After covering Mashable’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) since 2019, I can tell you that “best VPN” and “paid VPN” are actually synonyms. Getting a privacy VPN with a lot of features and server location inevitably means spending a fancy matcha monthly.
So while the term “free” is often a red flag, there are two notable exceptions for users searching for the best free VPNs.
Among the reliable and trusted VPN services I’ve tested, both Proton VPN and TunnelBear offer a free subscription tier. They are suitable for cash-strapped users with basic browsing needs. They only allow connections once at a time and are subject to many restrictions, thus reducing your expectations, but for some use cases they can work. More importantly, they are protected by the same privacy practices as paid peers, including some reviewed log-free policies. Crucially, they are also subsidized by paid plans: Proton VPN and Tunnelbear won’t make money from free users.
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Relatedly, I highly recommend avoiding any completely free VPNs that are not provided by paid subscribers or subject to usage restrictions. At best, they may use ads to spam you. Worst of all, some completely free VPNs have been captured tracking, leaking or selling user data and intentionally bundling their apps with malware. Not everyone is a bad actor or an evil scammer, but “overexercise should” is my general rule of thumb when choosing a VPN, because online privacy is to get the sum of one in the first place. (See also: If something seems too good, it might be true.)
Below, I delve into the features and disadvantages of the two best free VPNs I’ve tried.
Proton VPN: The best free VPN for everyday use
Credit: Screenshots via Proton VPN
What it can do
When I work in a coffee shop, I want some extra security buzz in the background, which is a free VPN I turn on. The free tier of Proton VPN has no data or speed limits, so you can use it 24/7 if it’s reasonable. In case of excessive consumption, protons can be formulated to ensure the quality of service for everyone [free] User, “according to their privacy policy.
Free subscribers can take advantage of Proton VPN’s kill switch and its custom stealth protocol, which is designed to bypass VPN blocks. Therefore, it may also attract journalists and activists in places that are not tech-friendly. They should know that the company openly supports the online free cause: Among other initiatives, Proton VPN has opened other free servers for users before the election for government censorship and misleading advertising campaigns.
What it can’t do
Free Proton VPN users cannot use real-time chat support, nor access to advanced features such as Split Tunneling, its multi-hop “Secure Core” server or its “it”.VPN accelerator“Free users in five countries in Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and the United States are also limited to about 2,300 Proton VPN servers, and they cannot choose their own login site. Hopefully you won’t be too clogged. Unpopular servers (for comparison, Proton VPN plus subscribers can access 13,600 servers at the city level in 122 countries around the world.
The VPN sees a 1,000% surge in registrations in 30 minutes after Pornhub leaves France
Since your server options are so limited, the no ideal choice for Proton VPN is to spoof or unblock popular streaming services (two common secondary use cases for VPNs), unless your needs involve one of these five countries. Even then, there is no guarantee that you will get a server in your preferred locale right away.
Read my full review of Proton VPN.
TunnelBear: The Best Free VPN for Occasional Location Scam
Image source: Screenshot through tunnel buckle
What it can do
Tunnelless users get a choice of country-level servers on their full network, so here is a VPN I need to do some quick, one-time location spoofing. (Recently, I used it to check if there are still vinyl variants sold in the artist’s UK store.) Tunneling has locations in 47 countries at the time of writing; it’s not a lot different around the world, but it gives you more options and flexibility than competition.
Mixable transactions
Functionally speaking, Tunnelbear’s free staff can enable its kill switch (called “Vigilantbear”) and its split tunneling tool (“Splitbear”), which allows you to exempt different kinds of traffic based on the platform. You can also customize the appearance of the tunneled application.
What it can’t do
Tunnelless users are limited to 2GB of browsing data per month, which means you won’t be able to use it all the time. (I managed to hit this limit when I was working and when I left my VPN to run.) Even if you can stay connected 24/7, you won’t be able to play hours of shows and movies. Although FunnelBear Free is good at cheating on my location, I have never blocked geo-restricted content on international streaming services because they discovered my VPN usage. This is also true when I tested the tunnel-style infinite layer (its paid layer).
Compared to their paid comrades, along similar lines, tunnelless users do not miss a lot of features, because tunnel-style tunneling is not a very robust, feature-rich VPN service. There is no more jump, it does not provide on-demand customer support, and it works less on the platform than other quality VPNs.
Read my full review of the tunnel.
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Network security and privacy
