Between free trials and money-back guarantees, there’s more than one way to try the best VPNs without parting with your hard-earned money. Yet it's increasingly difficult to separate the growing number of options. I’ve thoroughly tested many of the popular VPNs you’re likely to encounter, compiling a list of the best VPNs with free trials to help save you time.
TL;DR – These Are the Best VPNs With a Free Trial:
- CyberGhost – Best VPN With a Free Trial
- Surfshark – Best Budget VPN With a Free Trial
- Proton VPN – Best VPN With a Free Plan
- Private Internet Access – Best VPN for Travel
- NordVPN – Best VPN for Gaming
A VPN is a service which encrypts your internet traffic. Not only does this hide your online activities allowing you to browse anonymously, you can spoof your location and bypass content blocks of popular streaming services such as Netflix. There are countless paid VPNs, only some of which offer free trials. Below, I’ll take you through the best VPNs with free trials so you can try them out risk-free.
1. CyberGhost
Best VPN With a Free Trial
CyberGhost tops our list of the best VPNs with free trials, standing out for its unique free trial for Windows and MacOS. Notably, the 24 hour VPN free trial doesn’t even require a credit card. CyberGhost’s VPN free trial for mobile is even longer at 3 days for Android and 7 days for iOS. The 45-day money-back guarantee offered by CyberGhost is also among the most generous of any VPN provider on the market.
This VPN has a particularly large server network with over 11,000 servers in 100 countries. CyberGhost uses the high-speed Wireguard protocol and provides dedicated streaming services, making it one of the best VPNs for streaming. The no-logs provider even offers an antivirus for Windows. CyberGhost’s VPN free trial includes full access to all features.
2. Surfshark
Best Budget VPN With a Free Trial
Surfshark has one of the more generous VPN free trials for MacOS. Available for a full 7 days, you can also use it with Android and iOS (indeed it’s one of the best VPNs for iPhone). Your Surfshark VPN free trial includes unrestricted access to all 3,000 servers across 100 countries. Surfshark performed well in my recent speed tests and excels at unblocking streaming services.
Like many of the best VPNs with free trials, you can find Surfshark’s free trial via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. A registered payment method is required and surpassing the 7-day period means you’ll be charged for a 12-month subscription. However, if you do forget to cancel, you’ll still be eligible for Surfshark’s risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. Proton VPN
Best VPN With a Free Plan
Proton VPN has the best free plan of any VPN and made our list of the best free VPNs for PC. Available for all platforms, this free tier rivals many of the best VPNs with free trials because it imposes so few restrictions. You’ll have unlimited data and speed, no ads, and no credit card is required. One of the few caveats is that you’ll only have access to a handful of server locations.
The free VPN plan of ProtonVPN is ideal if you need more time to test it. You won’t have access to as many features but if you do want to try the paid version, you can always take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee. One reason to do this is Proton VPN’s strong privacy stance. The no-logs VPN is one of the few VPNs that allows you to pay anonymously in cash.
4. Private Internet Access
Best VPN for Travel
Private Internet Access has a 7-day VPN free trial for Android and iOS. What places it among the best VPNs with free trials is that it includes full access to all of its many features including a built-in ad blocker and MultiHop servers. PIA has an impressive server network in 91 countries and provides a no-logs policy with absolutely no identifying logs.
In order to get this free trial VPN, you’ll need to sign up via Google Play or the App Store. Once installed, you’ll notice that PIA’s apps allow for a high level of customization. Considering the generous number of features on offer, PIA’s subscription prices are highly affordable should you decide to continue beyond the VPN free trial.
5. NordVPN
Best VPN for Gaming
NordVPN is one of the best free trial VPNs for Android. The 7-day trial is subject to Google Play’s Terms of Service so you’ll need to cancel via Google Play before the seven days is up to avoid being charged. NordVPN is known for its consistent connections and a vast server network of 6,000+ servers in 111 countries – two big reasons why it’s our best VPN for gaming.
If you don’t remember to cancel or simply need more time to fully test NordVPN’s many features, remember it has a 30-day money-back guarantee. This is a VPN that works very well with popular streaming services – great if you regularly travel abroad and want to access your usual content from home.
Free trial vs. money-back guarantee: What’s the difference?
There are both free and paid VPNs, including paid VPNs with free trials or money-back guarantees. Needless to say, this can get a little confusing. Here’s a quick breakdown of each:
- Free VPN: This is a VPN that’s entirely free to use. Most free VPNs are likely to limit your speed and data. You’ll also have access to fewer locations and features. On the plus side, you’re free to use a free VPN for as long as you like.
- Paid VPN: With a paid VPN subscription, you won’t have restrictions placed on your data, speed, or the server locations you can access. However, some paid VPNs have multiple subscription tiers with varying levels of features.
- Money-back guarantee: If you sign up with a VPN that offers a money-back guarantee, you’ll pay upfront for a subscription. As long as you cancel before the conclusion of the money-back guarantee (usually 30 days), you’ll receive a full refund.
- Free trial: A VPN free trial doesn’t require you to pay in advance. You’ll usually still need to have a payment method registered so you can be charged at the end of the free trial. You can cancel beforehand but if you forget to do so, you’ll be charged. In some cases, you’ll still be eligible for the VPN’s money-back guarantee.
How We Picked the Best VPNs with Free Trials
Choosing a free trial VPN isn’t any different to choosing a paid VPN, particularly because a quality free trial should include all of the full version’s features. You want to look for a VPN that offers strong security, servers worldwide, and beginner-friendly apps.
Having tried many of these free trial VPNs myself, I’ve come to learn the most common pitfalls. This sometimes includes limited access to features or a head-scratching cancellation process. If you’d like to avoid these issues, you’re better off sticking with the best VPNs with free trials, all of which meet our testing requirements as laid out below:
- No upfront payment required
- Access to premium features
- Simple cancellation process
- Strong encryption and no logs
- Live chat and email support
How to use the best free trial VPN
Not sure how to go about getting a VPN free trial? Here’s how:
- Go to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and search for one of the free trial VPNs listed.
- Download and install the VPN app on your device.
- Click to sign up for the VPN and select the free trial offer.
- Enjoy the VPN subscription for the duration of the free trial.
- Remember to cancel if you don’t want to continue to a paid subscription.
How to Cancel a VPN With a Free Trial
With the exception of CyberGhost VPN’s free trial on Windows and MacOS, the vast majority of free trial VPNs require a credit card which will be charged upon the free trial’s conclusion. The good news is that you can cancel beforehand to avoid paying. Here’s how to go about this:
iOS
- Go to Settings.
- Tap on your name.
- Select Subscriptions.
- Click on your VPN subscription.
- Press Cancel.
MacOS
- Open the App Store.
- Select your name (you may need to sign in).
- Click on Account Settings.
- Scroll to Subscriptions and click Manage.
- Select the VPN subscription.
- Click Cancel subscription.
Android
- Go to the Google Play Store and sign in.
- Click on Menu and Subscriptions.
- Select your VPN subscription.
- Press Cancel.
Best VPN Free Trial FAQs
Which is the best free VPN?
If you’d rather use a free VPN instead of a free trial, Proton VPN is your best bet. Unlike most free VPN plans, it doesn’t limit your data or speed. Furthermore, the free tier is supported by its paid plans so you won’t have to put up with any annoying ads either. Proton VPN’s free plan includes access to five server locations (the US, Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Poland). It also operates a genuine no-logs policy and uses the highest level of encryption.
Which VPN has a completely free trial?
All of the VPNs we’ve covered offer completely free trials. The caveat is that you’ll be charged if you don’t cancel before the end of the free trial. CyberGhost stands out as being the only VPN with a free trial that doesn’t require you to provide a payment method to access. This is a 24-hour trial on its Windows and MacOS apps. It also has a more generous money-back guarantee than most VPN providers (45 days instead of the standard 30 days).
Mark Gill is a freelance VPN writer for IGN, bringing over five years of dedicated experience from Comparitech, where he delves deep into the intricacies of VPNs.