Top 10 Free VPN Software for PC

Whether you're looking for a safer and more private web browsing experience or want to bypass geographical restrictions on content and pricing, a VPN is a key factor.

But what if you don't have enough monthly budget to invest in a reliable VPN service? Don't worry, many trustworthy VPN providers offer free options, which are limited in features but still effective in keeping you safe online and hiding your real location.

Here are the best FREE VPNs for PC depending on your needs:

1. AtlasVPN

https://atlasvpn.com/download

AtlasVPN is one of the best free VPNs with many attractive features, including apps for Android TV and Amazon TV. Unlimited speed and data volume make AtlasVPN stand out from other free VPNs, although limited server locations might affect your enjoyment.

AtlasVPN is a beginner-friendly free VPN, focusing on security and privacy. This VPN service has great additional features, impressive connection speed, well-developed apps for all operating systems, and the best free version tested to date. AtlasVPN is also great at unblocking streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer, keeping your browser ad-free with its ad-blocking feature, and ensuring your data is not leaked thanks to its strong data breach checker.

AtlasVPN is a secure VPN provider. It has the essential security features you'd expect from a VPN, such as a no-logs policy, AES encryption, and a reliable kill switch. Although the tunneling protocols you can choose are really secure, there are only two options – IKEv2 and WireGuard, the market standard.

However, the provider does not use RAM-only servers; instead, they keep data in fully encrypted drives. Also, AtlasVPN's no-logs policy has not been independently audited, only security tests have been performed for the iOS app.

2. Windscribe VPN

https://windscribe.com/download/

Windscribe is a veteran service in the VPN market and a popular free option for users who do not demand too many features. This Canada-based provider seems to offer a lot of quality features for free, making it a very attractive free option in the eyes of users.

Furthermore, Windscribe is renowned for its modern security protocols, user-friendly applications, and advanced security features that even free users can access. Of course, the developer also offers a premium package, but it is not very popular.

Windscribe provides AES 256-bit encryption. In fact, this is the highest level of encryption with SHA512 authentication and a 4096-bit RSA key. Thanks to this encryption, Windscribe is extremely secure and makes it very difficult to expose user data. Keep in mind that this encryption is also known as military-grade encryption because it is unbreakable! Even the most skilled hacker would take thousands of years to compromise it, making it the best security method available.

Windscribe even offers Split Tunneling in the free version. You can choose between two modes – exclusive and inclusive, allowing you to exclude or include applications, IPs, and hostnames from using the VPN tunnel.

It works quite simply. If you want to add an application to the list, you can search for them directly through the VPN, while IPs and hostnames are entered manually. The settings are then applied immediately, and you can rest assured that these items will be included/excluded from the VPN tunnel.

3. ProtonVPN

https://protonvpn.com/

Best known for its encrypted email service ProtonMail, ProtonVPN extends the company’s network security services with a virtual private network. This VPN uses security features such as DNS leak protection, a kill switch, and split tunneling operating from high-security data centers to provide you with maximum privacy and access to geo-blocked content.

Hackers, advertisers, and government agencies can track online activities through your IP address. However, using ProtonVPN will hide your IP address, so all they will see is the IP address of the server you chose. Proton retains very little information to further protect your data - no personal ID is required to sign up. You can even register with an anonymous ProtonMail account.

Proton has over 2,100 servers in 67 countries, so you can find a high-bandwidth server near you to prevent attackers from eavesdropping on your activities and allow you to stream your favorite shows and movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and other services. Your identity remains protected without slowing down your internet speed or performance.

ProtonVPN offers a comprehensive, reliable, fast, and secure VPN. With a server network primarily based in military-grade shelters, ProtonVPN provides an additional layer of physical security. ProtonVPN offers a free service, but the best services are in its paid packages.

4. Betternet VPN

https://www.betternet.co/

Betternet VPN has been around since 2014 and drew attention in 2016 when an academic study revealed that it exposed users to third-party tracking software. Betternet and several other VPNs were listed among the worst VPNs that risk your security, along with OkVPN and EasyVPN. Since then, the company has been trying to maintain its image and actively improve its features and security.

Betternet is a popular free VPN that you can use without creating an account. However, it is not an unlimited free VPN, as it only offers 500MB of VPN traffic per day if you are a free user. For an unlimited premium VPN, plans are available at $7.99/month for a 12-month package (quite expensive compared to some of the best VPNs on the market, which are cheaper and offer better features and security).

Although Betternet uses top-notch 256-bit encryption to secure your data, it uses a proprietary protocol called Catapult Hydra instead of well-known open-source protocols like OpenVPN or WireGuard. Betternet VPN can unblock streaming services like Disney Plus and Hulu. However, the speed is somewhat slow for streaming.

5. ZenMate

https://zenmate.com/

ZenMate VPN is a Berlin-based company founded in 2013, claiming to provide optimal online privacy and security through its platform. ZenMate is a premium VPN, widely used to protect your data and offer you a safer online experience.

This VPN service offers users free Chrome extensions and has many server locations, allowing you to use the application on multiple devices simultaneously so that your online data, whether from a computer, laptop, or phone, remains inaccessible.

ZenMate is a popular, easy-to-install, and user-friendly VPN. It is perfect for those new to the VPN world and can protect you both at home and on public WiFi networks. The great thing about ZenMate is that it has many server lines and a vast server network optimized for streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc.

This means you can use one of these servers to stream content from around the world, regardless of your location and whether the content is available in your area. Besides, ZenMate also includes all the usual VPN features, such as DNS leak protection and a kill switch feature in case of an incident, so you are always protected and secure online.

6. Avira Phantom VPN

https://www.avira.com/en/free-vpn

Avira Phantom VPN comes from one of the largest antivirus companies. It offers stable speeds, a kill switch feature, military-grade encryption, and even a free version.

Avira Phantom VPN is a reliable choice if you need to hide your IP address and location while securing private data with AES-256 encryption. For example, this is useful if you want to access your banking information or make purchases online while using an unsecured public WiFi hotspot at a café or airport. Streamers looking for access to geo-restricted content will find this VPN a great option.

However, the drawbacks of Avira VPN include a small server pool, inability to unblock Netflix, and the lack of WireGuard on the Windows app. This is not surprising since no VPN created by this antivirus service provider has ever made it to the list of the best options.

Avira Phantom VPN is available as both a paid and free service, but both are logging VPNs and store your IP address. For this reason, we cannot recommend Avira Phantom as a secure or private VPN. Both the Pro and free versions do not unblock any streaming services and are cumbersome to use. If you want a full VPN experience, there are faster services with excellent streaming capabilities and large server networks, such as NordVPN.

7. ExpressVPN

https://www.expressvpn.com/

ExpressVPN is a popular VPN provider offering a variety of features and useful tools to secure your online browsing experience. This VPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, a privacy-friendly jurisdiction. Registered under the name Express Technologies Ltd., the product has been owned by Kape Technologies since 2021.

Founded in 2009, ExpressVPN has undergone many changes, including scandals. In 2017, the ExpressVPN app was removed from the Apple App Store due to its involvement in the investigation of the assassination of the Russian ambassador. However, a few years later, this provider became a founding member of the VPN Trust Initiative, completely changing its approach to security and privacy.

ExpressVPN offers apps for all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Each app is equipped with industry-leading AES encryption and an internally developed Lightway tunneling protocol, combining stable performance with protection. To maintain the VPN's reliability, ExpressVPN regularly conducts independent security and privacy audits by companies like Cure53.

ExpressVPN is secure thanks to the industry-leading security measures it employs. The AES-256 encryption used by the provider will break your online data into multiple parts, ensuring an extremely high level of protection.

The provider has also achieved significant milestones in ensuring complete online privacy by obtaining court approval and conducting independent audits of its no-logs policy. Overall, ExpressVPN appears to be a reliable VPN provider.

8. VPNBook

https://www.vpnbook.com/

VPNBook is a free VPN based in Switzerland that claims to unblock streaming platforms while keeping you anonymous, but the lack of an app is a major drawback. The complicated manual setup using the OpenVPN client app, VPN Outline, or PPTP connection does not make this a user-friendly option.

This VPN is highly rated for speed, unblocking capability, security, and more. VPNBook has 11 servers in 6 countries, including 8 servers in the United States, Canada, France, Poland, and Germany, 2 proxy servers in the United States and the United Kingdom, and one Outline VPN server in Canada. This number is decent for a free VPN, although it would be better to have more than 3 options for dedicated VPN services.

With the lack of security features such as a kill switch and the speed slowing down your connection while gathering information, it cannot compete with stronger premium VPNs. It achieves its goal on some levels, such as preventing leaks.

9. Hotspot Shield

https://www.hotspotshield.com/

Hotspot Shield supports P2P file sharing and is fast enough to torrent small files on a Windows PC. In tests, the average speed was 36.72Mbps, allowing a 500MB file to be downloaded in less than 5 minutes. Unfortunately, Hotspot Shield only provides one free server, located in the US. However, you can use Hotspot Shield's unique Catapult Hydra protocol (which is particularly reliable for long-distance connections).

Hotspot Shield also excels in the security domain. Catapult Hydra undergoes testing by independent security experts to ensure there are no vulnerabilities. Moreover, it includes a kill switch, AES-256 bit encryption, IP/DNS leak protection, and perfect forward secrecy.

It's great that you don't need to register or log in to use Hotspot Shield's Windows app. This way, you can be sure that the VPN does not hold any of your contact or payment details. Additionally, the app is compatible with Windows 7 and above and is quite user-friendly, allowing you to connect to the server with just one click.

It offers 15GB of data per month but is limited to only 500MB per day. This means you really can't stream in HD with Hotspot Shield as the data will run out quickly. However, this amount is enough to check emails, update social media, and download some (non-copyrighted) music files on a Windows PC. You can also set up Split Tunneling to ensure only certain apps use the VPN connection.

10. Planet VPN

https://freevpnplanet.com/download/

Planet VPN is a 100% free VPN service with no data, bandwidth, or time limits. Just install and connect—no registration or personal data required. With Planet VPN, you don't have to worry about geo-blocking, internet censorship, or accessing your favorite websites and torrents.

Enjoy video and music streaming sites, sports events, games, social networks, messaging tools, etc., while securely connecting to one of Planet VPN's secure servers to provide you with complete online anonymity.

Planet VPN does not keep logs, and the server hard drives are also securely encrypted. Therefore, when the server is powered down for technical inspection, data access on the HDD is not possible.

Key features of Planet VPN include:

• 5 free locations to choose from
• No registration or personal data required to connect
• Over 1260 servers in more than 60 countries across 5 continents
• DNS and IP leak protection
• Smart filters for websites in the browser extension
• Kill Switch technology
• OpenVPN, IKEv2, StarGuard, and PlanetX protocols
• 256-bit encryption
• No logging or collection of personal data
• No limits for the free tier
• Use up to 10 devices simultaneously

So, which is the best free VPN for PC?

All the VPNs tested above can be used for free indefinitely. There are no free trials that you have to extend.

If your main goal when using a VPN is to stream content and videos unavailable in your country, then Windscribe is the best choice with server locations available in 10 countries.

However, for general web browsing, Betternet VPN is the winning option, despite the limited choice of server locations in the free version. The 15GB data will also last a long time if you avoid video content and only browse text or image-based content.