4 Best Free VPNs for Chrome — Extensions & Apps in 2025

All 100% Free VPNs and browser extensions for Chrome have limitations, some more severe than others. For example, many free options lack essential security features, server locations, fast speeds, or sufficient data usage. Plus, most Chrome extensions don’t encrypt your device.

My team and I tested over 60 options to find the best free VPN apps and extensions for Chrome. I highlighted a few great options, but they still have some downsides. To avoid these issues, freemium VPNs (premium VPNs that you can test for free) are better alternatives.

Quick Comparison Table: Free Chrome VPN Features

This table compares the key features of the best free VPNs for Chrome. These features include speed, server locations, monthly data limits, and information about their Chrome extensions. You can examine their pros and cons at a glance to choose the best fit for you.

Most Affordable Premium VPN

Our Score: 9.3

We only recommend free VPNs we’ve reviewed and found trustworthy, but they still have drawbacks, like data restrictions, limited servers, and slower speeds. Other free VPNs may even put your privacy at risk by collecting and sharing your data. For more consistent performance and stronger security, a low-cost option like Surfshark may be worth considering. It includes a 30-day money-back guarantee and pricing starts from $1.99/month if you choose a long-term option. Surfshark offers a Chrome extension that doesn't limit your data or device connections, and it works well for uninterrupted streaming, torrenting, and gaming.

Our Score: 9.3

Read more about Surfshark

See Surfshark's Best Deals

Visit Surfshark >

www.surfshark.com

Best Free VPNs for Chrome — Full Analysis (Updated 2025)

1. hide.me — Customizable Security Features for Fast and Private Browsing on Chrome

Editor’s Choice Editor’s Choice Try Risk-Free for 30 Days
Tested August 2025

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome Router Smart TV More

Try hide.me VPN >

www.hide.me

hide.me's free offers a wide variety of security features to protect your Chrome sessions. These features include strong encryption, leak protection, and the option to choose between 5 internet protocols. Wireguard gave us the best speeds during our tests, but it was a little slower than Avira overall.

The "Fallback protocol" automatically changes protocols if one fails

You get unlimited data on its free plan, which is rare for a free VPN. However, once you've used 10GB, you can’t choose your server. The extension will pick one for you. This isn’t a big deal, since any server will do to protect your online privacy while using Chrome.

Stealth Guard is hide.me’s way of making sure your data remains protected. You can set it so your entire internet, or specific apps, only work when the VPN is on. If the VPN disconnects, your connection stops instantly. This is especially useful if you use public WiFi and don’t want to risk exposing your real IP.

That said, its Chrome extension also offers unlimited data — but it’s only a proxy. That means it can change your IP address but won’t encrypt your data. It also didn’t work with any major streaming services that the team and I tested. Still, it performed well when browsing on Chrome; we didn't experience any delays.

Useful Features

• Auto-Connect for Chrome. You can configure the extension to connect when Chrome starts automatically. So, you never browse unprotected, even if you forget to turn the VPN on.
• 8 free server locations. You can get an IP address from the UK, Canada, the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, and Australia.
• No-logs policy. hide.me doesn't collect or store your browsing activity.
• 24/7 live chat. Free VPNs rarely offer customer support beyond its knowledge base, but hide.me has 24/7 chat support for all its free users.

2. Proton VPN — Free VPN App With Unlimited Data to Use Chrome Without Interruptions

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome Router Smart TV More

Try Proton VPN >

protonvpn.com

Proton VPN offers a completely free VPN without any data or speed restrictions, so you can safely browse on Chrome without interruptions. I found this particularly impressive since most free VPNs limit your data to a few gigabytes per month (at best) and cap your speeds.

Quality was good, but crowded free servers led to long load times

Although it doesn’t offer a dedicated Chrome extension, I found the app very easy to use. Plus, most of the settings are preset, so you don’t need to worry about any advanced configurations for using it with Chrome. The sign-up process for its free offer is also straightforward; we only had to create a password to register during our tests (no email is required).

One major downside is that Proton VPN doesn’t allow you to choose a server manually. You can only connect to the fastest connection nearest to you in the US, Romania, Poland, Japan, or the Netherlands. After a cooldown period has passed, you can change servers. That said, we could always connect within 10 seconds.

Useful Features

• Strong Security. For a free VPN, it offers surprisingly robust security features. It adheres to a strict no-logs policy and offers AES 256-bit encryption, an automatic kill switch, WebRTC protection, and multiple secure protocols, including Wireguard.
• Bypass network restrictions. Using the Stealth protocol conceals your VPN traffic, so you can use it at school, work, and public libraries.
• No ads. Proton VPN’s free version has no ads, so I wasn’t annoyed by third-party pop-ups in the VPN app.
• Device compatibility. Proton VPN is compatible with almost all popular devices and operating systems, including Linux. It’s also one of the few free VPNs that can be installed on routers, so it can protect all your Chrome browsers simultaneously.

3. Avira Phantom VPN — An Intuitive Design Makes It Easy to Use Chrome Safely

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome More

Try Avira Phantom VPN >

www.avira.com

Avira Phantom VPN is straightforward to use, even for beginners. Settings and options are neatly organized on the main app interface. Like Proton VPN, it restricts your connection to the Nearest Location, which is usually the fastest, but only for desktop apps. Its mobile app, however, allows you to choose servers from 30+ global locations.

You can offer your Chrome sessions based on how much data you have left

All servers support torrenting and are reliable for safely accessing some popular streaming platforms like Netflix. Plus, speeds are fast enough for HD streaming (we averaged around 93.40Mbps) without additional buffering. It used to provide a Chrome extension, but it’s been unavailable since early 2025.

Avira Phantom VPN caps your data at 500MB/month, which might not be enough for your browsing needs, let alone streaming or other data-heavy activities. However, if you sign up with an email address, you can increase your monthly data to 1GB/month.

Useful Features

• Unlimited simultaneous connections. The free version of Avira Phantom allows you to use Chrome on all your devices, which is very rare for a free VPN.
• Good device compatibility. Avira Phantom VPN offers native apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and other major devices, so you can securely use Chrome on your mobile and desktop.

4. Hotspot Shield (HSS) — Chrome Extension With Built-In Malicious Content Blocking

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Router Smart TV More

Try Hotspot Shield >

www.hotspotshield.com

Hotspot Shield’s Chrome extension has several bonus security features. Meanwhile, its Sword feature feeds fake data to web trackers to increase your online privacy. In my tests, I could block WebRTC traffic, ads, malware, cookies, and trackers. However, like hide.me, the Chrome extension is only a proxy. Plus, it only offers one location in the US.

You can enable or disable your required options in the "Configuration" tab

The standalone free app doesn’t have these blocking features, but it does offer 5 locations and unlimited data. It also encrypts your online data and provides a proprietary Hydra protocol for delivering fast and stable speeds.

My main issue is that Hotspot Shield logs your bandwidth usage and session duration. However, all this data is anonymized so that none can be traced back to you.

Useful Features

• No signup. You can use the free version of the VPN app or the Chrome extension (or even both) without creating an account.

Our Methodology for Testing Free VPNs For Chrome

While choosing the best VPNs for Chrome, we analyzed various criteria. First, we tested their security options to see if they fully protect your device or only your Chrome browser. Speed performance and streaming abilities were also thoroughly tested, along with considerations for the provider’s data limits, server selection, and privacy policies.

Expert Tip: Most Free VPNs for Chrome Aren’t Safe

Most free VPNs aren’t trustworthy. Installing a free VPN without conducting thorough research to confirm its safety may jeopardize your online security. We’ve tested every VPN on this list to check that they’re safe to use and work on Chrome.

While testing, we found many free Chrome VPNs with safety risks. These are the security issues you need to watch out for:

• Logging and selling your data. Free VPNs often make a profit by selling your personal information to third parties, which essentially defeats the purpose of using a VPN in the first place. Be sure to choose a VPN with a strict zero-logs policy, so your personal information is kept safe.
• Data leaks due to weak security features. Since free VPNs often don’t have the resources to update their software and server infrastructure, IP/DNS data leaks can occur. Moreover, they often miss essential security features such as a kill switch and military-grade encryption.
• Viruses and malware. Some free VPNs have malware and viruses embedded in their app. Furthermore, because most free VPNs rely on advertising to make a profit, they often bombard you with ads, which could increase the risk of infecting your device.

Free VPNs to Avoid

The following free VPNs are unsafe and should be avoided. These VPNs can potentially distribute your data to third parties or contain malicious software and viruses.

• Hola. Not an actual VPN but a P2P network, meaning that users share their IP address with everyone on the network. If someone does anything illegal, you could be held accountable. Plus, it logs your browsing data and shares it with third parties.
• CrossVPN. Keeps logs of your personal information (such as your browsing, location, and devices). The app also tested positive for malware on 11 antivirus programs.

Other VPNs to avoid include: Stealth VPN, DotVPN, OkVPN, EasyVPN, SuperVPN, One Click VPN, and BetternetVPN.

Should I Use a Free Chrome Extension or a Full VPN?

In most cases, it’s much better to use a VPN because extensions come with severe limitations. For one, free extensions tend to be even slower than free VPNs, often due to overcrowding. Plus, they’re almost always proxies, meaning they only change your browser’s location without providing encryption.

A VPN app is different. It protects all your internet traffic, not just what’s in Chrome. That means your data stays safer across all the apps and sites you use. Some reliable free VPNs still offer decent encryption and leak protection, so even with limits on speed or data, you’ll be more secure than with just an extension.

FAQs on Free VPNs for Chrome

Why is my free VPN for Chrome not working?

Free Chrome VPNs often encounter issues due to the lack of infrastructure found in premium options.

However, you can try the steps below to help with your free VPN.

• Change servers. Sometimes, free VPNs may stop working due to overcrowding. If available, try switching to a different server location, or wait and try again later.
• Clear your browser’s cookies. Many websites use cookies that fill your device with unnecessary data that may cause errors with your VPN. Clearing your cookies and caches will solve this problem.
• Update or reinstall apps. Ensure your Chrome browser and VPN extension are up-to-date. Also, try restarting your browser or reinstalling the VPN extension.
• Data or speed limitations. Free VPNs typically have data caps or speed restrictions. Check if you've exceeded your daily or monthly data allowance, which can cause the VPN to stop working or significantly slow down.

Can I use multiple free VPNs on Chrome simultaneously?

You can try, but it may not work. VPNs and extensions are designed to work independently and may conflict if multiple are active simultaneously. In addition, Chrome typically allows only one VPN extension to control network settings, and another may not work until you disable the previous one.

Connecting to two or more VPNs can also slow down your speeds since your data has to travel through multiple VPN servers. Instead, you can use a cheap, premium VPN that allows numerous simultaneous connections without charging extra.

What is the best free Chrome VPN and extension, according to Reddit?

Reddit's opinion is divided based on when users tried different VPNs, as things tend to change over time. For example, some users have praised Avira’s Chrome extension for its user-friendliness, but it is no longer available. In addition, users from regions with strict censorship can’t give a clear opinion since most free VPNs aren’t even available there.

What is the best free Chrome VPN for Netflix?

A couple of free Chrome VPNs regularly work with Netflix, like Proton VPN. However, free VPNs often have data caps or restrict which locations you can use. A low-cost premium VPN that offers safe access to Netflix from anywhere is a better alternative.

Do any free Chrome VPNs work in India, Pakistan, and Iran?

Some free Chrome VPNs can work in India, Pakistan, and Iran. However, to protect your privacy, it's recommended that you use a Chrome VPN with a verified no-logs policy. Some governments require VPNs with servers in their countries to collect and store user data for up to 5 years. Most VPNs with a strict no-logs policy will not use physical servers in countries that require mandatory data collection.

Is there a free VPN for Chrome that has no registration?

Yes, a few free VPNs for Chrome are available without registration, including Proton VPN. To get started, you’re only required to create a password; you don’t even need to provide an email address. While Proton VPN doesn’t have a Chrome extension, you can connect to one of its free servers to browse securely.

Does Chrome or Chromebook have a built-in free VPN?

No, neither Chrome nor Chromebook has a built-in free VPN. Chromebook has built-in IKEv2 support, but you’ll still need to connect to a VPN server. To protect your data, look at this list of top recommended VPNs compatible with Chrome and Chromebook.

Get the Best FREE VPN for Chrome

All the apps and Chrome extensions in this list are safe to use, but they have some limitations, such as data caps, slow speeds, and small server networks. hide.me is my top recommendation for Chrome as it offers military-grade encryption, 8 server locations, and you can use as much data as you want.