Best free VPN: 7 free plans compared by their real limits
Seven free VPN plans compared by what each company states on its own page: monthly data, devices, server choice and logging. No ratings, only the published limits.
A free VPN is enough for public Wi-Fi, a quick IP change or opening a blocked page. It is not built for daily streaming or heavy downloads. We read each provider’s own free-plan page on October 22, 2026 and list only what the company itself states.
Disclosure: some links on this page (ZoogVPN, ProxyScrape) are partner links. If you sign up through them, we may receive a referral benefit from the provider at no extra cost to you. The limits below come from each provider’s own page, not from any partnership.
| Provider | Free data | Devices at once | Server choice | What the company states |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN Free | Unlimited, no speed limits | 1 | A small set of free servers, chosen for you | No logs, no ads |
| hide.me Free | Unlimited data | 1 | 8 locations | Zero-log, no ads |
| Hotspot Shield Basic | Unlimited bandwidth | 1 | See its page | Encryption, no ads on the free plan |
| PrivadoVPN Free | 10 GB every 30 days | 1 | A handful of locations | Zero-log, based in Switzerland |
| Windscribe Free | 2 GB a month, 10 GB with an email address | Unlimited | A fixed list of free locations | Stores only a username and a hashed password |
| ZoogVPN Free | 10 GB a month | See its page | See its page | See its free VPN page |
| TunnelBear Free | 2 GB a month | Unlimited | See its page | Free tier meant for testing and limited usage |
Which free plan fits which need
- Public Wi-Fi now and then with no data cap: Proton VPN Free or hide.me Free.
- A steady 10 GB a month: PrivadoVPN Free, ZoogVPN Free, or Windscribe once you add an email address.
- Several devices on one free account: Windscribe or TunnelBear.
- Just trying how a VPN feels: TunnelBear’s 2 GB.
What a free plan will not give you
- Reliable streaming unblocking. Providers keep that for paid plans.
- Top speed at busy hours. Free servers carry the most users.
- A wide choice of countries or cities.
- Several devices connected at the same time, in most plans.
How to pick a safe free VPN
Free VPNs still cost money to run, so check how the provider pays for the free tier. Prefer companies that also sell a paid plan and state a no-logs policy in plain words. Avoid unknown free VPN apps with no company name and no privacy policy: some free VPNs earn money from user data instead of subscriptions.
Limits change, so confirm the current numbers on the official free-plan page before you install. The links below go straight to each provider.
VPN or proxy: which one do you need
A VPN encrypts all traffic from your device. A proxy only reroutes one app or browser tab and usually adds no encryption, so it suits a one-off task inside a browser rather than full protection. ProxyScrape, a proxy provider, publishes a free proxy list next to its paid plans.
Common questions about free VPNs
Is a free VPN safe? It can be, when the provider is a known company with a paid business and a stated no-logs policy. Unknown free apps are the risky ones.
Why is it free? Most providers use the free plan as the entry to their paid plans. The free tier is limited on data, speed, locations or devices so that heavy users upgrade.
Will a free VPN unblock streaming? Usually not. Streaming platforms block known VPN servers, and free servers are the easiest to block.
Does a free VPN hide my activity from my internet provider? Yes, while it is connected. The provider sees an encrypted tunnel to the VPN server, not the sites you open. The VPN company itself becomes the party that could see your traffic, which is why its logging policy matters.
Free-plan details were read from each provider’s own page on October 22, 2026 and can change at any time. Disclosure: the ZoogVPN and ProxyScrape links are partner links. If you sign up through them, we may receive a referral benefit from the provider at no extra cost to you. The other VPN links above go directly to each provider, and all limits were read from each provider’s own page.
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