Stay Anonymous Online with the Best Free VPN Chrome Extensions July 2024

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Chrome is the most popular browser worldwide with a massive global market share of 65.74%. Anyone familiar with VPNs will know that it also doubles as the browser that best supports VPN extensions. This means that there are so many free VPN Chrome extension options on the market that it can be quite overwhelming for anyone that is looking for the best option.

So we have done the research for you and have run through as many free VPN Chrome extensions as we could and put them through a series of tests to determine which ones were the best. This is particularly tricky for free options as they represent a much more dangerous proposition if you make the wrong decision when compared to paid subscription VPNs. 

VPN Chrome extension free versions are much more likely to either come with invasive ads, not offer you enough protection, or worse of all sell your data. It is only the very best that offers you enough protection and generally, these are sister versions of a subscription VPN.

After our testing here were the three that stood out above the rest in almost every category:

1. ProtonVPN–  Best free VPN Chrome extension for data allowance 
2. TunnelBear– VPN chrome extension free option that unblocks the most countries 
3. Hide.me– The best free VPN Chrome extension for beginners

We will go into more detail on why these ranked in our top 3 but first, let’s look at a little background information that can be useful for you in your search for the perfect free VPN Chrome extension. 

The Ultimate Guide: What to Consider When Choosing a Free VPN Chrome Extension

We have already touched on this but the main things you will be looking for are negatives rather than positives. Unfortunately, free VPN Chrome extension options are just not as good as the paid ones and we will get into that more later but if you wish to use a VPN for any period longer than the short term, or if speed and security are important to you then a paid option would be better.

However there is still a lot of need for VPN Chrome extension free products, otherwise, there wouldn’t be a market for them. Some people may not be able to afford a paid VPN due to their plans usually asking for all the payment upfront. Or maybe you are just on holiday in a location and wish to stream something from back home, in these situations a free VPN Chrome extension can be very useful.

Our main piece of advice is to look for a free VPN extension for Chrome that also has a paid version. In this case, it would be unwise for the VPN site to do anything that would jeopardize their main product so they will likely offer you good protection and give you enough of a taste of the product so you will be tempted to buy the subscription service.

With a free VPN, we advise you to ask yourself what are they getting from this? Before you make your decision. If you cannot think of anything it is likely that they will be up to something nefarious as nothing good in life comes for free unfortunately and if it feels too good to be true that’s because it likely is.

In terms of what positive factors should you look for? Well, every free VPN Chrome extension will be limited in some way but security is, of course, a key, make sure they use decent encryption and have a kill switch. After that look for an option with a decent combination of servers, data allowance, and speed.

So without further adieu let’s look at the 3 we found were the VPN Chrome extension free options that stood out above the rest.

1) ProtonVPN

There is one factor that will always get ProtonVPN to the top of any Free VPN list and that is its data allowance. Most free VPNs will have a pretty stringent monthly cap on how much data you can use but ProtonVPN gives its users unlimited data.

To nicely compliment this ProtonVPN is one of the most secure free VPN Chrome extensions on the market. It has a strict no-logs policy and also has a reliable kill switch. They also run all your data through a number of servers so there is no danger of anyone seeing your IP address.

In terms of drawbacks (which all free VPNs have), ProtonVPN does not give you a lot of choice when it comes to unblocking countries, only Japan, The Netherlands, and The US are available. It is also not the best free VPN Chrome extension when it comes to streaming so you will likely experience buffering.

⚠️ We highly recommend a paid VPN Chrome Extensions. Check here the Top VPN Chrome Extensions.

2) TunnelBear

Just like with ProtonVPN, TunnelBear has a USP that sees it get to the top of the free VPN Chrome extension list. That point is it unblocks 47 countries and has over 40 servers for its users. If you are looking for choice it is the VPN Chrome extension free option you should be looking at.

Other than that it is a pretty functioning VPN. It backs up the number of servers by being able to stream at a decent level with decent speeds, crucially it uses AES-256 with OpenVPN and has a strict no-logs policy which like ProtonVPN makes it a very secure VPN.

Unfortunately, TunnelBear has one glaring downside. It only offers its users 500MB of data per month which is frankly much too small to stream anything. This is where paid options are just better as it is very hard to get the whole package with any free VPN Chrome extension.

⚠️ We highly recommend a paid VPN Chrome Extensions. Check here the Top VPN Chrome Extensions.

3) Hide.meVPN

Hide.meVPN has been described as the best free VPN Chrome extension for beginners. That is mainly down to its usability but in general, it is just set up as a nice VPN to start you off with your browsing and ease you into the VPN world.

As a free VPN Chrome extension it does everything at a decent level, a 10GB data allowance is just enough to get the hang of everything as long as you don’t plan to stream or play games online. While an easy-to-use app across devices and a good customer service team will make sure your experience is stress-free.

The main downside to Hide.meVPN is that it does not have a kill switch with its free version. This isn’t the end of the world if you are using it at home, but if you are planning to use any public networks this can be very dangerous as if your connection drops your IP address will be visible to anyone that is looking for it.

⚠️ We highly recommend a paid VPN Chrome Extensions. Check here the Top VPN Chrome Extensions.

Upgrade Your Online Security with the Best Paid VPN Chrome Extensions for Chrome

We have strongly hinted at the fact that subscription VPNs are just better than free VPN Chrome extensions so it would be pretty unfair if we didn’t give you the three best options in this category too. So here they are along with why they’re the best.

1) ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of those services that comes out on top in almost every testing category, it narrowly beat out NordVPN as the best VPN Chrome extension. No matter what you need a VPN for ExpressVPN will be a good choice, a nice added bonus for Chrome users is that it’s very easy to install and runs smoothly without any issues.

As we mentioned, security is the most important part of any VPN. ExpressVPN has a strict no-logs policy and standard AES-256 data encryption, but it also has lots of other neat little features that will cover your IP address and a location spoofing feature that basically allows you to keep the same geotag no matter what country’s server you are using. It is also an excellent VPN for streaming as it unlocks over 90 countries and most streaming services.

In terms of a downside, there is very little to choose from. One thing you will always hear about ExpressVPN though is that it is one of the more expensive VPNs on the market. This can be an issue but if you have the money to afford the subscription it is the service we would recommend over any free VPN Chrome extension.

Try ExpressVPN Now

2) NordVPN 

Many veteran VPN users would have expected to see NordVPN at the top of this list but let us reassure you it was very close. NordVPN have been at the top of the business for years now and their excellent product development and marketing teams make sure they are always being innovative and keeping ahead of the competition.

NordVPN uses their years of experience to bring a quality and easy-to-use product. No matter what device you are using the NordVPN Chrome expansion on you will find it easy to install, use and navigate. It has an incredible 5000+ servers which basically gives you access to anything you could think of and of course, most importantly it has excellent security features including a no-logs policy and a kill switch.

While we did not experience any issues ourselves, if you look up the NordVPN app on the Chrome web store you will see that some of the reviews aren’t as complementary as say for ExpressVPN. Bugs were mentioned which worried us a little and that is the reason NordVPNVPn comes in second. That being said, it still far surpasses any free VPN Chrome extension option.

3) IvacyVPN

There will no doubt be a surprise seeing IvacyVPN rank above more established products like Surfshark on this list. However, we really like the development this VPN is making and think if it keeps going in the direction it currently is, you could see it challenge the big two soon. It is currently ranked just below NordVPN on the web store so who knows?

IvacyVPN has been smart in the sense that it has targeted certain areas to excel. The main one of those is streaming. It has a whopping 6500+ servers and unblocks 100+ countries, it has also focused on the most popular streaming sites so no matter what you want to watch it should be no issue. They also let you use 10 devices at once so you can share the plan with your friends or family with no issue.  Not that it should be too much of an issue as IvacyVPN has very affordable plans.

Unfortunately what currently lets IvacyVPN down is its security procedure. Apple users will have to do without a kill switch which is not ideal especially if they wish to connect to any public networks as there will be a big danger their IP address will be exposed. Even more of a worry is IvacyVPN is based out of Singapore which is a member state of the Fourteen Eyes, this means they share surveillance info with fellow member states. This is worrying as it means your data may end up getting shared.

Is it Worth Having a Free VPN on Chrome?

That would depend on what you are using it for. As we mentioned above the reason you need a VPN is crucial to what your choice should be. For example, there are certainly reasons why a free VPN for Chrome would be a good idea and we have touched on them above.

Some of the things to consider when weighing up whether to go for a free VPN for Chrome or a paid option include what is the purpose of the use. For example, if it is for anything that requires a lot of speed or data like torrenting or downloading big files then a paid option will be better for you. Where as if it is just to access a site that is blocked in a certain domain for one time, or you are on holiday and wish to use a VPN just for a couple of days a free one might be a good option.

Realistically 90 percent of readers will likely be better off getting a paid version. Even if you only need it once a paid version like any of the three we listed above, will be better in literally every category. So if performance is something you care about then a paid version will be a better option. Just make sure you take your time, way up the options, and most importantly avoid any of the dodgy VPNs if you are going down the free route.

Free Chrome VPNs to avoid

We do not have any specific VPNs to avoid because there are too many to list in this piece and there are always new ones popping up that users should be wary of so the list would likely be outdated by tomorrow. What we can do is give you the information you need to learn so you can know which VPNs to avoid.

We have touched on this already but the main thing potential VPN users need to keep in mind is what does the VPN on offer have to gain from a free trial? If you can not find any real motive we advise you to stay clear. For example, as we said above the best free VPNs for Chrome are ones that also have paid options. This is because the free one is to lure you in and give you a sample so you buy the full cover.

Free VPNs without a paid option alongside it are likely to make money in a different way that will normally harm the customer. The lesser version of this is you will have a lot of annoying and invasive ads to deal with and the worse version is they sell your data. So wary of this and if you are not sure about a VPN google reviews for it as lots of sites are dedicated to helping you in that department.

How do I set up a free Chrome VPN?

This will depend on a lot of things. If you are on iPhone or Android you are likely going to need to download the app for whatever VPN company you are using. You may then have to indicate that you are using Chrome and some sort of extension may be required. 

Either way, every decent VPN site will give you a step-by-step guide to how to download and set up the VPN protection. If you are having any difficulty just search on YouTube there will always be helpful tips on there too.

If you are using a desktop device the process is very simple. You will be prompted to click a certain link and then your computer will download the file necessary to start using the VPN, you will then need to click on the downloaded file, normally you will be prompted to where you need to click. You will then be asked if you wish to add the VPN as an extension, just click yes and you will be ready to use your new VPN. It may vary slightly depending on the VPN but this is the general process.

Why free VPNs might be dangerous

There is not much for us to say here that you won’t already have read above but it bears repeating just for the fact that it is the most important part of any VPN piece. They can be dangerous and users need to be very careful with which one they choose. This is why although free VPNs for Chrome can be good they also come with a big risk.

The invasive ads are bad and at worst can come with viruses attached but it is the data stealing that is most dangerous. In the age we live in data has become the most valuable commodity in the world. We have all seen what has happened with tech companies and social media sites and how rich they have come off selling users’ data. 

It is more important now than ever to be vigilant and protect yourself when using the internet. We think we have equipped you well enough in this piece with the tools you need to make wise decisions regarding your VPNs. There is no need to fear free VPNs for chrome when they come from reputable sites like the three we reviewed. However, in most cases, a paid one will be the better option.

Free VPN Chrome Extensions: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)