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Free Best VPN for PC in 2023

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Written by, Nikola Dimovski

Updated July, 21, 2023

If you’re a Microsoft fan, there’s no need to compromise when it comes to VPN choices. 

But, how many of the VPN services offer free plans for Microsoft users, and which are the best ones? 
We compiled a list of free best VPN services for PC and reviewed them to help you find the best one for you.

Free Best VPN for PC: At a Glance 

  1. Proton VPN: Best Overall | GET NOW 
  2. PrivadoVPN: Best for Speed | GET NOW
  3. Hide.Me: Best for Security Features | GET NOW
  4. Windscribe: Best for Privacy | GET NOW 
  5. TunnerlBear: Best for Number of Services | GET NOW 
  6. Speedify: Best for Upload and Download | GET NOW 
  7. Betternet: Best for Identity Protection | GET NOW 
  8. Astrill VPN: Best for Data Limit | GET NOW 
  9. VPNBook: Best for Device Compatibility | GET NOW   
  10. Opera VPN: Best for Easy-of-use | GET NOW
Short on time? Check the Top 3 Free Best VPNs for PC in 2022
ProtonVPN –  Proton undeniable offers the best free subscription on the market. With an emphasis on privacy, unlimited data, and a user-friendly app, this VPN is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a solid VPN tool.
PrivadoVPN – Privado provides security, a zero-logs policy, speedy connections, and excellent VPN protocols. The app is easy to use, and the free version of the VPN offers access to 12 servers.
Hide.me – Hide.me is an excellent VPN service for tech-savvy people. It has a variety of privacy-friendly features and an extensive security suite, including top-notch encryption and DNS security. 

Best free VPNs for a PC

ProtonVPN -Best Overall

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Unlimited bandwidth  
  • Top-notch privacy tools
  • Open-source apps
Cons
  • Only 3 server locations
  • Rating: 10/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: Unlimited 
  • Number of servers: 3
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 1

ProtonVPN has, arguably, the best free VPN plan for PC on the market. 

ProtonVPN stands out because it offers unlimited data – it’s the only free VPN service you can use without having to worry whether you’ve exceeded your data limit for the month. It offers industry-standard AES-256 encryption, a no-logging policy, its apps are open source, and the VPN effectively blocks DNS and WebRTC leaks. 

What’s more, ProtonVPN doesn’t feature any ads and doesn’t require any personal details on signup (only your email address). 

The free plan gives users access to three servers only, but it provides decent speed. It might not be suitable for gaming, but it is an excellent free VPN choice for secure, everyday browsing.

PrivadoVPN -Best for Speed

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Physical servers
  • Kill switch
  • P2P support
Cons
  • App could use improvement
  • Rating: 9.9/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: 10 GB 
  • Number of servers: 12
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 1

PrivadoVPN is a strong option for those looking for high-quality streaming.

The company has proved itself as a reputable VPN service with a solid free plan and excellent features. The VPN has a strict, zero-logs policy, offers three protocols, including WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN, and has AES-256 encryption.

What sets PrivadoVPN apart is its use of physical servers, which are more reliable and secure. Coupled with the WireGuard protocol, the VPN delivers speedy connections. Additionally, PrivadoVPN doesn’t limit its P2P services to paid users and it unblocks streaming platforms like Netflix and AmazonPrime Video.

Hide.Me -Best for Security Features

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Configurable 
  • Advanced security features
  • Almost zero logs
Cons
  • More suitable for advanced users
  • Rating: 9.7/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: 10 GB 
  • Number of servers: 5
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 1

Hide.me is the ideal VPN for tech-savvy users who enjoy tinkering with features and settings as it offers a variety of adjustable options, all of which are available to free users. 

The best part about Hide.me is that it has an extensive security suite, making it the best free VPN for a PC that uses Windows 8 and 10.

There’s a kill switch option, a split tunnelling feature, a Stealth Guard tool, a reorderable favourites list for servers, and a slew of protocols, including WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPSec, SSTP, and SoftEther. 

Furthermore, the VPN has an almost zero-logs policy, doesn’t monitor or store browsing behaviour, and has excellent customer support. 

Windscribe -Best for Privacy

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Includes firewall
  • Split tunnelling feature
  • Ad and tracker blocker
Cons
  • Doesn’t unblock US Netflix
  • Rating: 9.6/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: 10 GB (2GB without an email address)
  • Number of servers: 10+
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 1

Windscribe is one of the few VPNs that offers an ad-blocker and a firewall as part of its free plan. 

Users have the option to sign up without having to provide their email address and get 2GB of bandwidth for the month. If they add and confirm an email address, Windscribe will automatically upgrade to 10GB per month, free of charge.

The VPN’s default protocol is IPsec/IKEv2, but there’s also an OpenVPN option. 

Though free plan users don’t have access to all of its server locations, they can connect to servers in North America, Europe, and even Hong Kong. 

The VPN also delivers in terms of speed and considering its protocol options, its data cap, and the number of servers, WindscribeVPN is a great choice for someone who often works from a café and similar public places

TunnelBear -Best for Ease-of-Use

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Kill switch
  • GhostBear mode
  • Beginner-friendly design
Cons
  • Fewer advanced features
  • Rating: 9.4/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: 500 MB
  • Number of servers: 20
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 1

TunnelBear is a user-friendly VPN with a straightforward setup process and no-logs policy that is ideal for less tech-savvy users.

Its free account caps monthly bandwidth usage at 500MB, which is fairly low compared to other free VPN plans, but TunnelBear offers unlimited speeds and access to servers in more than 20 countries across the globe. It also offers the best free VPN extension for PC.

Unlike most VPNs, TunnelBear doesn’t limit access to premium features to users of its free plan. Anyone that signs up with the VPN service, regardless of the type of plan they choose, can use its VigilantBear feature (TunnelBear’s version of a kill switch), as well as GhostBear mode which makes users’ data traffic look more regular.

Speedify -Best for Identity Protection

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Channel bonding 
  • Torrent-friendly
  • Unblocks popular streaming services
Cons
  • Limited P2P support
  • Rating: 9.1/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: 2 GB 
  • Number of servers: 50
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 5

If you’re looking for a free best VPN for a PC using Windows 10, you might find Speedify’s VPN a solid pick. 

Speedify doesn’t collect connection logs or any browsing activity, blocks DNS leaks, and has a kill switch feature. 

One of this VPN’s most unique features is channel bonding. Speedify combines all of the accessible internet connections for faster connections and minimises upload and download durations.

Another great perk is that Speedify uses its own custom, proprietary protocol and relies on the ChaCha cipher and AES128-GCM. The company also supports P2P and torrenting, though it’s only available on select servers. Remember to take necessary precautions when torrenting.

Betternet -Best for Number of Servers

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • No need to register
  • Easy to use 
  • Reliable performance
Cons
  • No kill switch
  • Rating: 8.9/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: 500 MB daily 
  • Number of servers: 10
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 1

Betternet’s free plan is an excellent pick for Windows users who connect to public networks on a daily basis. It allows free users to connect to up to 10 server locations, including servers in the US, UK, Canada, and Europe. 

The VPN uses 256-bit encryption to protect your online privacy and data from snoopers, but the app is not ad-free and doesn’t unblock streaming services like Netflix. The company keeps some logs but it promises that it doesn’t monitor users’ browsing and viewing activities online. Be sure to only choose legal streaming services to avoid getting any potential virus or identity theft. 

The best part about Betternet is that it offers unlimited torrenting and simultaneous connections.

VPNBook -Best for Data Limit

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Unblocks streaming content
  • OpenVPN and PPTP
  • Web-proxy access
Cons
  • Small server network
  • Rating: 8.5/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: Unlimited 
  • Number of servers: 10
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 10

VPNBook is a completely free VPN with some solid features. The company doesn’t have an app and only has a small number of server locations, but its VPN is quite good at unblocking video streaming services, making it an excellent option for users who enjoy platforms like Netflix and AmazonPrime Video as alternatives to paid tv.

What’s more, it supports both OpenVPN and PPTP protocols and it provides web proxy access for free.

The company and its customer service department are both headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, which is not part of the Five Eyes alliance (and doesn’t share data with other states) but it does collect more logs than VPNs with zero-logging policies.

OPERA VPN -Best for Data Limit

Starting at - Free
Pros
  • Unblocks streaming content
  • OpenVPN and PPTP
  • Web-proxy access
Cons
  • Small server network 
  • Rating: 8.5/10
  • Price: Free
  • Data limit: Unlimited 
  • Number of servers: 10
  • Number of simultaneous connections: 10

VPNBook is a completely free VPN with some solid features. The company doesn’t have an app and only has a small number of server locations, but its VPN is quite good at unblocking video streaming services, making it an excellent option for users who enjoy platforms like Netflix and AmazonPrime Video as alternatives to paid tv.

What’s more, it supports both OpenVPN and PPTP protocols and it provides web proxy access for free.

The company and its customer service department are both headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, which is not part of the Five Eyes alliance (and doesn’t share data with other states) but it does collect more logs than VPNs with zero-logging policies.

How to choose a free VPN? Buyer’s Guide

When picking a VPN service, there are several things to consider to make sure that you choose a VPN that matches your needs.

  • Reliability

Your VPN should always protect you while you’re online. Most VPNs protect your IP address and encrypt browsing and online history and activity.  

  • Data limit

Most free VPNs limit bandwidth to up to 10GB. That’s enough if you’re only using a VPN occasionally. Luckily, there are some that offer unlimited data.

  • Speed

A VPN should provide fast connections and enough data to allow you to access the internet without experiencing any delays. When using a free VPN, it’s best to connect to the closest server available to ensure maximum speed. 

  • PC app

If you are looking for the best free VPN for a PC that uses Windows 7 and above, you need an excellent PC software app that allows you to customise settings and explore the service’s features.

  • Security

The rule of thumb is to primarily look for a VPN that has a no-logs policy to make sure your privacy and security are protected. You can also find free VPNs with plenty of security features, such as a kill switch or a multi-hop option. 

Bottom Line 

Microsoft’s Windows is easily the most used operating system in the world. That means that when it comes to a VPN, there are plenty of options to choose from, including a good number of free VPN services.

FAQ

Will these VPNs run on my other devices?

Most of the free VPNs allow you to use their services on simultaneous devices. However, you can get more potential connections for your devices with a premium plan.

Is it legal to use a VPN?

Using a VPN is perfectly legal as long as you’re not engaging in illegal activities while using a VPN service. For example, it is legal to use a VPN to unblock geo-restricted content on Netflix, though the platform can block you if it detects a VPN connection.

Is there any free VPN for PC?

Yes, there is. Most VPN providers offer a free trial or a limited free account. The free best VPN for PC is widely considered to be ProtonVPN due to its privacy policy and unlimited bandwidth.