A VPN or Virtual Private Network is a method of connecting two networks as if they were on a single local private network. There are several reasons why a VPN is created, both for creating remote connections between computers, and, above all, for security reasons. So let's see together the best VPN services and programs that we can use for free. The VPN services that we will propose allow you to browse completely anonymously or to connect two distant networks via an encrypted and secure network, imposing (in some cases) some limitations on data traffic that we will carry out without a subscription (keep many servers in around the world costs, so it is normal for free services to impose limitations).
READ ALSO: faster, more reliable and unlimited premium VPNs (for a fee)
Why use a VPN
One possible use of VPN is to connect different networks together (present in different locations) in a secure way. You can imagine a chain of stores that connects the different branches located in Italy, in a single VPN. The data transferred between the various offices within the VPN are protected and encrypted while the data exchanged on the internet are not. Many VPNs are installed in offices to encourage employees to work from home or remotely on computers of distant customers.
As seen in other articles, you can create a VPN to connect to different computers remotely, so as to be on the same LAN even if placed far from the office or home.
Another possible use of VPNs (currently one of the most popular) concerns anonymity : with the right VPN services we can hide our IP, change IP according to the country in which we want to appear and also hide all the traffic generated while browsing (also in the eyes of the telephone operator). By using a VPN, in fact, we will be able to:
- Surfing Italian sites even when we are abroad : simply set up a VPN server with Italian IP and we will be on Italian territory, even if we are traveling in a foreign country.
- Surfing on foreign sites : if we are good enough with the language and we want to see films and TV series of a foreign streaming service (such as Netflix in the USA), we can choose a VPN server with IP of the country in which we want to be and navigate as if we were there.
- Circumventing IP and regional blocks : some foreign providers or governments impose a filter for access to some sites; these filters can be circumvented (in most cases) with the use of a VPN.
- Hiding traffic from the operator or control bodies : if we fear that our connection is controlled, we can hide behind a VPN and browse without being tracked or identified.
- Protect the internet connection, with the security that the incoming and outgoing traffic from our PC is encrypted, without the possibility of being seen in the clear by those who try to intercept it, also including the telephone company and the same company that provided the VPN
These are the main reasons why an ordinary user can decide to use a VPN on his computer or on his portable devices . If we still confuse proxies and VPNs, we recommend you read our in-depth guide on how Proxy, VPN and DNS work.
Best free VPN services
In this part of the guide we will show you what, for us, are without a doubt the best VPN services to be used for free on a computer or portable device. They differ from other services (all however very good) for the availability of the service (if it is free but with limitations or if it is free forever ), on speed (also based on our line speed) and on the presence of numerous servers behind to hide.Tor
If we are looking for a completely free service, without any limitation on the data exchanged and with excellent protection, the only one we can use is Tor .
Even if it doesn't work like a classic VPN (which creates a single connection between us and the server), the security level is very similar (if not even higher) : our encrypted connection is bounced between multiple intermediate nodes, up to get to the exit node (which we can choose, so that we can be with any IP, Italian or foreign): from here on we can connect to the requested page and server, masking our traffic behind a fake IP . Even in the event that someone wanted to trace the IP of our original connection, he would have to retrace all the bounces "backwards", making it very difficult to recognize the true IP of the user and his eventual position.
The only real flaw in technology is that, given the numerous rebounds and given the voluntary nature of the project (the intermediate and exit nodes are managed by non-profit volunteers), the connection is very slow: in the best cases it reaches 2-3 Megabits per second, even with a very fast starting connection.
We can therefore use it to hide traffic from the operator or some government agency, but it is not suitable for streaming or to hide data generated by a BitTorrent client.
To use the mobile versions, we can download the Tor Browser app for Android and TOR Browser Secret for iOS.
ProtonVPN
If we want to use a real VPN, with a good connection speed and above all no browsing limitations, we must focus on ProtonVPN .
By installing this client on our device we will be able to surf without bandwidth and time limits, at a reasonable speed (up to 10 Megabits per second), choosing one of the 3 free VPN servers . This service can therefore be used for any scenario where a VPN is required, such as streaming (10 mega should be enough for good streaming) or to hide web traffic. If we want to get more speed from the connection and choose a larger number of VPN servers (with the same number of IPs), we recommend purchasing the subscription for € 4 per month (one of the lowest), which allows you to access all the servers of the service, connect up to 2 devices simultaneously and browse to the maximum possible speed (often identical to the line speed).
The most expensive subscription allows you to integrate Tor within the connection, to access ultra-fast servers and use very advanced technologies to completely hide our origin, so as to be untraceable even with powerful government filters.
The apps for mobile devices can be downloaded here -> ProtonVPN for Android and ProtonVPN for iOS.
WindScribe
Another valid VPN service that we can use for free is Windscribe .
With this VPN we will be able to surf without speed limits, choosing one of the 10 servers made available for free. In the free version we can take advantage of up to 10 GB of data per month, a decidedly high value compared to the competition, difficult to end if we use the service only to surf the Web. Among its advantages we find a very restrictive cookie and data policy (they do not store any data, since all the traffic generated can be downloaded locally and deleted from their servers with a click), advanced tools to avoid government filters and blockages and the innovative double-hop system, which allows you to connect to two VPN servers simultaneously to hide the user's identity. Obviously if we want to use the service also for streaming content, we will necessarily have to buy a subscription, paying 9 dollars a month.
Currently the Android app is not available, but we can download the iOS app from here -> WindScribe for iOS.
Hotspot Shield Free
The last VPN that we recommend to take advantage of for its connection speed and the good amount of traffic offered is Hotspot Shield Free .
With the free account we will be able to benefit from 25 VPN servers, connect up to 5 different devices and take advantage of up to 500 MB of data per day. If we want to use it to surf the Internet, this is certainly one of the best solutions, also considering the high degree of security offered by encryption and the large number of servers that are also offered in the free version. If interested in accessing all the VPN servers and to take advantage of all the bandwidth made available by the service, we can take out a subscription for € 15 per month, which can go down to € 3.49 or € 6.99 per month if we choose the plans tri-annual or annual.
To use Hotspot Shield on smartphones and tablets, just download the right app from here -> Hotspot Shield for Android and Hotspot Shield for iOS.
Other free VPN services
What we have reported to you so far are the best VPN services that we can take advantage of for free on our computer or on our mobile device, each with its limitations and constraints. But the VPN services that offer a free trial or a limited free account are very numerous; below we can find some of them:
- Betternet is one of those VPN services that protects the privacy and security of the connection thanks to the encryption of all traffic between the home computer (or home network) and their service. Betternet does not record session data, does not discriminate protocols or IP addresses and does not host any data about the users who use it.
- TunnelBear is a program similar to Hotspot Shield but better because it guarantees a faster connection. The limit of the free version is 1 GB of bandwidth per month (you have to press a button to send a tweet on Twitter). You can mask the IP to access alternatively blocked US sites in Europe or European sites with IP from England.
- Opera Browser with VPN has the advantage of being a complete web browser, which includes a free VPN service to be activated when needed, unlimited .
- Speedify, a VPN that optimizes the internet connection on smartphones and PCs
- CyberGhost is a free VPN limited to 1GB of encrypted traffic per month. CyberGhost is another Windows-only VPN client, it requires an account registration but does not allow you to choose the server to use. Ideal for web browsing but not a dedicated solution for exchanging files or watching streaming videos (1 GB per month is little).
- SecurityKiss offers 300 MB of data transfer per day, but it provides a very fast and unrestricted line. You need to download the SecurityKiss program to access the service (only with Windows). Although the free plan offers little bandwidth, SecurityKiss unlocks websites like Skype and YouTube (many videos are blocked depending on the country).
- VPNReactor this VPN without software to install (so it's fine for Windows Linux Mac etc.) and provides secure connection.
- incloack can only be tried for a limited period of time but it provides a proxy for browsing with the IP of a country of your choice, including Italy and the USA.
- Avira Phantom VPN is a free program to access the web freely without any restrictions, keeping anonymous activities on the internet. You can then connect to the internet from a VPN server in the USA, CNN or other countries, mask the IP address, ignore the firewalls.
- VPNBook has no bandwidth limitations and provides information for setting up a VPN connection without creating an account. The service is financed by advertising and with the sale of dedicated (virtual) paid VPN servers for customers. Installation requires downloading the free OpenVPN client or a procedure explained on the site itself.
- HideIPVPN offers a FREE VPN an account on servers located in the United States and the United Kingdom. 100 free accounts are offered each month on the website.
- Speedify, a VPN that optimizes the internet connection on smartphones and PCs
Conclusions
Whatever our needs, we can use a free VPN with good performances in many cases, without necessarily having to spend something. The best servers and the best connection speed are obviously reserved for paying users, but even with the free limitations we can browse protected, hiding our identity. For those who want maximum privacy and no connection limit, we can always use the Tor network, even if the latter is very slow when compared to other VPN services.In other guides that we have created on the site we have seen together:
- the Best VPN Extensions for Chrome
- the best VPN apps for private connection on Android, iPhone and iPad
- Best browsers with VPN included
