Our top pick is SingLink VPN, for its ad-free free plan with no device limit and paid plans from $3.59 a month. Proton VPN has no data cap, but covers one device. VPN Cat needs no account but carries ads and tracking. SunSon offers only a 2-hour trial.
4 free VPN services compared against their own published terms. Last checked: November 2026
A free VPN is only worth using if you know what you are giving up. So we read what each provider publishes: its free-plan limits, terms, privacy policy, audit reports and app-store privacy labels. Where those documents disagree, we say so.
These four services take very different approaches. One has no data cap on one device. One gives each device a small daily allowance. One needs no account but runs on advertising. One has no free plan at all, only a two-hour trial.
Testing status: this comparison is a document review. Scores come from published documents. We have not yet published speed, streaming or leak tests, so nothing here says which service is fastest.
Free VPN comparison — free data, locations and access terms, taken from each provider’s own published terms.
SingLink gives each device a small daily allowance with no ads, no card and no device limit, so it suits short bursts of use across several devices. You cannot pick a free country, and there is no general refund on paid plans. Its audits come from VPNTestor, whose independence we could not confirm.
Pros
No ads and no payment card on the free plan
No device limit, and the daily allowance applies per device
Apps for iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, Linux and tvOS
Lowest monthly paid price here, at $3.59 on the web
Wide feature list, including proxy chaining, split tunnelling and a kill switch
Round-the-clock live chat for signed-in users
Publishes audit reports with the auditor named
Cons
Free locations are random, so you cannot choose a country
Small allowance: 200 MB a day on mobile, 500 MB on desktop
Logging policy conflicts with its own store privacy labels
Auditor’s independence could not be confirmed, and no report covers current apps
No general refund on paid plans
Company history has changed: it described itself as a Singapore company in 2025
Proton’s free plan has no data cap and no ads, but it covers one device, with a randomly selected country from ten, and no streaming or P2P. Its apps are open source, and Securitum reviews its no-logs claim yearly, paid for by Proton.
Pros
No data cap and no ads on the free plan
Named Swiss company, with a non-profit foundation as its main shareholder
Yearly no-logs reviews by Securitum, with the 2025 report public
Open-source apps on most platforms
Apps for desktop, mobile, TV and browsers
Cons
One device on the free plan
Free country is randomly selected, not chosen
No streaming, and P2P is actively blocked on free servers
Proton reserves the right to throttle excessive free use
Swiss surveillance proposals are a risk to its jurisdiction argument
VPN Cat is the quickest to start: no account and twelve free countries on iPhone and iPad. It is paid for by ads. Its policy keeps a connection record with your IP for up to seven days despite a “zero-log” claim, and its App Store label declares tracking, so treat it as a convenience, not a privacy tool.
Pros
No account needed
Twelve free countries listed
App on the App Store since 2016, with a large rating base
Low yearly price of $29.99
Cons
Free plan carries Google ads
“Zero-log” claim conflicts with a seven-day connection record
App Store label says identifiers are used to track you
iPhone and iPad only, with no official Android app
No audit, and no named protocol
Latest US reviews average far below its lifetime rating
SunSon is not a free VPN. You get a two-hour trial, then one ¥39.9 monthly plan with unlimited data on three devices. It is the least documented service here: no company is named, the domain dates from September 2026, its refund terms conflict, and its privacy policy does not fit the product.
Pros
Two-hour trial with unlimited data and no stated payment step
One simple plan: ¥39.9 a month for unlimited data on three devices
Windows, macOS and Android installers available
Cons
No free plan, only a two-hour trial
No named operating company, address or founders
Domain registered September 2026, despite a stated 2023 launch
Privacy policy claims “no backend servers”, which cannot fit a paid account service
FAQ and terms conflict on refunds
No independent audit found, and no App Store or Google Play listing found
The order is an editorial judgement, not a measured result. It is separate from our scores, which follow a published checklist applied to documents, so Proton VPN currently scores above SingLink. We may earn commission from services listed here, so use the reasons below to decide for yourself.
1. SingLink VPN is our top pick for low-cost everyday use: no ads on the free plan, no device limit, apps on every major platform, and the lowest monthly web price of any paid plan here at $3.59. Our review also covers the conflicts in its policy and why we could not confirm its auditor’s independence.
2. Proton VPN has no data cap and no ads on its free plan, so it suits people who need more data than SingLink’s daily allowance. It covers one device, places you in a random country, leaves out streaming and P2P, and costs $9.99 on a monthly paid term.
3. VPN Cat is the fastest to start, with no account. It sits below these two because it runs on ads, and its App Store label declares tracking.
4. SunSon VPN is last because it is not a free VPN, only a two-hour trial, and it is the least documented service we cover. Read our review before paying.
Privacy evidence, side by side
SingLink
Proton VPN
VPN Cat
SunSon
Operator
SingLink Corporation (provider-stated)
Proton AG
SAFDAR NETWORK SMC-PRIVATE LIMITED
Not named
Stated base
British Virgin Islands; Wyoming law in its terms
Switzerland
Pakistan, per store listing
British Virgin Islands
No-logs audit
VPNTestor; independence unconfirmed
Securitum yearly; paid for by Proton
None found
None found
Main conflict we found
Policy says “only two things” are held; store labels list more
Free servers inspect traffic to block BitTorrent
“Zero-log” claim beside a 7-day connection record
Policy says no backend, which cannot fit a paid account service
Refund
Limited cases only
30 days on direct purchases
Through Apple
Sources conflict
Sources for each row are in the individual reviews.
How to Choose a Free VPN
Free VPNs pay for themselves somehow. The honest ones limit you, by data, devices or locations, to push you toward a paid plan. Be more careful with those that limit little and earn money another way, usually through advertising or data collection.
Data allowance
This is the biggest practical difference. SingLink allows 200 MB a day on mobile and 500 MB on desktop, per device, which suits messaging and light browsing but not video. Proton VPN states no data cap on one device. VPN Cat states no cap, but it also makes no written promise of unlimited data.
Location choice
If you need a specific country, check whether the free plan lets you choose. Neither SingLink nor Proton does: both assign free locations at random. That also makes free plans a poor match for regional streaming.
Free plan or free trial
A free plan keeps working within its limits. A trial stops. SunSon offers only a two-hour trial, then charges ¥39.9 a month.
Who runs it, and where
A VPN can see where your traffic goes, so the operator matters. Look for a named company, a stated legal base and a process for legal requests. Be wary when the privacy policy and terms name no company at all, as with SunSon and VPN Cat.
Ads and tracking
An ad-supported VPN has a commercial reason to know about you. VPN Cat’s App Store label declares identifiers used to track you, and its privacy policy describes a connection record kept for up to seven days.
Audits
Ask who did the audit, who paid for it, what it covered and which app versions it tested. Proton’s 2025 report is public, and open about being a guided review of a sample of servers.
Sources for this guide
All pages were read on November 5, 2026. Provider pages can change after that date.
We read each provider’s website, terms, privacy policy, audit reports and app-store listings on November 5, 2026, and checked domain records and archived pages where a claim depended on history. Each review links the sources behind its key facts and keeps a log of corrections.
“The provider states” means only that the company says so. Store labels are declared by developers and not verified by Apple or Google. Speed, streaming and leak results will be added once they have been measured.
Our top pick is SingLink VPN, for its ad-free free plan with no device limit and paid plans from $3.59 a month. If you need more data, Proton VPN has no data cap on one device. This is our editorial judgement: we have not yet published speed tests.
Are free VPNs safe to use?
Some are safer than others. Check who operates the VPN, how it makes money, and whether its policy matches its app-store label. VPN Cat, for example, claims zero logs, but its policy describes a seven-day connection record and its App Store label declares tracking.
Which free VPN has no data limit?
Proton VPN is the only one of the four that states no data cap on its free plan. It allows one device, places you in one of ten countries at random, and reserves the right to throttle excessive use. VPN Cat states no cap, but makes no written promise of unlimited data.
Do free VPNs work with Netflix?
Do not count on it. Proton VPN makes streaming a paid feature, and SingLink and Proton both assign free locations at random, so you cannot pick a library’s country. We have not tested streaming.
Do I need to create an account to use a free VPN?
It depends on the service. VPN Cat needs no account. Proton VPN asks for one on the web and desktop, but offers guest mode on mobile. SingLink needs an account. None of them asks for a card on the free plan.
Is a free trial the same as a free VPN?
No. A free plan keeps working within its limits, while a trial ends. SunSon VPN has only a two-hour trial, after which it costs ¥39.9 a month.
Which free VPNs publish audits?
SingLink publishes reports by VPNTestor, whose independence we could not confirm. Proton VPN publishes yearly no-logs reviews by Securitum, which Proton commissions and pays for. We found no audit for VPN Cat or SunSon.
