switch that shuts off your connection if the VPN connection gets lost, ensuring that your data remains private and secure.
The service is available on different platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android devices, Linux, and iOS. It offers free and paid subscription plans, with the paid plans starting at $3.99/ month with a money-back guarantee.
Besides the free trial, this VPN also has a free version. Unlike other freemiums, Proton VPN’s free plan doesn’t have data caps or speed limits. It only limits the number of server connections. This means you can use the free version forever without upgrading to the paid packages unless you want to bypass geo-blocks in more locations.
15. Windscribe
One of the best VPN service providing top-notch services and considerable free trial.
Pros
- Compatible with Amazon Firestick
- Strong encryption
- Does not keep logs
Cons
- Limited data usage
With Windscribe, you can connect to servers in over 110 cities and across 60 countries. Although it offers a free version, you will have to deal with limitations such as data caps of 10 GB per month and restrictions of only 11 servers. You can also opt for a paid plan which starts at $4.08/ month.
Windscribe VPN supports various platforms, including macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android devices. Thankfully, it supports unlimited connections, making it an excellent option if you have many devices.
Furthermore, the VPN has a ‘Firewall’ feature that blocks all incoming connections when the VPN is disconnected, providing an extra layer of protection. In addition to its VPN service, Windscribe also offers a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that blocks ads and trackers and helps to protect your online privacy.
How to test a VPN with a free trial?
Until this point, we have discussed the best and worst VPNs, what makes a VPN having a free trial good or bad, and the things you should look for before choosing a VPN to test.
We hope things have been clear to you. Are they?
Good!
Now that you have finally got your best VPN free trial option, how would you test it?
Yeah, we know you’ll install the VPN client on your device and let it connect and take over your internet connectivity, after which, you’ll start browsing.
But, can you really assess the VPN performance merely by visiting a few web links – that too – during a short time?
Certainly not!
You need to keep in mind a few parameters against which you should evaluate your VPNs performance. If your VPN passes all the tests, you can freely subscribe to it for long-term use.
Below we list the things you should check your VPN for when using it on a trial basis.
IP leak protection
The moment you connect your VPN to a server, check your connection for possible IP leaks via DNS, IPv6, or WebRTC.
Ideally, your VPN should offer thorough IP leak protection by default. But, if that isn’t the case and you find your VPN leaking your IP address, try to fix these issues manually and see if things work.
You may also contact the VPN customer support to double-check if the VPN is genuinely leaky or if you misconfigured your VPN causing it to expose your details.
Ideally, you shouldn’t use a VPN that keeps exposing your real details online. You can easily check for it while using a VPN with a free trial.
Kill switch
Apart from the IP leak protection, make sure that your VPN also offers a kill switch as well to prevent accidental exposure of your IP address.
Although most VPNs with a subscription-based trial model offer this feature to all users (if they have it at all). However, the ones offering a free trial may or may not open this feature to free users. In such cases, you should communicate with the VPN’s support to be assured about the existence of a kill switch.
Though, what we suggest is if you don’t find a kill switch with your VPN during the trial period, you should prefer switching to some other VPN app since you can’t risk your money with the former just to end up with a poor kill switch feature.
Consistency of connection
If a VPN offers a kill switch, it doesn’t mean that the VPN should keep interrupting your internet connectivity due to frequent disconnection. The free trial period is best for testing a VPN’s consistency. If you face recurrent interruptions, look for another option.
Speed
Here again, the best VPN-free trials do not cause speed lags. However, most VPNs offering free trials without credit cards do not support adequate speed. Or if they do, they tend to cap your bandwidth which also contributes to slow speeds.
But you really can’t pay money to a VPN for not demonstrating impressive performance during the trials, can you?
Contrarily, VPNs that offer trials with a money-back guarantee exhibit little to no deliberate speed lags.
That means you can get the exact picture of connection speed when connecting a VPN to your network. If you get an impressive performance, that fast VPN is for you. If not, don’t worry. Just claim your money back and test another VPN. Simple as that!
Feature availability
What’s the sole purpose of trying a VPN first before a subscription? Perhaps, to test how a VPN works with all its features, right?
Unfortunately, many VPNs do not realize this necessity. Thus, they tend to restrict the availability of all features to free users. Therefore, you can’t test all that a VPN offers yourself.
However, the VPNs offering trials with a money-back guarantee won’t disappoint you since they offer every feature to you even during the trial period.
Hence, when testing a VPN with a free trial, check for the features you can and cannot use. See if it still manages to impress you.
Bypassing geo-restrictions
Last, but not least, your VPN should still be able to effectively bypass content restrictions even during the trial phase.
Whether it’s about unblocking a particular Netflix library or accessing blocked news media abroad, your VPN should effectively support you. If it doesn’t, it’s a red signal to its subscription.
Why you should go for a free trial VPN?
“Why opt for a free trial VPN when free VPNs are all around?” we hear you ask.
Well, if you compare free VPNs vs paid VPNs, you’ll observe the latter clearly winning as they offer more features and deliver better performance. Also, paid VPNs do not risk your personal data as much as most free VPNs do.
But you cannot precisely assess a VPN’s feasibility unless you try it yourself.
For example, if you’re looking for a VPN to unblock Netflix outside the USA, many free VPNs fail at it. In fact, free VPNs also frequently fail to block other streaming platforms, like iPlayer and Hulu, outside the specified regions.
Meanwhile, most paid VPNs claim to unblock your desired Netflix library or any other streaming platform anywhere in the world.
So, how would you verify if your chosen paid VPN really serves your purpose without risking your money?
That’s where a free trial helps. Whether it’s a genuine free trial or a trial with a money-back guarantee, either way, you get a chance to assess the VPN’s usefulness without disturbing your budget.
In short, availing yourself of the best VPN-free trials is the safest way to choose the right VPN for you.
Free trial vs paid trial: Which VPNs are good?
It’s pretty natural if you, after knowing about the two different VPN trial models, ask which trial model is better.
You may think that an entirely free VPN trial is better than a paid one because it doesn’t involve money, right? Certainly, it’s safe to try such a VPN with a free trial and no credit card required. In fact, many VPNs don’t even need you to register during the trial period.
However, these facilities come at a cost. Here, this cost is the limitation of feature availability. And that’s where the paid VPN trials get an edge.
Confused?
Let us explain.
The VPNs that offer a paid trial with a money-back guarantee do not put any limitations on the way you use it. You get the same number of servers, the same bandwidth, and the same speed that all other premium users receive. In this way, you get a chance to test the VPN to its fullest capability. You get a better idea of whether the PN is useful for you or not.
On the other hand, a VPN with a free trial often restricts how you use the service. Such limitations include the limited number of servers, limited bandwidth usage, and a very short time for trial. These restrictions curb your evaluation capacity to judge the VPN’s performance and suitability.
So, if you really want to get a VPN that supports your extensive online activities, then you should choose a paid VPN trial that offers a money-back guarantee. Doing so will allow you to assess the VPNs’ performance with the trust that your money remains in safe hands.
However, not every paid VPN is as swift and open to send your money back to you. Some VPNs have set a usage threshold during the trial period, such as a few days or some days with certain GBs of data. If you cross this threshold, you might not get your money back.
Some other VPNs are simply too lazy to support money-back offers across multiple payment options. Thus, if you make payments via one of the unsupported methods, you won’t get your upfront payments back.
Nonetheless, you can easily avoid these two issues by reading the VPNs’ terms of service thoroughly before subscribing to them. Also, quick online research and customer reviews will give you an idea about these policies.
Yet, if you are truly concerned about your money or you don’t want to share your payment details with any VPN unless you are sure to subscribe to it, then VPNs offering no credit card free trials will suit you the best.
Benefits of VPN free trials
There are several potential benefits of VPN free trials:
- Try before subscribing. Before opting for a paid plan, free trials allow you to examine key features such as speeds, servers, and security. This can be especially helpful if you’re unsure which VPN provider is ideal for you.
- Compatibility test. Free trials help you determine how effective and compatible the VPN is with the device of your choice.
- Ascertain the trustworthiness of the service. Since you’re not incurring any costs, there’s no risk in trying out a free VPN trial to confirm their legitimacy. If the VPN doesn’t meet your needs, you can simply terminate usage after the free trial period ends.
- Try using a certain VPN tool. Bearing in mind that you intend to use the VPN service on a daily basis, opting for a free trial helps you check out key tools and features before going the premium way.
Should I get a free service?
Some tasks like streaming videos, downloading torrents, or online video gaming are bandwidth–intensive. So, you might be disappointed when using free VPNs. For instance, a free VPN that allows 500MB/ day will deplete in minutes if you’re streaming. On the other hand, premium VPNs will provide you with sufficient speed and bandwidth to do whatever you want online seamlessly.
Furthermore, most free VPNs employ poor security measures. For example, they don’t use encryption or other essential VPN features like kill switch, split tunnelling, or leak protection. However, many premium VPN services have dependable security features to protect your data and connections on the internet. Therefore, be careful with your online activity if you’re connected to a free VPN.
VPNs that we don’t recommend trying for free trial
From loads of VPNs offering various temptations to attract customers with below-average services, we have picked up the 15 best VPNs for you. Our team tested lots of different services to find the best VPN with a free trial.
While testing, we also came across some VPNs that we advise you not to ever fall for. Here’s we quickly name those VPNs.
1. IvacyVPN
As for its services, Ivacy is a nice VPN that provides superior data security, server locations in 50+ countries, and features like split tunneling, kill switch, DDoS, and malware protection.
They also claim to offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on their website. Whereas, the monthly subscription plan only offers a 7-day money-back guarantee.
However, the overall refund policy is so tricky that you shouldn’t fall for it unless you’re ready to bear the loss. Also, they do not support refunds across all payment methods they accept.
2. PureVPN
PureVPN offers nice features and satisfactory services alongside offering a 7-day trial for $0.99 only together with a 31-day money-back guarantee.
However, due to its demonstrated history of data logging despite claiming no logs, we can’t recommend this VPN.
3. Speedify
It offers a free VPN version with basic features. However, due to the limited data offer (2GB/month), you can’t really judge its functionality. Whereas to test the full features of this VPN, it offers no free trials.
Though, they now offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. But we haven’t tested it ourselves.
4. Sitelock
Another good VPN with nice security features. But we couldn’t find any free or paid trial offer or money-back guarantee claims on their website.
Difference between a VPN free trial and a money-back guarantee
Most paid VPN service providers offer a money-back guarantee to new users, while others offer a free trial. On the one hand, a VPN free trial allows you to try the VPN provider’s services without a charge for a limited time, for instance, 7 days.
On the other hand, a money-back guarantee is a commitment made by the VPN provider to refund your money if you don’t like their services within the specified subscription period, often 30 days. Some like CyberGhost have a money-back period of up to 45 days.
Do VPN services with money-back guarantees always honor their guarantee?
While most make this promise, it’s unfortunate that some don’t live up to it. Therefore, checking reviews from different sites and reading the terms of service before committing your money is important.
You should also note that some providers offer a money-back guarantee only if you don’t exceed a specific data limit within the trial period.
FAQs
With the trial, you remain eligible for a refund within the specified time if the VPN fails to satisfy you. However, in the case of a formal subscription, if you feel the VPN isn’t suitable, you can cancel your subscription at any time, but you won’t have your money back.
As far as you subscribe to test one of the VPNs that we recommended here, rest assured that your privacy and security remain conserved. Whereas, for other VPNs, you can go through the terms of service, privacy policy, and fine print to check whether the VPN service exhibits any unusual behavior with free users.
As far as a VPN has a strict no-data logs policy, it won’t log your activities even during the trial period. Yet, you can still check their terms of service and communicate with customer support to verify this claim.
Yes, some VPNs do offer no-credit card required trials, but you would only get a short trial period with them. For longer trial durations, you have to go for VPNs that require an upfront subscription fee payment and offer a money-back guarantee.
For sure, you can. As far as you use a robust VPN that provides thorough security, endures VPN bans, and doesn’t leak your IP address, you can easily unblock any content with a VPN free trial.
No, you cannot use the free trial more than once. VPNs offer trials for one-time use only. To avoid exploitation of their free trials, they often track the email addresses used for applying for a free trial. Also, they may further log your IP address to detect potential abuse.
If you wish to cancel your subscription and get your money back, the easiest way is to reach out to the VPN support team. They’ll either entertain your request directly or guide you through the procedure. All you should do is contact customer support via chat, email, or any other available method.
Certainly, many VPNs offering a free trial now support the same facility for smartphone users as well. You can download the respective VPN app on your Android/iOS device and start the free trial. A classic example of one such VPN is Surfshark.
VPN providers often offer free trials to allow potential customers to try out their service before committing to a paid plan. This lets you ascertain that the VPN service meets your needs and expectations before making a financial commitment. It also helps VPN providers to showcase their service and potentially attract new customers.
NordVPN and Surfshark VPN offer a 7-day free trial which is the longest among all VPNs.
Theoretically, you shouldn’t run into problems if you install more than one VPN free trial. However, there’s a possibility of interference between the two programs.
After a free trial is over, you can head over to the provider’s website and upgrade to a premium package via the check-out page. You can also contact the customer service team via email or live chat to be guided accordingly.
Yes, you can. Whether it’s a government or a learning institution, bypassing censorship is possible.
It’s possible that lifetime free VPNs impose usage restrictions such as data limitations, the number of servers you can access, or bandwidth limits. Some VPNs may also offer a limited feature of their plan for free, with the option to upgrade to a full-featured version for a fee. In this case, the free version may have usage restrictions compared to the paid version. In addition, some paid VPNs have a free trial period without limitations. During this period, users enjoy all features for a specified period, after which they have to pay to continue using the service. On the other hand, somef providers offer a money-back guarantee trial period with no limitations. This allows users to try the service before opting for a long-term paid subscription. So, it is crucial to carefully read the terms of service for any VPN service, including any free trial offers, to understand which restrictions may apply.