VPNs Ranked By Longest Free Trial [Updated 2024]
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Looking for the VPN with the longest free trial? You’re in the right place.
Trying out free trial VPNs is a good way to see which one suits you best. But sometimes, what they promise on their website isn’t exactly true. So, we tested over 100 VPNs to find the ones that really offer free trials.
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70% of our readers choose ExpressVPN
Browse the web from multiple devices with industry-standard security protocols.
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We checked how long the trials are, what features you get, and what info you need to sign up. Our list only includes safe and reliable options, so you know what you’re getting into. If you want to try VPNs without spending any money, take a look at our list below.
Free Trial, Free Version, and Money Back Guarantee: What’s the difference?
VPN services offer three main options: a free trial, a money-back guarantee, and a free version. Here’s what sets them apart:
- Free trial– lets you try out all features for a limited time without paying upfront. Trial periods typically range from 7 to 30 days, but some may require credit card details. Be cautious, as automatic charges may occur once the trial ends.
- Money-back guarantee– requires payment upfront but ensures reimbursement if unsatisfied within a specified period, often 30 days. Read terms carefully; some may refund without questions, while others may require justification.
- Free version– offers limited features compared to paid plans. Typically includes data limits, restricted server access, and fewer server switches. Be aware of data caps and limitations before opting for a free version.
What are the best free trial offers for VPNs?
We found several VPN services offering free trials, some with perpetual free versions and others with temporary trials or money-back guarantees.
Our overview below categorizes these plans and highlights any limitations and user requirements.
VPNs with the longest free trials
We comprised a quick guide with the longest trials you can get. See the type of plan, the offer, limitations (if any), and the data you need to provide.
1. VPNs with free trial, no credit card required
VPN Name | Type of offfer | Limitations | Data required |
---|---|---|---|
? 1. Proton VPN Free | Forever free version | A limited number of servers, unlimited data | Email and name |
? 2. VPN Book | Forever free version | Small server network | No data required |
? 3. Windscribe VPN | Forever free version | 2GB/month if you register without an email 10GB/month if you register with the email Limited server locations | Email (optional) |
4. Tunnelbear | Forever free version | 500 MB/day | No data required |
5. Privado VPN | Forever free version | 10 GB of data/month, 12 servers, 1 connection | |
6. Hotspot Shield | Forever free version | 500 MB daily data limit, SD resolution for streaming | No data required |
7. Hide.Me | Forever free version | 10 GB of data/month, only 1 connection,5 server locations, No streaming, slow at times | |
8. Avira Phantom VPN | Forever free, included in the Avira Free Security App | 500 MB/month | No data required |
9. DotVPN | Forever free | No streaming support, weaker encryption than premium, only available for mobile (Android+ iOS), and as a browser extension for Firefox, Opera, and Chrome | |
10. Finch VPN | Forever free | Limited data, no support for port forwarding | |
11. Surfshark | 7- day free trial | Only for Android, iOS, and macOS, all features included | Email, name |
12. Avast Secureline VPN | 7-day free trial | All features included | No data required |
13. VPN Unlimited | 7-day free trial | All features included | |
14. Private VPN | 7-day free trial | All features included |
2. VPNs with 30+ day free trials (card info required)
Below you can check the longest trial options to test out VPNs. Note that alongside services that request card information, we added VPNS with money-back guarantees too.
VPN Name | Type of offer | Limitations | Data required |
---|---|---|---|
?1. Bullguard VPN 2 year plan | 90-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card and payment information |
?2. Cyberghost Pro longer plans | 45-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, and card information |
?3. Hotspot Shield Premium Money-back guarantee | 45-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
?4. PureVPN | 31-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
5. Proton VPN Basic/Plus/Visionary | 30-day money-back guarantee | A limited number of servers | Email, name, card information |
6. ExpressVPN | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, and card information |
7. Private Internet Access | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
8. Nord VPN | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
9. Surfshark Subscription Plans | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
10. IP Vanish | 30-day money-back guarantee | Full-featured, only available for the 1-year plan | Email, name, card information |
11. Hide.Me Premium Money-back guarantee | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, card information |
12. Vypr VPN | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
13. Avast Secureline Premium | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
14. Namecheap FastVPN | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
15. Hide.Me Premium Money-back guarantee | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, card information |
16. Bullguard VPN shorter plans | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, name, card information |
17. Strong VPN 1-year plan | 30-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Name, email, card information |
3. VPNs with 14-day free trials
VPN Name | Type of offer | Limitations | Data required |
---|---|---|---|
1. CyberGhost VPN monthly subscription | 14-day money-back guarantee | All features included | Email, card information |
CyberGhost is one of the most recommended VPNs for good reason. The 14-day money-back guarantee gives you the possibility to test all the features and access restricted content from anywhere. If you don’t want to pay in advance, this VPN also has a 24-hour free trial.
4. VPNs with 7-day free trials
VPN Name | Type of offer | Limitations | Data required |
---|---|---|---|
? 1.Express VPN | 7-day free trial | All features included, mobile only | Email, card information |
? 2. Nord VPN Android | 7-day free trial | All features included | Name, email, card information |
? 3. Private Internet Access | 7-day free trial | All features included | Email, card information |
4. Private VPN Free trial | 7-day free trial | All features included | Email, card information |
5. Hotspot Shield Premium Free trial | 7-day free trial | All features included | Email, card information |
What to look for when choosing a VPN with a free trial
To provide the services listed above, VPN services need to have a good server base, a straightforward logs policy, and multiple security features.
There are other important things that make for a better user experience such as ease of use and customer support availability.
If you browse around for VPN options and don’t know how to pick, we suggest you start with a service that ticks most items on this list:
- Server locations all over the globe
- Secure protocols ( IKEV2, OpenVPN, WireGuard, SSTP)
- Streaming optimized to prevent blocking
- Responsive customer support
- Dedicated application for all your devices
- Easy to set up and connect
- No-logs policy
How we’ve tested the best VPNs with a free trial
- We made sure to look further than the homepage to be 100% that the information we give you is accurate.
- We created real accounts and we used our own banking profiles.
- We thoroughly tested out the apps.
- We checked the terms of use.
- We looked into the feature set to see what was included and what was not in the Free vs premium option.
How to get an ExpressVPN free trial
Some VPNs offer 7-day free trials for mobile only, likely due to lower data usage. For example, ExpressVPN provides a mobile-only 7-day trial, while PC users are directed to subscription plans. To access the free trial, sign up via the mobile app.
First, we downloaded and created a free trial account for the ExpressVPN Android app.
You will have to enter your credit card info, but they won’t charge you. Whereas, if you want to use their Windows or Mac app, you’ll have to get a pre-paid plan.
They clearly state when the trial period ends and that you will not be charged until that date. Now, if you want to get an ExpressVPN account for your computer, you’ll be prompted to select a plan:
You can see that in this case the plans are covered under a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you’ll have to pay beforehand.
In both cases, they require your full name, address with zip code, credit card number, and CVV code. For other methods like Bitcoin and Paypal, you will have to connect your respective accounts to ExpressVPN.
By the time we reached the end of the trial period, we disabled auto-renewal in just a few clicks, with no questions asked.
All the premium features of ExpressVPN mobile can be tested with this trial. You get full access to all servers, can pick your location manually, and activate advanced features like obfuscation.
Are free VPNs as safe as premium ones?
Some free VPNs may keep logs and sell them to third parties, compromising anonymity. However, many VPNs clearly disclose their logging policies, and trustworthy free options exist.
? Privacy Policy: Free VPNs often sell traffic data for demographic purposes, but they typically protect user identities and locations. While they may log data, they still hide IP addresses and prevent ISP throttling.
? Data Limit: Free VPNs commonly impose daily or monthly usage limits. Exceeding these limits may result in disconnection without warning, posing risks for tasks requiring high privacy levels like online payments.
?️ Security Features: Free VPNs may lack advanced security features such as DNS protection, split-tunneling, secure killswitches, and anti-tracking tools. While they offer decent privacy protection, it’s crucial to review Terms of Service to avoid any potential risks.
Can you prolong a free trial for VPN?
You can generally prolong a free trial by request. Software companies, including those that distribute VPN apps, generally mention how this works in their particular case in the Terms of use.
For the most part, however, you have to come up with a pretty solid reason for them to even consider this request.
That being said, there are some other ways to prolong a free trial. Keep in mind that they do not work for all software, especially for those that require registration.
Some users suggest that if you completely remove the VPN app from your PC, you may be able to get a free trial again. Cleaning browsing history and cookies may also work.
Keep in mind that software manufacturers try to stop this type of behavior and use different methods to stop you from re-using their free trials.
How can you get your money back after your free trial has expired?
As soon as your trial ends, services with auto-renewal will start charging you. If you provided your credit card information and forgot to cancel the trial before the expiration date, you can contact the customer support team and explain the situation.
Most VPN services have 24/7 live chat support on their official website. You can talk to an agent about your issue. They should know exactly how to apply their policy to your specific situation.
The bad news is that it is not very likely for a refund to occur. We cannot stress enough the importance of reading the Terms of Service Agreement.
Chances are that the refund policy is mentioned there somewhere. Most software state that they do not give money back. If you agreed to that, there’s probably not much you can do.
For this reason, it’s best you cancel it before the expiration date. Likewise, if you are on a money-back guarantee, it’s recommended you request a refund before you hit the last day.
Related:
Final takeaway
All VPNs on this list are really impressive in terms of features, security, and privacy policies. The best app for you is highly dependent on what exactly you want to use your VPN for.
For the best free VPN app, we have to pick ProtonVPN. It’s your best bet as far as free VPNs go, with unlimited bandwidth, a strict no-logs policy, high-speed rates, and cross-platform apps.
If you want to test out your VPN for a long time, BullGuard VPN is your best option. As for the best premium VPNs with free trials, considering the number of servers, speed rates, and ease of use, we suggest ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, NordVPN, CyberGhost, and Surfshark.
Free trials are a smart marketing strategy that offers great benefits both for companies and customers. They give you the opportunity to test out a product without having to commit right away.
This makes the companies seem more trustworthy and can lead to solid brand loyalty. The great thing about free trials and free versions is that you can try out more than just one product and make an informed decision.
Just make sure to pay attention to every little detail. See what is included in the free trial, what’s the privacy policy and pay attention to the auto-renewal option if you have to enter credit card information.
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