Best free VPNs for Android in 2022

It’s difficult to choose a good VPN. However, it’s even more difficult to pick a good free VPN – and it becomes an even bigger headache when you need a tool that also runs smoothly on your Android device.

Luckily, you can find all the best free VPNs for Android here, in one place. I tested dozens of tools and picked only those that are 100% safe and reliable. After all, a wrong free VPN can do more harm than good by selling your data or using outdated security measures.

So, get your Android ready: soon you’ll download a great VPN that will help you unblock foreign content and will make your browsing anonymous.

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Top 5 best free VPNs for Android:

1. NordVPN – excellent VPN for Android with a free trial
2. Surfshark – affordable Android VPN with a money-back guarantee
3. Atlas VPN – smooth Android app experience
4. IPVanish – budget-friendly Android VPN option
5. Ivacy VPN – VPN to cover all security bases

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Is it worth having a free VPN on Android?

Whether it’s worth having a free VPN for Android heavily depends on what you need. First and foremost, you have to keep in mind that free VPNs have certain limitations related to data usage, speed, features, and country selection. Which means that a free VPN will most likely be suitable only for occasional browsing.

However, if you’re planning to double down and use a VPN for streaming, torrenting, or unblocking content in very specific countries, it’s better to look into paid services.

For this, you can upgrade any of the VPNs listed below, as all of them offer paid subscription plans that don’t limit the data, bandwidth, server list, and other features. Alternatively, you can also look into our list of the best VPN services and pick one of our top VPNs.

Best free VPNs apps for Android – our detailed list

There are so many free VPNs for Android on the Google Play store that it’s tempting just to install the first one that catches your eye. However, I wouldn’t recommend doing that, as you might install an unsafe application.

Instead, you’d be better off choosing a service from the list below. We tested tens of mobile VPNs for you and picked only those that meet our rigorous criteria.

1. NordVPN – best free Android VPN alternative

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NordVPN offers excellent speed and functionality – it's probably the best VPN you can get. This is a premium solution, suited perfectly if you want the best VPN for your device – without risking any money.

NordVPN works seamlessly with streaming platforms and torrenting – making this an excellent pick for watching movies on the go, wherever you are. And as you browse, NordVPN protects you with top-of-the-line security features.

RAM-only servers make it physically impossible for the provider to store any of your data, and 256-bit encryption guarantees that absolutely everything about your connections is completely secure.

The powerful Android app includes all the main features: including split tunneling, a kill switch, and reliable auto-connect options.

And what’s even better – you can get the NordVPN free trial and use it free of charge for 30 days. It’s a great, no-risk alternative to free Android VPNs, giving you completely free premium services.

To find out more, check out our NordVPN review.

2. Surfshark – affordable Android VPN with a great free trial

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On a budget? Surfshark is one of the cheapest premium VPNs, offering excellent premium performance and features for a fraction of the price. And if you’re looking for something free, you can also use the platform’s reliable 30-day money-back guarantee to try all of this risk-free.

What else is there to see? Surfshark is an excellent free VPN for Android, offering a wide variety of fast and secure protocols, top-class encryption, and even GPS spoofing. The last feature is especially fun – it will let you switch GPS location on your Android phone. It’s great for playing location-based games and accessing applications that use GPS signals for identification.

Surfshark is also an excellent option for streaming: we had no issues using it to unlock Netflix and several other popular streaming platforms.

And finally, you can use Surfshark on unlimited devices. Your friends and family can use one account to protect all of their online connections.

With a reliable free Surfshark trial and an excellent low price, this is one of the best free VPN alternatives for Android.

To find out more about this provider, check out our Surfshark review.

3. Atlas VPN – great VPN application for Android

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Atlas VPN is yet another amazing free VPN for Android devices. However, keep in mind that it sets a 5GB monthly limit, so if you want to stream or download lots of files, you might want to think about the paid version.

Other than that, the free Android application allows you to connect to three locations: Netherlands (Amsterdam), USA (Los Angeles), and USA (New York). You’ll also have a kill switch that will protect your anonymity in case the VPN connection goes down. However, your account will only work with a single device.

Meanwhile, the full Android version offers a data breach checker, a tracker blocker, and access in 750+ servers in 37 regions.

Atlas VPN is also incredibly safe, as it uses AES-256 encryption, implements safe tunneling protocols like WireGuard and IKEv2, and has a trustworthy no-logs policy.

If you’re still not convinced, have a look at our in-depth Atlas VPN review.

4. IPVanish – budget-friendly Android VPN option

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IPVanish is a great feature-rich premium VPN that won’t hurt your wallet. It has a very well-developed app for Android and provides you with unlimited data. There’s no free trial, but you do get a 30-day money-back guarantee when you subscribe to the long-term plan.

With IPVanish you get the highest level of data protection with AES-256 encryption and impressive speeds, thanks to the WireGuard protocol. Additionally, the obfuscation feature will mask your VPN usage, and the split tunneling feature included in the Android app will give you the freedom to pick which applications need to go through a VPN tunnel.

This provider boasts a large fleet of 2000+ servers in 50 locations, so you will never deal with overcrowded servers. Also, this is a great streaming VPN, since we had no issues with unblocking Netflix and other popular streaming sites' global libraries.

What more could better the deal? Maybe that you can get unlimited simultaneous connections with one IPVanish subscription. So you can see that this is a great budget-friendly alternative to a free Android VPN.

To learn more visit our IPVanish review.

5. Ivacy VPN – VPN to cover security bases

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Ivacy VPN is a reliable option with a massive list of servers to choose from. While this provider has its issues when it comes to streaming, it does offer reliable protection and data security.

This provider offers you the best AES-256-bit encryption, so your data is secure and hidden. Additionally, the Android app offers you split tunneling, multi-port, and protocol selection features. It’s really easy to use and it might be because it is a pretty basic version, especially compared to the Windows one.

A feature-light Android app isn’t the only thing to consider – Ivacy VPN doesn’t have the safest and fastest WireGuard protocol, so you might notice some drops in speed performance. And when it comes to streaming, we were able to unblock the US Netflix library, but other locations had some struggles.

And yet, as an all-necessary base covering VPN, Ivacy VPN is a great option. You get the massive 5700+ server fleet in 68 countries for a very little price and cover up to 10 devices at once. There’s no free version, but you can have a trial run with this app with the 30-day money-back guarantee.

For more information, check out our Ivacy VPN review.

6. Hotspot Shield VPN – secure premium VPN provider

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While not the best-known VPN provider, Hotspot Shield does have its perks when it comes to free Android VPNs. However, it’s best to choose the premium version instead of the free one since all the free version allows is a singular connection and caps the data at 500MB daily.

When it comes to speed, Hotspot Shield does provide you an option between Catapult Hydra and IKEv2 protocols, so the speeds are rather nice for a free plan. However, the data cap doesn’t allow you to fully enjoy the abilities of these protocols. Additionally, none of the servers are optimized for P2P, but they don’t ban torrenting either.

Just like with other free plans, features are more restricted here. You do get a kill switch, split tunneling, and IP leak prevention features. Which do allow for additional security for your personal data. Also, to encrypt your information it uses the AES-128-CBC cipher, which is untrackable.

The biggest issue with a free Android version is that it logs some of your data. This provider is based in one of the Five-Eyes alliance countries, so your data can be collected and stored for future use. Additionally, with the free Android version, you will encounter ads, which can be malicious and targeting to leak your data.

To learn more visit our full Hotspot Shield review.

7. Proton VPN – a speedy and secure free VPN

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Proton VPN has an excellent free application for Android, which offers an unlimited amount of data. This means you’ll be able to browse the web as much as you want, without having to think about what to do when the free GBs inevitably end.

But that’s not the only appeal of the free Android version of ProtonVPN. It also shows no ads, unlike many other free VPNs. It’s as if its creators felt super generous and gave us a tool that will help us stay safe no matter what without demanding anything in return.

However, keep in mind that the free version still has its limits. You’ll only be able to connect to 24 servers in three countries. You’re also less likely to unblock Netflix and other streaming platforms.

In addition, the speeds won’t be as good as with the paid version. Which is a shame, as, in its full potential, Proton VPN is incredibly fast with only 6.5% speed reduction at times.

The full Android version also has split tunneling, alternate routing, and a great selection of tunneling protocols including WireGuard.

For more information, read our detailed Proton VPN review.

8. Hide.me VPN – audited free VPN for Android

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Are you ready for another good security option for Android? Because you’re about to get to know Hide.me, a small Malaysian VPN provider with a generous free version for those who don’t want to pay for a VPN yet.

Download the free version of Hide.me and you’ll get 10GB of monthly data, four locations to choose from (Germany, Canada, Netherlands, US), and no speed throttling, which is usually one of the biggest issues with free VPNs.

Oh, and all of the free locations support P2P connections – a feature that you usually have to pay for. You also don’t need to register an account for using the tool, which is great for anonymity. And – you get split tunneling and a kill switch for free!

However, if you want WireGuard on your Android, you’ll have to pay for a subscription. Otherwise, you’ll be using IKEv2 and OpenVPN.

For more information, read our full Hide.me VPN review.

How we tested these free VPNs

Not every free VPN for Android deserves to be on this list. Below I wrote the criteria that I used for choosing the best of the best:

• Security. First and foremost, a high level of security is the most important aspect of any VPN. A quality Android VPN should implement AES-256 encryption so that the data it sends couldn’t be decrypted. Also, a good VPN should implement the newest and safest tunneling protocols like WireGuard (or its modification), OpenVPN, or IKEv2.
• Logging policy. A reputable VPN will have a trustworthy logging policy that states to not collect any personal data. Ideally, the policy should be audited by a third party so that you could know it is true.
• Data cap. If you’re getting a VPN, you’re likely to use it a lot. That’s why a decent data cap of at least 10 GB is essential. It’s even better when a free VPN for Android offers unlimited data.
• Speed. We test the speed of each and every VPN and only include the tools that don’t disturb your internet connection too much. Keep in mind that some free VPNs limit the connection speed, so it’s important to find one that doesn’t.
• Features. Even if you’re using a free service, you might still want to have certain features that can be very useful in your day-to-day activities. For example, split tunneling or a kill switch.

How do I set up a free Android VPN on my phone?

Setting up a VPN on your Android is even easier than doing so on a desktop device. If you’ve ever downloaded an application, you’ll also know how to install a VPN. However, in case you’re still not sure how to do that, you can follow the steps below (I used NordVPN as an example):

1. Go to Google Play, search for the VPN of your choice, click Install and then Open.

2. Click on Sign up or Create a new account.

3. If you’re using a completely free VPN, that’s it. If you’re opting for a premium VPN’s free trial, then start the free trial.

4. Pick the server you want and connect to it.

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Best free Android VPNs compared

If you’re not in the mood to read through the short VPN reviews provided above, take a look at this table instead. Here, I listed the most important aspects of each free VPN for Android, letting you pick the perfect tool more easily.

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Why free VPNs might be dangerous

Even though it’s really tempting to download the very first free VPN you come across on Google Play (especially when there’s a Netflix series waiting to be watched), this is not a good idea. Here’s why:

• Malicious ads. Some free VPNs display lots of advertisements for the purpose of earning money. Unfortunately, this is not only annoying but also dangerous. That’s because free VPNs and other free programs allow malicious ads and pop-ups to be displayed with no concern for the user's safety. These can install all sorts of malware onto your Android.
• Trackers. Even though a VPN is supposed to make you anonymous, an untrustworthy one can do the opposite. A free app is likely to install trackers onto your system, thus keeping an eye on your location, search queries, and other personal information.
• Selling data. While reputable VPNs won’t sell your data to the government thanks to audited no-log policies, a random free VPN might not be as virtuous. It’s especially dangerous to use free VPNs in countries like China, where any info on you could potentially put you into jail.
• Outdated software. In the world of cybersecurity, using the latest technology is crucial. Unfortunately, free VPN services often use outdated (and unsafe) tunneling protocols that are prone to cyber-attacks.

Best free VPN alternative

A premium VPN is a risk-free solution that will give you complete security and peace of mind. With top safety guarantees and excellent additional features, NordVPN is the best free VPN alternative.

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• Excellent server performance
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If you still want to use a free tool, look for freemium VPNs that also offer a paid version. In this way, you’ll know that the service earns money from sales instead of doing some shady business. Also, you’ll be able to upgrade your tool into a better version.

Free Android VPNs to avoid

It’s not only important to know which free VPNs for Android to choose – you should also know which ones to avoid. Below you can see some of the most well-known free VPNs that you should not install on your mobile (or any other) device.

• Opera VPN. Opera VPN comes for free together with the Opera browser. However, even though it’s tempting to use it, I suggest you don’t. That’s because Opera’s privacy policy is rather questionable and you can’t really know where your data will end up. Also, it doesn’t let you pick a particular country, only one of three continents.
• Betternet VPN. Even though Betternet is one of the more popular free VPNs for Android, it’s better to be avoided. That’s because your security can be compromised due to the lack of a kill switch, DNS leaks, and quite a poor logging policy.
• iNinja VPN. Despite its name, iNinja VPN won’t let you feel like a ninja on the internet. It simply collects far too much data on its users, including activity logs, connection timestamps, and other personal info.

Conclusion

Even though a free VPN comes with its limitations, it’s still better to get one than to leave your Android without any protection. A free tool will still give you plenty of data, a few popular locations to connect to, and a few security features like a kill switch and AES-256 encryption.

However, in case you want more convenience without the need to think about how much data you’ve already used, I suggest you invest in a paid Android VPN. Such a VPN not only won’t have any limits – it will also offer some really advanced features like obfuscated servers or protection against malware.

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