Best Free VPNs for Android July 2024: Secure and Private Browsing on Your Phone!

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The VPN industry has exploded in the last couple of decades as they have gone from a recreational tool to a necessity for anyone that spends a lot of time online (which is basically everyone!). According to Netguru, Android Phones account for 70% of the global mobile operating system market, so, finding the right VPN for your Android device has become a very important task. In this piece, we will help you find a free VPN for Android devices that won’t let you down!

Previously the average person would have only had a VPN to stream some movie or TV show that they didn’t have access to but now they have much more important uses alongside this like protecting your data and aiding people that work remotely.

We live in an age where the lines of personal data ownership are more blurred than they have ever been so for this reason having a good VPN is very important as it can protect against websites that are secretly trying to take your data and sell it. However, there are hundreds of VPNs to choose from and most of them are quite useless. At best they won’t provide many functions and at worst they will actually sell your data themselves. So finding a good VPN is crucial.

Couple this with the fact that developing technologies have allowed people to perform most of the tasks they used to do on desktop devices on their mobiles, and we can see why finding the best free VPN for Android devices is so important.

The Best Free VPNs for Android: A Complete Guide to Secure Browsing

The task of finding a decent free VPN for Android devices is actually very challenging. Unfortunately, the free options just don’t offer as much as the paid secure Android VPNs do. Normally we would recommend going the paid route as some of the sites have very affordable subscription plans and give their users so much bang for their buck. 

The way we tend to look at it is like this: if they are offering you this free service what are they getting out of it? Unfortunately what they are getting out of it is normally detrimental to their customers. As we mentioned they could be selling your data or you could be plagued with invasive advertisements on your device that tend to be very hard to get rid of.

If you are only using a free version of an Android VPN for small recreational use there are some options however that could come in handy for those searching for the best free VPN Android devices can support. 

Secure Your Android Device for Free: The Top VPNs You Need to Know About

So, what is the best free VPN for Android devices? Well out of the hundreds of options we have narrowed it down to three, so here they are.

1) ProtonVPN

Anyone with a basic familiarity with VPNs would have expected to see ProtonVPN on this list and they are not going to be disappointed. For years now it has been one of the most reliable free Android VPNs for internet sluthers looking for the cheapest option to use. It is the best free VPN Android users can choose for a few reasons but the main one is the unlimited data. As we mentioned above this is a rare find in the free Android VPN world so it is worth trying out.

Something we haven’t touched on yet that is often not present in free VPN Android options is a kill switch. A kill switch ensures that your device won’t revert to its default Internet connection if the VPN connection suddenly drops. Unfortunately, many free VPNs don’t offer this and it can be a real nuisance but do not fear the free version of ProtonVPN leaves it in for its users.

While ProtonVPN is certainly one of the best Android VPN options on the market it still has its drawbacks. At the moment you can only use IP addresses from 3 different countries; The USA, The Netherlands, and Japan. This unfortunately limits its potential a lot, especially for those interested in or working in gambling. It also will let you download the VPN for Android devices and other devices like your laptop but you will only be able to use one at a time which can hinder those who need VPNs for work. ProtonVPN is one of the best free VPN for Android options for sure but for those looking for more, we advise you to continue reading.

⚠️ We highly recommend a Paid VPN for Android Check here the Top paid VPNs for Android.

2) TunnelBear

Free VPN Android users will also be familiar with TunnelBear for one very simple reason; it is known as Android VPN which allows its users to watch US Netflix. A very simple selling point but one that no doubt skyrockets its popularity. 

That is the essence of TunnelBear’s best feature, its huge variety of countries in which it offers its users IP addresses. Over 46 different countries are offered so whatever country you wish to be virtually located in will likely be on the list. TunnelBear, just like ProtonVPN, also bolsters its free version with a kill switch to help its users while they are online.

TunnelBear prides itself on appealing to the masses by doing the basics right but after that, it is quite limited. Its main drawback is its data allocation, free version users will only be allowed 500 MB a month which is very little compared to the unlimited option that TunnelBear subscription holders can avail of. It still finishes in the top 3 of our best free VPN Android rankings even if it does lack a lot compared to its subscription service.

⚠️ We highly recommend a Paid VPN for Android Check here the Top paid VPNs for Android.

3) Hide.me

Compared to the two other VPNs that have made our ‘best free VPN for Android’ list, Hide.me is somewhere between the two. By this we mean it kind of gives you a little bit of everything while not excelling in any particular area but for a free VPN, this is more than enough.

A great example of this is the data allowance, while you do not get an unlimited amount of data like with ProtonVPN you do get 10GB per month, which is much more than TunnelBear. You also don’t get as much selection country-wise as TunnelBear but you get more options than ProtonVPN with east and west coast USA, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands all available for selection. Just like the other two options Hide.me also has a very functional kill switch.

A recurring feature that we have seen that also rears its head with Hide.me is how its weak features can often be the paid versions‘ strengths. This is clever by the companies that do VPNs as they give you a taste of what they offer and then show they can improve the factor that likely lets you down the most. In this case, it is connection speeds. While the paid version is one of the fastest on the market the free VPN for Android version is quite slow and can be a bit frustrating if you are streaming as there is quite a bit of buffering.

⚠️ We highly recommend a Paid VPN for Android Check here the Top paid VPNs for Android.

So now you have a nice idea of the best free VPN Android options that are available but let’s look at how they stack up against the paid versions.

Make the Right Choice: A Guide to Free vs. Paid VPNs for Android Devices

We think you already know what the answer is here, although free VPNs have their place and can offer their users useful features they can really only be thought of as stop gaps. We have given you a list of the best Android VPN options that are free of charge and listed their various advantages, but also their drawbacks. 

These drawbacks all disappear if you upgrade to the paid option. That is the name of the game after all and these sites would not be able to churn out a quality product if they couldn’t charge their customers. The best-Paid versions will come with unlimited data, hundreds of IP locations, data malware protection functions, and much much more.

When it comes to which paid options to choose from besides the upgraded versions of the three we already listed we have three other choices;

1) ExpressVPN 

ExpressVPN , is our choice for the best VPN on the market, is a great option for those upgrading from their free Android versions as they have a 30-day money-back guarantee, although it is unlikely you will be exercising that option once you check out one of the top-rated Android VPNs. With fast servers in over 94 countries, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

If privacy-focused Android VPNs are what you are looking for then ExpressVPN is perfect for you. They use AES-256 encryption which means your connection will be as secure as possible and they have a threat management program that keeps an eye out for any devious activity that may target your connection. 

As we mentioned in our opinion, ExpressVPN is the best VPN on the market that money can buy. One downside to ExpressVPN is that it is one of the more expensive VPNs on the market, however, as we think it is the top choice we believe it is worth the extra little bit per month.

2) NordVPN

Most people will be already familiar with NordVPN as they have been at the top of the industry for quite some time and have a powerful advertising presence. When it comes to an Android VPN for streaming we love NordVPN as unlike a lot of other options the app is just as easy to use as the desktop version.

When it comes to connecting on different devices NordVPN leads the way. While many VPNs will limit how many connections you can have ongoing at the same time, NordVPN will allow you to have 6 simultaneous connections on the go at once. A feature that shows the power NordVPN as a VPN.

One downside to NordVPN is its apps can take a little getting used to for beginners but that’s not really an issue as NordVPN also offers its users a 30-day money-back guarantee and the site is currently offering a Get 63% off NordVPN + 3 extra months offer. So, if you still haven’t gotten up to speed within the 30 days you can always avail of the money-back offer, but we think this is more than enough time to adapt to its settings.

3) Atlas VPN

Finally, we come to Atlas VPN, one of the newer VPNs on the market but already making great strides towards the top end. One of Atlas VPn’s best features as an Android VPN is its speed, it uses the WireGuard protocol that allows it to match, and beat out, some of the speeds of the VPNs right at the top of the market.

When it comes to torrenting Atlas VPN ranks very highly. Its transfer speeds compare favorably to other higher-ranking VPNs and as they do not collect any private data like your IP address you can be safe in the knowledge that any torrenting activity will be private.

Atlas VPN does have a small downside in regard to its number of servers which is less than Express and Nord. However, to make up for that it has one of the best deals money can buy. With their 3-year plan, the VPN will only cost you $1.62 per month. So if you are looking to upgrade from your free option Atlas VPN is a great choice due to its affordability.

Top Criteria to Keep in Mind When Choosing the Best Free VPN for Your Android Device

Although you now know where to stand in the free VPN for Android devices vs paid versions argument, it helps to know what to look for. There are so many VPN options and many of them use technical terms to try to mask what they are actually offering and more importantly what they are hiding. So, we have come up with some ground rules you should stick to when you are trawling through all the free VPN Android sites;

First and most importantly, as we have discussed, in your search for the best Android VPN you should look for sites that also have a paid version. The reason for this is simple, if the site is earning money from its paid versions it is much more unlikely that there will be anything dodgy going on with the free versions. Instead, the free option will just be a watered-down VPN for Android missing a lot of the features the subscription one will have. The idea here is to give you a free sample of sorts so you want to buy the real deal.

A functioning location blocker is the next thing you should look for from your free VPN for Android devices site. As we said the free options will not give you much cover but something the good ones will offer is a location blocker or an IP address in a location of your choice. This can be good for using your gambling accounts in restricted locations or for different options from your streaming services like Netflix.

The last thing you should look for on your best free VPN Android checklist is data allowances. This is another place where the free versions pale in comparison to the subscription services, most of them will limit how much data you can use per month. Just like with your mobile phone while roaming you will need to be very conscious of what you are using the data on as streaming and similar activities burn through data so quickly. Look out for options with big data allowances and even better the rare free VPN for Android site with an unlimited data allowance.

Answers to Common Questions About Free VPNs for Android Devices