A good VPN is worth paying for. Almost every service I'll recommend as one of the best VPNs is either subscription-only or supported by paid plans. Free VPNs do have their place, though, as not everybody can afford yet another subscription in the software-as-a-service hellscape we live in. Since everyone deserves privacy and flexibility online, I wanted to put together a definitive list of the best free VPNs.
Now, some will say that free VPNs are, by definition, security risks that are to be avoided by default. That reputation exists because free VPNs often really are a risk. As proliferating age verification laws have created a need for VPNs, some free services have stepped up to answer the call, while others have taken advantage of it to spread malware. Free VPNs are easy for scammers to set up and hard for app stores to catch. I never recommend using one without doing thorough research.
To that end, the three providers on this list are exceptions to the risk of free VPNs. While they all have tradeoffs, they're also upfront about what they do and don't do. Each one comes with reliable security, a clean record of handling user data and apps that never force you to upgrade just so they'll work properly. They aren't the only good free VPNs, but they're the top three by far.
Editor's note: This list represents our ranking as of October 2025. We intend to revisit the list every three months at a minimum, at which time our picks may be adjusted based on changes in features, testing results and other factors.
Best free VPNs for 2025
hide.me Best free VPN hide.me Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, routers | Server locations: 81 in 58 countries | Notable features: Customizable split tunneling, Stealth Guard strong kill switch, dynamic port forwarding, IPv6 support | Best price: $69.95 for 27 months We're in the process of re-testing hide.me for a full review. Hide.me had a pretty simple path to the top of my free VPN roster. It's the only provider whose free plan checks the most crucial three boxes: no ads, no monthly data caps and the option to pick your own server location. That makes it the only free VPN you can consistently use for streaming, as long as you want to stream from one of the seven free locations (USA, UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland). But hide.me is more than just a default winner. For no cost, you get easily navigable interfaces on both desktop and mobile, plus very little drag on download speeds. While hide.me claims there's a speed cap for free users, I've never seen it in practice. As a security solution, you can rely on it pretty much indefinitely. This is a provider that's clearly paying equal attention to its free side, not treating it as a marketing afterthought. Hide.me is supported by a paid plan, so there's no need to be suspicious about how it makes money. Its privacy policy blocks it from keeping any sort of device fingerprints or user activity records. A Securitum audit confirmed this in 2024. Its servers are also set up to handle IPv6 traffic, a forward-looking feature that's rare on any VPN, let alone a free one. Free users can also use the kill switch. If you do decide to upgrade, you'll get access to 91 server locations, a dynamic multihop feature that lets you choose entry and exit points, 10 simultaneous connections and the SmartGuard ad blocker. Pros Fully free with no data limits
Fast apps with great interfaces
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