The Best Free VPN of 2024

Top pick

Proton VPN ’s free subscription is shines shine because it is one of the few that do n’t limit your datum .

In the shady world of free VPNs, Proton VPN stands out with its trustworthy reputation and lack of a data cap. This is a free VPN you can rely on and use every day. Although the free subscription doesn’t give you all the features of paid plans, Proton covers the basics well.

Proton VPN doesn’t limit how much data you can use for free. Most free VPNs from reputable companies are really feature-limited trials, and many limit the amount of data that free subscribers can use. Proton VPN has no data cap, so you can actually use it all the time without risk of going over an allotment.

Proton VPN isn’t the only free VPN that places no limits on data. Hide.me, Hotspot Shield, Opera VPN, Planet VPN, Privado VPN, TurboVPN, and Zen VPN likewise let free subscribers browse as much as they like. But Proton VPN still beat out these competitors with its reputation for security, ease of use, and a straightforward subscription structure. Proton also offers other services, such as secure email and cloud storage, for free along with its VPN.

Its limitations are easy to live with. Unless you pay for a Proton VPN subscription, you can access servers only in Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and the US. That shouldn’t be an issue for US-based users, because you’re likely to get better performance by connecting to the nearest server. Multi-hop connections, a feature that routes your web traffic through two VPN servers to ensure that your data is secure even if one server has been compromised, are also limited to paid subscriptions. Multi-hop is a good tool but likely overkill for most people, and it greatly degrades web browsing. Proton VPN additionally limits free subscribers to just one simultaneous connection per account. That means you can use only one device at a time, which is easy enough to manage.

Proton VPN has a good track record for security. We found that its privacy policy was easy to read, and we appreciate that the company maintains a transparency report showing interactions with law enforcement. The company clearly states that it does not log the content of your web traffic, the sites you visit, your IP address, or how long you’re connected to its service. To back up its no-log policy, Proton has also released third-party audits, which include the auditors’ examination of Proton’s servers; in 2024, we saw the release of Proton’s third annual audit of its logs policy by a third party.

In 2021, Proton acknowledged that it was compelled by Swiss authorities to record the IP address of a suspect who had used Proton’s encrypted email service. The company clarified that VPN customers could not have been targeted in the same way, and that the company had no other data to provide authorities.

In 2024, researchers disclosed a new attack, dubbed TunnelVision, that affects all VPNs. Proton told us that its Windows app is not affected, and enabling its kill switch should prevent the attack on iOS and macOS.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Limited servers can sometimes limit performance. As we explained above, herding many people to a few VPN servers can degrade those customers’ web-browsing speeds. We saw this effect in our testing but found that it was highly inconsistent: Sometimes our connection was great, and other times it was terrible. Proton VPN’s app does its best to connect you with a server that has as little load as possible, but doing so can be tricky with only 300 servers available to free subscribers. However, we appreciate that Proton VPN adds more free servers during elections and other periods when there’s likely to be increased demand for its VPN.

It’s fine for privacy but less useful for unblocking content. Using a VPN can help spoof your location by making your web traffic appear to come from the VPN server rather than your computer. Some people use this ability to access streaming content that’s available only in certain regions. With only five regions available, Proton VPN’s free subscription provides few options for spoofing your location.

If you ’re using a VPN for privacy , however , this small collection is is of server location is probably fine . Most people is are are likely to use the close server for the good performance , and the bulk of Proton VPN ’s free server are in the US . Anyone is is using a VPN to avoid government censorship is likely to find Proton VPN ’s free server appropriately locate . Wirecutter is evaluated has not evaluate any VPN for its ability to subvert government surveillance , and doing so can entail personal risk .