Windscribe also takes security seriously, with a detailed privacy policy, ad-blocking features, and no-logs policy. These features plus the data allowance make this free VPN a great option for light torrenting and the occasional stream. A freemium VPN is like a sample of a premium service.
Your free VPN might even contain malware designed to mine your data for profit. Freemium VPNs are best for casually browsing the internet, checking emails, and online banking.
A freemium VPN will offer:. Paid VPNs have:. Even if you find a VPN with many downloads and positive user reviews, it could still be malware.
Through my own research and testing, I found some shocking facts about several VPN services that I had to warn you about. With over 5 million user installations to date, studies into Betternet have shown that it has one of the highest levels of malware among free VPNs.
A test performed by Virustotal gave it an AV-Rank of 13, meaning it tested positive for malware on 13 different antivirus programs. This is concerning as Betternet markets itself as a privacy advocate but logs a considerable amount of user data. This data includes general location based on IP address , information device-specific information, and non-personal logs of domain names you visit when connected. HolaVPN built a P2P server network instead of using worldwide servers, which in theory would be effective at bypassing firewalls, maintaining privacy, and masking IP addresses.
In reality, HolaVPN has been known to forward user traffic through other participating user nodes , breaking its promise that data would be kept private and anonymous. Even worse, HolaVPN was letting premium members use the bandwidth of free users. This left free users open to investigations as any online activities would be logged to their IP addresses.
At best, your private data is collected by trackers while your device is bombarded with pop-up ads. At worst, you could infect your device with malware and expose your sensitive files to hackers. Every VPN also comes with military-grade encryption, multiple protocols, kill switches, and leak protection. You can be sure that your data is safe and your browsing activity is anonymous every time you connect.
The most common way is by bombarding your device with pop-up ads. While it might seem harmless, all adware comes installed with trackers. Trackers keep tabs on your internet activity, which means your browsing history is no longer anonymous or private. Free VPNs sometimes sell your data to advertisers. They keep track of sites you visit, your IP address, and data relating to your connection. This is a huge violation of your privacy and can compromise your security, depending on the data being tracked and sold.
Rarely, a free VPN will sell your data to the highest bidder — and this could mean your information in the hands of a cybercriminal. I tested all the best free VPNs and none of these services will unblock Netflix. Netflix is exceptionally tricky to unblock , and it costs VPN providers a lot of money and resources. An example is Hola VPN, which is one of the worst offenders you should avoid. Hola has even been caught multiple times!
Luckily, the best Netflix VPNs all have money-back guarantees. CyberGhost has the longest money-back guarantee that lets you try it out for 45 days with no risk. VPNs are legal in the majority of countries in the world.
In some places with strict government regulations regarding the internet, like China and Russia, using non-government approved VPNs is restricted or banned. This is due to VPNs having no legal obligation to hand over user data to government bodies. Using a VPN to perform illegal activities, like downloading and distributing copyrighted material, hacking, cyberstalking, and accessing the dark web to buy and sell prohibited items is illegal.
Not many VPNs unblock streaming platforms for free — it costs a lot of money and resources. For example, shady VPNs like Hola have been caught exposing the private data of its users and selling their bandwidth. However, Popcorn Time hosts a lot of pirated content, which is illegal in most parts of the world.
You also risk exposing your device to malware or viruses as the content on the sites are not controlled. Free VPNs are available on a variety of devices , though the range is often more limited than their premium versions offer. To find out which free VPNs are compatible with your device, take a look at the following recommendations:.
If you want to use a VPN for a short period of time, the trick is to sign up for a premium VPN with a money-back guarantee. This network provides reliable connections at all times. Plus, PIA uses cutting-edge encryption to protect your privacy and has an independently-audited zero-logs policy.
MACE protected me from malicious software hiding on webpages and in downloads, and the ad-block made websites load much faster. Split tunneling lets me choose what passes through the VPN connection and is great for multi-tasking. You can try PIA for free with its money-back guarantee for up to 30 days. The agent was helpful and quickly approved the request within minutes, and the money returned to my account within a week.
Try PIA for free! Its free version offers unlimited data so you can download and stream as much as you want. Also, free users can connect to servers in three countries Japan , the US , and the Netherlands only. It does not work with Netflix, but we could unblock other platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and more.
There is also an automatic kill switch that keeps you protected at all times. As this free VPN has no obligations to store user data, it keeps no activity logs.
If you create a free ProtonVPN account, you can only use it on one device at a time. If you run into any obstacles while using the app, you can fill in the support form or explore the self-help section of ProtonVPN. You can learn more about this service in our ProtonVPN review. Hotspot Shield is one of the best free VPNs for torrenting.
The only drawback of this VPN service is that its free version only allows you to connect to U. S servers. Moreover, it only allows MB of data per day which is not enough for avid streamers. Hotspot Shield offers a distinct feature called Catapult Hydra protocol that is designed to offer fast-speed connections on long distances. During testing, it managed to deliver a speed of It was more than enough to download torrent files, however, we did run out of daily data very quickly.
Hotspot Shield is not a good option for streaming as it does not work with popular services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and more. Similarly, with such a low data allowance of MB per day, you can only stream for about hours. With leak protection it makes sure no one can see your online activities, including your ISP. Hotspot Shield is another quality service that offers impressive features while being easy on the pocket You can check more affordable VPN services.
Upon further investigation we found out the Hotspot Shield does log some user data like timestamps, the device you are using, and bandwidth consumed. However, none of this data can be used to identify you online. However, the free version of Hotspot Shield is supported by ads , so it gets really annoying as during testing we encountered a lot of ads while browsing.
For more information, check out the Hotspot Shield review. TunnelBear is one of the most user-friendly free VPN services that offer easy-to-use apps that are best for beginners.
It features a cute, animated bear that guides you through the app, making the interface very pleasing. The free version of TunnelBear only allows MB per month of data which is very little for streaming and other data-intensive tasks. If you tweet about TunnelBear or refer them to a friend , you can receive 1 GB additional bandwidth for free. It offers over 23 server locations, more than what most other providers offer for free.
During testing, we got a decent speed of Since TunnelBear has a large server network, you can connect to any server you want and you will get decent speeds. Furthermore, it offers top security and greater functionality with VigilantBear Internet Kill Switch and GhostBear for dealing with connection problems. It is probably the only free VPN provider that has been audited independently.
Like other providers on this list, it also uses AES bit encryption and guarantees no data logging. Although its headquarter is located in Canada , a part of Five Eye Alliance, it has proved to be quite a secure and reliable service for protecting online identity and privacy. But you can use it for browsing and general tasks. The most disappointing fact about TunnelBear is that it only offers a MB per month limit.
If your VPN usage requirements are met, then this limit is workable. Still, if your purpose includes streaming, torrenting and P2P download, then you might want to consider subscribing to a premium VPN provider. You can learn more about this service in our TunnelBear review.
Me is one of the most secure free VPN services that offer bit encryption along with additional features for privacy and security. It offers 10 GB of free monthly data and access to 4 server locations.
Me does support torrenting on its free servers. However, you are limited to the amount of file-sharing you can do with the 10 GB data cap. It comes equipped with advanced features such as a firewall Stealth Guard , Internet Kill Switch, and split tunneling. Its headquarter is based in Malaysia, and the service fully supports a zero-log policy for complete anonymity and privacy.
You can also set up Hide. There are easy-to-follow setup guides available on Hide. It is fast as we got a response in less than 20 seconds. You can learn more about this service in our Hide. Me review. Speedify is one of the fastest free VPN services on this list.
Speedify offers 2 GB of monthly data. While 2 GB monthly data is enough for web surfing and social media, it is nowhere enough for streaming or torrenting. It does offer access to more than 1, servers across 35 countries.
So, you can get the IP address of any country you want with such a large collection of servers. It comes with a unique Channel bonding technology that uses both Wi-Fi and cellular data 4G to boost your connection speeds. However, you might run out of data as it sends twice as much traffic as compared to a normal connection. In addition to that, Speedify follows a strict no-log VPN policy. The provider is committed to keeping the free version ad-free.
However, Speedify free can only be used on one device at a time. Speedify provides support via a knowledge base, social media, and email. However, there is no live chat feature available. You can learn more about this service in our Speedify review. It masks your IP address while you are browsing different sites and restricted content.
Think of it as a browser extension that will secure your internet activity while surfing the net. However, as it is a browser extension, it only encrypts your Opera browser traffic. Anything you do outside will be unencrypted. You can choose from only three virtual locations: America, Europe, and Asia. It does not allow users to connect to specific countries, meaning, you cannot efficiently unblock geo-restrictions with Opera VPN.
On its American server, we received a speed of 34 Mbps on a Mbps connection. It does feature a built-in ad blocker and malware protection. While using any public Wi-Fi network, this VPN is essential for hiding your online identity and keeping you anonymous.
Although their encryption level is not up to the standard, it was still enough to pass different IP and DNS leaks that I conducted with it. As for customer support, there is only an FAQ section and no chat support , or ticketing system. You can learn more about this service in our OperaVPN review. Betternet is one of the most anonymous free VPN services that requires no registration.
With this much data, you can only stream for about hours. But if we talk about security features, Betternet offers bit encryption , fast speeds, and perfect forward secrecy. Betternet also keeps some logs. Its headquarters are located in Canada, which is not ideal for online security and privacy as it is a member of the 14 Eyes alliance.
Try ExpressVPN risk-free. ExpressVPN takes the top spot for Windows with robust security and privacy, fast speeds, and reliable connections. It has a kill switch automatically enabled to protect your data if your connection is interrupted. This was a very small reduction, with no noticeable difference to my online activity. I could browse the web without interruption, download large torrents quickly, game online lag-free, and stream in UltraHD with no buffering.
ExpressVPN is exceptionally good at mitigating speed loss , which is ideal if your standard internet speed is on the slower side. This makes it extremely fast, providing near-instant server connections and reducing the impact on your Windows devices. This router works just as well as a physical one, and you can set it up with ExpressVPN to cover all the devices in your home.
I tested the process myself and was surprised by how easily I got my money back. The agent had my request organized in less than 5 minutes, and I had my money back in 5 days. This is a limited offer so be sure to grab it now before it's gone. See more information on this offer here. CyberGhost is a premium VPN that you can use risk-free for 45 days — its money-back guarantee acts as a free trial, making it ideal if you need a short-term VPN for your Windows device.
These servers are specifically designed to give you top performance when streaming, torrenting, and playing online games. This is expected, as an increase in the distance data has to travel impacts overall speed. This protocol is designed for security and speed, and I found my server connections were almost instant with it.
CyberGhost has high-level security and privacy features , including military-grade encryption and leak protection, a kill switch, and a zero-logs policy to keep your data anonymous. I like that I can use split tunneling to check my bank account securely while shopping online at a local store. CyberGhost also has an ad-, tracker-, and malware-blocker that protects your Windows device from malicious content.
Unfortunately, it only blocks ads if they contain malware, so I still got ads before YouTube videos — but it also stopped me from accessing websites that contained potentially dangerous content.
The best way to know if this is the right service for you is to try CyberGhost for yourself totally risk-free. You can test every feature for 45 days and get a full refund if you change your mind. Get CyberGhost for Windows today! This is a limited offer so grab it now before it's gone. Hotspot Shield offers a totally free VPN with robust security that keeps your data protected when you connect using your Windows device. I was impressed by its military-grade encryption and leak protection that secured all data during my connections — I ran multiple tests and Hotspot Shield never let my data leak.
Hotspot Shield also has a kill switch, split tunneling, and public WiFi auto-connect protecting your connection while on public or unsecured WiFi. I found these security features worked well to keep my online activity secure, especially the public WiFi auto-connect. Like many free services, Hotspot Shield blocks streaming sites for free customers.
I experienced some buffering and lag while streaming, and discovered this is because Hotspot Shield throttles speeds for free users. This free service only has 1 virtual server in the US, so to keep speeds consistent Hotspot Shield imposes a limit.
Hotspot Shield uses its own Catapult Hydra protocol, designed to improve speeds over long distances. However, I found that even while using the Catapult Hydra protocol my speeds were very slow. Hotspot Shield gives Google your general location to show you targeted advertisements — not a huge breach of privacy, but also not the totally anonymous experience I expect from a VPN.
With MB of daily data, Hotspot Shield is a good choice for secure banking, shopping, and online browsing. This data limit does reduce your ability to stream, allowing under an hour of SD streaming per day. Otherwise, this free VPN has everything you need to connect to the web securely.
Get Hotspot Shield for Windows today! During tests, I found TunnelBear had zero leaks and kept my data securely within the encrypted connection. It also has a kill switch in case of connection interruptions and an obfuscation feature called GhostBear, which makes the VPN connection appear to be a standard internet traffic.
I found this particularly useful for visiting blocked sites and services. This meant I could stream without excessive buffering or interruptions and browse online with no issue. Anything more than casual browsing and checking emails will eat through your data allowance in minutes. Better still, TunnelBear performs annual independent audits for its service so you can rest assured your online activity is secure and anonymous.
Get TunnelBear for Windows today! I found the Windows app also features a kill switch, split tunneling, an auto-connect function, and Stealth Guard only allows specified apps to operate when the VPN connection is active. However, I found hide. I used servers in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US to access Netflix, although my connections were hit-and-miss — I had to reconnect several times to get a reliable connection.
0コメント