What people once considered a conspiracy theory is now a known fact; government institutions spy on their citizens regularly. And no, the governments have not bugged every smart device or gadget their citizens own. Instead, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) helps governments and agencies in this activity. Hence the only best way to avoid this problem to a greater extent is to use a VPN, preferably a free one, not to blow your budget.
Today, many ISPs compile users’ data, secretly log their activities, and present it to the government upon request.
In some instances, ISP companies sell user information to advertising companies that take advantage of unaware individuals and place targeted advertisements on every site they visit.
The collection of your personal information by ISPs, while you browse the internet, is why people turn to VPNs to ensure their online browsing is safe.
A VPN protects internet users on public and private networks by masking their identities online and incorporating security measures. Be it a WiFi hotspot connection or your home network; this tool has got you covered.
However, all these benefits come at a price. You have to spend money to get online privacy, which is certainly not affordable for many. That’s where free VPNs come into play.
Many free VPN services do not offer services comparable to their paid counterparts. Nonetheless, you can still try some free VPNs providing the best privacy features to achieve basic security.
This article lists over a dozen best free VPN services. Read along to pick the one that best matches your browsing habits.
A quick look at the top 10 free VPN services
If you can’t wait to read about all 13 VPNs to pick one, here we list the top 5 free VPN services. You can download any one of these right now to protect your online privacy at no cost.
- ProtonVPN – Undoubtedly the best free VPN. It has top-notch privacy and security features, and you can choose from servers in three countries.
- Windscribe – It has amazing free data offers of about 9.8GB per month after signing up. You also get an extra 4.8GB when you tweet about it.
- TunnelBear – A user-friendly free VPN suitable for light browsing. It comes with a 500 MB data cap, but you can upgrade for unlimited experience.
- Hide.Me – A user-friendly VPN with several servers to choose from. You can quickly install it and enjoy up to 2GB free monthly connection.
- CyberGhost – This is a premium VPN but gives you one day of free unlimited connection to test their services.
- Hotspot Shield – Supports free secure browsing for up to 500MB per day, which is up to 15GB per month. However, you can only access one server in the US.
- SurfEasy – As an integrated VPN in the Opera web browser, SurfEasy has a free and paid version.
- Private Tunnel – An absolutely amazing free VPN with an integrated malware blocker. Supports up to 3 simultaneous connections and has a quick setup process.
- HideMan: A well-maintained VPN suitable for light browsing and comes with 2GB of free data.
- VyprVPN – A great VPN tool for mobile users. It has top-notch security features and performance.
Is there a 100% free VPN
It is hard to get a quality VPN offering 100% free services. Most VPNs have money-back guarantees and time-limited trials. The ones we reviewed in this article have the best free options based on performance and data caps. Additionally, most VPNs put some restrictions on their services. The goal is to lure you into upgrading to a paid version in order to enjoy maximum benefits. Some free VPNs restrict your connection through data caps, others limit the number of simultaneous connections you can make, while others limit the number of servers you can connect to. Whichever restriction they choose, you cannot enjoy their services 100%.
Benefits of a free VPN
While the proverbial phrase “nothing in life is free” might be true, the paybacks of using a VPN far exceed browsing the internet without any protection measures.
The use of a VPN is especially essential in 2023, as the world continues to witness a rise in data breaches and cybercrime for individual and corporate entities.
After much waiting, VPNs appear to be godsent, considering the struggle internet users had to endure connecting to the internet directly.
To many, VPN networks are the long-awaited solutions for internet users’ requests for protecting their online activities and digital privacy maintenance.
Apart from this functionality, VPNs assist in accessing blocked websites from any part of the world with just one click.
VPNs are a secure solution for users who wish to conduct their online browsing activities in a safe, secure, and anonymous way –thanks to the advanced encryption technology they deploy.