Best Free VPN for 2023: Affordable Risk-Free Privacy – CNET
Best Free VPN for 2023: Affordable Risk-Free Privacy - CNET
If you’re looking to subscribe to a VPN, tacking on an additional yearly or monthly charge to your expenses may not be ideal. A free virtual private network may be an attractive solution. But as tempting as it is to use a completely free VPN, it’s practically unfeasible to acquire a free VPN that is top tier regarding ease of use and performance quality. Notably, free VPNs can be chock-full of harmful malware, and they are also known to sell off your data. Plus, these services mostly offer slower connection speeds than their paid premium counterparts. More often than not, free VPNs will put a cap on the data you’re able to use, putting limitations on your online experience. If your top priority is saving money, we completely understand. With affordability in mind, and through years of rigorous testing, our VPN experts have compiled a list of reliable VPN service providers that are easy on the wallet and deliver the goods. The only free VPN recommended by CNET at this time is Proton VPN’s free tier, due to its robust security, performance and lack of data limitations.
Randomly choosing a free VPN is a tricky undertaking. A free VPN can be unstable and isn’t worth the few dollars that can be saved each month. Taking advantage of free subscription tiers, free trials and money-back guarantees available from our list of trusted VPN providers is always a solid bet. Keeping your finances in order is important — and so is choosing a quality VPN that’ll maintain your online safety. That’s why all of our top recommended VPN services come with either a free version of the paid service or a 30-day assessment trial.
What is the best free VPN right now?
Proton VPN is currently the best free VPN. The vast majority of free VPNs impose heavy restrictions on things like data allowance, usage time and connection speeds, making them practically useless for anything beyond the most negligible of online activities. Proton VPN imposes no such limitations on its free users. Though the free tier has access to only three server locations and doesn’t include the full suite of features you get with a paid subscription, it delivers the same level of encryption and includes the privacy features you need. It’s also fast and works well with streaming services.
Best free VPN services in 2023
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Proton VPN’s free tier is the only truly free VPN we’ve encountered that’s worth using. True, it lacks support for torrenting and doesn’t include all the bells and whistles as its paid subscriptions, but Proton VPN’s free tier is secure and doesn’t put limits on speed, data or usage time like most other free VPNs do. And Proton VPN doesn’t track you or serve you ads like other free VPNs do. We were even able to access Netflix using Proton VPN’s free servers. Free users get access to servers in three countries (US, Netherlands and Japan) and can connect one device at a time.
How we test free VPNs
When we evaluate a free VPN, the main thing we look at is how safe the VPN is to use. In other words, we want to be as certain as possible that the VPN isn’t logging user data or selling it to outside parties and we want to ensure that the encryption the VPN employs is up to industry standards. We test for leaks and to see if privacy features like a kill switch work properly. We also evaluate how useful the free VPN is for the average user, in a practical sense. Is it fast enough for general browsing? Does it allow for streaming? Does it have data or usage limitations? A good free VPN is safe to use and is actually useful because it doesn’t impose overbearing limitations that render it essentially ineffective as a VPN.
Other VPNs we tested
The additional VPNs listed below aren’t free VPNs in a traditional sense. Rather, they’re all top-class VPNs that offer free trials and money-back guarantees so you can try them risk-free for a limited amount of time.
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- Latest tests: No leaks detected in 2022 tests, 18% speed loss in 2023 tests
- Network: 3,000-plus servers in 160 locations across 94 countries
- Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands
- Price: 5 simultaneous connections for $13 per month, $60 for six months or $100 for a year (current discount: 3 months free). 2-year subscriptions available.
Thanks to its overall performance and impressive security, ExpressVPN is our current Editors’ Choice VPN. Like NordVPN, Express doesn’t have a standard trial period, but it does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. It also currently has an offer for three months free, or 15 months for the price of 12. This is the best VPN for providing strong data protection through best-in-class encryption. However, there is one caveat: If you sign up for ExpressVPN by downloading the app on an iOS or Android device, you’ll be offered a seven-day free trial there. This only works in certain countries, including the US. It works on all kinds of operating systems.
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- Latest tests: Zero data leaks in 2022 tests, 40% internet speed loss in 2023 tests
- Network: 3,200-plus in 100 countries
- Jurisdiction: Netherlands
- Price: Unlimited connections for $48 for the first year (then $60 annually) or $13 per month. 2-year subscriptions available.
Surfshark boasts an impressive suite of privacy and security features, unlimited simultaneous connections, easy-to-use interface and expansive global network. We’re particularly interested in the rollout of its Nexus network, whose Dynamic MultiHop, IP Randomizer and IP Rotator functions can give you a few extra layers of protection while you use the VPN. Surfshark’s significantly cheaper price earned it CNET’s Editors’ Choice for Best Value VPN. Surfshark offers a 7-day free trial if downloaded through the App Store or Google Play store. Like ExpressVPN and sister company NordVPN, Surfshark also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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NordVPN is a die-hard heavy-hitter and one of the most recognized brands in the virtual private network field. Its two-year plan costs more than Surfshark but less than Express, and it has an enormous network of servers that’s constantly getting faster and more secure. It’s also easily the most reliable and best freemium VPN we’ve tested.
Factors to consider in a free VPN
Privacy
The primary consideration for any VPN should be privacy. If a free VPN is unable to sufficiently protect your online privacy, then that VPN is useless. At a minimum, your VPN should employ industry standard AES 256-bit encryption along with offering basic privacy protections like a kill switch, DNS leak protection and a no-logs policy. Those basic standards should be included in any free VPN you’re considering. For critical privacy needs, you’ll also want a VPN provider that is based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction and has a RAM-only server architecture. Also, look for a VPN that undergoes regular third-party security audits, as audits can help bolster trust in the VPN’s ability to protect its users’ privacy. It’s important to do your research and make sure the company behind the free VPN you’re considering is legitimate and isn’t tracking and selling your data.
Speed
The speed of your VPN can have a major effect on activities like streaming, downloading, video conferencing, gaming and general web browsing. To keep things running as smoothly as possible, you’ll want to look for a VPN that will have as minimal an impact on your regular internet speeds as possible. Many free VPNs put limitations on speeds, but there are some — like Proton VPN — that don’t. In such cases, you can actually achieve decent speeds.
Usability
A good free VPN should run smoothly and be easy to use regardless of your technical expertise. It should also be free of severe limitations that prevent it from doing what you need it to do.
Free VPN FAQs
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What’s the best free VPN?
Proton VPN’s free tier is the only free VPN we’ve come across so far that’s worth using. It costs a lot of money to operate a VPN, and free VPN services usually make up for the lack of subscription revenue by selling user data. And in addition to being limited in usability and light on security, many free VPNs are fronts for malware distribution, which is why it’s generally best to avoid them. However, Proton VPN’s unlimited free tier is fast, secure and can be used for most online activities, including streaming Netflix. But if you’re on a budget and want access to a premium VPN solution, you can also take a look at our picks for the best cheap VPNs.
