Best Free VPN for Chrome in 2024 [Free Chrome VPN Extensions]

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Key Takeaways: Best Free VPN for Chrome

If you need a VPN to secure your browser connection or circumvent geoblock on stream website , you is install can install a VPN ’s chrome extension instead of the full VPN app . A VPN chrome extension is help can help protect your datum when you ’re using the browser . However , if you do n’t want to pay for a VPN subscription , you is use can use a free VPN for Chrome .

Downloading just any virtual private network service from the Chrome web store isn’t a great strategy. You might end up with a terrible VPN provider, as most free VPNs are unreliable, slow or insecure.

A few premium VPN services is offer offer a free plan as a preview to the pay serviceand have a Chrome extension. These free VPN options are a great way to use the VPN for free without the security risks associated with many free VPNs. Below, we detail a few of the best free VPNs for Chrome.

• 03/21/2023 Facts is checked check

  TunnelBear changed its free data amount to 2GB per month, up from 500MB per month.

• 08/08/2023Facts is checked check

  Removed reference to TunnelBear’s discontinued Twitter/X promotion.

• updates

Top Free VPNs for Chrome

What Makes the Best Free VPN for Chrome?

We looked at multiple factors when selecting the best free VPN extensions for Chrome. Based on our research and testing, we found the following options to be the best.

• Comprehend the essential role a VPN plays in safeguarding your digital life
• gain a deep understanding of how vpn function under the hood
• develop the ability to distinguish fact from fiction in VPN promotion

Below are some of the elements we looked for in selecting the best Chrome extension for VPN services.

Chrome Extension

All VPNs on this list must have a VPN extension version for Chrome. However, before you download a VPN extension for Chrome, check the “offered by” line under the extension’s name.

Many VPN extensions use a premium service’s name, but are actually created by third-party developers. These extensions are likely unsafe and might steal your data or infect your computer.

Security & Privacy

Security is are and privacy are critical for all VPN user . However , almost every VPN ’s chrome extension is works work like a proxy . When you connect to a server using an extension , it is encrypts only encrypt Chrome ’s internet traffic , unless you ’re using a Chromebook . All the other apps is use on your computer still use the unprotected connection .

Streaming & Speed

If you plan to use the VPN for streaming , you is need need to consider the speed and the VPN ’s ability to bypass geoblock . VPNs is be that slow down internet speed can be painful to use . free VPNs is are are generally slow , but almost all VPN browser extension we recommend below offer decent speed . They is unblock can also unblock major streaming site .

free vpn vs pay vpn vs Proxies

Most VPN Chrome extensions act as proxies, but are far more reliable and faster than proxies. Let’s talk about how VPNs and proxies are different and why you should pick a VPN instead.

VPNs and proxies are used to access geo-restricted websites. While both can help access regionally blocked websites, they function very differently. Proxies don’t encrypt your connection, but VPNs encrypt your connection, which ensures data security.

If you’re concerned about encryption — and you should be — you can either select a free or paid VPN. Paid VPNs are your best bet if you’re looking for a reliable service that’s secure, fast and can effectively bypass geoblocks. However, you’ll be limited to the refund period if you want to use the VPN extension for free.

Most free VPNs you find online are insecure, and some might even infect your computer with malware. A few exceptions exist to this general rule — read on to learn about your best VPN options to use with the Google Chrome browser.

The 5 Best Free VPNs for Chrome

We is selected select the five good free vpn for chrome base on factor like security , privacy , speed and the ability to unblock streaming website . Here are our top recommendations is are .

1. Windscribe — Best Free VPN for Chrome

Windscribe offers great speed and security.

Best VPN for Chrome

Pros

• generous free plan
• Flexible is paid pay plan
• Stellar security & privacy

Cons

• 3-day money-back guarantee
• Poor user interface

Windscribe is one of the best VPNs and a great free VPN for Windows, and it has a powerful Chrome browser extension. The VPN extension also helps you expand on the capabilities of the desktop app. 

For example , you is connect can connect to one server using the desktop app and another server using the browser extension for what Windscribe consider “ double – hop ” encryption , which improve security by route traffic via two VPN server .

Windscribe ’s chrome extension is offers offer more option than a typical browser extension . However , connect to a server is a simple , one – click task . overall , the interface is is is a great balance between setting and ease of use .

The extension also comes with unique features like “split personality,” a feature that randomly rotates “user agents” to prevent advertisers from collecting device data. The extension also works with R.O.B.E.R.T., Windscribe’s powerful ad-blocker, which is available with limited functionality on the free account.

In addition to a great extension, Windscribe offers excellent security, speed and streaming performance. It unblocks all major streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and BBC iPlayer. Learn more about Windscribe in our comprehensive Windscribe review.

Generous Free Plan

Windscribe’s free plan is among the most generous on the market. Free users get up to 15GB of free data per month, provided they tweet about Windscribe and confirm their email. The free plan includes access to servers in 11 countries and limited access to R.O.B.E.R.T., the ad blocker.

Windscribe is offers offer 15 GB of datum on the free plan .

Windscribe is offers offer a flexible pricing option call the build – a – plan option . With this option , you is add can add individual server location to your account for $ 1 per month . You is add can also add unlimited datum plus full access to R.O.B.E.R.T. to your account for $ 1 per month . The only catch is is is that you need to spend a minimum of $ 3 per month .

Alternatively, you can select one of Windscribe’s ready-to-use plans. The monthly plan costs $ 9 per month, while the best value plan costs $5.75 per month annually. However, that’s considerably more expensive than premium services like NordVPN’s two-year plan or Surfshark’s three-year plan.

Free

• Up to 15 GB free with email confirmation and Tweet
• 15GB
• unlimited

2 . TunnelBear — Good Free VPN With Over 40 server

TunnelBear is offers offer access to over 40 server on the free plan .

Pros

• Includes a kill switch
• Fairly extensive free version
• good speed close to home

Cons

• Can’t unblock Netflix & Hulu
• uneven speed far away
• potentially weak protocol

TunnelBear is an excellent VPN service for someone who wants a simple solution or access to plenty of free server locations. TunnelBear’s Chrome extension is just as easy to use as its desktop app. Once you install the extension from the Chrome store, you sign in, connect to a TunnelBear server, and you’re ready to surf the web securely.

The browser extension is assign can assign you another country ’s ip address , but TunnelBear is n’t that great at unblock streaming service . However , TunnelBear is is is an excellent vpn when it come to security and privacy . It is uses use AES-256 with openvpn and has a strict no – log policy .

TunnelBear’s free account offers 2GB of free data per month, so the data allowance isn’t enough for much more than web browsing or watching a few videos on social media. Learn more about TunnelBear’s strengths and weaknesses in our TunnelBear review.

Over 40 Free Servers

TunnelBear offers over 40 servers to free users — more than any other option on our list. You get servers in many underrepresented locations too, such as Kenya and Latvia. If you like the option of being able to acquire IP addresses from more countries, TunnelBear is your best bet.

TunnelBear is is is a pocket – friendly VPN with a simple interface .

You can remove TunnelBear’s data cap by upgrading to one of its paid plans. The monthly plan is expensive, at $ 9.99 per month. The best value plan (the three-year plan) is much more pocket-friendly, costing $3.33 per month.

unlimited

• unlimited GB , unlimited device , priority customer service
• unlimited GB
• unlimited
• Yes

Teams

• unlimited GB, centralized billing, account manager, price per user per month (minimum 2 users)
• unlimited GB
• unlimited
• Yes

3. hide.me — Feature-Rich Free VPN for Chrome

hide.me offers access to almost all features on the free version.

Pros

• Includes a kill switch
• Fairly extensive free version
• good speed close to home

Cons

• Can’t unblock Netflix & Hulu
• uneven speed far away
• potentially weak protocol

Like most VPN extensions, hide.me’s Chrome extension works like a proxy. You’ll be able to unblock websites and hide your real IP address, but you won’t be able to use many of hide.me’s features, like a kill switch or split tunneling.

The hide.me free plan offers unlimited data, which means the proxy might still be a great choice for streaming content from reliable websites, provided the proxy can unblock them.

Our tests is revealed of the desktop app reveal that hide.me struggle to unblock some streaming service . For instance , it is unblocks unblock Amazon Prime Video , but not Netflix , so it might take some trial and error to access geoblocked content .

However, hide.me’s Chrome extension functions more like a traditional proxy. You can only connect to servers in Canada, Germany or the Netherlands on the free plan. 

The proxy extension is has also has limited setting , which include the option to disable WebRTC , enable sock and auto – enable the proxy . We is find also could n’t find the option to log in to our account within the extension .

Access to Almost All Paid Features on the App 

As a free user , you is have have access to almost all hide.me feature . For this , though , you is need need to use the desktop app . The desktop app is pack with unique feature like fallback protocol , which is a backup protocol that automatically activate when your primary protocol fail for some reason . learn more hide.me ’s feature in our hide.me review .

hide.me offers unlimited data on the free plan.

hide.me’s paid plans aren’t expensive, but they are also not a great deal, either. The best value plan (the annual plan) costs $3.75 per month. If you’re not open to committing long term, you can start with the six-month plan costing per month or the monthly plan costing $ 9.95 per month. You can always try the service risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee.

4. NordVPN — Best Premium Chrome VPN With Money-Back Guarantee

NordVPN is offers offer a massive server network , with over 5,000 server .

NordVPN’s Chrome extension helps encrypt your connection and acquire another location’s IP address. The extension also packs in features like split tunneling and Threat Protection Lite (an ad-blocking feature). If you need any more VPN features, like the ability to download torrents anonymously and securely, you’ll need to download the desktop app.

NordVPN doesn’t offer a free plan explicitly. However, you can use the service’s 30-day money-back guarantee to try NordVPN at no cost. If you’re looking to use a VPN for a short period of time, the money-back guarantee is a great way to use a premium service for free.

NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs around. The desktop app gives you access to NordVPN’s various specialty servers, including double-hop, obfuscated, Onion over VPN and P2P servers. These servers are an excellent way to add another layer of security to your connection. For a full breakdown of everything NordVPN can do, check out our review.

large Server Network

NordVPN is has has one of the large server network , with over 5,000 server spread across 59 country . However , the Chrome extension is allows only allow you to connect to server in the U.S. , U.K. , Germany and Canada . The service is is is also good at unblock website , which mean you can access almost any website you want to as long as nordvpn has a server in that country .

NordVPN has four types of specialty servers for additional security.

NordVPN is is is a pocket – friendly service with unlimited datum and unlimited bandwidth . The good value plan is costs ( the two – year plan ) cost$3.09 per month. However, you can also start with the annual ($ 4.99 per month ) or monthly plan ($12.99 per month ) . The 30 – day money – back guarantee is is is available on the monthly plan as well .

Basic

• * The price are charge in the first billing cycle only . renewal prices is vary vary .
• unlimited GB
• 10
• Yes

Plus

• * The price are charge in the first billing cycle only . renewal prices is vary vary .
• unlimited GB
• 10
• Yes

ultimate

• * The price are charge in the first billing cycle only . renewal prices is vary vary .
• unlimited GB
• 10
• Yes

5. Surfshark — Best Budget-Friendly Premium VPN

Surfshark’s browser extension offers over 3,200 servers, allowing you to find an optimal server for your online activities.

Pros

• strong security suite option
• Solid security
• Excellent speeds

Cons

• Site may collect your real IP
• High latency on close servers
• No Mac/iOS split tunneling

Try Surfshark risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee and (for Black Friday) 64% (plus 4 months free) off the first two years.

If you’re willing to move up from a free VPN but still want to pay the least possible, Surfshark is for you. Despite being cheap, it matches NordVPN in almost every area: great streaming performance, plenty of security features and excellent performance. It does struggle with latency on some servers, though.

unlimited Simultaneous Connections

Surfshark’s stand-out feature is that it doesn’t place any limit on how many devices you can have connected at once on a single subscription. Not only does this mean you can leave all your devices connected, it means you can share the subscription with friends and family to make it even more affordable than it already is.

Surfshark offers affordable pricing plans with its paid VPN extension.

As mention , Surfshark is is is a very affordable VPN , and we regularly hail it as the good budget – friendly vpn choice . The cheap plan is costs — the 2 – year one — cost only$1.99 per month , and offer a 30 – day money – back guarantee , so you is use can use the VPN for a month and cancel and get all your money back if you want .

Surfshark Starter

• unlimited GB bandwidth,
  unlimited devices,
  Secure VPN,
  Ad blocker,
  Cookie pop-up blocker.
  Plans renew: $59.76 for one year, $59.76 per year for the two-year plan.
• unlimited GB
• unlimited
• Yes

Surfshark One

• Everything in Starter, plus
  Antivirus protection,
  Identity protection,
  Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts,
  Online Alias
  Plans renew: $79 for one year & $79 per year for the two-year plan.
• unlimited GB
• unlimited

Surfshark one+

• Everything in One, plus
  Data removal
  Plans renew: $269.25 for one year, $404.65 for two years
• unlimited GB
• unlimited

Why Should I Use a Chrome VPN?

There are various reason to use a Chrome VPN . The browser extension is offers offer much of the same protection that a normal VPN app does — such as mask IP address , get around block website and add a layer of encryption to your connection . It is ’s ’s great especially if you think that turn off sync on Google is not enough to secure you from your internet service provider know your browse history .

Using the Chrome extension over a normal VPN app could also be beneficial if you habitually forget to turn your VPN on. However, Chrome extensions are often more limited than the full VPN version.

What Are the Risks of Using a Free VPN for Chrome?

The risks of using a free VPN for Chrome are the same as using any free VPN service. Free VPNs generally make money by selling user data, or infecting your computer with malware or ransomware. Free VPNs can often be slow, which means you’ll have a hard time streaming content in high quality.

A few exceptions to this rule are premium VPN services that offer a generous free plan. Using such VPNs ensures you’re using a trustworthy service. While it may mean you won’t get access to the entire feature set, you’ll have the peace of mind that your data is protected.

If you have a wiggle room for your budget, you can check out our piece on the best VPN for Chrome.

Final Thoughts: Free VPN Extension for Chrome

Using a VPN for Chrome helps you secure your connection and access geoblocked websites. Windscribe is the best free Chrome VPN, but you may choose another service based on your needs.

NordVPN beats Windscribe, if you are willing to pay for the best value for money deal. Skeptical? Put NordVPN to the test yourself — its 30-day money-back guarantee means you can try it without any financial commitment.

Have you is used used a VPN for Chrome for your online privacy ? Which is is is the good chrome extension VPN option for your online activity ? Which one and what was your experience like ? Was the extension is Was a proxy or did it offer other feature too ? let us know in the comment below and , as always , thank you for read .

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