Top 10 best free VPNs that keep no logs in 2019

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May 25, 2022

In the light of increased privacy concerns, the term “VPN” has become practically a household name. Even though some might not know what a VPN exactly is or how it works, the idea that it’s some sort of privacy software has firmly entered the public mind. Along with it, also came the idea that this software, like pretty much any other common software or apps today on iOS and Android platforms, must cost nothing. After all, you can easily download an office tool, a web browser, a music player or a DVD burner for free. It’s even possible to use most everyday tools for years without ever paying a cent, so it’s natural to ask – why not a VPN too?

Sadly, this is quite untrue.  Due to their complexity and the infrastructure they require, VPNs are generally not free. Those few that are, often involve such serious drawbacks, that getting them for free may completely negate the point of having a VPN in the first place. For a list of VPNs that are available for free and whose drawbacks (if any) do not compromise your privacy in order to achieve that, read on.

 

How much “free” do you actually need?

Having a VPN that is free forever and provides you with total anonymity all the time is practically impossible, but not all is lost. Fortunately, some online privacy providers allow you to use some of their features for free forever (though with restrictions). For example:

• Browser VPN extensions will encrypt your website browsing through a specific browser, but will not affect any other online activity such as downloading torrents.

• Torrent IP shields will make your P2P traffic anonymous, but will not affect browsing.

• Anti-ad and tracking extensions will filter certain content out of your browser traffic, but will not hide your IP address.

• Free VPNs might cover all traffic but will involve severe bandwidth and server restrictions.

Alternatively, it’s possible to get many privacy features at once but for a limited time:

• A VPN with a free trial will cover all of you needs for a short time, usually a few days. This is ideal for business trips.

 

• Many VPNs offer generous no-questions-asked refund policies where you can get your money back if you request it within the first week or month.

The third option is the so-called “deal with the devil”, in which you get a free VPN but at the cost of certain features that will endanger your privacy. For example, a free VPN might covertly route your traffic through a captive portal (similar to an airport or hotel Wi-Fi). This will allow them to earn money by displaying ads to you, but will also expose your identity.

 

The cornerstone of online anonymity: a strong no-log policy

 

The most important VPN feature which we advise you to absolutely never compromise, is commonly called “no-logging policy”. The lack of other features may be a problem as well, but a weak or non-existent no-logging policy can directly expose you to serious dangers.

A “no-logging policy” means that the VPN does not retain any record of your online activities. This makes it impossible for anyone to access your online history even if they get the VPN’s records by force (e.g. hacking, court order).

Not every no-logging policy is the same. For example, a VPN may take this a step further and make it impossible even for themselves to pinpoint your connection while active (thus preventing live snooping as well). Some VPNs will not keep any data about you as the customer, except for the most necessary encrypted payment details, making your usage impossible to track. The very best VPNs skip even that, allowing you to pay anonymously (usually through cryptocurrency), thus leaving no trace.

It may also be beneficial for a VPN to be headquartered in a country with strong privacy laws. For example, the USA has a rich history of government agencies that force private companies to disclose data. Many countries such as China technically allow VPNs, but only if they are registered with the government allowing the government unrestricted, real-time access to their servers. A number of countries are members of the so-called “5 Eyes” and “14 Eyes” international surveillance alliances and allow each other to spy on each other’s citizens.

In the list below, we have collected the best free VPNs that keep no logs for your convenience:

 

 

NordVPN

 

• No-logging claim: “From the moment NordVPN.com user turns on NordVPN.com software, their internet data becomes encrypted. It becomes invisible to governments, ISPs, third-party snoopers and even NordVPN.com. Further, we have a strict no-logs policy when it comes to seeing user activity online.”

 

• Headquarters: Panama

 

• Free options: No-credit card-required 3-day free trial

 

ExpressVPN
 

 

• No-logging claim: “ExpressVPN is committed to your privacy and does not collect or log browsing history, traffic destination, data content, or DNS queries from Subscribers connected to our VPN.”

 

• Headquarters: British Virgin Islands

 

• Free options: 30-day money-back guarantee

 

WindScribe

 

 

• No-logging claim: “Since we store the bare minimum for a customer to actually use our service, any request for user data would yield nothing of value. We do not store any logs on who used what IP address, so we cannot tie user activity to any single user.”

 

• Headquarters: Canada (Warning: Canada is a member of the “5 Eyes” surveillance program)

 

• Free options: Unlimited duration for free, but with bandwidth and server location restrictions

 

ProtonVPN

 

• No-logging claim: “ProtonVPN is a no logs VPN service. We do not track or record your internet activity, and therefore, we are unable to disclose this information to third parties.”

 

• Headquarters: Switzerland

 

• Free options: Unlimited duration for free but with severe server location restrictions. Also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for paid versions.

 

Private Internet Access
 

 

 

• No-logging claim: “Private Internet Access absolutely does not keep any logs, of any kind, period.”

 

• Headquarters: Colorado, USA (Warning: the USA is the founder of the “5 Eyes” surveillance program)

 

• Free options: 30-day money-back guarantee
 

 

TorGuard

 

• No-logging claim: TorGuard does not collect or log any data from its Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Proxy services. TorGuard.net users have the option to register with personal information. The personal information provided is collected solely for private use by TorGuard.net as it relates to standard business operations. Upon registration for services at TorGuard.net the account owner’s name, email address, and date/time are stored. This information is recorded to prevent fraud and abuse of TorGuard.net services. No data is ever provided to a third party unless required to do so by law.”

 

• Headquarters: Florida, USA (Warning: the USA is the founder of the “5 Eyes” surveillance program)

 

• Free options: 7-day free trial and an additional 30-days free as part of any package, but only if you e-mail them an invoice/cancellation of service from your previous VPN provider.

 

 

IVPN

 

• No-logging claim: “We do not store any connection logs whatsoever. In addition, we do not log bandwidth usage, session data or requests to our DNS servers.”

• Headquarters: Gibraltar (Note: the UK is a member of the “5 Eyes” surveillance program, but Gibraltar is not despite being a British Overseas Territory)

• Free options: 7-day money-back guarantee.

 

HIDE.me 

 

• No-logging claim: “We do not monitor or log your browsing behavior. It is impossible to record your browsing behavior with our technical backend. All the usage data is anonymous and not connected to your real, public IP address.”

 

• Headquarters: Malaysia

 

• Free options: Unlimited duration for free, but with a 2 GB bandwidth limit. Also offers a 14-day money-back guarantee for paid versions.

 

TunnelBear
 

 

• No-logging claim: “TunnelBear does NOT store users originating IP addresses when connected to our service and thus cannot identify users when provided IP addresses of our servers. Additionally, we cannot disclose information about the applications, services or websites our users consume while connected to our Services; as TunnelBear does NOT store this information.”

 

• Headquarters: Canada (Warning: Canada is a member of the “5 Eyes” surveillance program)

 

• Free options: Unlimited duration for free, but with a 500 MB bandwidth limit.
 

 

Mullvad
 

 

• No-logging claim: “The account number is the only thing you need to connect to Mullvad VPN. We ask for no email, no phone number, and no personal information whatsoever. We do not store activity logs of any kind. In case of receiving a court order, we don't collect or store user information. There is nothing to divulge.”

 

• Headquarters: Sweden (Warning: Sweden is a member of the “14 Eyes” surveillance program)

 

• Free options: No-credit-card-required, 3-hour free trial. Also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for paid versions.