The best free VPNs of 2022
If you too have decided this question, know that it is not so trivial. In fact, there are excellent VPN providers that make available to users plans at no cost, usually with some limitations (e.g. the number of devices that can be used with the same account or the amount of data traffic per month), but in the Mare magnum of offers and brands competing for the Virtual Private Network services market, finding your way around is often difficult, especially for those who are not very familiar with the technology in question.
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On the other hand, VPNs are increasingly in demand and used, either because of the increase in remote working caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, or because companies try to limit the side effects of BYOD policies (i.e. the possibility for workers to connect to company networks using their own devices), not to mention the increase in the consumption of entertainment content and sporting events in streaming, sometimes subject to geographic restrictions.
In fact, VPNs allow you to “change” your IP address, allowing you to access geo-localized content as if your connection were from the same destination area. If you want to learn more about how VPNs work, we refer you to our guides to the best paid VPNs and to the article explaining what a VPN is and how it works.
Let's see together if it's really worth using a free VPN.
Is it worth choosing a free VPN?
If you don't have particularly complex needs, it may make sense to choose a free VPN to protect your computer or smartphone when connecting to networks that you don't have. you know the degree of security (e.g. while waiting for a flight at the airport, or while waiting to check in at a hotel).However, you should always keep in mind that free VPNs have to make up for it in some way to lost revenue. This often results in annoying advertisements or, even worse, the fact that some data is sold to other parties (with all due respect to privacy).
If you use it occasionally and do not have to protect crucial systems, for example example from a business point of view, a free service could be enough for you, however it is advisable to take some precautions, always keeping in mind the possible limits imposed by the zero-cost versions, also in terms of bandwidth speed.
First of all, forget streaming and torrent services: a free VPN will hardly help you in this regard, due to the lack of dedicated servers or too stringent limits on the amount of data you can consume per day or per month.
So, in the your choice of a free VPN, you need to keep in mind aspects such as the effective protection of your data. What information is recorded? How effective is the blocking of tracking systems? Read the no-logs and privacy policies carefully, trying to understand to what extent the free VPN you would like to use allows you to remain anonymous in a reasonable way.
Weigh the advantages too / disadvantages of a free account: is it worth giving up certain features, especially if the monthly rate does not exceed the price of a coffee + cappuccino at the bar?
Of course, some of the best antivirus on the market they offer VPNs in their plans, but they are almost always very limited versions (for example with only 200MB of traffic per day) which, depending on your needs, may not be able to fully satisfy you. On the other hand, if you already have a security suite of this type available, you may want to try the virtual private network service to understand if it is right for you.
Finally, pay close attention to the type of account that the VPN provider allows you to create: the safest are those that do not require you to enter an e-mail address or, in the paid form, accept Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Some services even go so far as to offer two distinct levels of "concealment", protecting your privacy even more.
These are considerations that may take you some time and possibly require some application to better understand some technical terminology and so on.
We have also created this ranking to help you get started and choose a free VPN service that can meet your needs with the least possible compromise in terms of anonymity and privacy.
But before reading, if what has been said so far has made you consider a paid VPN service, we want to recommend some of the ones we believe are the best on the current market.
ExpressVPN, the best of them all
ExpressVPN is the # 1 service. 1 for us at sportsgaming.win! We've tried several, but ExpressVPN is the one that convinced us the most as a whole. If you want the security and privacy that only a paid VPN can offer, the annual subscription costs less than 6 euros per month and is valid for 15 months, plus it includes 1 year of unlimited backup on the Backblaze cloud! What's more, you can ask for a full refund within the first 30 days, without risk.
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NordVPN, the best known in Italy
NordVPN is almost unbeatable for the quality / price ratio. If you are looking for a functional, safe and performing service, it could be right for you. You can try NordVPN for free for 7 days.
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Surfshark, ideal for beginners
Of all the VPNs we've tried, Surfshark is the one that caters best to novice users, thanks to interfaces user-friendly and quick settings. Plus, if you want to try it risk-free, a 30-day full money back guarantee is available, all for just over € 2 per month if you sign up for a 24-month subscription.
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The best free VPNs
If you've made it this far, here's our ranking of the best free VPN providers, we hope they can help you learn more about this world.ProtonVPN Free
Number of servers: 100+ Data limit: none Available platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux ProtonVPN Review Sign up for ProtonVPN Free The Free version of ProtonVPN is extremely interesting, as it does not place any limits on the data. Plus, it offers a fairly comprehensive set of features and protects privacy more than satisfactorily. Another positive aspect is the lack of advertisements.
From the point of view of privacy, the no-log criteria are very strict, so it is a service that we recommend to you.
Unfortunately, the speeds are reduced compared to the paid counterpart and you will have only 3 countries and 100+ servers available
If you are interested, you can subscribe to one of the paid plans that start at € 4 per month and offer a lot of features interesting and useful.
TunnelBear
Number of servers: 48+ Data limit: 500 MB per month Available platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS TunnelBear review Sign up for TunnelBear TunnelBear is a VPN that stands out for its extreme ease of use, with a very specific choice: to approach less experienced users and offer them a smooth experience or too complicated configuration steps.
The free version has the big limit of 500 MB per month of data traffic, dunq and forget to unblock Netflix or use torrents.
On the other hand, the company has greatly improved its privacy policy, and therefore has started to significantly reduce the amount of data stored, so much so that now it does not it is no longer necessary to indicate a name, while no track is kept of the number of connections to the servers.
If you like the user-friendly approach, you can try the paid version of TunnelBear, with rates starting from 9 , $ 99 per month, with significant savings on 1 and 2 year plans.
Hide.me
Number of servers: 5 Data limit: 10 GB per month Available platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS Sign up for Hide.me for free The free version of Hide.me offers you a data plan of 10 GB per month, but with no restrictions on data speed and with a policy of no very strict log. In fact, no data is recorded, furthermore there is no trace of advertising in any of the offered platforms.
Unfortunately, you can only use one device and you will have a very limited choice of locations, with only 5 servers available.
If you want to try the paid version of Hide.me, the most interesting rate is the two-year plan, at € 4.99 per month + 2 months free.
Atlas VPN
Number of servers: 3 Data limit: 400 MB per day Available platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV Sign up for Atlas VPN Atlas VPN is a service that offers full support for P2P, with excellent download speeds with the WireGuard protocol and all the experience of NordVPN thanks to the acquisition of the company. Plus, the paid plans are really affordable. In any case, the free version offers unlimited devices and no speed limits, but you will only have access to 3 servers, with a maximum limit of 400 MB per day.
Hotspot Shield Free VPN
Number of servers: 1 Data limit: 500 MB per day Available platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS Hotspot Shield VPN Review Join Hotspot Shield Free VPN Hotspot Shield Free VPN offers premium features and ease of use or guaranteed by the paid version, with some compromises: first of all, there is only one server available, automatically chosen by the provider based on your use. In addition, you will have to get used to the presence of numerous advertisements.
Security, however, is guaranteed by encryption, and the service is also very easy to configure, an aspect that should not be underestimated, especially if you have never used a VPN before.
Windscribe
Number of servers: 10 Data limit: 10 GB per month Available platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux Windscribe Review Subscribe to Windscribe Here Windscribe is another free VPN worth considering, first of all for the strict attention paid to privacy, but also for a data limit of 10 GB per month, more than enough for standard uses.
A system for blocking advertisements and a firewall are integrated, and it is also possible to register only with a username and password, without the obligation to indicate an e-mail address, excellent for further protecting your privacy.
Number of servers: 1 Data limit: 500 MB per day Available platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS Hotspot Shield VPN Review Join Hotspot Shield Free VPN Hotspot Shield Free VPN offers premium features and ease of use or guaranteed by the paid version, with some compromises: first of all, there is only one server available, automatically chosen by the provider based on your use. In addition, you will have to get used to the presence of numerous advertisements.
Security, however, is guaranteed by encryption, and the service is also very easy to configure, an aspect that should not be underestimated, especially if you have never used a VPN before.
Windscribe
Number of servers: 10 Data limit: 10 GB per month Available platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux Windscribe Review Subscribe to Windscribe Here Windscribe is another free VPN worth considering, first of all for the strict attention paid to privacy, but also for a data limit of 10 GB per month, more than enough for standard uses.
A system for blocking advertisements and a firewall are integrated, and it is also possible to register only with a username and password, without the obligation to indicate an e-mail address, excellent for further protecting your privacy.
