Free VPN for PC: Which Free Tiers Are Safe on Windows
Proton VPN Free is my pick of the free VPNs for a Windows PC: it sets no data cap and no speed limit, and paid subscribers fund it instead of ads or data sales. It suits one person on one computer, since the free tier allows 1 connection at a time. The VPN Advisor's own comparison data gives the paid price and app details quoted further down, last checked in September 2026.
Safe free VPNs have paying customers behind them
Some entirely free VPNs have been caught tracking users, leaking or selling their data, and bundling malware into their apps. Mashable's advice is to skip any free VPN that has neither paying subscribers behind it nor limits on use. Proton VPN and TunnelBear pass that test, since paid subscriptions fund both free tiers and neither earns money from free users.
Windscribe, the third free tier in this comparison, calls its free plan its marketing budget. It shows no ads, sells no data and runs no free trials that bill you automatically.
Proton VPN Free keeps the paid privacy
PCMag calls the free plan from Proton VPN the best free plan in the industry. Encryption is identical on free and paid accounts. Proton shows no ads in the free app and doesn't sell personal data. Without paying a penny, you still get OpenVPN, WireGuard and Proton's own Stealth protocol, with the kill switch included as well. Proton VPN publishes the source code of its apps, by The VPN Advisor's data.
Proton VPN comes from the CERN scientists who built Proton Mail. It runs a strict no-logs policy and says Swiss law doesn't oblige it to keep logs. A free account also opens Proton's encrypted email, cloud storage and password manager.
On Windows, PCMag's copy installed on a Windows 11 test PC without trouble. Once you connect, the dashboard lists the server load, your protocol, the data moved in the session and your VPN IP address along its bottom edge. Proton also makes the free tier available on macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Fire TV. Proton's browser extension installs without admin rights, for a PC where you can't add desktop software.
Proton VPN Free limits on servers, support and speed
Proton VPN Free chooses your location for you, with no way to pick a country. Changing servers gets slower as you go, because the wait between switches grows every time. Split tunneling, Secure Core and VPN Accelerator stay on the paid plans. Streaming services aren't supported on the free tier either.
Free users can't reach live chat. They can still open support tickets and search the knowledge base. Free users also see frequent prompts to upgrade to a paid plan. Proton's privacy policy does let it slow a free user whose consumption turns excessive, to protect service quality for everyone else on the free tier.
PCMag measured a 20.11% drop in downloads and a 43.21% drop in uploads with Proton VPN connected. PCMag ranks the 351.26% median rise in latency it recorded near the top of every VPN it has tested.
Proton's 12-month plan costs £3.59 a month on The VPN Advisor's figures, for anyone who outgrows the free tier. A year on that plan comes to £43.08.
Windscribe Free gives 10 GB and unlimited devices
Windscribe Free and Pro both let you connect unlimited devices. Free accounts get 10 GB of data a month, or 2 GB if you don't confirm an email address. Windscribe adds 5 GB a month for users who post about it on X. Its free servers sit in 10 countries, including the US, Canada, Germany and Switzerland, where Pro reaches 69+ countries and 135+ cities. Free users keep the Firewall, all 6 protocols and split tunneling, just as Pro users do. Windscribe's blocker for ads, trackers and malware comes with the free plan too, and Pro adds full customization and custom rules on top.
Windscribe builds its app natively for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, with a separate ARM64 build for Snapdragon Copilot+ PCs and Surface devices. Windscribe markets its Firewall, built on the native Windows Filtering Platform APIs, as stronger than a reactive kill switch because it blocks every connection outside the tunnel.
TunnelBear Free lets you choose the country
TunnelBear Free lets you pick a country anywhere in its network, something Proton VPN Free doesn't allow. Mashable counted server locations in 47 countries when it tested TunnelBear. Free users can switch on VigilantBear, TunnelBear's kill switch, and SplitBear for split tunneling.
Proton VPN Free for one PC, Windscribe for a household
Install Proton VPN Free if you want one Windows PC covered with no data cap, from a company whose subscribers pay for the free tier. You give up any choice of location and accept a big rise in latency. Windscribe Free serves a household better, since every device can share one account, as long as its monthly data allowance covers what you do online. TunnelBear Free suits someone who needs a particular country more than a second device. Any free VPN with no paying customers and no usage limits stays off your PC.
