10 best free trial VPN services

We've put together this roundup to highlight the really good free trial VPNs versus the low-grade VPNs that often advertise themselves as free. We have also created a list of services that do not require a credit card for registration.

Want to make sure your chosen VPN actually works? Then trialing a VPN for free is the best solution for you. Today there are several dozen VPN services available, but only a few of them provide the opportunity to try them for free without speed limits or other important features.

We've handpicked the 10 best free trial VPNs for you that passed our testing process and that offer:

• High speed;
• Large selection of countries;
• Reliable levels of encryption and data protection;
• Ready-made VPN apps for all platforms;
• The best reviews on reddit.

Cooltechzone has been researching VPN services for over 5 years, and we know that not all of them are created equal. Most VPNs, in our opinion, offer an insufficient selection of countries, do not use up-to-date VPN protocols such as WireGuard, do not maintain a stable connection, and have a number of other disadvantages.

In addition, it is advisable to make sure that the VPN application works on your specific platform.

Take advantage of our recommendations and make sure that the free trial VPN you choose is right for your needs.

For your convenience, we have divided the services into two groups.

First group - free trial VPNs that don't require a credit card to sign up. This ensures that no money will be withdrawn from your card after the end of the trial period.

Second group - free trial VPNs that require a card but do not charge it. You can unsubscribe at any time during the trial period.

All of these VPNs allow you to reliably protect your Internet connection, hide your location, unblock sites, and also:

• Streaming support. Lets you watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, and sign up and watch Hulu.
• Safe torrenting.
• Support for TVs and game consoles.

Next you will learn:

• Why not all VPNs offer a free trial;
• What the most versatile free trial VPN service is;
• What services Cooltechzone recommends;
• What the risks are when using a free trial VPN.

Features of free trial VPN

Most VPN services are available only after paying in advance. This is due to the fact that providers incur high costs for infrastructure maintenance and data transmission service, of which there are more and more in the modern Internet.

At the same time, many users have a need to try a VPN before using it.

Here are just some of the reasons to use a free trial VPN:

• Getting familiar with the basic features of VPN (speed, connection stability, impact on internet speed, etc.).
• Testing advanced features (unblocking Netflix, supporting TV platforms, etc.).
• Checking the quality of VPN applications for the desired platforms.
• Willingness to use a powerful VPN for free (for the duration of the trial plan).

Free trial VPN is a paid VPN trial plan during which you don't need to pay for its services.

There are two types of VPNs with a free trial period:

1. With requiring a credit card when you sign up;
2. Without requiring a card.

Having said that, both types of VPNs have the same functionality, and there is no point in choosing them based on this characteristic.

It is much more important to choose VPNs according to their test-validated characteristics.

Unfortunately, low-quality services can attract new users by attracting them with a free trial. Many people don't want to test several different VPNs, not knowing that the quality of services and software can vary greatly.

That's why Cooltechzone recommends choosing free trial VPNs that have been thoroughly tested by experts.

10 best free trial VPN services

ExpressVPN and NordVPN are considered the best free trial VPNs. These services are versatile and have powerful functionality at the same time.

Let’s delve into the characteristics and details of the free use of these and other great VPN services.

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a real premium VPN that can be tried out for 7 days on Android without a credit card. It doesn’t have any issues with speed, connection, or stability. It supports streaming and protects torrenting, has server locations in 94 countries (an unsurpassed number) and is based, just like Surfshark, offshore in the British Virgin Islands.

But today, ExpressVPN is not the best VPN. Its functionality isn’t very diverse. Here are some of ExpressVPN’s drawbacks:

• It has no VPN protocol obfuscation that Surfshark and NordVPN have. It makes ExpressVPN perform poorly in the countries that block VPN.
• Its Android app doesn’t work as it should (the kill switch doesn’t function) when the user changes networks.
• It doesn’t provide the Double VPN feature.
• It costs substantially more than many of its competitors.

However, if these flaws don’t matter to you, ExpressVPN won’t disappoint you.

Free trial characteristics:

• duration: 7 days
• asks for billing information: no
• restrictions: available only on Android

Refund peculiarities:

• duration: 30 days
• plans with a refund: all
• need to specify the reason for a refund: no
• supports the withdrawal from the service: yes

General characteristics:

• servers: more than 3000 in 94 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers, TV
• streaming: yes
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• bypasses VPN protocol blocks (China, Egypt, etc.): no

Click to read full ExpressVPN review

Make use of premium features of this VPN without payment (for Android only)!

Visit site

2. Surfshark

Good news for the users of mobile gadgets who are searching for a free trial VPN – Surfshark, based offshore in the British Virgin Islands. It’s available to use free of charge on Android and iOS for 7 days. A credit card is not required.

To desktop users, I recommend installing Surfshark on a mobile device at least for the duration of the free trial. Its functionality doesn’t differ that much from platform to platform so, if you like Surfshark on Android or iOS, you will like it on PC as well.

Surfshark meets all the demands of modern customers. It solves the regular tasks like hiding the IP and unblocking websites as well as watching geo-restricted content and having TV and game consoles support with the same efficiency.

A 30-day refund is available for the users of other platforms.

A differential characteristic of Surfshark is the Camouflage Mode technology (for the desktop version) which is used to unblock the Internet in China and other countries blocking VPN protocols.

Peculiarities of a free trial:

• period: 7 days
• inquiry of payment information: not required
• restrictions: available for Android, iPhone, iPad

Refund conditions:

• term: 30 days
• plans with the support of money-back: all
• specifying the reason when asking for a refund: not required
• loyalty to the cancellation of services: yes

General description:

• servers: over 1000+ in 61 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers
• facility to unblock video services: yes, Netflix, Hulu and others
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• facility to go round blocking of OpenVPN protocol (China, Egypt and etc.): yes

Click to read full Surfshark review

Start your trial without payment information right now!

Visit site

3. CyberGhost VPN

*you can get an 8% discount if you buy the subscription by following our link

CyberGhost VPN offers a 24-hour free trial on all platforms. You can say that it isn’t much. But I put CyberGhost VPN second because it is the only VPN with more than 3000 servers that has a free trial plan for all platforms. Besides, it doesn’t require a card.

CyberGhost VPN is a superb versatile Romanian-based VPN. It doesn’t only excel in security and data protection but also in streaming and torrenting thanks to having special server lists.

Whereas the fabulous refund policy of CyberGhost VPN stands out against a background of its rivals:

45 days of use with the facility to get money back against 7-30 days offered by the rivals! But this period is shortened to 14 days for a 1-month package.

Besides, CyberGhost VPN is among the top 3 best VPNs.  It possesses a great number of servers and many useful advanced features.

That’s why this VPN takes the first position of our rating.

Peculiarities of a free trial:

• period: 1 day
• inquiry of payment information: not required
• restrictions: no

Refund conditions:

• term: 45 days
• plans with the support of money-back: 3-year subscription for $2.25 monthly ($87.75 for 3 years + 2 extra months for free), 1-year subscription for $3.99 monthly ($47.88 for 1 year), 1-month subscription for $12.99 monthly (14-day refund).

General description:

• servers: about 5500+ in 90 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers
• facility to unblock video services: yes, Netflix, Amazon Prime and others
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• facility to go round blocking of OpenVPN protocol (China, Egypt and etc.): no

Click to read full CyberGhost VPN review

4. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is interesting because it offers a trial version as a part of a free VPN package. You can get a feeling of unlimited VPN connection during the first 7 days, after which you’ll have to subscribe for a “Plus” plan or keep on using the free package with restrictions in locations and speed.

Paid plans differ in terms of the features available on them. You can read more about it in our ProtonVPN review.

It’s interesting to know that ProtonVPN offers special secure servers in Switzerland to achieve maximum safety. They are placed in a bunker in the rock at a depth of 1 km, and only ProtonVPN AG stuff has access to them.

Peculiarities of a free trial:

• period: 7 days
• inquiry of payment information: not required
• restrictions: no

Refund conditions:

• term: 30 days
• plans with the support of money-back: all
• specifying the reason when asking for a refund: not required
• loyalty to the cancellation of services: yes

General description:

• servers: over 526 in 42 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers
• facility to unblock video services: yes
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• facility to go round blocking of OpenVPN protocol (China, Egypt and etc.): no

Click to read full ProtonVPN review

5. ZenMate

ZenMate is a German VPN that I recommend as a good option for torrenting and accessing video apps with free content. To that end, it has a list of P2P-supporting locations, a kill switch on its Windows version, and a good price.

Apart from that, it’s a simple VPN service that doesn’t have any extra functionality.

I’d like to note that ZenMate uses software which resembles that of CyberGhost VPN. Additionally, they share at least some of their VPN locations. The reason for it is that they are owned by the same company, Kape Technologies.

Free trial characteristics:

• period: 7 days
• asks for billing information: no
• restrictions: none

Refund conditions:

• term: 30 days
• plans with a refund: all
• need to specify the reason for a refund: no
• supports the withdrawal from the service: yes

General description:

• servers: in 27 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, routers, TV
• streaming: popular locations are not always available
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• bypasses VPN protocol blocks (China, Egypt and etc.): no

Click to read full ZenMate review

6. NordVPN

NordVPN is the best VPN provider according to the tests of CoolTechZone.com. It also ranks first among the VPNs that are well-suited for Netflix, torrenting, and many other areas of implementation of VPN technology.

Only the Android and iOS versions have a free trial. However, since these apps’ functionality doesn’t differ much from that of the Windows and Mac apps that have the highest number of features, a free trial on a mobile device should be enough.

The provider is located under safe Panamanian jurisdiction.

Free trial characteristics:

• duration: 7 days
• asks for billing information: yes
• restrictions: only available on Android and iOS

Refund conditions:

• duration: 30 days
• plans with a refund: all
• need to specify the reason for a refund: no
• supports the withdrawal from the service: yes

General characteristics:

• servers: in 58 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, routers, TV
• streaming: yes
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• bypasses VPN protocol blocks (China, Egypt, etc.): yes

Click to read full NordVPN review

Offer for Android users: test the service risk-free. Billing information is NOT required!

Visit site

7. VyprVPN

If the first three servers failed to meet your requirements whatever the reason, have a look at the Swiss service called VyprVPN. It allows using its trial version for free for 3 days.

To make use of it, it’s required to subscribe to one of the plans on offer. Actually, this trial period varies little from money-back.

The advantage of this provider is that it similar to Surfshark can hide both your IP and the fact you are using a VPN.

Peculiarities of a free trial:

• period: 3 days
• inquiry of payment information: required
• restrictions: no

Refund conditions:

• not provided

General description:

• servers: over 700 in 64 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, routers
• facility to unblock video services: yes
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• facility to go round blocking of OpenVPN protocol (China, Egypt and etc.): yes

8. HideMyAss

HideMyAss (HMA) offers a trial period which lasts for 7 days when opting for a 12-month plan. Similar to VyprVPN, it’s possible to make use of it only after entering credit card details.

The service doesn’t have any remarkable advantages, but it’s on our list because of its strong server network and facility to make use of the second option of free usage – service cancellation.

Peculiarities of a free trial:

• period: 7 days
• inquiry of payment information: required
• restrictions: 12-month plan only

Refund conditions:

• term: 30 days
• plans with the support of money-back: all
• specifying the reason when asking for a refund: not required
• loyalty to the cancellation of services: yes

General description:

• servers: over 930 in 190 location
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux
• facility to unblock video services: yes
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• facility to go round blocking of OpenVPN protocol (China, Egypt and etc.): no

Click to read full HideMyAss review

9. VPNHub

You surely know what PornHub is. And VPNHub is its VPN service. It is made, first and foremost, to bypass the blocks and watch the PornHub content anonymously.

In truth, there’s nothing so special about this provider. The only positive thing about it is that this service is accessible on all major platforms and offers a 7-day free trial for all of them.

Despite the fact that VPNHub lowered its prices recently, its services are still far from cheap. Be careful: if you don’t cancel the trial version before it runs out, it will withdraw $13.99 from your card when VPNHub only costs $6.99 per month on the 1-year subscription.

Free trial characteristics:

• duration: 7 days
• asks for billing information: yes
• restrictions: none

Refund peculiarities:

• duration: none

General characteristics:

• servers: in 60 locations (the number of countries not known)
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
• streaming: no
• torrenting: not mentioned
• Kodi: not mentioned
• bypasses VPN protocol blocks (China, Egypt, etc.): no

10. Goose VPN

Goose VPN is a simple Dutch VPN that supports Netflix and torrenting but has a weird privacy policy.

Its main advantage is the long free trial period. This is the only VPN on our Top 10 list that can be used for free for more than 7 days.

However, we cannot rank Goose VPN higher on our list because of certain drawbacks:

• Its privacy policy implies log-keeping should the authorities demand it;
• Not too many countries are supported;
• Speed is too low.

Free trial characteristics:

• duration: 30 days
• asks for billing information: yes
• restrictions: none

Refund peculiarities:

• duration: 30 days
• plans with a refund: all
• need to specify the reason for a refund: no
• supports the withdrawal from the service: only if you have used <100 Mb of bandwidth

General characteristics:

• servers: in 25 countries
• platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, routers, TV
• streaming: yes
• torrenting: yes
• Kodi: yes
• bypasses VPN protocol blocks (China, Egypt, etc.): no

Other good VPNs with money-back guarantee

Here I’d like to tell you about the providers who don’t have a trial period but have a money-back guarantee. They are large-scale and reliable VPNs which cannot but be mentioned in this article.

1) Private Internet Access (7-day refund)

It’s worth paying attention to this provider because of its special attitude to users’ security and because its app offers so many options as no other rival does. It is an American service with good speeds and a lot of servers.

2) IPVanish (7-day refund)

Another American VPN. One more large-scale VPN – IPVanish. It offers users a proxy (socks5) by means of which you can open ipvanish.com in case VPN sites are blocked. Also, I’d like to point out a very fast speed of IPVanish.

3) Perfect Privacy (7-day refund)

If you need to build and manage chains consisting of 2 or more VPN servers, this VPN is a perfect fit for you. It is also the only worthy provider that offers a feature based on machine learning. Thanks to it, the routes between servers are chosen by AI.

Risks of a free trial VPN

The advantages of using trial versions are undeniable. However, one has to be very careful because many providers use their free trials to force the customer into subscribing to expensive plans. What can I say, I have found myself in a sticky situation more than once myself and not only with VPNs.

So how do you make use of a free trial safely?

1. Read the information about the provider carefully, especially if its free trial requires a card. Pay close attention to what plan will start after the trial period ends.
2. Cancel the subscription before the free trial ends. If you choose a VPN that asks for your billing data, you can be sure it will automatically subscribe you to a paid plan after the trial is over. It’s best not to risk and cancel the subscription 24 hours or more in advance of its ending. Then you will be able to choose which plan you want of your own accord.

Also, if you’d like a chance to get a refund, you should take a look at the Terms of service beforehand. Many services only give a money-back to the users who haven’t made use of the free trial.

Conclusion

You can leave a comment explaining why you are looking for a VPN with a trial period (to use it free of charge or to test it) and if this information regarding the money-back guarantee is useful for you.

This information can make CoolTechZone more useful for the users.

Thanks for the interest in the article.

Senior Researcher

Dean Chester

Cybersecurity and online privacy expert and researcher. He's been published on OpenVPN, EC-Council Blog, DevSecOps, AT-T Business, SAP Community, etc. Dean has been testing VPNs for 8 years.

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10 comments for 10 best free trial VPN services

Anonymous

4

Wednesday, March 18, 2020 - 02:49

• reply

Not a fan of free trials

I kinda think free trials are redundant if there’s a money back guarantee… All they do is attract leechers who don’t wanna pay but eat up resources…

Anonymous

5

Monday, March 16, 2020 - 02:58

• reply

thx for free trials

Even though free trials are just a marketing practice, I am grateful for them. I once signed up for a PureVPN trial and thanks to it I learned first-hand what a mess of a service it is!

Anonymous

5

Friday, March 13, 2020 - 02:42

• reply

Got curious about smth

Hi! I read your article (awesome!) and I have a question: why is it that some good VPNs that offer a free trial only do it on certain platforms?

Anonymous

5

Friday, December 13, 2019 - 02:16

• reply

safervpn trial?

Dean, I know that safervpn has a trial period. What can you say about this VPN?

Dean Chester

Thursday, December 26, 2019 - 02:28

• reply

It is an average-tier VPN.

It is an average-tier VPN. OTOH, I haven’t tested it in a while. Maybe we’ll review it in detail soon.

Anonymous

4

Thursday, December 12, 2019 - 04:55

• reply

CyberGhost

It is a pity that the free trial of CyberGhost is only 1 day. I want to try it. However, I won't understand if it is suitable for me just within 24 hours…

Dean Chester

Tuesday, December 24, 2019 - 03:02

• reply

Kate, you can try several

Kate, you can try several VPNs out at once and then you’ll make up your mind within just one day. I have dozens of VPN apps installed and they don’t conflict with each other.

Anonymous

5

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - 03:29

• reply

Cool!

Lucky we are to have a chance to try any VPN for free!

Anonymous

5

Monday, November 25, 2019 - 06:03

• reply

how i almost lost money lol

I had a funny story with free trial once. I was using NordVPN free trial back when it had one. Now they promised they would let me know when like one day of it would remain so I could cancel it before they take my money… Well guess what, they didn’t!!! Something went wrong on either on their or on my side and I never got their email… Imagine my shock when I woke up to missing $100 something one day haha. But when I asked for my money back they returned it without any hassle, so kudos to them for that. The service was pretty good btw I just couldn’t spend so much money at the time.

Anonymous

5

Saturday, November 16, 2019 - 02:41

• reply

about free vpns

Nice work, I feel like you are doing a lot for helping people in the process. Actually, I do not feel like “paid VPNs with further cancellation of services” are actual free VPNs since you will have to pay for the subscription from the very start. I personally used several VPNs listed here and I canceled my subscription both times – there were no problems with the refund. But HideMyAss is a different story. I was looking for a service with a lot of US servers and good speed, I even did not care about all these security features. I bought HMA and quickly learned that the provider wouldn`t work for my purposes and I just asked for a refund as usual. OMG, what a hell it has been! At first, with their online widget, they told me to send an email to their support. That`s fine, I did it… no response FOR ONE WEEK!!!! They replied after 7 days!!! But that was not the end. They did not give up trying to solve my problem with multiple useless (IMHO) methods. Our lovely chat had taken 15 days (thanks to their “quick” responses). After I did multiple scans of the service I had been blocked, they agreed to give my money back… If someone feels like receiving money-back will be a piece of cake, think twice before dealing with these “paid VPNs with further cancellation of services”.