Best Free Trial VPNs: Test Without Risk (December 2024)

It is always a good idea to try something before you buy it. This is particularly true for products and services you will rely on, like your VPN. Today we are going to dig into the best free trial VPNs so you can put the try-before-you-buy philosophy into effect on this important investment.

Unfortunately the world is full of VPN free trial gimmicks that try to lock you into a long subscription after only a short free trial period. We don't like those kinds of games. To know if you are going to be happy with a VPN, you need ample time to test the service before deciding if it's right for you.

In this guide, we are going to examine the best VPN free trials, as well as a few free trial VPNs to avoid. By choosing from among the VPNs recommended here, you will have the time to test the service without any risk and see if it meets your unique needs. If you choose the right ones, VPN free trial offers are a great option, especially if you plan to cycle through a few different VPNs to find the best fit for your circumstances.

What is a VPN Free Trial?

A VPN free trial is a fantastic opportunity to explore a VPN service without any financial commitment. Typically ranging from a few days to a month, a VPN free trial allows you to test the waters before diving into a paid subscription. This trial period is designed to let you experience the VPN’s features, speed, and reliability firsthand.

VPN providers offer these trials to attract new customers and showcase the value of their service. Some VPNs provide a standalone free trial, while others might require you to sign up for a paid subscription to access the trial period. Either way, a VPN free trial is an excellent way to ensure the service meets your needs before making a long-term commitment.

Benefits of a VPN Free Trial

Opting for a VPN free trial comes with a host of benefits. Firstly, it allows you to thoroughly test the VPN’s features, speed, and reliability without any financial risk. This is crucial for identifying any potential security loopholes or weaknesses. Additionally, a free trial gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with the VPN’s user interface and customer support, ensuring it’s user-friendly and responsive. It also helps you determine if the VPN is compatible with your specific needs and devices.

Whether you’re looking to stream content, enhance your online privacy, or bypass geo-restrictions, a VPN free trial lets you evaluate the service’s performance and suitability without any upfront cost.

Two types of free trial VPN options

In this free trial VPN report, we'll examine two different types of VPN trials:

1. 30-day risk-free trial VPNs – This gives you a full 30-day trial window to test out the service, but requires up-front payment. This may be the best option because it gives you a full month to test everything. And if you aren't completely satisfied, simply cancel for a 100% refund.
2. Completely free trial VPNs – These are usually limited to a short time window or limited bandwidth. This really limits your ability to test out the service and comes with more risk.

Whether you decide to go with one of the short-term free trial VPNs or a free 30-day trial VPN, both options will allow you to test the VPN without any risk.

So let’s get to it. This table summarizes our VPN free trial findings. If you are in a hurry, you can grab one of the options here to experience one of the best VPN free trials available today. But if you have some more time, we recommend you keep reading to learn more about these free trial VPNs before making your selection.

1	NordVPN with 30-day trial
2	Surfshark with a 30-day trial
3	PrivadoVPN with a 10 GB free trial
4	TrustZone with a 3 GB free trial
5	ExpressVPN with a 30-day trial

How to Choose a VPN for a Free Trial

Selecting the right VPN for a free trial involves careful consideration of several factors. Start by looking for a VPN provider that offers a risk-free trial period, such as a 30-day money-back guarantee. This ensures you can test the service without any financial risk. Next, evaluate the VPN’s features to ensure they align with your specific needs. Check the server locations, speed, and security protocols to ensure they meet your requirements.

Reading reviews and checking the VPN’s reputation can also provide valuable insights into its reliability and performance. Lastly, ensure the VPN offers robust customer support, available 24/7, to assist with any issues that may arise during the trial period. By considering these factors, you can choose a VPN free trial that best suits your needs and provides a comprehensive testing experience.

Based on our testing, these are the best free trial VPN services:

NordVPN: Best VPN with a free trial (30 days)

NordVPN is a Panama-based, no-logs VPN service offering a 30-day risk-free trial with all of their VPN subscriptions. It is a fully-featured VPN service with excellent performance, strong security, and a very reasonable price.

NordVPN's reliability and features make it comparable to other top VPN services like private internet access, which also offers free trials, competitive pricing, and customizable features.

In terms of privacy and security, NordVPN is on the cutting edge. All VPN apps include built-in leak protection features (kill switch) to secure traffic. In addition to OpenVPN and IKEv2, NordVPN also supports the WireGuard VPN protocol through its custom NordLynx protocol.

WireGuard delivers the latest in security and encryption, along with blazing-fast speeds. Below I was able to hit speeds of 755 Mbps when testing NordVPN with the WireGuard protocol. This makes it the fastest VPN we’ve tested this year and one of the best WireGuard VPN services.

Aside from WireGuard, NordVPN has some other great security and privacy features to consider:

• Threat Protection Pro is a feature that can block ads, trackers, malware, and phishing domains on Windows and macOS devices. It can also scan downloaded documents and doesn’t require a VPN connection to function. Threat Protection is a lite version that has more limited capabilities and requires a VPN connection, but works for devices and operating systems that don’t support the full Threat Protection Pro feature. Threat Protection Pro is the best VPN ad blocker we have tested to date.

• Double VPN servers that encrypt traffic across two different locations for more protection and security.
• Onion Over VPN servers that encrypt traffic with the Tor network, in addition to the VPN server.
• Obfuscated servers to get around VPN blocking (this is important if you intend to use NordVPN as a VPN in China or other restricted countries).
• Dedicated IP servers provide a private static IP address while still affording the security and privacy of the VPN. NordVPN offers one of the best dedicated IP server deals.

See all NordVPN features here >

NordVPN also boasts a massive network of over 6,700 servers spread across 111 countries. All servers in the NordVPN network run in RAM-disk mode without hard drives. This means no data can ever be stored (or taken) from a VPN server. This huge, fast server network along with the WireGuard VPN protocol give NordVPN users a real advantage in performance, as you can see in our ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison.

NordVPN is a great service if you need a safe VPN for torrenting with secure and reliable connections. They offer 24/7 live chat support and a large knowledge base of guides and tutorial videos.

And let’s not forget streaming. NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for streaming, with support for BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, and more. NordVPN currently holds the pole position in our guide to the best VPNs for Netflix.

Audited: Like ExpressVPN, NordVPN is also a verified no logs VPN service. It passed three different audits by PWC AG that confirmed NordVPN is a true no-logs service. Additionally, NordVPN has passed a security audit by Versprite, which includes ongoing penetration testing and server audits.

NordVPN apps you can test with the VPN trial

If you go forward with a free trial of NordVPN, you will be able to test out all of the VPN apps on all your devices. For the NordVPN review, we tested out the desktop apps on Windows and macOS, as well as the mobile apps on Android. Below you can see NordVPN's Windows VPN app that we tested:

NordVPN offers Android users a seven day free trial period, allowing you to explore its features without any upfront commitment. You can download the app from the Google Play store or the NordVPN website. During this trial, Android users can experience the full range of NordVPN's capabilities, including the advanced security features and fast connection speeds that make it a top choice among VPN services.

Note: If you download the Android app from the Google Play store, you will not get the ad-blocking benefits of Threat Protection. This is a limitation imposed by Google, so if you want the full-featured Android app, you should download it from the NordVPN website directly.

Do you use a wide range of devices, or some of the less-common systems? No worries. NordVPN offers user-friendly and secure VPN apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. It also has dedicated apps for streaming devices and platforms, including Firestick, Fire TV, Kodi, various game consoles, and more. Thanks to recent upgrades, NordVPN now allows you to have up to 10 simultaneous connections. That means you can have up to 10 of your devices connected to the internet through NordVPN at the same time.

With the 30-day free trial, you will have plenty of time to test out NordVPN on all your devices to see if it's a good fit.

Check out our NordVPN review for more info.

We also have a dedicated page going into more details on the NordVPN free trial option.

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Surfshark: Low-cost VPN with a 30-day trial

We used to say that Surfshark was one of the best cheap VPNs. Now we simply say that Surfshark is one of the best VPNs, regardless of price. Indeed, in most of our comparison guides, Surfshark ranks in the top three. Between its low price and high performance, it is easy to see why Surfshark is quickly growing in popularity.

Below is the Surfshark Windows VPN app we tested. Besides its Windows and other dedicated apps, Surfshark provides browser extensions. We rate it as one of the best VPNs for Chrome.

Surfshark has all the standard privacy and security features you expect, such as a VPN kill switch, private DNS, and reliable apps that won't leak your data. And like NordVPN, Surfshark has a number of more advanced features that most VPNs do not.

Among them is CleanWeb, Surfshark's ad, tracker, and malware domain blocker. CleanWeb is very similar to NordVPN's Threat Protection. You can activate it simply by flipping the CleanWeb toggle in VPN Settings.

Some of the other advanced features you get with Surfshark include:

• MultiHop (Double VPN) servers for many locations around the world. The new Dynamic MultiHop servers allow you to create your own MultiHop configurations by specifying the entry and exit servers.
• Obfuscated (Camouflage mode) servers that disguise your VPN traffic to evade internet censorship.
• Split Tunneling (Bypasser), to control which traffic passes through the VPN tunnel and which traffic goes directly to the internet.
• Rotating IP, a feature that automatically changes your IP address every few minutes without changing your VPN location.
• Static IP servers give you the same IP address every time you log into them. However, the same IP address may be shared with other users.
• Dedicated IP servers are like static IP servers, except that no one else gets to use the same IP address.

See all Surfshark features here >

If you want to stream media, Surfshark is a great choice. It supports numerous Netflix regions around the world (such as BBC iPlayer) and is also a good VPN to unblock Hulu, Netflix, and many other streaming services. It's easy to connect any popular device to the Surfshark network. It even has a dedicated app if you need a VPN for Firestick (available in the Amazon App Store).

If you want a VPN with a large server network, Surfshark fits the bill. They offer 3,200+ servers in 100 countries. And like NordVPN, Surfshark has incorporated the WireGuard VPN protocol into their network. During our last round of speed testing, we hit speeds up to 753 Mbps, just a fraction slower than NordVPN. It handily beats other leading VPNs, as we noted in the Surfshark vs ExpressVPN comparison.

You get a lot for your money with a Surfshark subscription. The low price gives you all the features we described above, plus an unlimited number of connections. They also have 24/7 live chat support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Check out our Surfshark VPN review for more info. We also have a dedicated page discussing the Surfshark free trial options.

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PrivadoVPN: 10 GB free trial

Next up on our list of VPNs with a free trial is PrivadoVPN. Unlike NordVPN and Surfshark above, PrivadoVPN gives you 10 GB of monthly data to be used as a free trial. While the free trial is limited to only one simultaneous connection, you will still get access to 12 different servers, all features, and all VPN apps.

PrivadoVPN currently offers apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It also offers guides to using the service on various other systems, from Linux, to Smart TV devices and routers. You can use any of the apps with the free trial, on all of your devices, but you will be limited to only one active connection at any given moment. Below is a screenshot of the PrivadoVPN Windows app. All of the apps performed well in our tests.

PrivadoVPN is a solid choice from a privacy and security standpoint as well. It is based in Switzerland and is a no-logs VPN provider. This is an excellent combination for a free trial VPN, or any VPN for that matter. Switzerland is a very privacy-centric jurisdiction and the no-logs policy provides further safeguards against any kind of data requests.

PrivadoVPN doesn't offer the rich set of privacy and security features you get with services like NordVPN or Surfshark. However, it is a good choice for someone who doesn't need or want to mess with a bunch of advanced features.

One advanced feature that they do offer (and you may well want to use) is called SmartRoute. It is a good split tunneling VPN system as you can see below.

PrivadoVPN also has a built-in ad blocker, which keeps the screen clutter down and your download speeds up.

On the streaming front, PrivadoVPN is a competitive choice, especially for a budget-friendly free trial VPN. Even with the free plan, you can still use the VPN to stream Netflix and your other favorite content. While PrivadoVPN works well for most streaming services, it did have a tough time with BBC iPlayer (check out these best VPNs for BBC iPlayer instead).

PrivadoVPN also supports the WireGuard VPN protocol. In our tests, we were able to get over 200 Mbps on all US servers we tested. These are fast speeds for a free trial VPN service, especially considering you are sharing network resources with other free trial users.

If you want to commit to PrivadoVPN after the trial, you can have up to 10 simultaneous connections, unlimited data and access to servers in 65 cities across 48 countries. If you do decide to go with PRivadoVPN, be sure to be sure to use the discount coupon below. With the discount, you can get a 24-month subscription to PrivadoVPN plus three extra months for only $1.11 per month. But first, give the free trial a shot here to see if this VPN is for you.

Check out this PrivadoVPN review for more details.

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Trust.Zone: Free trial VPN with no credit card (1 GB of data)

Trust.Zone is a Seychelles-based VPN service that offers a completely free trial with 1 GB of data – no payment info required. While it is a basic VPN, Trust.Zone still offers excellent performance, Netflix streaming, and strong security. If you want a VPN with a static IP address, then Trust.Zone is one of the cheapest options you will find.

In speed tests for the Trust.Zone review, I found the VPN to be quite fast with all servers tested. It is a good VPN for Netflix with US and UK regions supported. Trust.Zone works well for torrenting without any restrictions.

One of the main drawbacks of Trust.Zone is that it only offers apps for Windows and Android devices. While it may not be the best VPN for Android, the apps still offer all the basic features you would need with strong encryption. Other operating systems, such as macOS and iOS, are supported through free third-party apps or the operating system's built-in networking capabilities.

No payment info needed: One benefit to a VPN trial with Trust.Zone is that you don't need to enter any payment info. Simply create an account and start using the VPN. If you do decide to get a paid subscription, they are offering a 10% discount for Cyber Insider readers with this coupon code: RESTOREPRIVACY10

Free Trust.Zone trial here >>
(no payment info required)

See our Trust.Zone review for more info and test results.

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ExpressVPN: Reliable VPN with a free trial (30 days)

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands and offers a 30-day risk-free trial. It's more expensive than other options, but it gives you excellent performance and very secure apps with built-in leak protection settings.

ExpressVPN secures data using the OpenVPN protocol with AES-256 encryption, which offers the best mix of security and speed. They also have released the Lightway protocol, which is noticeably faster, and arguably more secure than OpenVPN. ExpressVPN running Lightway is not as fast as NordVPN running NordLynx (WireGuard), but it is faster than the vast majority of other VPNs.

ExpressVPN offers a large selection of apps for all devices – from computers and phones to routers, Smart TVs, and TV boxes. It also has a nice split tunneling feature, allowing you to route apps or websites outside the VPN tunnel. During your VPN trial with ExpressVPN, you can test out the apps on all your devices. Below is the ExpressVPN Windows app that we tested.

If you want a VPN for streaming media and unblocking websites, ExpressVPN has you covered. With thousands of server locations in 105 countries, you have a huge set of options for unblocking the media you want. Like NordVPN and Surfshark, ExpressVPN has upgraded most of their VPN servers with 10 Gbps data channels, greatly reducing the chances of your traffic getting slowed down because of too many users on the network. ExpressVPN runs all servers in RAM-disk mode, similar to NordVPN and Surfshark.

In addition, ExpressVPN is a fine VPN for streaming. It is one of the few VPN services that reliably works with Netflix, allowing users to stream numerous Netflix regions around the world. Here is a screenshot of ExpressVPN streaming Netflix content.

Audited: ExpressVPN is a verified no-logs VPN service, having passed numerous independent audits by PWC and others. These audits verified no logs are being kept. In addition to no-logs audits, ExpressVPN has passed numerous security audits conducted by respected firms like Cure53, which verified the security of their service.

Support: Customer service with ExpressVPN is top-notch. They provide 24/7 live chat support directly through their website. If you have any questions or issues, support is always available to help.

ExpressVPN is currently rated as one of the best VPN services and it continues to improve. Test it out with the 30-day riskless trial to see for yourself.

Check out our ExpressVPN review for more test results and analysis and also our ExpressVPN free trial guide.

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Free trial VPNs that we do NOT recommend

Above are our top free trial VPN recommendations. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are a few VPNs that you should avoid even though they offer free trials:

1. PureVPN offers a trial, but we found the service to leak DNS requests, while also having really slow speeds. And if that wasn't enough, PureVPN was also caught logging users and providing the data to the FBI, as we discuss in our PureVPN review.
2. CyberGhost previously offered a completely free trial, but this has been discontinued. Either way, this VPN had some issues when we tested it out. First, CyberGhost speeds are really hit or miss, which we discovered in testing for the CyberGhost review. CyberGhost is now owned by Kape, a company that has a history of producing malware. We noted in our CyberGhost vs NordVPN comparison that CyberGhost does not work well for streaming.
3. Ivacy has connections to PureVPN, and they also offer a cheap trial. However, after the trial expires, the prices jump up to an above-average rate.

Tread carefully when selecting a free trial VPN. We only recommend going with a reputable service with a good track record.

Which is the best free trial VPN?

In terms of the best overall VPN discussed on this page, NordVPN is the top recommendation.

It consistently performs well in all areas of testing, especially in the categories of speed, reliability, and security. NordVPN's speed is now far above other VPNs, thanks to the WireGuard protocol and a high-performance network of dedicated servers. For a lower-priced VPN, it also delivers many features, apps for all devices, and full streaming capability across a wide range of services. You can't go wrong with this one.

We also see discussions about free trial VPNs on Reddit, where NordVPN is also frequently recommended by users.

Best free trial VPN with no credit card payment

If you are looking to try out a VPN right now without paying anything up front (or providing billing info), then Trust.Zone would be good options. They are both among the fastest and cheapest VPNs on the market.

With any of these VPNs, you'll have a chance to try out the service without risk.

Check out our guide on free trial VPNs with no credit card payment for more info on this topic.

Test your VPN during the trial window

Ok, so now you have a free trial VPN and you want to see how well it performs.

You may want to run the service through various VPN tests and checks to look for:

• IP address leaks
• DNS leaks
• VPN speeds and reliability
• VPN features working properly

You can also test the different VPN apps on the devices you want to use, such as on your computers, phones, or tablets. If you find any issues, you can work with the VPN's support department or cancel the service and go with a different option.

Free trial VPNs vs paid trial VPNs

The main problem with most free trial VPNs that we highlighted in this report is that the trial window is short. You can see this for example with the following free trial VPNs:

• Trust.Zone – 3 days or 1 GB data
• TunnelBear – 500 MB data
• Windscribe VPN – 10 GB data

One potential problem here is that this short time window (or minimal bandwidth) may not be enough to really test the service. Consequently, your free trial may expire before you are comfortable with the VPN and have performed enough testing to see if you like it.

On the other hand, you can also test a 30-day trial VPN. Having a full 30 days to test out the service (risk-free) with all your different devices will ensure that you are satisfied with the VPN and it works for your situation. Here are the best VPNs with 30-day trials:

1. NordVPN
2. Surfshark VPN
3. VyprVPN
4. ExpressVPN

Be sure to use the discounts above for maximum savings.

A quick note on free VPNs

Since we are on the topic of free trial VPNs, we may as well mention free VPNs.

As a general rule of thumb, free VPN services are typically dangerous, invasive, and oftentimes malicious. Simply put, free VPNs make money off the user by collecting your data and selling it to the highest bidder, which is usually advertisers. There have been numerous free VPNs busted for installing malware and tracking libraries in their apps, such as Betternet, for example. We even noted in our Hotspot Shield review how this VPN was busted for installing tracking libraries in its Android VPN app.

This article addresses five major reasons why using free VPNs delivering can be disastrous. If something is free, you are probably the product.

Are there any risks with a free trial VPN?

If you go with one of our tested and recommended VPNs in this guide, then there are no risks to doing a free trial. The key, however, is avoiding various scams and fake trials, which the Better Business Bureau has warned us about.

If you are nervous about getting stuck with a VPN you don't like, then I'd recommend going with one of VPNs that offers a 30-day trial period. This gives you lots of time to test and be certain it is the VPN for you, without any risk.

Note: You can also check out the cheapest VPNs here.

Other free trial VPN guides:

• Free Trial VPNs with No Credit Card
• NordVPN Free Trial
• Surfshark Free Trial
• ExpressVPN Free Trial
• Proton VPN Free Trial
• IPVanish Free Trial
• CyberGhost Free Trial
• Mullvad Free Trial

Conclusion on VPNs with free trials in 2024

Alright, as a brief recap, we covered the best VPN services that offer free trials. We also discussed a few risk-free trial VPNs that give you a full 30 days to test the service before making a financial commitment. While all the options listed here are worth consideration, we think you can't go wrong with NordVPN, our top pick.

Whichever option you decide to go with, keep the trial window in mind when testing the service.

You could even put the last day of the trial on your calendar as a reminder. If you find the VPN is not to your liking during the trial, simply cancel the service and move on to a different option. Stay safe!

This guide to VPNs that offer free trials was last updated on December 8, 2024 with new information and test results.