Looking for a free VPN Australia? Well, we have some good news and some bad news for you.
The good news is that there are a few free VPNs out there, but the bad news is that it’s a case of ‘you get what you pay for’. In many cases, a free VPN Australia will fall well short of what you should expect from a VPN or simply be a shell of the paid for service.
However, you may not realize that there is an infinitely better solution available and that is trial VPNs – full-fledged services offered for a fixed time trial period, in the hope that you’ll spring for a subscription. Much safer and more reliable.
Read on to discover what’s available and how it may work for you…
Free VPN and Trial VPN summary
| VPN | Free or Trial | TrustPilot rating | Country of Origin | Number of Servers / Countries | Connections | Data Limit | Monthly $ (1 year plan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | Trial | 4.5 | Panama | 5600 / 60 | 6 | Unlimited | $4.49 |
| ExpressVPN | Trial | 4.7 | British Virgin Islands | 3000 / 94 | 5 | Unlimited | $6.67 (+3 months free) |
| SurfShark | Trial | 4.5 | Netherlands | 3200 / 100 | Unlimited | Unlimited | $2.49 |
| CyberGhost Chrome VPN Extension | Free | 4.6 | Romania | 9200 (8 for Chrome extension) / 91 (4 for Chrome extension) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Free |
| Private Internet Access | Trial | 4.6 | United States | 1,700 / 84 | 10 | Unlimited | $2.68 |
| ProtonVPN | Free | 2.3 | Switzerland | 200 (paid 1600) / 3 (paid 64) | 1 | Unlimited | Free |
| AtlasVPN | Free | 4.5 | United States | 2 (paid 750) / 3 (34 paid) | Unlimited | 5GB | Free |
NordVPN trial VPN
With over 2 million monthly web searches for its product, NordVPN is an undisputed heavyweight in the industry.
Based in Panama, with strict no-logging policies and military-grade encryption, you can take advantage of knowing that you’re protected by one of the best VPNs around.
NordVPN is fast and friendly to use and configure and while it doesn’t pack the biggest presence across the globe in terms of countries, it’s unlikely you’ll ever struggle to connect.
Although there are multiple plans, all come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and the base-level ‘standard’ plan is more than sufficient for the vast majority of users. Start with a trial to see how you go.
Robust identity protection, military grade encryption and malware protection, great streaming capabilities
Costlier than some competitors
The only real limitation is 6 connections per subscription, but that’s common to many services and not something that the average traveler should come up against.
ExpressVPN trial VPN
ExpressVPN is the world’s #1 trusted VPN provider. Regularly touted as having best-in-class encryption and a strict policy to keep no activity logs, ExpressVPN is a good shot for keeping your online activity secure.
ExpressVPN is not free, but offers a full-featured trial for 30 days with zero commitment (apart from entering your credit card details)! The bonus of the trial is that you can pick any plan and trial it for that duration.
ExpressVPN operates 160 VPN server locations in 94 countries and offers apps for most devices and platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers, in addition to browser extensions such as Chrome and Firefox.
Fast and stable connections, no bandwidth limits, many platforms and browsers support, great access to streaming services
Comes with a premium price
Users will also have access to customer support 24×7 during the trial period, which could be very useful when overseas.
Surfshark trial VPN
Consistently rated as a top-3 VPN contender (along with NordVPN and ExpressVPN), and one of choice for budget-conscious users, Surfshark needs to be on your radar.
Surfshark supports an unlimited number of connections to a very healthy server volume, with great coverage globally.
Strong speeds, no logging, true global presence, unlimited connections, ip address masking, wide operating system support
User interface and support slightly less developed than other top 3 market leaders
Starting at just $2.49/month, why not commence with a trial and lead into a paid subscription if you like; you’ll get full features from the get-go with this trial VPN Australia!
CyberGhost Chrome VPN Extension
When it comes time to look for a trial VPN service you’d be hard-pushed to look past CyberGhost with claimed ‘military-grade’ encryption. But you’ll pay for it.
Consider the CyberGhost VPN Extension instead – Downloadable for free, with no signup or credit card details required, this Chrome/Firefox-only extension might tick all the boxes for you.
Users may discover some limitations with only 8 servers in 4 countries on offer however, what it will do is block tracking, hide your IP, and enable anonymous browsing.
No requirement to signup to CyberGhost, Anonymous browsing, block tracking
Limited servers and countries, no 4k streaming
The CyberGhost Chrome VPN Extension in the words of CyberGhost: ‘it’ll only take you so far’. Consider a fully-fledged CyberGhost VPN service if you can stretch to it.
Private Internet Access
Owned by the same people tht own CyberGhost, Private Internet Access is a speed demon amongst VPNs, with 84 countries covered and 17,000+ servers (that’s right – 17,000).
Offering a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee, this VPN is verified as a “no-logs” provider. This means that your IP address / activity are not being monitored, stored, or verifiable to you. This service is very well regarded by expects for its privacy protction mechanisms.
Block Ads, Trackers & Malware, super quick setup, 10 simultaneous connections, 84 countries and thousands of servers
Apple users may struggle with some technology aspects
There’s no reason not to test out Private Internet Access and with a 30-day money-back guarantee, simply no risk!
ProtonVPN free VPN
ProtonVPN has been one of the undisputed powerhouses of free VPNs out there; offering a proper free VPN Australian option, without time/trial limitations.
Sure, you’ll gain access to 3 countries’ services, rather than the paid version’s 64, and be limited to one device, but that’s more than enough to get started with. At the same time, you’ll benefit from the ‘no-logs policy’, Swiss-based privacy law compliance. The paid version, starting at $4.99 USD/month for a 2-year deal gives you global access, worldwide streaming, and a whole host of additional security features.
No data cap, medium speed, no credit card required
Limited to servers in 3 countries and one connection per account
Having said this, recent commentary on TrustPilot indicates a negative trend in our opinion and so we offer a word of caution. But, if you’re insistent on not paying a cent, then the ProtonVPN free VPN Australia service, with no data cap, a medium speed limit, or advertisements is worth a try.
AtlasVPN free VPN
While most of the major players don’t feel compelled to offer a free VPN, AtlasVPN has broken ranks to give consumers a sampling. But we have to say it’s a dilute taste of the full product (which is actually very highly rated).
Accessible via only a few servers in a few countries, most would say this is an underwhelming offering and we’d agree. But if you simply want access to your email and a few accounts that aren’t going to consume more than 5GB in a month, well you might just say thanks very much.
Consider that the capabilities of the free VPN have been reduced in line with the fact that streaming and torrent activity is unrealistic with a 5GB cap.
No credit cards required, entirely free. Unlimited connections.
Free VPN offering features a tiny country and server network; no support for streaming sites. 5GB/month data cap.
Like all free VPNs, consider that a trial or paid subscription is a safer and more reassuring bet than a free VPN.
Which is better – a free VPN or a trial VPN?
First things first – there is no right or wrong answer to the free vs trial VPN question. But consider this. Providers of free VPNs need to make money somehow and as a result, your data may not be as safe as you think with this service model.
If you’re looking for access to your Netflix account or other streaming services overseas, then you’ll most likely need a trial option as most free VPNs won’t come with the bandwidth needed for 4k streaming. For general surfing and email, a free option may meet your needs.
Free VPN Australia services have disadvantages
First things first – there is no right or wrong answer to the free vs trial VPN question. But consider this. Providers of free VPNs need to make money somehow and as a result your data may not be as safe as you think with this service model.
All leading industry pundits agree on three major impacts that a user may experience when using a free service, that won’t typically occur on a trial VPN service:
- Speed – with fewer servers and locations, which may be further than a paid service from your devices, chances are that they’ll be maxed out and running slower than paid services, where contention ratios will be lower. All VPNs add overhead to your IP traffic, it’s simply a matter of what’s tolerable before buffering kicks in and that online game or streaming service starts to become intolerable.
- Security – free services never have access to all the features that a paying service does. How else would a provider provide an incentivized pathway to a paying upgrade? It might be protocols, bug fixes, or levels of encryption.
- Privacy – Your data may be sold to advertisers. The free model is fraught with risk when it’s not 100% clear to the customer how the service recoups its investment. There is no incentive for a premium service to sell your data and expect to operate for a long time. Hence “no-logs” is often promoted.
- Advertising – Where paid VPNs may block ads, free VPNs may allow ads to reach you.
A lot depends on how paranoid you are and what you have to lose. So let’s get straight into it and look at the options.
How do we identify the best free VPN Australia?
There are a few VPNs for free out there in the highly contested VPN market space, especially among lesser-known VPN providers. But, the bottom line is that you’d be using a service that is highly contested for bandwidth and speed and not have the full control that you ultimately want over your traffic.
Hence we only identify free VPNs in Australia that are available from the larger reputable players with more to lose, and ultimately prefer that everyone trialed a VPN service with a view to taking a subscription.
How does a VPN provider cover its cost by providing a free service?
Data is gold and yours may be sold to a third party. On top of this, you may be subjected to display advertisements or steered unwittingly toward paying advertisers. Providers can even manipulate your traffic to profitable networks.
We’re not saying all providers do this, especially if they have a business plan that incorporates the cost of a free VPN Australia from the get-go.
FAQ: Free VPN Australia
Could I put myself at risk by using a free VPN?
Yes, there is the outside chance this could happen but by and large, using a VPN (even a free one) should help reduce risk. We always recommend taking a paid subscription VPN if you can afford it.
Are there any completely free VPNs?
Yes, ProtonVPN offers a completely free service with a limited number of locations and a one user limit.
Are free VPNs safe?
That’s a tough question. They are most probably safer than no VPN but much so less than a paid subscription to a reputable VPN service.
Are cheap VPNs secure?
A VPN of any sort is probably more secure than not. As a rule, seek a free or trial VPN from a large reputable company that ranks highly in regular VPN tests and forums. Trustpilot may a great place to start.
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