Month: March 2019

We’ll show you what to look for when deciding on which free VPN to use.

Do a search for the best VPNs, and a boatload of choices will appear in the blink of an eye. This can be quite intimidating for any VPN user, particularly for those new to this area. After all, just a few short years ago, VPNs were more for the tech elite, but these days a VPN is more mainstream. 

Before anyone gets overwhelmed, we can break down the important factors to consider when choosing the best free VPN service – and most of this will apply to paid VPN services, as well.

Just be aware that choosing a free VPN too often involves compromising as the user cannot get all the vital features in a single service. 

Free VPN providers have to pay costs somehow and some do this by selling your use data, which puts your information at risk. Others may ask you to install adware, which can slow down your system and potentially expose you to malware. 

In this guide, we’re going to talk you through the main points to look for in a good “free” VPN but be warned that you could end paying a good deal more if you’re not careful. You can read more here about ways in which “free” VPNs profit from their subscribers.

When it comes to safety and having a more fully-featured service, paid VPNs always come up top. If you’re determined to go ahead with a free VPN, read on. 

How to set up a free VPNAre free VPNs safe and can they be trusted?And are free VPNs any good for Kodi?

The number of servers a VPN has is an important factor to consider when choosing a provider (Image Credit: Pixabay) (Image credit: Image Credit: Pixabay)

1. Servers everywhere – or not

One important aspect of a VPN is the number of servers that it has. This determines a few things, such as how fast the service will be to establish the initial connection, and the overall speed of the connection. 

While you should never choose a VPN provider just on the basis of how many servers it operates, having a larger number gives you more choice in terms of changing your IP address. This makes it more difficult for providers like Netflix to detect you’re using a VPN and block you from watching content outside your country for instance. 

While we’re on the subject, another issue is the location of the servers. This is a case of the more countries the better, whether for bypassing a geo-location restriction to view video content, or to shop for a better deal overseas, such as for an airplane ticket. 

A free VPN typically restricts the free users to just a few locations, and reserves the full array of servers for the paying customers. For example, ProtonVPN on its free tier has servers in only three countries, while all the paid tiers have access to servers in over 50 countries. WindScribe is similar, with the free tier only having servers in 10 countries, reserving the full set of servers – in 60 countries and 110 cities – for the paid tiers.

As we said, if a provider has only a few servers available in a few locations this can make them easier to target and block. However, you should also check where these servers are physically and what speeds they offer before making your decision. 

CyberGhost’s browser extension does not include a kill switch while its full application does (Image Credit: CyberGhost) (Image credit: Image Credit: Cyber Ghost)

2. Automatic kill switch

Once the VPN encryption tunnel is established, it is important for it to be monitored, and that it remains up. Otherwise the unsuspecting user can lose the VPN protection, and be totally unaware that the VPN has gone down.

The solution to this is an automatic kill switch, that can monitor the connection, and stop the internet traffic if the VPN goes down. 

While one option is to have a separate software kill switch, the more convenient, and easier to configure option is to choose a VPN that has already integrated this important security feature into its software.

So why would someone choose a VPN without an automatic kill switch? Well, there are free options that lack it. For example, some VPNs provide a browser-based extension as a free VPN option, such as CyberGhost.

As seen in the screenshot above, with a little digging, we can figure out that while CyberGhost’s paid offering has the kill switch, the Chrome browser extension lacks it (and some other features as well).

Even worse, some VPNs do not indicate if there is a kill switch or not, leaving the user thinking they are protected, when they are not. On the other hand, TunnelBear VPN does have a kill switch, although this is called VigilantBear.

Other VPN services may require you to activate the Kill Switch yourself: for instance you have to manually enable ExpressVPNs “Network Lock” yourself. If you’re uncertain, check with your provider. For example, the iOS client for NordVPN has a built-in Kill Switch that automatically switched on. There’s no need for you to do anything further but it doesn’t tell you it’s done this either.

Therefore when selecting a VPN, be sure to look for, and confirm that it has this important feature. If you’re not sure, take some time to read our guide on how to test your VPN kill switch.

If your free VPN Provider’s own downloadable software doesn’t support a Kill Switch but does support the OpenVPN protocol, you can use the free and open source ‘OpenVPN Connect’ client to access their service. The program has its own kill switch feature. OpenVPN Connect is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.  

VPNs will often highlight a no logs policy on their websites (Image Credit: ProtonVPN) (Image credit: Image Credit: ProtonVPN)

3. DNS leak

Some VPN providers will encrypt your connection but allow your DNS requests to still be handled by your ISP’s DNS servers. This is dangerous, as anyone monitoring your ISP’s connection logs will still be able to see which websites you visit, even if they don’t know exactly what data you send and received there.

A good VPN provider offers its own DNS servers and forwards all your connection requests through those, so no one can tell which web pages you’ve visited. Even if your free VPN provider says they do this, you should always check to make sure this is true for your system.

You can find out more in our guide what is a DNS leak.  

4. Privacy policy

The goal of using a VPN is privacy, and therefore a reputable VPN will have its privacy policy on the website, clarifying if it logs any data, and for how long this is kept. Reputable VPNs, including the free ones, will disclose this information, even if you have to hunt for it on the website.

For example, with ProtonVPN, we could easily find the following: “Under Swiss law, we are not obligated to save any user connection logs, nor can we be forced to perform targeted logging on specific users.” It is also reassuring that the same applies to users of its free VPN as well.

Not every VPN is as transparent on this front, though, so be warned. Besides the well-established practice of free VPNs selling data, with some even including tracking algorithms in their apps, the provider’s privacy promise only holds true provided they actually own and control the servers they themselves use. If they rent server space from a third-party hosting provider that provider also has access to their information and yours too. 

It’s also very easy for bad actors to claim to keep “no logs”, whereby no identifiable information about users is stored on the server. If a free VPN provider claims to do this, your first question should be how they make money if they don’t sell user data.

Your second question should then be whether they’ve been audited. Most reliable VPN providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN realize that they’re asking a lot of users to accept their privacy policies on trust, so regularly submit to audits by trusted third-parties to ensure they genuinely don’t keep any unnecessary data about users. 

Many VPNs have begun to offer browser extensions on the Chrome Web Store to support even more platforms (Image Credit: Google) (Image credit: Image Credit: Chrome Web Store)

5. Platforms supported

Users should seek to have VPN protection on each of their devices, so pay attention to what platform the free VPN supports; most support Windows and macOS devices. When it comes to Android devices, there are few good options for a free VPN, as they are too often riddled with security flaws.

You should be very cautious if a VPN provider asks you to install an app outside the official mobile Google Play or Apple ‘App Stores’. A reputable developer should have no problem getting their programs approved there.  

Browser-based free VPNs are quite useful, such as SurfEasy which is integrated into the Opera browser, or ZenMate that has extensions for both Chrome and Firefox browsers. The Opera browser extended its free VPN for the desktop browser to the Android platform as well. 

Keep in mind though that this approach protects your browser traffic but not other network traffic from the device. For instance if you use a separate email program, someone with access to your ISP’s records could intercept your messages and trace your real IP address.

If your device isn’t supported, check if your provider uses any VPN protocols like OpenVPN which work with 3rd party apps like OpenVPN Connect.  

TunnelBear limits free users to just 500MB of data per month (Image Credit: TunnelBear) (Image credit: Image Credit: TunnelBear)

6. Monthly data limit

A significant weakness of a free VPN is that many of them limit the amount of data you can use. For example, TunnelBear has a low monthly data limit, even among free offerings, of a mere 500MB, which any user that plans to stream video will use up very quickly.

Better options do exist for those users that want a free VPN with a higher monthly data limit. These include the Opera browser, ProtonVPN, and the ZenMate browser extension – all of which have unlimited data for non-commercial use.

If your free VPN provider supports it, you could also consider using “split-tunneling” to channel, say, your web browser via the VPN but leave video streaming software like Netflix directly connected to the internet. This would save you on download limits but wouldn’t protect your privacy in the same way as encrypting all your traffic via a VPN.

Even if you can overcome the download limit, it’s very unlikely you’ll find a free VPN provider that can compete with the speeds offered by paid providers. If you plan to download or stream a lot, you may want to consider our roundup of the very best streaming VPN services for this very purpose.  

 Final freedoms 

Free VPNs have some advantages in that they don’t cost anything and so are quick to set up. Since you don’t have to provide payment information, you may even think they offer more privacy than a paid provider who always has your credit card information on file.

Still, as you’ve learned free VPN providers have to pay for the service they offer somehow. They usually do this by selling your data – sometimes openly through explaining so in their privacy policy and sometimes less openly through trackers and adware.

For these reasons, we strongly recommend you try out a paid subscription with a reputable VPN service. Many offer a free trial or allow you to pay a small amount to try them for a month, so you can check if they’re right for you.

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A number of companies have begun to offer free VPN services but some are less trustworthy than others.

One of the biggest problems with VPNs is that when you search for a VPN through Google, or through the App or Play store, you find literally dozens of options. How do you know which are safe and which are untrustworthy? Can you trust your VPN provider not to put malware on your device or harvest your data to sell it on to advertisers? Can you be sure they aren’t keeping logs even though their marketing claims they’re a no-logs provider? Is your provider using the latest encryption to make sure that everything you do online is private or are they leaking your data like a sieve? 

Here at TechRadar we’ve spent thousands of hours investigating and reviewing VPN providers, so we can make sure you pick a safe, secure and trustworthy VPN provider. We’ve picked through over a hundred different providers and narrowed it down to the selection here that we think are the safest choices around. You can learn even more about what we think are the best VPNs on the market in our Best VPNs page.

Are free VPNs safe to use?

While there are some free VPNs we think are pretty decent, and you can find a list of them here at our best free VPNs page, they just don’t compare to the paid options. With a free VPN you’ll be limited in the number of servers you can pick from, from hundreds down to usually less than a dozen, and not only will your connection speed be poor as you’ll be connecting to servers that are overloaded with other people, almost all free VPNs impose a data limit which can range from as little as 2Gb up to 10Gb or so, making them useful for browsing, but not very good at all for streaming.

There are also security concerns with free VPNs, with some of them using outdated encryption and unsafe protocols, meaning they’re not very good at a VPN’s primary function – To keep you safe online.  At worst you might end up installing something that claims to be a free VPN only to find out that it’s malware designed to steal your data. While some free VPNs are funded by the provider also offering a paid service which, of course, they will try and nag you into upgrading to, many rely on selling your user data to advertisers and other third parties to remain in business.

Rather than risking a free VPN, we would always recommend you go for a premium service, you might be surprised how cheaply you can get a subscription, especially if you’re willing to sign up for a 2 or 3 year subscription. You can even try them out for free by using their money-back guarantees to make sure that it’s a good fit for you. So why not check out a premium service like the ones we recommend on our best cheap VPNs page  and use the 30-day money-back guarantee to see if it is really worth it.

What are the best free VPNs?

Are paid-for VPNs safe?

Most VPNs, especially the paid ones, can be relied on to be trustworthy and to keep your data safe, but that doesn’t mean you should blindly trust them! As the proverb says, “trust, but verify”. There’s a few things to look for to make sure that the service you’re paying for is living up to its marketing claims.

Always make sure you download any apps directly from the VPN provider’s website and not through some other third party claiming to represent them. If you’re purchasing a VPN for a mobile device like a phone or tablet, then make sure that they’re verified on the store you’re purchasing from, such as the Apple App Store or Google Play and always keep an eye out for fakes!They should have a no-logs policy, which means they do not store any data about your online activities. Some VPN clients will store connection logs, showing when and where you connected from. Always make sure you pick a VPN provider with a verified no-logs policy and ideally one where that policy has been checked and confirmed by an independent third party.Ideally any provider you pick should offer what are called “obfuscated servers”. When you connect to a VPN, websites and your ISP can see that you’re connected, even if they can’t see what you’re doing. Obfuscated servers, on the other hand, hide the fact that you’re using a VPN at all! This can be a very important feature in countries where VPN usage is restricted.We would always advise picking a VPN provider with a known and verified track record. Companies such as NordVPN, CyberGhost, ExpressVPN and more have been in the VPN business for over a decade and have proven that they’re worth both your money and your trust that they’ll do their best to keep you safe online.Another advantage of paid VPNs over free, and one we think is really important, especially for beginners, is that any provider you pick has a good customer service offering. Not just a decent support site, but a dedicated phoneline and/or webchat so you can contact them directly with any issues you may have.

As well as being a safe and secure provider, there’s a number of other factors you should take into account when looking at any VPN offering, paid-for or free. You should check out things like:

Connection speeds: A slow VPN is no use to anyone and will be useless for streaming video or online gaming. Always check to see if the provider you’re considering offers good connection speeds.

Server locations: Always check to make sure that the VPN provider has servers in the countries or regions that you need access to. Many providers, for example, have limited servers in Asia, or none at all.

Number of servers: A provider with only a handful of servers will likely mean that all their connections are oversubscribed and likely to be very slow. More servers means you’re more likely to have a fast connection.

Number of simultaneous connections: An important one if you have multiple devices you want to run a VPN on. This is the limit of the number of devices you can connect to the VPN provider at the same time. This limit will range from 1 or 2 for free VPNs up to 7, 8 or even an unlimited number of devices for some paid VPNs.

Content unblocking capabilities: One of the biggest use cases for a VPN is to access content in other countries. If a VPN doesn’t work with the big streaming platforms like Hulu or Netflix then it’s going to be of limited use. Always make sure the VPN provider you pick works with the streaming service you use.

Additional features: Many paid VPN providers come with an extensive suite of additional features these days, including ad blockers, anti-virus, breach notifications and more. It’s always worth comparing the complete offerings when you pick a provider.

What are the best paid-for VPNs?

How to choose a VPN

There’s a few things to keep in mind when choosing a VPN provider so let’s take a look at them. The first is what you need to use it for. If you’re more concerned about privacy and security, then you might not be too worried about how good it is at unblocking streaming services. Your focus here would be on how good the encryption is and what other services it offers to keep you secure online such as ad blockers, anti-virus, and breach detection to protect your personal data.

On the other hand, streaming might be your thing so you want something that can reliably unblock all the major streaming platforms, or you might be in a household with a lot of devices, so you’ll want a VPN provider with a generous connection number of simultaneous connections.

Perhaps you’re going to be doing a lot of traveling, so you want a VPN that not only has a wide number of locations to pick from to ensure you always get a fast connection, you might also want the provider to have a good number of obfuscated servers, to hide the fact you’re using a VPN at all.

Is it safe to use a VPN while traveling?

As long as the country you’re in hasn’t banned or restricted the use of VPNs, it’s totally safe and legal to use them while you’re traveling and there’s a number of reasons you might want to do that. If you’re staying in a hotel, for instance, you might want that extra level of security that nobody will be snooping on your connection.

It could also be that while you’re away from home, you want to access content that’s geo-restricted such as Hulu or the BBC iPlayer so you can stay up to date with your favorite shows. Now some streaming providers do state in their terms of service that using a VPN to access content in other countries is a violation of your contract. It won’t lead to the copyright police knocking at your door if you try to access content that’s geo-blocked, but there is always the chance that they might decide to terminate your account. 

If, however, you are trying to access content blocked by the government, this would probably be seen as illegal and could result in a fine or even jail time. While a VPN hides your real-life IP address and location, and encrypts your connection so people can’t see exactly what you’re doing online, it doesn’t hide the fact that you’re using a VPN. 

This is why it’s important to make sure that the VPN provider you sign up with offers obfuscated servers, which conceals the fact you’re using a VPN at all if you think this might be something you ever need to worry about.

What is the most secure VPN?

With so many VPNs to pick from, and all of them making claims to be the fastest, most privacy-conscious or the most secure, it can be hard to know which ones really live up to their marketing. It’s also important to understand that security and privacy are not necessarily the same thing!

Privacy is all about keeping your online activities confidential, so that means avoiding invasive trackers and nosy marketers and advertisers who want to know everything about you so they can sell you the latest tat from Temu or Shein.

Security, on the other hand, is how well a product protects you from online threats, how well it works to stop criminals stealing your data or monitoring your connection. And while it’s likely that the most secure VPN is also going to be one that’s really good at privacy.

If you’d like to know more, then check out our most secure VPNs article for an in-depth look at the VPN providers we think do the best job of keeping you safe online.  

VPN FAQs

Can VPNs be hacked?

As with any company in the age of the internet, VPNs are open to attackers attempting to hack their network or social engineer their way into gaining access to data they shouldn’t have. While they have stringent measures in place to protect their users, that doesn’t mean they’re immune. In 2021, three Android VPNs were hacked, and even big companies like NordVPN aren’t immune, with a hack in 2018. 

Is using a VPN dangerous?

As long as you make sure that the VPN provider you pick is a reliable and legitimate one, using a VPN is not only safe, but it will help protect your location and data from hackers and nosy government agencies. A VPN is just a tool, the same as a web browser or a messaging app. 

Are VPNs legal?

Using a VPN is legal in most countries. There are exceptions, however. Using a VPN is illegal in countries like North Korea, Oman and Iraq,  In some other countries you can use a VPN, but only ones approved by the government. That includes countries like China, Russia, Türkiye, Egypt, and Uganda. But you can assume that any VPN approved by these governments will also allow them to monitor their users’ activities. 

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