The 5 Best VPNs with Free Trials in 2024

VPNs,
or

virtual
private
networks,
are
some
of
the
most
accessible
ways
to
strengthen
your
privacy
online.
They’re
also
intuitive
and
convenient
tools
we
can
use
to
access
geo-restricted
content
on
the
internet.

The
problem
is
most
quality
VPNs
require
a
paid
monthly
or
yearly
subscription
to
use.
This
becomes
an
issue
since
a
business
can’t
know
for
sure
if
a
VPN
fits
their
needs
unless
they’re
able
to
test
it
out.

SEE:


10
Myths
about
Cybersecurity
You
Shouldn’t
Believe

(TechRepublic
Premium)

Fortunately,
there
are
a
number
of
VPN
providers
offering
functional
free
trials
that
allow
access
to
premium
VPN
features
without
paying
for
an
upfront
subscription.
In
this
article,
I’ve
gathered
some
of
the
best
VPNs
with
free
trials
in
2024.

Best
VPNs
with
free
trials:
Comparison

I’ve
gone
ahead
and
broken
down
some
of
the
best
VPN
free
trials
available
on
the
market
today.
In
particular,
you
can
check
out
trial
lengths,
feature
restrictions
and
number
of
servers
in
the
table
below:

	Private Internet Access	CyberGhost VPN	NordVPN	ExpressVPN	Proton VPN
Length of free trial	7 days	24 hours for desktop; 3–7 days for mobile	7 days	7 days	Free version, free forever
How to access trial	Via mobile apps (usable on other platforms after)	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS	Via Android only (usable on other platforms after)	iOS or Android only	Free version on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Requires payment information	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Feature restrictions	None	None	None	No access to desktop app	Slower speeds; access to only five server countries
Pricing of paid plan	$2.19 per month (2 years)	$2.19 per month (2 years)	$4.69 per month (2 years)	$6.67 per month (1 year)	$4.49 per month (2 years)
No. of servers	10,000–35,000 (reportedly)	9,000+ (reportedly)	6,300+	3,000+ (reportedly)	4,900+ servers
Server locations	91 countries	100 countries	111 countries	105 countries	91 countries
	VISIT PIA VPN	VISIT CYBERGHOST	VISIT NORDVPN	VISIT EXPRESSVPN	VISIT PROTON VPN

Pricing

• 
  1
  month:
  $11.99
  per
  month.
• 
  6
  months:
  $7.50
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years
  (+2
  months
  free):
  $2.19
  per
  month.

Features

• Servers
  across
  91
  countries.
• WireGuard,
  OpenVPN
  and
  IKEv2/IPSec
  protocols.
• RAM-only
  server
  technology.

Pros

• Unlimited
  simultaneous
  device
  connections.
• Fast
  overall
  VPN
  speeds.
• Customizable
  app
  bookmarks.

Cons

• WireGuard
  protocol
  may
  be
  buggy.
• No
  free
  version.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
Private
Internet
Access
VPN
review
here.

Pricing

• 
  1
  month:
  $12.99
  per
  month.
• 
  6
  months:
  $6.99
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years
  (+2
  months):
  $2.19
  per
  month.

Features

• Specialized
  servers
  for
  streaming,
  gaming
  and
  torrenting.
• OpenVPN,
  IKEv2
  and
  WireGuard
  protocols.
• 24/7
  live
  customer
  support.

Pros

• Servers
  in
  100
  countries.
• Free
  trial
  doesn’t
  require
  payment
  info.
• 45-day
  money-back
  guarantee.

Cons

• Desktop
  free
  trial
  could
  be
  longer.
• Complicated
  company
  history.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
CyberGhost
VPN
review.

Pricing

Below
is
an
overview
of
the
mid-tier
NordVPN
Plus
subscription:

• 
  1
  month:
  $13.99
  per
  month.
• 
  1
  year:
  $5.49
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years
  (+3
  months):
  $4.69
  per
  month.

Features

• Servers
  in
  111
  countries.
• 10
  simultaneous
  device
  connections.
• Double
  VPN
  functionality.

Pros

• Specialized
  security
  servers
  (Double
  VPN,
  Obfuscated).
• Independently
  audited.
• Built-in
  protection
  against
  malware
  and
  intrusive
  ads.

Cons

• Priced
  relatively
  high.
• No
  free
  version.
• Free
  trial
  accessible
  only
  via
  Android.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
NordVPN
review.

Pricing

Here’s
a
rundown
of
the
Surfshark
One
mid-tier
subscription
plans:

• 
  1
  month:
  $12.95
  per
  month.
• 
  6
  months:
  $9.99
  per
  month.
• 
  1
  year
  (+3
  months):
  $6.67
  per
  month.

Features

• Servers
  in
  105
  countries.
• 100%
  RAM-only
  server
  infrastructure.
• 24/7
  customer
  support.

Pros

• Unlimited
  simultaneous
  device
  connections.
• Affordable
  paid
  subscriptions
  across
  the
  board.
• Well-designed
  and
  intuitive
  application.

Cons

• Free
  trial
  is
  for
  mobile
  only.
• On
  the
  expensive
  side.
• Lacks
  longer
  two-year
  subscription
  option.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
ExpressVPN
review.

Pricing

Below
is
a
rundown
of
Proton
VPN’s
Plus
subscription
tier:

• 
  1
  month:
  $9.99
  per
  month.
• 
  1
  year:
  $4.99
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years:
  $4.49
  per
  month.

Features

• Secure
  Core,
  privacy-friendly
  countries.
• VPN
  speed
  accelerator.
• NetShield
  ad,
  malware
  and
  tracker
  blocker.

Pros

• Very
  generous
  free
  version.
• Under
  pro-privacy
  Swiss
  jurisdiction.
• Unlimited
  bandwidth
  in
  the
  free
  version.

Cons

• No
  dedicated
  free
  trial
  of
  premium
  plan.
• Live
  chat
  support
  for
  paid
  users
  only.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
Proton
VPN
review.

Frequently
asked
questions
(FAQs)

Do
VPN
free
trials
work?

Yes,
VPN
free
trials
are
designed
to
work
as
a
regular
premium
VPN
subscription.
The
main
difference
is
that
VPN
free
trials
allow
access
to
the
software
for
a

limited
time.

They’re
designed
to
give
users
a
chance
to
test
paid
software
without
paying
for
a
full
VPN
subscription.
In
terms
of
safety,
VPN
free
trials
should
be
as
safe
as
their
fully
paid
counterparts.

If
you’re
curious
to
know
how
safe
VPNs
are,
check
out
our
recent
explainer
covering


whether
VPNs
can
be
hacked
and
why
they’re
good
business
investments
in
the
long
run.

How
long
do
VPN
free
trials
last?

VPN
free
trials
will
often
last
for
as
short
as

one
day
or
as
long
as

seven
days.

VPN
free
trials
vs.
free
VPNs

VPN
free
trials
differ
from
free
VPNs
in
that
they
offer

all
the
premium
features
of
a
given
VPN.
In
contrast,

a
free
VPN
will
have
a

limited
feature
set
compared
to
its
paid
counterparts.
This
typically
translates
to
not
having
access
to
the
whole
server
suite,
lower
VPN
speeds
or
a
monthly
data
cap.

One
upside
of
free
VPNs
is
that
they
are

free
forever,whereas
VPN
free
trials
will
only
last
you
a
day
to
as
long
as
a
week’s
worth
of
use.

If
you’re
interested
in
learning
more
about
the
best
free
VPNs,
I
highly
recommend
checking
out
our
rundown
of
the


Best
Free
VPNs
for
2024.

In
that
article,
we
highlight
the
best
overall
free
VPN,
the
best
VPN
for
beginners
and
other
options
you
should
consider
in
the
VPN
space.

Do
VPN
free
trials
require
payment
or
credit
card
information?

It
depends.From
my
experience,
many
VPN
free
trials
require
payment
or
credit
card
information
to
access.
Either
they
ask
you
within
the
free
trial
process
for
payment
information
or
they’ll
use
the
payment
method
already
linked
to
your
device
of
choice.

However,
there
are
a
handful
of
VPNs,
like
CyberGhost
VPN
and
PIA,
that
offer
free
trials

without
payment
information.

Personally,
I
think
more
vendors
should
adopt
this
approach
as
it
lowers
the
barrier
to
entry
into
trying
out
their
software.

VPN
free
trials
vs.
money-back
guarantees

You
might
have
seen

money-back
guarantees
if
you’ve
browsed
for
VPN
subscriptions.
Most
VPN
providers
allow
you
to
refund
your
subscription
after
a
set
period
of
time
through
money-back
guarantees
that
normally
span
30
or
so
days.

While
both
VPN
free
trials
and
money-back
guarantees
allow
you
and
your
organization
to
try
out
a
paid
VPN,
availing
of
a
money-back
guarantee
requires
you
to

pay
for
an
initial
subscription
and
then
refund
within
the
allotted
time.

For
users
interested
in
knowing
how
much
a
VPN
typically
costs,
we
have
an
extensive
guide
covering


VPN
costs
and
saving
tips.

On
the
other
hand,
VPN
free
trials

won’t
charge
you
until
after
the
free
trial
period
expires.
Better
yet,
some
VPNs
don’t
require
any
sort
of
payment
method
at
all
and
will
just
ask
if
you
would
like
to
subscribe
to
a
plan
after
the
allotted
trial
period.

If
you’re
curious
about
which
one
is
better,
that
will
depend
on
your
business’
needs.
On
one
end,

money-back
guarantees
are
more
straightforward
to
access
since
you’ll
go
straight
to
purchasing
a
subscription
as
usual.
However,
the

refund
process
can
be
a
hassle
and
varies
among
different
providers.

Meanwhile,

VPN
free
trials
have
fewer
strings
attached
and
won’t
charge
you
upfront.
The
caveat
here
is

there
may
be
some
extra
steps
you
need
to
take
to
test
out
their
software,
i.e.,
having
to
sign
up
via
mobile
before
testing
on
a
desktop
machine.

Methodology

In
my
rundown
of
the
best
VPN
free
trials
available
today,
I
considered
a
mix
of
how
accessible
each
trial
is
and
the
quality
of
the
VPN
software
itself.

For
the
free
trial,
I
looked
at
trial
length,
feature
limitations
for
each
trial,
how
easy
it
is
to
access
the
trial
and
whether
it
required
payment
or
credit
card
information
to
activate,
among
other
factors.

I’ve
also
personally
evaluated
each
VPN
listed
above.
All
the
VPNs
mentioned
have
gone
through
our
full
review
treatment,
which
was
conducted
through
a
combination
of
first-hand
testing,
extensive
product
research
and
expert
analysis.

Finally,
I
took
into
account
how
each
free
trial
and
VPN
service
could
be
useful
to
different
types
of
users
and
use
cases.
This
is
especially
important
since
businesses
will
have
varying
requirements,
depending
on
their
needs
and
circumstances.