We tested over 20 free VPNs on real Android and iOS devices — speed, privacy policy, app quality, and the sneakiness of their upsells. Only 5 are worth your time.
Speed tested
On 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi — real mobile conditions
Privacy verified
Policy reviewed for actual no-logs claims
Mobile app quality
Tested on Android 14 and iOS 17/18
No deceptive ads
Aggressive upsells flagged and penalised
Jump to pick
How we test
Every VPN on this list was tested on a Samsung Galaxy S23 (Android 14) and iPhone 15 (iOS 18). Speed tests run during peak and off-peak hours across multiple servers. Privacy policies were reviewed in full — not skimmed.
Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Our rankings are based on testing results only — never commercial relationships.
The only truly unlimited free VPN we'd recommend without hesitation. Swiss-based, independently audited, and no data cap whatsoever.
Download
42Mbps
Upload
18Mbps
Ping
28ms
Devices
1 device
Logs
Zero logs
Protocol
WireGuard
Servers
3 countries
Our verdict
Proton VPN Free is in a category of its own. No data cap, a credible Swiss company, and an audited no-logs policy. Speeds are slower than paid tiers but perfectly usable for browsing and light streaming. The only real limitation is server selection (US, Netherlands, Japan).
10GB/month free (15GB with email confirmation) across 11 countries — the most generous free data allowance of any reputable VPN.
Download
35Mbps
Upload
14Mbps
Ping
38ms
Devices
Unlimited
Logs
No activity logs
Protocol
WireGuard / IKEv2
Servers
11 countries
Our verdict
Windscribe punches well above its free tier. The 'Firewall' feature kills your connection if the VPN drops — something you rarely see in free products. 10–15GB/month is plenty for daily browsing. Watch out on mobile data — streaming video burns through it fast.
10GB/month but consistently the fastest free VPN in our speed tests. WireGuard by default means noticeably better performance than competitors.
Download
58Mbps
Upload
22Mbps
Ping
22ms
Devices
1 device
Logs
No logs
Protocol
WireGuard
Servers
5 locations
Our verdict
If speed matters more than data volume, Hide.me is your pick. In our tests it consistently outperformed Windscribe and Proton on raw throughput. The 10GB cap is the same as Windscribe but with fewer server locations. WireGuard is enabled by default which makes a real difference on mobile.
500MB/month is tight, but TunnelBear has the most polished free VPN app on mobile. Great for occasional, light use when you need something that just works.
Download
45Mbps
Upload
19Mbps
Ping
30ms
Devices
Unlimited
Logs
No logs (audited)
Protocol
OpenVPN / WireGuard
Servers
48 countries
Our verdict
TunnelBear's 500MB free limit is the most restrictive on this list — it's best used for occasional needs like accessing public Wi-Fi securely. The trade-off is the genuinely best mobile app experience of any free VPN. If you need more, TunnelBear's paid plans are competitively priced.
10GB/month with 12 server locations and a clean, underrated mobile app. Often overlooked but consistently reliable in our testing.
Download
38Mbps
Upload
16Mbps
Ping
35ms
Devices
1 device
Logs
No logs
Protocol
OpenVPN / WireGuard
Servers
12 locations
Our verdict
Privado VPN is the dark horse of free VPNs. Its 10GB/month competes with Windscribe and Hide.me, and the server selection across 12 locations is solid. It's Swiss-based like Proton, which adds a privacy credibility point. Worth having as a backup if your primary free VPN is congested.
These apps appear in "best free VPN" searches constantly but have serious problems we've verified: