Best free VPN for Android in 2024

Android phone with VPN app openUnsplash

Looking for the best free VPNs for Android? Phones, like any other device, are prone to online attacks. You can protect your data by using a VPN, and you might not have to pay for it, either.

The best free VPN for Android phones offers you all the basic features to protect your online privacy. They give you enough data bandwidth and access to multiple servers to stream Netflix or other video streaming platforms. Some even go out of the way to give you an ad-free experience.

Article continues after ad

There’s an ocean of free VPN apps you can download from the Play Store, and most of them usually work fine. However, if you’re after the best possible options, you can either do your own research or choose one from the five best Android VPNs listed below. We tested over 30 free VPN services for Android to assemble this list, all of which offer the best experience you can find.

1. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN logoProtonVPN
  • Servers: 3
  • Data limit: None
  • Ads: None
  • Audit: Yes

ProtonVPN topped our best free VPN for iPhone list, and while we wanted another service to top the Android list, we couldn’t find a worthy option. ProtonVPN has everything you need from a free VPN. It offers unlimited data and no time limits. Your speed never gets capped and you don’t need to see annoying ads to increase your time limit. There are no ads on ProtonVPN.

Article continues after ad

The speed you get with ProtonVPN is decent. It’s not the best out there but it gets the job done. The VPN provider gives you access to 3 free servers and promises to never log your online information, including browsing activity, IP address, and location. During our testing, we weren’t able to access Netflix content from other regions. You might need a paid subscription for that.

2. Hide.me

Hide.me VPN logoHide.Me
  • Servers: 8
  • Data limit: None
  • Ads: None
  • Audit: Yes

Hide.me is on this list for two reasons. First, there are no ads on its Android app, and second, it doesn’t require any credit card information while signing up. It also gets bonus points for offering unlimited data without any time limits. The app officially offers eight server locations, which is more than our chart topper, but less than other options we’ve mentioned below. Hide.me undergoes a third-party audit and doesn’t keep your data logs. It doesn’t require an email address for signing up so get complete anonymity.

Article continues after ad

You also get support for features like Split Tunneling and WireGuard. The former lets you access local content without disconnecting VPN while the latter is basically another VPN protocol.

3. Speedify

Speedify VPN logoSpeedify
  • Servers: 50+
  • Data limit: 2GB
  • Ads: None
  • Audit: Yes

Speedify is a great VPN app for Android phones. It can transition between between Wi-Fi and cellular. Unlike traditional applications that experience disruptions during network switches, Speedify maintains a continuous connection. It also combines your Wi-Fi and cellular connection together to boost speeds.

Speedify lets you share cellular connections back and forth between multiple users on the same network. It offers fast speeds and full access to the worldwide Speedify server network. The only thing we don’t like is the 2GB data limit, which can get exhausted pretty easily.

Article continues after ad

4. WindScribe

Hide.me VPN logoHide.Me
  • Servers: 11
  • Data limit: 2GB without email, 10GB with email
  • Ads: None
  • Audit: Yes

WindScribe offers a no-strings-attached free plan with decent features. You can use the app on as many devices as you like. However, you only 10GB of free data per month. WindScribe’s free app gets you all the features you’d see on the paid plan. There are no paywalled features. You also have the option to continue using the app without adding your email address but you only get 2GB of free data. You can get an extra 5 GB of free data by posting about the app on X.

WindScribe gives you access to server locations in 11 countries including Canada, the USA, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Germany. You also get a tool to block malware, ads, trackers, adult sites, gambling sites, and even clickbait articles.

Article continues after ad

5. HotSpot Shield

Hotspot Shield logoHotspot Shield
  • Servers: 4
  • Data limit: None
  • Ads: Yes
  • Audit: Yes

HotSpot Shield is worth considering if you don’t mind ads. The service offers you unlimited data and technically no time limit if you’re willing to watch an ad every fifteen minutes. You also need to see an add before connecting to a server. On the plus side, HotSpot Shield offers speed that is almost the same as paid VPNs as well as access to server locations in Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, and London.

You can use as many devices as you want without needing to add your email address for sign-in. However, if you register your free account and try to sign in on multiple devices, there’s a limit of five devices.

Article continues after ad

How we tested these VPN apps

We downloaded over 30 VPNs on various Android phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, Galaxy S21 FE, OnePlus 12, and iQOO 12. We tested the VPNs for their speeds and whether they have ads in their apps.

Server locations were also an important factor in deciding which apps we needed to put in the top five. By the rule of thumb, you need at least three server locations to get the best experience. We opened various websites and services after being connected to the VPN to verify if they were able to unblock otherwise inaccessible content.

Article continues after ad

We have made sure to verify if the apps we included in this list are undergoing a third-party audit, which essentially determines if their claims about not logging data are believable.