The Best Free VPN In 2020

TECH NEWS

What is a VPN?

A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.

Applications running on an end system (PC, smartphone etc.) across a VPN may, therefore, benefit from the functionality, security, and management of the private network.

Encryption is a common, though not an inherent, part of a VPN connection.

VPN technology was developed to allow remote users and branch offices to access corporate applications and resources. To ensure security, the private network connection is established using an encrypted layered tunneling protocol, and VPN users use authentication methods, including passwords or certificates, to gain access to the VPN.

In other applications, Internet users may secure their connections with a VPN to circumvent geo-restrictions and censorship or to connect to proxy servers to protect personal identity and location to stay anonymous on the Internet.

Some websites, however, block access to known VPN technology to prevent the circumvention of their geo-restrictions, and many VPN providers have been developing strategies to get around these blockades.

A VPN is created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated circuits or with tunneling protocols over existing networks. A VPN available from the public Internet can provide some of the benefits of a wide area network (WAN). From a user perspective, the resources available within the private network can be accessed remotely.

So moving on to the list of best free VPNs of 2020

best free VPNs of 2020

1. Hotspot Shield Free VPN

hotspot sheild free vpn

Get fast, secure access to all your favorite content

Hotspot Shield is the fastest, most secure VPN for streaming your favorite shows, movies, games, videos, and more.

Supported platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

Servers available: 1

Daily data limit: 500MB per day

24/7 live chat support: No

Pros

  • Many premium version features in the free one also
  • easy-to-use
  • 500MB daily limit
  • focused on security

Cons

  • setup is a bit awkward

The number 1 on our list of best free VPNs is Hotspot Sheild VPN.

Yes Hotspot Shield is free & also the better known free VPN. Many tech sites recommend Hotspot Shield.  You can choose up to 70-odd countries to use if you choose to go premium.

In the free version, you can’t choose location & ads will interrupt you from time to time. In the free plan, you get a daily limit of 500MB which is only 15GB per month that’s less, to be honest but it is actually good amongst its competitors. More on that below.

If you are too much concerned about your security then, Hotspot is on the same wavelength, giving you ‘military-grade encryption’ – while you do banking & shopping online or anything on through the internet.

In addition to its security, Hotspot Shield Free is also beginner-friendly to use. Whether on its mobile version or desktop version, you won’t find it difficult to use.

But getting started on Hotspot Shield is a bit of a hassle because it makes you go through first a seven-day trial of the premium version. While you may think that’s a good addition but the company asks you to enter your credit card details in case you want to carry on with the premium version after the trial finishes. However, if you don’t want then you can go with the free version of course.

2. TunnelBear VPN

tunnel bear logo

A more secure way to browse the web

TunnelBear encrypts your internet connection to keep your online activity private on any network.

Supported platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

Servers available: 20+

Daily data limit: 500MB per month

24/7 live chat support: Yes

Pros

  • Very beginner-friendly
  • Both mobile & desktop clients

Cons

  • Really low data limit (only 500MB per month)
  • Not many options or settings

The number 2 on our list of best free VPNs is TunnelBear VPN.

TunnelBear might have something of a cheesy appeal but it’s a good free option available out there. It has free & paid subscriptions to choose from.

The only restriction with the free plan is that it only gives you an allowance of 500MB per month which is really low. You need to choose wisely about when you want to use that amount of security cause its too little. You can’t keep it on all the times & you can’t use this VPN for streaming or using it for torrents.

TunnelBear offers a range of paid subscriptions to remove the restrictions that come with the free plan. On the paid version the download limit extends, the number of countries available is more, and also the amount of connected device is more.

TunnelBear recently updated its privacy policy so now it collects even fewer user data, you don’t even need your first name to signup, and also ditching its record of the user’s number of total lifetime connections.

If you want to go with the free version the Hotspot shield free version is of course the better choice for you.

3. ProtonVPN Free

protonvpn best free VPNs

Security is their priority

Absolutely unlimited data allowance, without paying a penny.

Supported platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux

Servers available: 3

Daily data limit: Unlimited

24/7 live chat support: No

Pros

  • No monthly data limits
  • Great on the privacy front

Cons

  • Speed throttling
  • Very limited support

The number 3 on our list of best free VPNs is ProtonVPN.

ProtonVPN is another great provider that offers a free VPN along with its paid option, but the ProtonVPN has very strong positives, the best one is that it doesn’t have any data restrictions whatsoever.

You’re free to use as much data as you want every month. That’s very rare for a free VPN provider & makes this VPN worth considering.

The limitations in this VPN is that you only get one device in the free option, only three locations & free users get lower speed as compared to paid subscribers. You may want to upgrade to the premium after seeing these restrictions. There’s no P2P support in the free version either. But if you can consider that, ProtonVPN is an impressive provider with no logging policy, and you can sign up with just your email address. There aren’t any ads on their website, let alone the client.

ProtonVPN believes that security mustn’t be an option, it must be a default.

With native software for Windows PC, Mac, Linux, iOS as well as on Andriod. The performance levels are pretty solid too. However, speed may drop when many users are getting online while using the service as the paying subscribers will get more priority, seeing that you might change your mind to get the paid plan.

But considering the no data limit that it is providing to free users its the best choice till now.

4. Windscribe

windscribe best free VPNs

Browse the web privately as it was meant to be

Your online privacy is under attack. Windscribe sets you free.
Supported platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux

Servers available: 10

Daily data limit: 10GB per month

24/7 live chat support: No

Pros

  • 10GB of data per month
  • Sterling privacy policy

Cons

  • Speeds are sometimes inconsistent

The number 4 on our list of best free VPNs is Windscribe VPN.

Windscribe’s generous data allowance & commitment to protecting your data & privacy makes it one of the best free VPN options in the game. You get 10GB bandwidth per month as standard & can choose from ten remote server locations even in free you get UK, Hong Kong, Germany, Canada, and US VPN.

You will need to create a username and password to sign in. Email is optional but it may be useful if you forget your password.

Windscribe doesn’t store any connection logs, IP stamps, or visited sites; when you’re active & connected to a server it stores your username, the server you’re connected to and the amount of data transferred, but this is erased after three minutes of your session ends.

Also there’s a built-in ad blocker as well as a firewall.

5.Speedify

Reliable, Fast & Secure

Speedify ranks as the winner for the Fastest VPN of 2020.
Supported platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux

Servers available: 50+

Daily data limit: 2GB per month

24/7 live chat support: No

Pros

  • nifty performance boosting tech
  • solid on the privacy front

Cons

  • the software has few low-level controls
  • cant stream NetFlix or other streaming services

The number 5 on our list of best free VPNs is Speedify.

Speedify, as the name reads, has one of its main objectives as while you are encrypted your internet speed remains as fast as possible. To that end, this provider will make use of all available internet connections to get the best possible performance, potentially combining, say, an Ethernet connection (fixed broadband) with a tethered mobile connection. Even if you only have one type of internet connection, the firm claims its turbocharging technology will still help speed things up.

The free plan will give full access to those servers. The only restriction in the free version is that you’re limited in the amount of data you can download. Free users get 2GB of data each month.

To be honest, this is not much as compared to other providers we have listed above especially the ProtonVPN’s no limitation for a free user it will be sufficient for some basic duties.

And this provider is definitely worth a look on the performance side, as, during the testing, the aforementioned speed-granting technologies did actually prove themselves to have a positive effect.

But you can’t stream your favorite show in Netflix using this VPN, for that you may wanna consider some options above. Speedify almost wears its inability to help hopeful streamers as a medal of honor.

6. Hide.me

hide.me best free VPNs

World’s Fastest VPN

Take back your freedom with hide.me VPN

Supported platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

Servers available: 5

Daily data limit: 10GB per month

24/7 live chat support: Yes

Pros

  • Strong on privacy
  • No adverts or speed throttling whatsoever

Cons

  • Limited to one device (for the free version)

The number 6 on our list of best free VPNs is Hide.me VPN.

Hide.me also offers both paid and free VPN providers, in the free offering you get 10GB of data per month to use. There are a few more limitations too: you can connect only one device at a time and can choose within only five server locations when compared to the 50+ countries that the paid subscribers can choose.

On the positive note, this provider won’t throttle the connection speed of free users as well, and Hide.me also promises that it doesn’t keep logs of its users and stores no user data, so won’t pass on any data to third parties in order to try and make some profit by selling your data ( simply because it doesn’t have any data to pass on). There are no advertisements here either.

The performance of this provider is impressive. Overall this is also a provider that maintains your privacy without much restrictions.

How to choose a free VPN: 5 must-ask questions

A couple of years have witnessed the rise of global threats to individual privacy with long maintained rights to anonymity and net neutrality being undermined with a cloak of legitimacy.

While virtual private networks are not the panacea to being safe, secure, and private on the internet, it is an essential component of the arsenal for individuals inclined to seek these liberties.

If you don’t have one yet, you can grab one for free, without having to pay a single penny for one. Just be careful though as not all free VPN providers are created equal and some might even compromise your security.

Here are five questions you need to ask yourself before you download and install one from our list of the best free VPNs are.

1. What is its business model? Providers are in for the money and running such a business does cost a lot especially if it is a popular one. Some, like Tunnelbear, will use free, just like Dropbox, as a marketing tool to entice potential customers to move to a paid version once they are happy with the free one. Most however will sell user data or provide something to a third party that will, again, compromise your privacy.

2. How does it protect my PC? Most providers usually use a desktop application that runs in the background encrypting your data while you surf the web. However, that only solves part of the problem. Your laptop can still be fingerprinted because of the permissiveness of tracking solutions that can be found on almost all websites online. A few, including WIndscribe, have a more holistic approach by integrating the equivalent of a super ad-blocker

3. What do I lose by going free? Usually one can expect a free product to have some corners cut and that is indeed the case for all providers. Some offer more free bandwidth than others, major locations, and even ad blocking, P2P, and firewall with an easy paid for upgrade path that unlocks unlimited bandwidth with more locations and OpenVPN Configs.

4. Does your provider log anything? Make sure that your provider doesn’t store users’ internet activity. You can usually check that in the terms and conditions page or the end-user license agreement, commonly known as EULA. Sadly, a lot of providers prefer to frustrate end users with long T&Cs or privacy statements that often hide significant details about how they operate. On the other end of the spectrum are providers that will erase everything after your session closes and don’t keep logs.

5. Can I sign up completely anonymously? Having a provider that you can subscribe to without an email address and one that accepts Bitcoin payments, for maximum privacy, is pretty much the best you can expect online.  Some providers also offer double hopping where you can obfuscate your traffic further by essentially doubling down on privacy.

 

Karan Singh
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