8 Best Free VPN Services of 2026

Proton VPN Free is the strongest free tier we compared because it removes the limit that trips up most free VPNs: there is no monthly data allowance. Proton's free VPN page says the plan has no data or speed limits, shows no ads and does not log your online activity. The trade-offs are clear on the pricing page. You protect 1 device at a time, you get medium VPN speed, and you connect to servers in 10 countries that Proton selects at random rather than letting you pick. Streaming, P2P and the malware and ad blocker belong to VPN Plus, which costs $3.49 per month on the 2-year plan or $9.99 month to month and covers 10 devices across 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries. Apps exist for every major desktop and mobile system, plus TV boxes and browser extensions. For someone who wants a free VPN for everyday browsing on public Wi-Fi without counting gigabytes, this is the one to install first.

Windscribe Free suits people who want more control than a one-button app offers. The homepage says you get 10GB of data every month once you sign up and confirm your email, and the features page lists split tunneling, a firewall that blocks traffic outside the tunnel, Double Hop, and R.O.B.E.R.T., which blocks ad, tracker and malware domains. Windscribe also documents Stealth and WStunnel connection modes for networks that try to block VPNs, and it says one account has no connection limit. The catch is the allowance: 10GB covers browsing and email on public Wi-Fi, but not regular video streaming. If you need a little more without paying for Pro, Build A Plan costs $1 per location per month, adds 10GB per location, and has a $3 minimum. The full Pro plan is $69 per year, which works out to $5.75 a month, or $9 month to month. The apps expose many options, which helps experienced users and can overwhelm newcomers.

hide.me Free is the closest rival to Proton VPN Free for people who do not want a monthly data allowance. hide.me's free VPN page says the plan needs no registration or sign-up, shows no ads, keeps no logs and never caps data. The pricing page comparison sets the limits: free users connect 1 device at a time and choose from 8 server locations, while Premium adds 10 simultaneous connections, 92+ locations and 2,600+ servers, port forwarding, a fixed IP option and streaming support. hide.me also says free and paid users both get technical support 24 hours a day, which is unusual for a free tier. The company states its system is independently audited for zero logs. From our location the pricing page listed euro prices only, so we have not quoted a USD figure. For anyone who wants to install a VPN without handing over an email address, this is the most frictionless option on the list.

Opera Free VPN is the simplest way to encrypt web browsing for free, as long as the browser is all you need to protect. Opera's feature page says the VPN is built into the browser on phones and laptops, needs no account, extension or app, and has no bandwidth limits, data caps or ads. You can pick from three real locations, the U.S., Singapore and the Netherlands, or let Opera choose the fastest. Opera says it uses AES-256 encryption and that its no-log policy is independently audited by Deloitte. The limit is scope: it masks your IP and hides visited sites inside Opera, but other apps on your device keep using your normal connection. Opera VPN Pro extends protection to up to six Android and desktop devices with 48 locations and offers a 30-day free trial on the monthly plan; the page we fetched did not show a USD price.

PrivadoVPN Free gives the same 10GB monthly allowance as Windscribe with a simpler app and more free locations. The free VPN page lists 13 free server locations, no ads and a zero-log policy, and the company is based in Switzerland. When the 10GB runs out, the pricing FAQ says you can upgrade or connect to free emergency servers, which keeps you protected until the allowance resets after 30 days. The free page also lists streaming support and apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Android TV and tvOS. The pricing page and the free page disagree on device limits for free users, with one saying 1 device and the other unlimited devices, so check in the app. Premium adds servers in 49 countries and 66 cities, up to 10 simultaneous connections, malware protection and an ad blocker. Plan prices on the page did not display a currency symbol from our location, so we left the USD price pending.

Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 with WARP is not a traditional VPN, and Cloudflare says so. Its documentation states that WARP does not provide anonymity, is not designed to stop servers from identifying you and does not let you appear to be in a different country. What it does do, in Traffic and DNS mode, is encrypt traffic from your device to Cloudflare's network using MASQUE, with post-quantum cryptography, which keeps a cafe Wi-Fi operator or internet provider from reading it. DNS only mode sends just your DNS lookups through the encrypted 1.1.1.1 resolver. The apps run on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux. WARP+ Unlimited is a monthly subscription bought through the Apple App Store or Google Play, listed at $4.99 on the US App Store, and it adds access to more Cloudflare cities for lower latency. Choose it for encrypted connections on untrusted networks, not for streaming catalogs or hiding your identity.

TunnelBear Free is the easiest VPN on this list to understand, which makes it a good way to try a VPN for the first time. You choose a country, flip the switch, and the app works in the background. The pricing page sets the free plan at 2GB of secure browsing, the smallest allowance here, and lists country selection, split tunneling, premium servers and city-level selection as Unlimited plan features. TunnelBear says it uses AES 256-bit encryption by default, blocks unsecured traffic with VigilantBear if your connection drops, and is the only consumer VPN provider to run annual security audits and publish the results. Its network has 8,000+ servers in 46+ countries, and there is no limit on devices per account. The Unlimited plan starts at $3.33 per month, priced in USD on the page. For ongoing free use 2GB is too small, but it is enough to test the app on public Wi-Fi.

Hotspot Shield Basic is a usable free VPN with two trade-offs the vendor states openly. Its free VPN page says the free service is ad supported and that free users connect through US-based servers, with 70+ countries reserved for Premium. No credit card is needed, and Hotspot Shield says you can stay on the free plan for as long as you want. The company built its own Hydra protocol, which it credits for its speed claims, and it publishes an annual transparency report. Premium connects up to 10 devices and was advertised at $1.99 per month as the current best deal when we checked, with the page noting that it auto-renews monthly at $12.99. Purchases made directly from Hotspot Shield come with a 45-day money-back guarantee. Ads and a single country make the free tier weaker than Proton VPN Free or hide.me Free, but the low promotional Premium price is worth noting.