The Best Free VPNs for 2022

Atlas VPN

Atlas VPN has revamped its free option to provide 5GB of data per month—far simpler than before. Best of all, you can use as many devices with its free subscription as you wish—something no other service can boast.

PROS

• Generous data caps for free subscribers Unique IP swapping servers Multi-hop connections

CONS

• Quirky behavior in hands-on testing No third-party audits of infrastructure or policies Awkward interface Pushy email subscription nags

PrivadoVPN

PrivadoVPN offers a stripped-down VPN experience with a vastly improved interface. Its free subscription limits you to 10GB of data per month, but you won't be cut off when that runs out, just slowed down. It also limits free users to just 12 servers.

PROS

• Very affordable Generous free subscription 10 simultaneous connections Split tunneling

CONS

• Few additional privacy features No third-party audit Uninspiring Speedtest results

Hotspot Shield VPN

Hotspot Shield VPN limits free users to 500MB per day. Free subscribers get one simultaneous connection and can only access US servers. Mobile free users are throttled to 2Mbps, and see ads in the app. Free subscribers on macOS have no data limit. It's a generous, but complicated, free model.

PROS

• Numerous server locations Slick, approachable client Split-tunneling by domain Hefty services bundle

CONS

• Expensive Free version throttled, supported by targeted ads on Android Gathers significant, but anonymous, data No third-party infrastructure audit Dated transparency report Limited WireGuard support

Hide.me VPN

Hide.me's free VPN limits users to five server locations and cuts out some features, but it does provide a generous 10GB of data use per month. Upgrading to its paid tier will cost you a pretty penny, however.

PROS

• Advanced features. Ten simultaneous connections. Good server distribution. Strong speed test scores. BitTorrent friendly. Supports anonymous payments.

CONS

• Expensive. Unusual location selection behavior. No specialized servers.

Bitdefender Premium VPN

Although powered by Hotspot Shield VPN, Bitdefender Premium VPN has a much simpler free offering. Especially attractive is that Bitdefender does not throttle connections or monetize its free version with ads. The free Bitdefender Premium VPN is capped at 200MB per day and limits users to the closest servers. That said, it lets you use up to ten devices.

PROS

• Extremely affordable Clean design Split-tunneling Part of the larger Bitdefender app ecosystem

CONS

• Confusing pricing Confusing privacy policy Few additional privacy features High latency in test results

TunnelBear VPN

TunnelBear limits its free users to 500MB per month, which may be enough for very light use. However, TunnelBear VPN is the only VPN that doesn't limit which servers free users can access. It also boasts excellent transparency policies, and is extremely user-friendly.

PROS

• Affordable Excellent privacy policies Annual independent audits Friendly, approachable design Bears

CONS

• No WireGuard support Few advanced features