The Best Free VPNs of 2020
You don't have to spend a penny to encrypt your web traffic with a VPN.
Update: This video’s text says that Tunnelbear offers 500 GB of data, but it actually offers 500 MB of data.
Wondering if you can use a free VPN to get added privacy and security without paying a dime? It’s a valid question. Why pay for something if you can get it for free, right?
I hereby declare that free VPNs are not unicorns; they do exist. While reviewing dozens of VPN for this site, I’ve come across a handful that offer a free version. After thoroughly testing each of them, I’ve selected my favorites so I now present you the best free VPNs review! Let’s get started!
Methodology
When looking for the best free VPN for your situation, here are some things to keep in mind:
Features
Free versions of VPNs sometimes have features missing. For example, some VPNs have special servers for P2P file transferring or Netflix that are only available in the paid version. So if you’re looking for advanced features, you may have to pay up.
Speed
Luckily with free VPNs, there’s nothing keeping you from downloading the VPN and doing a speed test. In most cases, you need to accept the fact that the free VPN servers will be slower than paid VPNs, mostly because the free servers often get overloaded with users.
Data Logging
The data logging policy of a VPN is sometimes the same across both free and paid subscriptions, but not always. Watch out for VPN services that give out your information to third party advertisers on the free version. You might not have an issue with this. But for me, giving my data to advertisers defeats the purpose of using a VPN.
Server Locations
Free VPNs typically limit your data, the number of servers you can use, or both. With that in mind, exotic server locations will be difficult to get without upgrading to a premium service.
iPhone
VPN for Mac may not be the best free VPN for iPhone. Some VPNs work excellently on desktop, and then have an iPhone app that constantly drops your server connection. Check reviews in the Apple App Store to see if a VPN’s app is well received.
Android
To find the best free VPN Android has to offer, look at which features are available in a VPN’s Android and check the rating it has in the Google Play Store. In some ways, Android has an advantage. For example, split tunneling is easier to find on Android, so the best free VPNs for Android are worse on the iPhone.
Netflix
This is one of the most difficult features to get on a free VPN. Even if the VPN servers pass Netflix’s firewalls and your speed is high enough that you’re not constantly buffering, chances are you will hit the data cap faster than you can watch the first episode of Tiger King.
Recap
Well, those are our best free VPNs in 2020! If you think the best of the free VPN category is missing or want to share your experience with one of the VPNs above, let us know. We love hearing from our readers.
FAQs about Free VPNs
- Are there any completely free VPNs?
Yes, there are a few completely free VPNs. You may be limited to a small number of servers or a data cap, but you won’t have to pull out your credit card.
- What is the fastest free VPN?
It’s hard to say what the fastest free VPN is. It depends on your location, your device, and your current internet connection. With free VPNs, there’s no drawback to downloading all of them to see which is fastest for you.
- Are free VPNs safe?
Some free VPNs are safe, while others are not. Some have weak privacy policies and will sell your data to third party advertisers. It’s best to stick to a trustworthy company with a transparent privacy policy.
- Are free VPNs worth it?
It depends. Free VPNs are worth it if you only need a VPN occasionally and not for something data-hungry like Netflix. If will be using the VPN non-stop, it’s better to use a paid VPN, which can be found for a few dollars a month.