6 Best Free (and Reliable) VPNs for Windows
The rate of cyber attacks keeps growing rapidly. So, there is a need to secure your connections on your Windows device to prevent such attacks.
One of the best ways to protect your Windows device is with a VPN. A VPN encrypts your connection, changes your IP address, and makes your online activities impossible to trace. Moreover, you can use a VPN to access geo-blocked content on streaming platforms like Netflix, or other foreign sites.
You can either use a paid VPN or a free VPN to secure your device. Although there are numerous free VPNs, not all of them are safe and recommended for use. In this article, we highlight some top free VPNs that are compatible with a Windows device.
Recommended Risk-Free VPNs for Windows
Before we go into the free VPNs, two risk-free VPNs are worth mentioning. Although they are paid for, they offer quality services alongside a money-back guarantee. The money-back guarantee offer allows you to use the VPN service for some time then request a refund on your subscription. Here are the two risk-free VPNs you should consider using:
ExpressVPN
Overall score: 9.8
- Super-fast servers
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Supports private protocol, Lightway
- Money-back guarantee
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
The first is ExpressVPN. The VPN service is known to be one of the best VPNs in the industry. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows you to use the service then get a full refund.
ExpressVPN has more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries. It allows you to change your IP address easily, access geo-restricted content, and have a secured connection on your internet connection on your Windows device.
To prevent cyber attacks the VPN service uses the AES 256-bit encryption and adds secure protocols like OpenVPN, IPSec, IKEv2, and others. Whether you’re connecting your Windows device to a private or public network, your online security is guaranteed. Moreover, there are extra features like a kill-switch, malware protector, IP protector, and others. These features help add an extra layer of protection and prevent hacks.
You’ll also have your full anonymity and privacy. ExpreessVPN has a strict no-log policy, which ensures that the provider doesn’t save your data or share it with any third party. You’ll stay completely anonymous and secure when using the VPN.
Additionally, there it offers a split-tunneling feature so you can choose the sites to access with a VPN. It also allows torrenting and peer-to-peer sharing.
ExpressVPN works well with almost all devices including Windows. It has a user-friendly interface and 24/7 service customer support. It also allows simultaneous connection of up to five (5) devices.
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NordVPN
Overall score: 9.6
- Incredibly fast servers
- Great security features
- Verified no-logs policy
- Unblocks streaming platforms
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
The other risk-free VPN you should consider using is NordVPN. It is one of the best VPNs, with quality service, fast servers, access to geo-blocked content, and maximum security and anonymity.
The VPN service also doesn’t have a free version but it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. With this offer, you can use the premium VPN to protect your Windows device, and access geo-restricted content for up to 30 days, then get a refund on your subscription if you want.
NordVPN has more than 5,000 servers in over 59 countries and multiple locations. You can easily change your IP address to a country or location of your choice. Alternatively, you can use the QuickConnect feature to automatically connect you to the fastest server.
The top-tier VPN uses the military-grade AES 256-bit encryption model to secure your connection and prevent online surveillance. It also has protocols like OpenVPN, IPSec, IKEv2, and others to fortify your online security.
Furthermore, NordVPN has a malware protector, an automatic kill switch, IP protection, and other features to make it almost impossible for a security breach to occur.
You can use the VPN service to access geo-restricted content from other countries, and still have access to your local sites. It has a split-tunneling feature that makes it possible to select the sites to use over a VPN.
The VPN provider also has a strict zero-logs policy and ensures your anonymity and privacy when using the internet. It is compatible with Windows and other devices and allows up to six (6) devices to connect simultaneously to the VPN service.
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Best Completely Free VPNs for Windows
Several free VPNs claim to offer good service, but only a handful of them can protect you from cyber-attacks and grant you access to geo-restricted content while using your Windows device. Our top recommendations are:
ProtonVPN
Overall score: 9.0
- Free version available
- Strong security features
- Reliable no-logs policy
- Allows Perfect Forward Secrecy
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
ProtonVPN is one of the best completely free VPNs with great features, and compatibility with Windows devices. It allows you to access geo-blocked content with ease and encrypts your connection to prevent cyber attacks.
The provider has both a paid and free version. The paid version has 1000+ servers in 50+ countries, offers speedy servers, and top-notch security features. Although the paid version offers more services, you can also use the free version to change your IP address and secure your connection.
With the free version, you can access 24 servers in three different countries. It has 9 servers in the United States, 4 in Japan, and 11 servers in the Netherlands. You can use the service to stream geo-blocked content in those locations, and still protect your account from cyber breaches.
ProtonVPN offers unlimited data bandwidth and high-quality security features on its free and paid VPN versions. It uses AES 256 bit encryption to make your internet connection safe. It also supports protocols like OpenVPN, IPSec, and other security features.
The VPN provider also has a strict zero log policy, which ensures that your online activities are kept private and anonymous. Your information will never be shared with any third party.
Before settling for the free version, you can take advantage of ProtonVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee to access the premium version for up to 30 days then request a refund. ProtonVPN has an excellent customer support and is compatible with most devices, including Windows.
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Hide.me
Overall score: 9.1
- Advanced IP Leak protection available
- 1,800+ servers in 72 countries
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Offers a completely free version
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Hide.me is the second on our list of the best free VPNs for Microsoft. It has good security features and ensures you are completely anonymous and private when browsing with your Windows device.
The provider also has a paid and free version. On its paid version, it offers 1,900 servers in 75+ locations. It has unlimited bandwidth and allows you to easily switch servers to browse securely and access geo-blocked sites.
However, on its free plan, you can only access five (5) servers located in the Netherlands, Germany, US West, US East, and Canada. The servers’ speed is fair and allows you to unblock content in these locations. You can change your IP address to any of these locations and protect your device from monitoring eyes.
In terms of security, Hide.me uses military-grade encryption on both the free and paid plan to conceal your IP address, and secure your network. It also uses essential protocols like OpenVPN to provide extra security, especially when you’re using a public network.
However, on the free plan, Hide.me has limited data bandwidth. You’ll be given 10GB of data bandwidth and once it gets exhausted, you’ll have to upgrade to the premium VPN plan to continue protecting your device.
You can test out the premium Hide.me plan with its 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re unsatisfied with the service, you can request a refund within 30 days of use. The software is compatible with Windows and has an easy-to-use interface.
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Hotspot Shield
Overall score:
- Super-fast server speed
- Remarkable unblocking ability
- Intuitive user interface
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Hotspot Shield is another great free VPN to use for Windows devices. It encrypts your network, bypasses geo-restrictions, and keeps you private and anonymous when browsing.
Similar to other VPNs mentioned, Hotspot Shield has both a paid and free version. On the paid plan, you can access 3,200+ servers located in 80+ countries. Using the paid plan, you can conveniently switch servers and access any geo-blocked content of your choice.
The free plan, on the other hand, only has one (1) server, which is located in the United States. Nevertheless, you can use it to hide your real IP address on your Windows device and access content and sites that are only visible to U.S residents.
The VPN provider uses the AES 256 bit encryption on both plans, has security protocols, and other features to help prevent cyber attacks. Its protocols include; Hydra, IPSec, OpenVPN, and others.
The free version of Hotspot Shield VPN also has data bandwidth limitations. Daily, you’ll have access to 500 MB data. Once it is exhausted, you’ll either have to wait till the next day or upgrade to the premium plan to access the VPN service.
You can test out the premium service with its seven (7) day free trial offer. You’ll have access to all premium servers alongside extra security features. If you only need the VPN for a short period, you can consider taking advantage of this free trial.
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Trust.Zone
Overall score: 8.2
- Offers dedicated IP addresses
- Allows torrenting and P2P file sharing
- Great pricing
- Free version available
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Trust.Zone VPN service is a powerful tool to protect your online privacy, hide your online activity from being tracked by others, and mask your true IP address. You can also use the VPN service to avoid online security breaches and access geo-restricted content from your Windows device.
The provider has 200+ servers strategically spread across 38+ countries. You can use its fast servers to hide your IP address, and stay safe while surfing the web. The security features protect you whether you’re using a home network or a public Wifi.
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Trust.Zone uses the AES 256 bit encryption, alongside protocols like OpenVPN and IPSec, to maximize your online safety. It offers complete anonymity and ensures that your online activities aren’t monitored or traceable.
The provider offers extra security features including a kill switch, malware protector, and others. The kill switch prevents your data from leaking whenever there’s a failure in connection.
To protect your privacy, Trust.Zone has a strict no-logs policy. The provider won’t store your online activities or share them with anyone. You can stay assured of your privacy.
The VPN provider offers a 3-day free trial which allows you access all its servers and premium features. With the free trial, there’s a data bandwidth limit of 1GB. When the data bandwidth gets exhausted, or the 3 -day free trial elapses, you’ll be required to subscribe to continue using the VPN service.
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TunnelBear
Overall score: 8.4
- Offers a totally free version
- Available in 26 countries
- AES 256-bit encryption available
- Relatively reliable speed
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
TunnelBear is a VPN that could help you browse anonymously and get past firewalls. You can connect to its servers to encrypt your connection and prevent hackers from stealing your data. You can also change your IP address to one in another region and browse content available in that area.
The VPN provider has more than 1,800 servers in 23+ countries. Its servers are fast and can be used to stream content without bringing significant buffering issues.
TunnelBear uses the AES 256 bit encryption and has protocols like OpenVPN, to ensure your internet connection is secure and free from cyber attacks.
The VPN provider has three plans, with different features. It has a free plan, an unlimited plan, and a Team plan.
The free plan allows you to access all servers but with a data bandwidth limit of 500MB per month. However, as soon as the data cap of 500MB elapses, you’ll have to subscribe to a premium plan or wait till the next month before using the service.
The Unlimited plan offers access to all servers with unlimited data bandwidth, faster server speed, and extra security features to ensure maximum security. Meanwhile, the Team plan allows up to five users to connect to the service simultaneously with no data bandwidth limit and a faster server speed.
On all plans, TunnelBear has a strict no-logs policy and publishes transparency reports to prove its privacy claims.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Using Free VPNs for Windows
Why do I need a VPN for Windows?
When your Windows device is connected to a public network, there is a high risk of cyberattacks. Your home network can also be hacked, and you could lose vital data. Using a VPN on your Windows devices helps eradicate such risks and protect your devices. Moreover, you can use it in accessing geo-restricted sites or content.
Are free VPNs safe for Windows?
Yes, it is safe to use any of the mentioned free VPNs on your Windows device. Not every free VPN is safe, but the ones mentioned in this article can hide your IP address, and protect your device. However, it is important to note that free VPNs don’t offer the same services as premium VPNs. Although using a free VPN is better than using no VPN, a premium VPN provides better services and has no data bandwidth limitations.
How do I choose the best VPN for Windows?
When choosing your VPN provider, you need to check the number/location of the servers, their speed, security, and privacy features. The number/location of servers helps you access blocked content and change your IP address, and its security features should be enough to secure your internet activities. You also have to ensure that it has a strict no-log policy. This way, you can be sure of your anonymity when browsing.
Conclusion
VPNs are one of the best means of securing your data when using the internet. You’ll have your privacy, anonymity, and safety when browsing. It also helps you access blocked content from different parts of the world. You can use any of the free VPNs on our list to protect your Windows device.