What does a free unlimited VPN mean and where is it available?

After a free unlimited VPN? We breakdown what that entails, the pros and cons of a freebie VPN, and our recommendations

What is a free unlimited VPN
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

When you put the words 'free unlimited VPN' together, it might sound like a bit of a longshot. It's fair to say when the best VPN offers just about anything 'unlimited', you're likely to have to pay for it, regardless of what we actually mean by 'unlimited'. 

Are we talking about data, servers, or features? Wherever your search is taking you, we're here to breakdown what a free unlimited VPN entails, as well as those no fee VPN services, and our recommendation of the best free VPN to tick all your boxes.


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What is a free unlimited VPN?

When it comes to a free unlimited VPN, this could mean one of a few things. Free-to-use VPN services can be subject to limitations, including data allowance. With many free services instating an allowance, you may not be able to do much before running out, especially when you consider many use them for streaming, which uses large amounts of data.

For streaming VPNs, you'll want a high or unlimited allowance, allowing you to consume media without being caught short. The same goes for gaming VPNs, where online games will require a lot of data to run.

Free services can also see limitations on servers, with many providers reducing their offering considerably. It's fair to say this massively reduces the functionality of a good VPN, where a variety of servers across a wide range of locations around the world give users not only choice and the ability to bypass geo-restrictions, but also reliability that if one server is down, there are plenty of other options at your disposal.

Of course, those after a free unlimited VPN may just be after the full package without cost. To that we say, while we do have cost-free services we recommend, you'll never get the full package, even with those that seemingly offer access to all their features, with no limitations on data or otherwise.

what is a free unlimited vpn

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Why a free unlimited VPN doesn't exist

Quite honestly, VPNs that come completely 'free' do come at a cost. Nothing in the world is free, and so to create the infrastructure needed to offer the kinds of security and reliability of a paid-for service, these providers need to pay for it in some way. 

You'll likely see no mention of a 'no logging-policy' and that's probably because the data you give in using these freebie VPNs will be sold onto third-party companies to fund the upkeep of such software. That is, unless it offers an upsell to paid-for plans. In which case, you can definitely expect limitations on its free service.

This is why we always recommend weighing up the pros and cons of cost-free VPNs and what you want from the service. With plenty of cheap VPNs available, it needn't cost a fortune to get the very best, especially when it comes to a VPN's security features. 

What's more, many of our favorite VPNs come with money-back guarantees, spanning anywhere from 30-days to well over a month, allowing you to try before you commit. This includes ExpressVPN, which allows you to essentially trial its product for 30-days and, within that time, if you're not a fan you'll get any money paid so far for the service. 

Surfshark offers the same 30-day policy and weighs in with excellent features at an even more affordable rate, especially on its more long-term plans.

Get the best of an unlimited VPN with these free services:

While it's difficult to find a VPN that offers unlimited services across the board, we do have recommendations of free services that tick one or two of these boxes. Check out these three options below, offering a great free tool that might just quench your appetite for a free unlimited VPN that we trust.

ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN
You'll have to register to gain access to the free service. However, with it you'll get unlimited data. This means being able to stream without concern of breezing through your monthly allowance too quickly. In the free service, features like split tunneling and auto-connect are available in its free service. That said, you are limited to a choice of only three servers.

Speedify

Speedify
Offering an allowance of 2GB of data, it's fair to say Speedify is more generous than some when it comes to its allowance. However, it's the server-front that might make this an appealing free unlimited VPN choice, giving access to its complete list of over 1000 servers across 50 locations.

Windscribe

Windscribe
You can benefit from up to 10GB of data, though you'll have to sign up with your email to get it or you'll be limited to just 2GB instead. We also found it was able to unblock Netflix and BBC iPlayer, as well as allowing us to configure a number of settings.

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Alice Marshall
eCommerce Editor

Alice is eCommerce Editor at Future, with a focus on streaming services such as Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max, as well as VPN. Nowadays she looks after and writes guides and how to watch articles across TechRadar and CinemaBlend. Previously a Commercial Content Writer for Trusted Reviews, Alice has worked in the eCommerce space for over five years and over two years writing about consumer tech.