The best free VPN: It's important to choose wisely

VPNs are best when they’re paid for, but if a premium account isn’t in the cards then here are our top recommendations for a free service.

- IAN PAUL

Here’s the thing: We’re not fans of free VPNs because you have to be even more careful with these than a regular, paid VPN. If it’s a free ad-supported VPN, for example, then your data is likely being used to earn money, which may defeat the whole point of a VPN. If privacy isn’t an issue, then you have to deal with restrictions such as speeds, a bandwidth cap, or a limit to the countries you can access.

The bottom line is that if you truly want to use a VPN on a regular basis then it pays to pay for the privilege. With some VPNs charging the equivalent of just $5 a month or less there are definitely affordable options out there. But we know that not everyone shares this point of view. Some people are just looking for something to use quickly and easily without paying for yet another service.

Here, then, are the top free VPNs we can recommend. If you’d like to see what you can get with a paid service, and which ones we recommend most highly, hop over to our comprehensive roundup of the best VPNs (fave.co/3FtTTMs).

BEST FREE VPN: WINDSCRIBE