Best Free VPNs 2026
This guide compares free VPN plans by data allowance, server access, device limits, privacy evidence, and real-world trade-offs. Use it to find free VPN plans that genuinely work, unlimited-data options, and each VPN's risk information and past controversies.
Free VPN comparison guide
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| 22 free VPNs | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| Free plan | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Free allowance | Unlimited data | 10 GB/mo with a confirmed email (2 GB without) | Unlimited data | 10 GB high-speed, then 1 Mbps | 2 GB/mo | Unlimited data | Unlimited data | Unlimited data; no account | Unlimited data; free speed limited to 1 Mbps | 3 GB/mo; up to 20 Mbps | Unlimited data; no account; ads | Free WARP; no data cap advertised | Free Basic; ads and reduced features | 5 GB/mo (free account required) | Unlimited on the pricing page; ad-supported | No data cap | 200 MB/day per device (300 MB with an account) | Unlimited data | Limited daily use with time limits | Unlimited data; no account | Unlimited data; ad-supported | Unlimited data; no account; ads |
| Free locations | 10 countries · automatic assignment Countries & serversUnited States · Canada · Mexico · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Romania · Switzerland · Japan · Singapore | 10 countries / regions Countries & serversUnited States · Canada · United Kingdom · Hong Kong · France · Germany · Netherlands · Switzerland · Norway · Romania | 7 named countries · 8 locations claimed Countries & serversFinland · Switzerland · United States · United Kingdom · France · Netherlands · Germany | 12 locations claimed; 10 country examples Countries & serversArgentina · Brazil · Canada · France · Germany · Mexico · Netherlands · Switzerland · United Kingdom · United States | Automatic; free country pool not listed | Current network not confirmed | Current country / location list not confirmed | 5 countries · 6 locations Countries & serversUnited States · United Kingdom · Netherlands · Germany · France | 4 countries · 4 locations Countries & serversNetherlands · Singapore · United Kingdom · United States | 10 advertised · Linux help says 4 | 25+ Android locations · free country list incomplete | Automatic Cloudflare routing · no country choice | Basic free subset not disclosed | Reduced free set; complete list not published | 3 countries · 4 named locations Countries & serversUnited States · United Kingdom · Singapore | 3 regional choices · 3 named exits Countries & serversUnited States · Netherlands · Singapore | Automatic; free countries not listed | Live volunteer list; countries change Countries & serversFree server count: Live count changes; see official list | Peer-to-peer exits; no stable free list | 15 countries · 26 mobile locations claimed Countries & serversUnited States · Canada · United Kingdom · France · Spain · Netherlands · Poland · Norway · Germany · Finland · Czechia · Latvia · Lithuania · Singapore · Australia Free server count: 1,000+ automatic free servers (provider claim; distribution unpublished) | Limited free locations · list not published | Free country / location count not confirmed |
| Location choice | Automatic; server changes are random and subject to a cooldown | Choose a free country / location | Choose a free location; cities are not fully listed | Choose free locations; listed countries are official examples, not an exhaustive list | No free country selection since December 2025 | Current server choices not confirmed | Routes through the available Riseup network; current selection controls unconfirmed | Choose a free location; locations are not physical server counts | Choose a free location; confirm platform list in the app | Choose available free locations; complete free country list unconfirmed | Android allows free location choice, including 10+ US cities; iOS list may differ | Exit IP reflects approximate local location; no manual exit-country choice | Region selection exists, but Basic entitlements and exact free countries are not listed | Free location-selection rules not clearly published | Los Angeles, New York, UK, Singapore; Auto is not another location; OS availability varies | Choose Americas, Europe or Asia; not a specific server | Server chosen automatically | Choose an online volunteer relay from the live list | Peer availability and free time restrictions apply | Android/iOS can choose; desktop/extensions automatic. Claimed city total and published list differ | Free location-selection rules need checking per platform | Published app country lists mix free / paid access; exact free choices unconfirmed |
| Platforms | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS / Browser | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS | Windows / macOS / Android / iOS | Windows / macOS / Android / iOS / Browser | Android | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS / Browser | Android / iOS / Browser | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS / Browser | Android / iOS | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS | Windows / Android / iOS | Windows / macOS / Android / iOS | Windows / macOS / Android / iOS / Browser | Browser | Windows / macOS / Android / iOS | Windows / macOS / Linux / Android / iOS | Windows / Android / Browser | Windows / macOS / Android / iOS / Browser | Windows / macOS / Android / iOS / Browser | macOS / Android / iOS / TV |
| Simultaneous connections | 1 simultaneous connection | Unlimited personal devices | 1 simultaneous connection | 1 simultaneous connection | Free simultaneous-connection cap not clearly stated | No account-based cap published; Android app status unconfirmed | No account-based device cap published | 10 simultaneous devices (official claim) | Free simultaneous-connection cap not published | 2 simultaneous devices | Free simultaneous-connection cap not published; paid 10-device claim excluded | Per-device setup; no account-based simultaneous cap published | No account-based device cap published | Free simultaneous-connection cap not clearly published | 1 simultaneous device | Runs within each Opera browser; no published connection cap | Allowance applies per device; no device cap stated | No central device cap; relay restrictions may apply | No personal non-commercial device cap stated | Free simultaneous-connection cap not published | Free simultaneous-connection cap not published | Free simultaneous-connection cap not published |
| Account & payment | Free account required; no payment card | Account required; email optional (2 GB without, 10 GB with confirmation) | No registration required; optional account | Free account required | Account required | No account required | No account or payment required; donation-funded | No account, email or payment details required | No account required for basic use | AdGuard account required; no card for free tier | No account or payment card required | Consumer WARP requires no account or card; organization enrollment is separate | No account needed; plan access can vary by region | Free account required | Basic can be used without a paid subscription; account flow varies by platform | No VPN account required | Optional account increases the daily allowance | No service account required | Account / signup rules vary by product | No account, email or payment card required | Basic free use without an account | No account or purchase required |
| Ads & session limits | No ads | No ads | No ads | No ads advertised | No ads | No commercial ads advertised | No ads | Free tier contains ads | No ads advertised | No ad requirement listed in the free plan | Free mobile use contains personalized ads | No ad-funded free tier | Basic contains ads; mobile ads use AdMob identifiers | No ad requirement identified in the plan | Ad-supported; session extensions can vary by platform | No VPN ads; browser promotions are separate | No ad requirement identified | No subscription ads; relay operators are independent | Free access is funded partly through the peer network | Desktop/extension: no ads; Android/iOS: ads | Free mobile apps contain ads | Free apps contain ads |
| Speed & quota rules | No data cap; speed varies with server load | 2 / 10 GB monthly; no numeric speed cap advertised | Unlimited data; lower priority than Premium | 10 GB at full speed, then 1 Mbps; free quota renewal may be required | 2 GB/month; no numeric free speed limit confirmed | Unlimited data advertised; service status unconfirmed | No data cap; donation-funded capacity varies | No data, time or bandwidth cap advertised | No data cap; free speed limited to 1 Mbps | 3 GB/month; up to 20 Mbps in the knowledge base | No data / time cap; Premium advertises faster servers | No free data cap advertised; WARP+ offers more routing capacity | Basic has reduced features; no universal free speed / quota promise confirmed | 5 GB/month; free capacity may be lower priority | Pricing page says unlimited; other official pages differ; check the app | No data cap; no fixed speed promised | 200 MB/day per device; 300 MB with an account | No central data cap; relay speed and availability vary | Daily time limits; not an unlimited free VPN | No data or time cap advertised; actual speed varies | Unlimited data advertised; numeric free speed rules not confirmed | Provider advertises no data or speed cap |
| Free security features | Kill switch and leak protection in supported native apps; features vary by OS | Firewall / kill switch, split tunnelling and limited ROBERT filtering; OS-dependent | Kill switch and leak protection; other features vary by OS | Kill switch and supported app / site exclusions; OS-dependent | VigilantBear / GhostBear availability depends on platform | Open-source Bitmask-based app; current service availability unconfirmed | Open-source client with obfs4; OS-specific leak controls require checking | Encrypted tunnel; free kill-switch / split-tunnel availability requires OS-specific checking | Browser extension protects browser only; mobile apps use device VPN; desktop native apps are paid | App/site exclusions and custom DNS; feature availability varies by platform | Android: OpenVPN, IKEv2, V2Ray and auto-reconnect; availability depends on location | Use Traffic and DNS mode; DNS-only does not protect other app traffic; WebRTC may bypass WARP | Obfuscated SSH; no built-in kill switch (use OS controls); legacy Windows has narrower protection | Channel bonding; additional free safety controls vary by platform | Free kill-switch / split-tunnel availability varies by platform | Opera browser traffic only; other apps are not tunnelled | Free security features vary by platform; unavailable to US customers | Protection depends on the chosen client/protocol; no uniform kill switch | Free devices can become network peers; not recommended for privacy-sensitive use | Kill switch on supported native apps; unavailable in browser extension | Encrypted tunnel; free kill-switch / split-tunnel entitlement not confirmed | Encrypted tunnel; free kill-switch / leak-control availability unconfirmed |
| Plan sources | Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 | —Checked 2026-10-20 |
| Privacy and evidence | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Privacy check | No Logs Verified Switzerland Data practicesSwiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, annual Securitum no-logs audits (latest 2026) | Audited No Logs Canada Data practices2024 Packetlabs audit (one test node) found logging that was fixed by the June 2024 retest; Greek case against the CEO dismissed for lack of evidence in April 2025 | Audited No Logs Malaysia Data practicesSecuritum no-logs audit (2024), report published on hide.me's own site | Claims No Logs Switzerland Data practicesSwiss-based, no independent audit yet | Claims No Logs Canada Data practicesAnnual Cure53 security audits (not no-logs audits); privacy policy keeps monthly data used and connection country/city | No Logs (nonprofit) USA (nonprofit) Data practicesOperated by Calyx Institute nonprofit | No Logs (activist) USA (collective) Data practicesRun by Riseup Networks, a donation-funded nonprofit collective in Seattle; says it does not log VPN users' IP addresses | Claims No Logs Romania Data practicesRomanian provider claims no activity logs; no public independent no-logs audit confirmed | Collects metadataNot independently confirmed Data practicesPolicy discloses anonymous account IDs and aggregate operational data; no public independent no-logs audit confirmed | Claims No Logs Cyprus Data practicesPolicy says browsing activity is not recorded; account traffic totals are retained for 90 days; no public no-logs audit confirmed | Claims No Logs USA Data practicesPolicy claims no activity logs but discloses personalized ads using advertising identifiers; no public independent no-logs report confirmed | Collects metadata USA Data practicesWARP policy discloses limited DNS/traffic metadata, installation ID, transfer totals and speed; 1.1.1.1 resolver audits do not establish a WARP no-logs audit | Collects metadata Canada Data practicesCollects region/ISP/session statistics; raw operational data normally deleted after 90 days; public Cure53 reviews are security tests, not no-logs audits | Known Issues USA Data practicesPrivacy policy records IP, device ID, connection start time, duration and data used (deleted after 6 months); no independent privacy audit | Known Issues USA Data practices2017 CDT complaint to the FTC (no public FTC action found); a 2016 study found ad injection and traffic redirection in the free Android app | Audited No Logs Norway / China Data practicesBrowser-only proxy, not a device-wide VPN; Opera Ltd is about 68% owned by China-listed Kunlun Tech; Deloitte no-log assurance (Aug 2024), report not public | Known Issues Russia Data practicesRussian jurisdiction; ordered off US federal systems (2017) and barred from sale to US users (2024) | Known Issues Japan (academic) Data practicesAcademic project run with SoftEther Corporation; central logs (source IP, server, bytes, destination hosts and ports) kept 3+ months; relays keep packet-header logs 2+ weeks | Known Issues Israel Data practicesFree tier uses your device as a network peer (Windows/Android, when idle); the network was misused in a 2015 attack on 8chan | Claims No Logs Not independently confirmed Data practicesProvider announced a 2026 independent no-logs assessment; full report requires an account and was not reviewed here | Claims No Logs Singapore Data practicesProvider makes a no-logs claim; advertising and diagnostic data are covered by its policy; no public independent no-logs report confirmed | Claims No Logs Not independently confirmed Data practicesProvider claims no activity logs; DEKRA security assessment covered a specific 2022 Android version, not no-logs practices |
| Independent audit | None published | None published | None published | None published | None published | None published | None published | None published | None published | None published | None published | |||||||||||
| Open source | Source code | Source code | No | No | No | Source code | Source code | No | No | No | No | No | Source code | No | No | No | No | Source code | No | No | No | No |
| Bug bounty | Public program, up to $100,000 per report (by email) | Disclosure program; past payouts $100–$5,000 | No public bug bounty found | No VRP | No VRP | No VRP | No VRP (donation-funded collective) | No public bug bounty confirmed | No public bug bounty confirmed | No public bug bounty confirmed | No public bug bounty confirmed | Public HackerOne program; current scope rules apply | No public bug bounty confirmed | No VRP (unpaid disclosure program) | No VRP | Public program on Bugcrowd | Public program on Yogosha; VPN in scope | No VRP (academic project) | $50 per qualifying report; no formal program | No public bug bounty confirmed | No public bug bounty confirmed | No public bug bounty confirmed |
| Protocols | WireGuard / OpenVPN / Stealth | WireGuard / OpenVPN / IKEv2 / Stealth | WireGuard / OpenVPN / IKEv2 / SoftEther | WireGuard / OpenVPN / IKEv2 | WireGuard / OpenVPN / IKEv2 | OpenVPN / obfs4 | OpenVPN / obfs4 | StarGuard (proprietary) | HTTPS proxy / IKEv2/IPsec | AdGuard VPN protocol (proprietary) | OpenVPN / IKEv2 / V2Ray | MASQUE | SSH with obfuscation | Channel bonding (proprietary) | Hydra (proprietary) / IPsec / OpenVPN | HTTPS proxy | Catapult Hydra / WireGuard | SoftEther / L2TP/IPsec / OpenVPN / MS-SSTP | HTTPS proxy / IKEv2/IPsec / PPTP/L2TP | Everest (proprietary) | Not fully disclosed for free tier | Not fully disclosed for free tier |
| Other records | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Fit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best for | Private everyday browsing without data anxiety | Users who need a usable free country list | Unlimited browsing with manual free location choice | Occasional streaming tests or travel backup | Testing a VPN before paying | Users who prefer a digital-rights nonprofit | Activists and journalists who know the trade-offs | Unlimited browsing without creating an account | Browser extensions and light mobile browsing | Occasional use with app exclusions and custom DNS | Popular mobile VPN with selectable free locations | Encrypting the connection on untrusted networks | Reaching sites on networks that block VPNs | Testing channel bonding on unstable networks | Speed testing when privacy is not the priority | Casual browser-only location masking | Existing Kaspersky users with low-risk needs | Emergency access testing, not privacy | Not recommended | Unlimited mobile use with free location choice | A widely used no-account fallback | No-account use on mobile, Mac and supported TVs |
| Main risk | No manual free server choice; speeds can be lower than paid tier | The 10 GB cap is easy to exhaust with video or large downloads | One-device limit and fewer locations than paid plans | No published independent no-logs audit | 2 GB is too small for regular use; no country choice | Could not confirm the service is still running | Donation-funded network with variable capacity | No public independent no-logs audit confirmed; free apps contain ads | Free desktop use is browser-only; no public independent no-logs audit confirmed | 3 GB cap; official free location counts differ by platform | Android free list is incomplete; desktop and TV apps require Premium | Keeps an approximate local IP location; cannot choose another country | Free network/features differ by region; operational statistics and ad identifiers | Logs connection metadata for 6 months; small data cap | Privacy complaint and ad-injection findings from 2016–17 | Not a system-wide VPN | Russian jurisdiction; barred from sale to US users since 2024 | Logs include destinations, kept 3+ months; volunteer relay trust | Peer-to-peer exit-node model; network misused in a 2015 attack | No-logs assessment report requires login; desktop cannot pick a free location | Ad-supported free tier; full free country list and audit evidence unconfirmed | Country lists mix free and paid access; 2022 Android test is not a no-logs audit |
| Note | Proton's free plan keeps unlimited data and an audited no-logs policy, but free users cannot pick a server and get lower priority than paid plans. | A reasonable free option when location choice matters. Windscribe keeps 10 free countries and ROBERT filtering on the free plan, but the data cap makes it a browsing and travel backup rather than a full-time streaming VPN. Its 2024 Packetlabs audit found some logging enabled on the test server; the retest a month later found it fixed. | Hide.me's free tier is now more competitive because it offers unlimited data and 8 free locations. The trade-off is a one-device limit and a narrower feature set than the paid plan. | PrivadoVPN remains a practical capped free plan: 10 GB of full-speed traffic, then a throttled fallback. The missing independent audit keeps it below Proton, Windscribe, and hide.me for privacy-sensitive users. | TunnelBear is still useful as a low-risk trial product because of its yearly security audits and simple apps. The 2 GB cap means it is not realistic for daily browsing, streaming, or downloads, and since December 2025 free users can no longer choose a country. | Calyx VPN has a clear nonprofit mission and needs no account, but we could not confirm it is still running: Calyx's website no longer lists it, the app has left Google Play, and the last Android build is from April 2025. | Riseup VPN is built around activist infrastructure rather than consumer convenience. It can be valuable in the right context, but speed, capacity, and availability are not comparable to commercial VPNs. | The official free plan lists six locations across five countries, unlimited traffic and no registration. The provider states that ten devices can connect simultaneously; these are provider claims, not independent performance or privacy tests. | Browsec lists the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK and the US on its free plan. The free product covers browser extensions and mobile apps; standalone desktop applications require Premium. Browser extensions protect browser traffic only. | AdGuard VPN provides a capped free tier with two simultaneous connections and a documented 20 Mbps limit. The main free page advertises ten locations while Linux help lists four; no complete cross-platform free country list was confirmed. | The current Android listing distinguishes 25+ free locations from the larger Premium country list. It includes all three advertised protocols, unlimited data and ads. Desktop and TV applications are Premium features; iOS free locations may differ. | WARP encrypts traffic between your device and Cloudflare when Traffic and DNS mode is enabled. It assigns an IP representing your approximate location, so it is not a country-switching service. DNS-only mode does not tunnel other device traffic. | Psiphon is designed to bypass censorship and requires no account. Basic is ad-supported with reduced features; the advertised 33-country, 50,000-server network is not a confirmed free pool. The policy discloses operational statistics and mobile advertising identifiers. | Speedify is more of a connectivity tool than a privacy-first VPN. Its privacy policy says it records IP address, device ID, connection times and data used, and keeps them for six months. The free 5 GB a month is enough to test channel bonding on unstable Wi-Fi or cellular links. | Hotspot Shield's pricing and free-VPN pages disagree on the data allowance. The support page lists Los Angeles, New York, the UK and Singapore as free locations, with platform differences. Basic supports one device and includes ads; its privacy history remains relevant. | Opera's free VPN works only inside the Opera browser. It does not protect other apps, system traffic, torrents, or router-level traffic, so it should not be compared with full VPN services. A 2024 Deloitte no-log assurance covers the browser VPN, but the report itself is not public. | The free allowance is too small for regular use. Russian jurisdiction and government restrictions make it a poor fit for users who mainly care about privacy or geopolitical risk. It has not been sold to US users since July 2024, and updates for US users ended in September 2024. | VPN Gate is open about being an academic volunteer relay network. Its central logs record connection details, including destination addresses, for at least three months and can be disclosed to police or courts, so it is not suitable for privacy-sensitive browsing. | Hola is listed as a cautionary example. Its free tier uses a peer-to-peer model: users' devices can become exit nodes for other users' traffic and for Bright Data's business customers. | X-VPN combines unlimited data and no registration. Mobile users can pick free locations; desktop and browser users connect automatically. The 2026 no-logs assessment is an announced, login-gated report, not a publicly reviewed report. | Turbo VPN advertises unlimited free use without registration. Its global paid network is not the free server pool. Exact free countries, speed rules and platform feature parity need client verification. | vpnify advertises unlimited data without registration or a speed cap. Its app-store country lists do not clearly separate free and paid access. A public 2022 DEKRA Android security assessment has a limited version-specific scope and is not a no-logs audit. |
Key facts
- VPNs with unlimited free data
- ProtonVPN Free, Hide.me Free, Riseup VPN, Planet VPN Free, Browsec Free, VPN – Super Unlimited Proxy, Cloudflare WARP, Opera VPN, VPN Gate, X-VPN Free, Turbo VPN Free, and vpnify Free
- VPNs with a published no-logs audit
- ProtonVPN Free, Windscribe Free, Hide.me Free, and Hotspot Shield
When a free VPN makes sense
- Short sessions on public Wi-Fi where you only need basic tunnel protection.
- Testing app quality, latency, and account setup before paying.
- Low-bandwidth browsing when a data cap is acceptable.
When free VPNs are the wrong tool
- Always-on privacy across every device.
- Streaming, torrenting, large downloads, or remote work traffic.
- High-risk political, legal, or personal safety use cases.
What are the risks of free VPNs?
A VPN provider still pays for bandwidth, support, app development, audits, abuse handling, and server capacity. If a plan is free, the trade-off usually appears as a data cap, fewer locations, slower speeds, one-device limits, ads, reduced support, or weaker accountability.
Methodology
How grades are assigned
Grade A: an independent no-logs audit has been published, the free plan is usable day to day, and we found no unresolved privacy incident. Grade B: usable, but with a small data cap, few locations, limited platforms, or no published audit. Grade C: a documented privacy concern or jurisdiction risk, or the product does not protect the whole device. Grade D: the service has shut down. Within a grade, entries are ordered by how practical the free plan is and how much public evidence backs it.
What this page does not test
We do not run speed tests or inspect app traffic ourselves. Grades rest on published audits, provider disclosures, regulator and court records, and public reporting. A provider can change its free plan at any time, so check the plan in the app before relying on it.
Where the evidence comes from
Sources include third-party audit reports, provider websites and public disclosures, app documentation, and community feedback from Reddit, GitHub issues, and other public user reports.
Independence
No provider pays to appear on this page or to change its grade. The table links to plan documentation, audit reports and public records so you can check the evidence. It has no purchase or sign-up buttons. How the site is funded is set out on the About page.
What changed
- Added nine products, including WARP and Psiphon, official app icons, free-country details, plan sources and filters.
- Merged the two tables into one, replaced numeric scores with grades, added links to audits and public records, and re-checked every free plan.
- Corrected two privacy labels. Speedify's privacy policy discloses connection logging, and TunnelBear's audits are security audits rather than no-logs audits.