How do you know if a VPN is worth the sticker price until you test it?
The short answer is that you can’t.
You can rely on reviews to a degree. That’s why we’ve bought, used, and tested over 78 VPN services here at TheBestVPN (along with over 1,400 user reviews).
But you don’t actually know for yourself until you try it out.
That’s where a free trial VPN is worth it’s weight in gold. You can connect over any public Wi-Fi to actually see how their VPN server responds and make sure your IP VPN check comes out clean. You even can test their flimsy ‘unlimited bandwidth’ claims to prove (or disprove) their marketing hype.
A money-back guarantee is all well and good. But you’d probably not even want to get to that point — forking over your credit card details for junk with subpar encryption or apps, when you still have basic questions like:
- Are free VPNs safe? (It depends… some aren’t and sell your data.)
- Why do people prefer paid trial VPNs over free trial VPNs? (Because some lie about information like server locations.)
- How do you get an ExpressVPN free trial? (Spoiler alert: You can’t)
We’re going to answer all of those questions and more to help you find the top free trial VPN contenders in this in-depth review.
1. NordVPN (No Questions Asked 30-Day Refund Policy)
NordVPN is a premium VPN with rock-solid encryption over 5,200+ servers in 60+ countries and unlimited data transfers. They offer a 7-day free trial (no credit card required) for mobile users. If you’re trying to connect from a computer, however, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, which gives you plenty of time to test out the service. You can decide to go with a monthly plan, NordVPN offers 1-year plan, a 2-year plan, or a 3-year plan, and if you’re not fully satisfied, cancel anytime within 30 days for a 100% refund. No questions asked. (They’re also our #1 VPN for torrenting, too.)
- Duration of trial: 7 – 30 days
- Credit card needed: Depends on device
- Number of servers in original plan: 5,200+
- Number of servers in trial plan: 5,200+
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/1-year/2-years/3-years
- Renewal price after trial: $3.49 – $11.95 per month depending on renewal duration.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
- Best for: Apple TV, Torrenting, Netflix
2. VPNHub
VPNHub is a new-ish virtual private network from an unlikely source. Launched by Pornhub (yes, you read that right), this new VPN boasts some impressive features: including 826 servers in different locations, unlimited data, and support for all the major desktop and mobile operating systems. And they don’t slack on security or encryption, either. However, their free trial lasts just seven days, and you need a credit card to be able to take advantage of the trial.
- Duration of trial: 7 days
- Credit card needed: Yes
- Number of servers in original plan: 826
- Number of servers in trial plan: 826
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/Annually
- Renewal price after trial: $14.99/month if monthly and $7.49/month if annually.
- Devices supported: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
- Best for: Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS
3. HideMyAss
HideMyAss might be (one of, if not) the oldest VPN provider out there. They’re also one of the best free VPNs because they offer over 750 servers in 280+ locations, an unlimited data cap, and support for every major OS. Better yet, they’ve almost always offered a free version. They have a 7-day free trial. and we were able to find a secret link that allows for a 30-days free trial.
However, you need a credit card to take advantage of this trial. And you will have to renew annually, too. Read the full HideMyAss review for more information to see if they’re a reliable VPN (or not).
- Duration of trial: 7 days and 30 days
- Credit card needed: Yes
- Number of servers in original plan: 750+
- Number of servers in trial plan: 750+
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Annually
- Renewal price after trial: $83.88
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
- Best for: Apple TV
4. SaferVPN
You can’t go wrong with SaferVPN, getting access to 700+ servers in over 35 locations, unlimited data transfer, and security support for most major apps and devices. The only big issue is the 24-hour trial length. However, what gives SaferVPN an edge above the rest is the fact that you don’t need a credit card to try their free trial VPN. (You can also use their refund policy if you do move forward and regret it after a few weeks.)
- Duration of trial: 24 hours
- Credit card needed: No
- Number of servers in original plan: 700+
- Number of servers in trial plan: 700+
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/1-year/2-years
- Renewal price after trial: $3.29 – $10.99 per month depending on renewal duration.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOs, Android, iOS.
- Best for: Netflix, Routers.
5. CactusVPN
CactusVPN offers a more limited security service compared to the other options on this list (you have access to only 23 servers). But the good news is that they allow you to trial their service for 24 hours without requiring a credit card. Their monthly plans are also cheaper — ranging from $3.25 to $4.99 per month depending on whether you decide to go with an annual or monthly renewal.
- Duration of trial: 24 hours
- Credit card needed: No
- Number of servers in original plan: 23
- Number of servers in trial plan: 23
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/Quarterly/Annually
- Renewal price after trial: $3.25 to $4.99 per month depending on renewal duration
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
- Best for: Android TV and Amazon Fire TV.
6. VyprVPN
VyperVPN is known for their military-grade encryption, offering access to 700+ servers in over 70 worldwide locations, unlimited data transfer, and support for every major device. The good news is that they do offer a free version. The bad news is that their service requires a credit card to trial their service and it only lasts three days.
- Duration of trial: 3 days
- Credit card needed: Yes
- Number of servers in original plan: 700+
- Number of servers in trial plan: 700+
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/Annually
- Renewal price after trial: $5 – $12.95 per month depending on plan and renewal duration.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
- Best for: Streaming.
7. ProtonVPN
There is a limited ProtonVPN free subscription. But, if you’d like to trial their premium service with all the features they have to offer, they allow you to trial their ‘Plus’ ProtonVPN free plan for three days. You don’t need a credit card for this reliable VPN connection, and you’ll be able to access all of the same features as paying users. The entire ProtonVPN review can provide more insight.
- Duration of trial: 7 days
- Credit card needed: No
- Number of servers in original plan: 299
- Number of servers in trial plan: 299
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/Annually
- Renewal price after trial: $8 to $10 monthly depending on renewal duration.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOs, Linux, Android.
- Best for: Torrenting, Netflix.
8. SmartyDNS
SmartyDNS allows you to trial their premium service for three days — and they allow you the same access a premium user will have without requiring a credit card. They only have 10 server locations, however, which is much smaller compared to most of the other options on this list.
- Duration of trial: 3 days
- Credit card needed: No
- Number of servers in original plan: 10 locations
- Number of servers in trial plan: 10 locations
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/Annually/2-years
- Renewal price after trial: $5.83 – $5.96 per month depending on renewal duration.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS.
- Best for: Gaming and Smart TV.
9. Avast SecureLine VPN
Avast SecureLine has servers in 55 locations, support for most major devices, unlimited data transfer, and a seven-day free trial without needing a credit card. They also have a 30-day refund policy like most other VPN providers on this list. The SecureLine VPN subscription is good, but not as good as some of the other VPNs with free trials on this list.
- Duration of trial: 7 days
- Credit card needed: No
- Number of servers in original plan: 55 locations
- Number of servers in trial plan: 55 locations
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: 1-year/2-years/3-years
- Renewal price after trial: $19.99 – $86.66 per year depending on renewal period and number of devices.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS.
- Best for: Torrenting.
10. AVG Secure VPN
AVG Secure VPN is a VPN connection offered by the same company behind the renowned AVG antivirus software. They offer a generous 30-day trial that does not require a credit card. It doesn’t even require an email address like most of their competitors. Simply install their software and you are good to go. Their VPN software is slightly limited, as they only have 55 server locations. That’s much smaller than the other options on this list. But a 30-day trial without requiring a credit card or email address is pretty impressive in our opinion.
- Duration of trial: 30 days
- Credit card needed: No
- Number of servers in original plan: 55 locations
- Number of servers in trial plan: 55 locations
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Annually
- Renewal price after trial: $55.99 per year.
- Devices supported: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS.
- Best for: Torrenting.
11. CyberGhost
CyberGhost VPN is another premium VPN service provider, boasting over 2,700 servers worldwide, support for every major device, and the ability to connect to up to 7 devices at once. While they allow only 24 hours to trial their service (7-days for Android and iOS users), you get access to all the features premium users have access to and do not need a credit card to try out their service. Our CyberGhost review goes into much more detail.
- Duration of trial: 1 day for desktop and 7 days for mobile
- Credit card needed: No
- Number of servers in original plan: 2,700+
- Number of servers in trial plan: 2,700+
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/Annually/2-years/3-years
- Renewal price after trial: $2.75 – $11.99 per month depending on renewal duration.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux.
- Best for: Torrenting, Netflix, Kodi, Gaming, Routers.
12. GooseVPN
GooseVPN also offer a generous 30-day free trial access of their VPN service. However, you need to enter your credit card details to take advantage of their offer. They have servers in 32 locations and support every major device. We have a full GooseVPN review that covers their protocols, security, and bandwidth limitations.
- Duration of trial: 30 days
- Credit card needed: Yes
- Number of servers in original plan: 32 locations
- Number of servers in trial plan: 32 locations
- Data cap: Unlimited
- Renewal period after trial: Monthly/Annually
- Renewal price after trial: $4.99 to $12.99 per month depending on renewal duration.
- Devices supported: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS.
- Best for: Torrenting, Netflix.
Free Trial VPN Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which VPN has a free trial?
Lots! NordVPN and VPNHub are two of the best VPNs with free trials.
But there’s also at least a dozen more, including well-known options like CyberGhost VPN, Avast SecureLine, and HideMyAss.
There are more VPN service providers that just missed the “12” cutoff but still offer a free trial, including Zenmate VPN and OpenVPN.
How do I get an ExpressVPN Trial?
The short answer is that you can’t. ExpressVPN doesn’t offer a free trial like the other options on this list.
Instead, you can purchase a single month plan for $12.95.
Even though there is no ExpressVPN free service per se, they do have a 30-day refund policy. So you’re able to get your money back if you’re unhappy during that time.
Read more about them in our ExpressVPN review.
Does IPVanish have a free trial?
IPVanish VPN doesn’t have a free trial, either.
Like ExpressVPN, they charge $10/month if you want to test drive their service for a month.
However, they only provide a 7-day money-back guarantee (unlike the full month from ExpressVPN). So it’s not a great deal at the end of the day.
We discovered this trend during research for our PrivateVPN review — more and more VPN services are ditching the free trial in exchange for a refund policy. It’s safe to say we’re not fans.
Is there a free version of NordVPN?
Yes! They offer a 7-day free trial for mobile users (no credit card required).
Otherwise, if you try out their desktop VPN service, you’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee instead of a free trial.
The Results: Which Free Trial VPN Should You Choose?
If you’re looking for the best VPNs with free trials, I recommend you start with NordVPN and VPNHub.
Which is the best VPN for trial purpose?
NordVPN, hands-down. They offer the best all-around security options, along with the most server locations.
Is there a free VPN with unlimited data?
VPNHub doesn’t have any limitations or data caps, you can use their premium service for 7 days without any fees, although they might charge you after the 7 day window passes.
The others on this list, like Goose VPN, are good but not great. While other industry stalwarts, like ExpressVPN, do not offer a free trial at all.
I feel like free trial is a necessity for any service. How can people know if the product is suitable for their needs before paying? That’s especially important if you don’t have any deals for people to get your product cheaper. For example I use NordVPN and I was happy to find a coupon for two year subscription. I used it and though let’s see if the coupon works only once and it turned out to be an unlimited one. So now all my friends have subscribed to it for much cheaper price and they still had 3days to cancel it if they didn’t like it.
re: AVG
> “But a 30-day trial without requiring a credit card or email address is pretty impressive in our opinion.”
…and even more impressive is the way it disappeared as soon as this article was published.
NordVPN now requires a credit card or Paypal for their “Free” trial
AVast bought AVG — that’s why the their VPN services BOTH have 55 servers — it’s probably the same service
I was an AVG Premium customer years ago when they partnered with HideMyAss to offer VPN Services — and proceeded to hit me with PopUp messages about me not being protected — even when I was using my HideMyAss account that I already had. Then toss in the PopUps for their overpriced Tune-Up service. I wondered why I was paying them when they were the ones with the annoying PopUps trying to sell me shit.
I tried the Avast SecureLine offer — download, install, connect. The connect button never connected to anything. After following those instructions I called the phone number listed for help under the instructions. According to the Support Rep I talked to I could download, install, and run the software for 7 days for free, but if I wanted to actually USE the software I’d have to buy a subscription to get a license.
I had been a HideMyAss subscriber for 3 or 4 years — and every year they screwed up my Auto-Renew AND then ignored their application kill switch when they disabled the VPN on the Laptop sitting at home. Their service did work, but NordVPN was cheaper and allowed more devices.
I did NOT renew my NordVPN subscription which is why I’m here on this page. Since they started advertising their VPN Services on MSNBC last summer, the service has gone to crap. Before the commercial they had added servers, but those servers wouldn’t allow connections or would connect and then drop — lather, rinse, repeat — but at least the “old servers” still worked great. Then those new servers eventually started to work too. Then after the TV Commercials they added more servers — and ALL SERVERS from DIFFERENT LOCATIONS & INTERNET PROVIDERS (home/xfinity, work, Starbucks/Google-ATT, McDonalds/ATT, and 2 different Library Systems) would either drop out for 10-15 seconds every 2 or 3 minutes — or you might find a server that would work for 10 minutes straight and then drop out for 2 – 3 minutes. I had to disable the NordVPN connection I had setup on my OpenWRT router since the connection drop outs affected video streaming and my Fire TV Menus — along with the pauses for web browsing and FAILED WINDOWS UPDATES. Even with auto-renew disabled on my account, they billed me for another year of (SHIT) service.
I’m doing the SaferVPN trial right now — and its SLOW. Speedtest.net shows 1/10th the speed with the VPN as it does without. My current 75Mb/s Cable connection WITH SaferVPN now reminds me of my old 6Mb/s DSL connection from 10 years ago. There are NOT a lot of server choices — and it took me me 3 tries to find ONE and HOLD a stable connection. When the connections fail, it seems to hold on to the old failed connections. I showed connections to 2 Canadian Servers while I was actually connected to another server in a different country. I might use some of the 11 hours remaining on my trial and reboot my laptop between connection attempts and see if I can connect to my closest (and hopefully faster servers) that I was never able to connect too last night.
ProtonVPN has nice looking software and their 7 Day Free Trial worked fine. Servers did “Fill Up” and I’d disconnect and find a new server. Speeds were GREAT from home and a couple different other locations — when the servers didn’t “Fill Up.” Kill Switch seemed to work fine when it did lose a connection (and didn’t succeed in reconnecting). I am keeping the FREE ACCOUNT on my Laptop and might try a 1 month Subscription as another Test (and as a future backup for the next VPN provider who’s service goes to shit after I’ve subscribed).
It looks like there are a couple more free trials left to try — and then I’ll probably pay for an overpriced 1 month subscription to Private Internet Access and see how their service works before I commit to the more more reasonably priced long term subscription.
Nice work, you’re doing the leg work and helping out others in the process! Thank you for that.
ProtonVPN is still an infant compared to a lot of the others we’ve reviewed. They are doing exceptionally well, they’ve got a great team of engineers behind them, so they’re definitely worth a shot. You could try out Express as well, they receive the most positive comments from our readers.
After using ProtonVPN for over 2 years i’ve had it with them. I had received excellent support service for the 1 or 2 concerns I had. I’m in Alberta, Canada. There are no close servers to this geographical location. If i want to connect to a Canadian server i have to go 2000 miles to the East to Toronto or Montreal or go 500 miles over the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver, which is what I used to do. I pay for premium service and ProtonVPN has 2 tiers of customers: Standard and Premium. If paying for Premium, ProtonVPN says you have access to Premium Service Servers so you wont get slow speeds. I emailed ProtonVPN in August or September and informed them that the server farm I use is Vancouver and that the premium servers were getting congested. I emailed 2 more times over the next 12 months as the servers went from congested to overloaded and essentially unusable. The client has a connect option for the fastest server and it now almost always connects me to a server that is for Standard Service Customers. If it doesn’t connect me to a Standard Service Server that is often congested and slow, it will connect to a Premium Service Server which is almost always congested and overloaded even at times when demand for servers is relatively low like at 11pm at night. Today I wrote ProtonVPN a letter telling them I’ve had enough of their bureaucratic evasive responses to my 3 letters from over the past 1.5 years in regards to the Vancouver server farm. I used to use the client’s reporting feature but it no longer works. I tried connect to different ProtonVPN servers to send the same letter and also rebooted but the client is no longer working after about 8 tries i gave up on informing them their servers and service is no longer good enough for me to continue being a customer. So for about a year I’ve had to connect to USA Washington servers where speed tends to fall off over time and have recently (last couple of months) experienced a lot of disconnects with familiar websites even when the server load indicates very low server usage.
I had huge respect for ProtonVPN and would have suggested to anyone that ProtonVPN is the way to go. It’s like a different company now with both customer service, server capability and now even their client-support is a fail now. This is why i’m looking for a new VPN provider. I’ve used VPN’s for 10 years and service has been terrible and a complete fail to just acceptable. Thought I didn’t have to worry about VPN service anymore until ProtonVPN demonstrated poor service both VPN and Customer Service. Over the last few months they added many new servers to Montreal and Toronto and didn’t even add 1 to Vancouver which is still very far away and Toronto is 2000 miles away. They don’t care and are showing incompetence.
VPN service is very important to me and i want a kill switch, leak protection and full service with no speed problems or congestion problems. I’m willing to pay if there is a good company with good service and 5 extra dollars a month to get that service is fine by me. I’m still using their mail service but they’re VPN service is OUT!
Mike, I’ve used PIA for at least 6 years now and so far I haven’t had many issues with them. There was a few days about 2 years ago that I’d get disconnected for unknown reasons but that hasn’t occurred sense updating the VPN software. I’ve also read from some people that the internet speed has slowed for them when using PIA but I personally haven’t had that issue. Streaming movies behind PIA hasn’t been an issue with me. However, I’m now looking into a VPN that is not based in the USA or any of the other “Big Eyes” countries. So far the only one I’ve found is ExpressVPN and they are not a ‘cheap’ VPN provider.
ProtonVPN requires a credit card or PayPal signup before you can download the software. If you know any other way to get the free trial let me know but for now you need to correct your information.
I used ExpressVPN for 6 years, four while working in China – where it was essential to have a good, reliable VPN. Even with all the resources of the CCP, I was pretty much always able to get a VPN connection through the Great China Firewall either by laptop or Android phone. If I ever go back, ExpressVPN is my choice.
However, when I relocated to Canada, and still had the majority of my year subscription I started running into issues. Large downloads (i.e. movies) seemed to throttle back to silly-slow speeds no matter what server I was on. Software updates came from web pages that were flagged and disallowed by both Chrome and Explorer (work around was provided, but annoying), Netflix access was like whack-a-mole – it seemed each day the server that ExpressVPN claimed as “working” changed or simply didn’t work at all. I would not recommend ExpressVPN outside China. I have let my subscription lapse – however, they were good about refunding my money when an auto-renew kicked in and they changed their security so I could not access my account in time to stop the renewal.
As a result, I am here, doing research on which VPN I should be using while in Canada!
Hey Christopher,
Thank you for your input. You’ve probably got a way faster connection in Canada than you had in China, am I right? It might be the servers that cap your download if your connection is lightning fast.
trust.zone has free trial too. no cards required, confirmed
For ProtonVPN free trial, try going to this site:
https://account.protonvpn.com/signup.
What do you guys think of CactusVPN?
I have left Safer VPN (they allowed me a full refund of my prepayment) afer three years because their Firefox extension failed when Firefox Ver. 66 came in, and after ten days was still broken and out of use. Up until this they had provided a very good service.
Can anyone please suggest another VPN provider who can offer a reliable, rapid-connection Firefox extension with plenty of IP address locations?
With thanks,
Jon
Tested the 24h trial version of SaferVPN configuring Mikrotik router to use OpenVPN and PPTP versions.
The OpenVPN configuration from SaferVPN is a copy from other configuration in other VPN service.
PPTP Worked fine (slow @ 8mbps / 6.5mbps max, using a 200/200 bmps fiber link).
SaferVPN advertised “good for Netflix” but on trial, Netflix realized I was using a Proxy and stopped streaming content.
SaferVPN is lying when advertising for Netflix.
Thanks for the heads up.
Safer VPN I used for a 6 month subscription, it has issues when switching devices ( would have to get support to reactivate my account every time I added a device ) very poor for torrenting, all Canadian and American servers were a crawl, like impossible “94 days” download times.
The only server that was OK for torrents was Netherlands. If you need to torrent I’d give SaferVPN a 4/10. If its for streaming I’d give it 6/10
Once you’ve found what looks like a good VPN candidate, be sure to take it for a trial before you spend any big money. But a short trial can only tell you so much, so once that’s expired, pay for a month, run as many tests as you can, then upgrade to a better value plan (usually yearly) if you’re still happy.
I could not update my ExpressVpn for last six months and even though I have tried everything they recommend and then some, no joy. I have worked with computers since days of COBOL programing so I believe that I know enough to sort out problems. However, they did offer to remotely access my pc to see if they can sort it out but I do NOT wish anyone snooping around my rig. So, in three weeks time it’s going to be good bye EV and as most of them want credit card for “free” trial (which constitutes a risk of my details being compromised with a company that I will not necessarily do business with and therefore do not wish to give them my details) I am in need of reliable VPN for torrenting.
Decisions, decisions.
Hey Len,
You can check out Mullvad. You can even send them cash via post. Maybe that’s your best option?
REMEMBER: NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH.
AVG AND AVAST offer the lengthiness free trial but, keep in mind they will not also provide the most secure p2p. If they even provide it. Also Proton, provide a complete free VPN (supposedly) but their free version does not guarantee your logs are protected and it does not support p2p.
Currently I’m doing my own research of VPN’s for my own blog; I have tested CyberGosht, AnonymousVPN(which is not mentioned here) and CactusVPN and they do offer 1 day test trial with all of the capabilities available, no data restrictions and p2p servers available.
I have tried Avast and Proton and honestly I feel more secure if I don’t have them installed.
Cactus VPN and CyberGohst – have really good interfaces, Cactus VPN takes lead having the cheaper prices.
Anonymous VPN interface is simple and you have to keep the app open in order to be active. If you close the app, the VPN connection is also closed.
I’ve used Windscribe VPN, but it’s time to renew–and I won’t. I’ve used it on three computers, 2 with Win7 Pro and 1 with Win10 Pro. It works fine with Win7 but I’ve had constant problems since I put Win10 on one of my computers. Their customer service response is fast, but they have failed to find a solution. It’s obviously a problem with Win10 that their developers need to fix.