5 Best Free VPNs for Android in 2024 - TechNadu (2024)

Google's Android OS boasts a highly active community of VPN users who have thousands of VPN apps at their disposal on the Play Store. There are many reasons to use an Android VPN, including unblocking geo-restricted apps or securing your Web traffic on public Wi-Fi. However, if you’re looking for a free VPN for Android, this is where things start to get tricky.

Free VPNs abound on the Google Play Store with all kinds of promises to protect your privacy, reduce battery drain, and eliminate intrusive ads. You should, however, take these claims with a grain of salt.

Not all VPNs are created equal, and some are actually quite dubious, if not outright scams. Additionally, many free VPNs also deliver frustratingly slow speeds, rendering them practically useless. You can learn more about those in our comprehensive free VPN guide.

In general, all free VPNs have limitations. So, it’s a better idea to go for free trials of premium VPNs instead, which are 100% safe and reliable. We’ve reviewed dozens of Android VPNs and shortlisted the top choices in our guide to the best VPN for Android.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the top 7 free VPNs for Android, along with their pros and cons, so you can choose the best one for you. We’ll also discuss which free VPNs to avoid, how to use a free VPN on your Android device, the various reasons why free VPNs are dangerous, and how to get a free trial of a premium VPN instead.

How to Get a Free VPN Trial for Android

To browse the Web securely, check social media feeds, or stream content on your Android, we recommend using a free trial of a premium VPN. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Sign up for a VPN free trial (we recommend ExpressVPN's 30-day risk-free trial).
2. Download and install the ExpressVPN app on Android from the Play Store.
3. Launch the VPN app and log in to your account.
4. Connect to a VPN server (for example, use a US server to unblock US content).
5. Leave the VPN app running in the background. That's it!

Best Free VPN for Android

The best free VPN for Android must pass a set of benchmarks. First and foremost, examine its privacy policy to understand how it handles your data. Ideally, your chosen VPN should have a strict no-logs policy to ensure it doesn’t log any of your personal information. A VPN should also have military-grade encryption to shield your internet traffic end-to-end.

If your goal is to unblock geo-restricted Android apps and content, pick a VPN with a large server network. A good VPN should also be fast enough and impose no bandwidth restrictions, so your Web experience is not hampered in any way.

Based on the criteria above, these are the 5 best free VPNs for Android:

1. ExpressVPN – Our #1-Rated Free Trial VPN for Android
2. NordVPN – Best Free Android VPN Trial with Enhanced Security Features
3. Proton VPN - Best Free Android VPN with No Data Caps
4. Windscribe - Best VPN That Features Split-Tunneling
5. Hide.me - Best Choice for Beginners
6. Speedify - Best Free VPN for Android With No Server Limits
7. TunnelBear - Go-To Free VPN App for Android for Casual Web Browsing

1. ExpressVPN - Our #1-Rated Free Trial VPN for Android

ExpressVPN is our top-rated free VPN trial for Android because it’s the fastest VPN we’ve tested, and its no-logs policy means it will never record any of your Internet traffic or browsing history.

It has an expansive global server network with 3,000+ servers in 94 countries. You can connect to a server close to you for the best speeds or to a server in another country if you’re trying to access geo-restricted content.

ExpressVPN offers unlimited bandwidth, so you can leave the VPN turned on while you use your Android smartphone or tablet without worrying about data caps. This also comes in handy when streaming 4K movies or games on your device, as that consumes a lot of data.

Another great feature is that ExpressVPN secures your connection with 256-bit AES encryption. No cybercriminals or snoopers will be able to pry into your sensitive data, regardless of the network you’re connected to, including public Wi-Fi.

You can use ExpressVPN on 5 simultaneous devices with one subscription, and if you run into problems, you can contact their 24/7 customer support. Best of all, ExpressVPN offers a 30-day risk-free trial, so you can try out their features and get a full refund within the trial period.

2. NordVPN - Best Free Android VPN Trial with Enhanced Security Features

NordVPN boasts advanced features, including double VPN functionality, which encrypts your data and changes your IP address twice for greater security.

You can choose to connect to any of its 5,500+ servers in 60 countries. This free VPN app for Android also provides unlimited bandwidth and fast connections with its proprietary NordLynx VPN protocol, based on the acclaimed WireGuard protocol.

Some Internet networks, like those at workspaces and schools, can restrict the use of VPN apps. NordVPN offers obfuscated servers to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN. This is a great feature to use when unblocking content on highly restrictive networks.

NordVPN also has a no-logs policy, which promises not to collect or store any of your data. As there’s nothing stored, there’s no risk of data leaks. NordVPN also has 256-bit AES encryption for strong in-transit protection of your data.

You can connect up to 6 devices at a time with one subscription, and NordVPN also provides 24/7 customer support via multiple channels, including live chat and email. Lastly, you get to enjoy a 30-day risk-free trial to evaluate all its features and claim a refund if you don’t like the VPN for any reason.

3. Proton VPN - Best Free Android VPN with No Data Caps

There are many reasons to be a fan of Proton VPN. For starters, they are very transparent when it comes to their business model, and the same goes for their apps, which are now open source. This means that people are free to check the code for any flaws or hidden logging practices.

The main reason Proton VPN is the best free VPN for Android is in the fact that the free version does not come with any limitations in terms of bandwidth. You can use it for as long as you wish and never worry about running into data caps, which is very rare in the world of free VPNs.

There’s also the fact that there are no in-app ads to ruin your experience, and the company also operates from Switzerland - a country with very strict privacy laws. In addition, you always have the option to switch to a paid subscription if you decide it’s worth the investment.

In terms of downsides, the biggest annoyance is the fact that you're limited to only 3 countries to choose from. These include the Netherlands, the US, and Japan.

You are also constrained to a single device per account, and some of the more advanced features are not included in the free tier. Accessing blocked content might also not be possible, depending on what you are trying to do.

4. Windscribe - Best VPN That Features Split-Tunneling

Windscribe has Proton VPN beaten in many regards, but it falls short in terms of bandwidth and data caps. Even if you get more servers and features to play with, the free version restricts you to a maximum of 10GB of traffic per month. It’s enough to cover casual browsing, but you can forget about watching YouTube or streaming Netflix.

There are 10+ countries to choose from, including the US and Canada, each of which comes with high-speed servers. As a bonus, you can connect an unlimited number of devices to the same account, although you should keep in mind that they will all use the same data cap.

One useful feature comes in the form of split-tunneling, which allows you to create a list of apps that are to be ignored when the VPN is running. Thanks to this, you can make sure Windscribe is not rerouting your Netflix traffic and wasting your bandwidth while still being able to browse the Web anonymously.

You are also presented with 4 protocols to choose from, although this is definitely something most casual users won’t fiddle with too much. The upside is that all of your traffic is encrypted both ways, which means it’s borderline impossible for anyone to spy on your web traffic activity.

Lastly, you can easily upgrade your account and gain access to all the benefits that come with a paid subscription, which includes more servers and countries, as well as unlimited bandwidth.

5. Hide.me - Best Choice for Beginners

If you do not care about video streaming and want a free VPN for Android to access restricted content, Hide.me has a very good deal. In essence, the only major restrictions relate to the number of available servers and a monthly data cap of 10GB.

To make things even better, there are no speed restrictions either, which means you can take full advantage of your regular Internet speeds.

According to the company behind this free VPN app for Android, they do not make any money from the free version, relying on paid subscriptions instead. Because of this, there are no ads inside the app, which is obviously a good thing. On the other hand, you are restricted to only 5 countries to choose from, although that’s expected.

The last limitation comes in the form of a single connection per account, as opposed to the 10 simultaneous connections available for paying users. This won’t be a huge downside for most people, especially since the 10GB data cap makes it difficult to share an account between multiple devices.

6. Speedify - Best Free VPN for Android With No Server Limits

Speedify is a fairly small VPN provider, yet it’s still ambitious enough to provide users with a free version. In fact, you don’t even need an account in order to start using the app, which is exactly what we like to see. With that being said, there are still limitations when it comes to bandwidth, as you can expect.

The monthly data cap is set to 2GB, which is not terrible, but not great either. It can be enough for casual Web browsing, but it won’t hold up if you want to stream videos or music. It’s still a lot more generous than most other services, though.

There are also no limits in terms of what locations are available to free users. On the other hand, the number of advanced features is incredibly low, with barely anything to customize. Newbies may not find this upsetting, but veterans will probably be annoyed by the lack of settings.

Naturally, you are limited to a single connection, although that’s to be expected when you are not even required to create an account, to begin with. A paid subscription allows for up to 5 simultaneous connections, which is more or less on par with most premium VPNs out there.

7. TunnelBear - Go-To Free VPN App for Android for Casual Web Browsing

TunnelBear is perhaps one of the most recognizable VPNs on this list, mainly because they also have a fairly decent reputation in the world of paid VPN services. In fact, that is also the reason why they can afford to provide you with a free version as well, even though it is pretty heavily restricted in terms of speed and bandwidth.

As such, the app’s biggest drawback is the 500MB/month data cap. Naturally, this is designed as a way for you to test the VPN's capabilities for a few days and then purchase a subscription. However, you can keep using this free VPN for Android for as long as you wish, with the 500MB cap resetting every month.

While you can’t stream videos, TunnelBear can at least provide access to restricted websites if you live in a heavily-censored country. Furthermore, this VPN could also serve as a last resort when you truly need to protect your privacy and don’t want to get a lengthy subscription.

The other good news is that the app has no ads to distract you. TunnelBear relies on its paying customers for its revenue, which means it can also afford to provide a limited free version. This also means they are not tempted to sell your data, especially since they have a no-logs policy anyway.

Why Are Free Android VPNs Less Trustworthy Than Paid VPNs?

If you open up the Play Store and do a quick search using the keyword "VPN," you’ll be swarmed by hundreds of results. Many of these results advertise that they are entirely free, which begs the question: why would you pay for a VPN when there are so many free alternatives?

Well, here is why:

• There is no such thing as a free service. If you are not paying with cash, something else is taken from you in return. In many cases, that something is personal information, which is gathered and sold by the VPN company to keep their server infrastructure running;
• Free VPN providers often overlook things like encryption and general security in order to focus on latency or download speeds;
• You can’t trust customer feedback most of the time. Many free VPN providers rely on false reviews and inflated ratings to attract attention;
• Free VPN services can disappear from the market at any time since they are not obligated to keep their servers running.
• You are subject to data caps. This is not an issue if you are just browsing the Web now and then, but it quickly becomes a problem if you want to use the VPN to stream video.

If the arguments above made you reconsider using a free VPN for Android, you might be interested in a paid VPN service instead. Even in that case, you can still go for a free VPN trial, which means you won't be risking anything. And yes, we recommend ExpressVPN's free trial.

For more information, turn to our guide on the best free trial VPN services. There are also free VPN trials with no credit card required, which means you'll sign up using your email address.

Free Android VPNs to Avoid

As mentioned above, many free VPN apps for Android suffer from serious limitations. Let’s check some of the most infamous Android VPNs you should avoid despite their sizable user bases.

• GeckoVPN – GeckoVPN has more than 10 million installs on the Google Play Store, but it’s far from secure. The app suffered a massive data breach in 2021, which leaked sensitive user data, including payment information.
• SuperVPN – The app has more than 100 million installs on the Play Store and has been criticized for its ambiguous privacy policy, which appears to be self-contradictory. It also leaked its users’ personal data, including device IDs and random password strings, in a 2021 data breach.
• ChatVPN – This popular free Android VPN came under scrutiny when it leaked user data. The app has been installed more than 50,000 times despite the tremendous security threats it poses.
• Fast VPN – The app is designed by a company that owns many other similar VPN apps on the Google Play Store, such as UFO VPN, Free VPN, and Rabbit VPN. Investigations have revealed that the apps store user data on their servers despite promising to have a strong no-logs policy.

Final Thoughts

A free VPN for Android might seem like a great idea if you’re on a tight budget, but free VPNs have many security, privacy, bandwidth, and speed limitations that make them frustrating and even dangerous to use.

An ideal free VPN for Android should have a bulletproof no-logs policy and be fast enough to stream content, play games, and browse the Web securely on your phone or tablet. The safest way to get all these features is to use a premium VPN that offers a free trial.

We recommend ExpressVPN as the best free VPN for Android because the provider offers a 30-day risk-free trial for you to test all its features. You get ultra-fast connections to local and remote servers, a strict no-logs policy, and its security protocols are next level. So, you’ll be able to stream, game, and surf the Web without any restrictions.

That's all for our guide to the best free VPN for Android. If you have any questions, let us know via the comments section below. Thanks for reading!