So you want to try a VPN free trial before you decide to invest financially in your internet privacy? That makes sense, and, indeed, might be a very smart approach. After all, you don’t want to pay for a VPN and then quickly find out that it isn’t compatible with your favourite streaming services, or doesn’t have servers in a country you want to connect through.
The problem is that a lot of the big ones don’t actually offer a VPN free trial. Big names like NordVPN or ExpressVPN just use 30-day money-back guarantees, where you’re entitled to a full refund if you change your mind within the first month, but that’s not so good for those who don’t like the stress of having to make a cancellation.
For that reason, we’ve gathered together all of the best VPN free trials, giving you a chance to dip your toe into the ocean of internet privacy before deciding whether or not you want to submerge yourself entirely. We’ve also picked out two free VPN options for good measure. We hope it helps you find the best VPN for you.
The best VPN free trials are:
- Surfshark free trial – seven days
- CyberGhost free trial – one day
- Atlas VPN free plan – unlimited
- PrivadoVPN free plan – unlimited
- PureVPN free trial – seven days for $0.99
1. Surfshark free trial
The Surfshark free trial lasts for seven days.
| Surfshark features | |
| Locations | 3,200+ servers in 65 countries |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | 7 days |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | Unlimited |
| Router support | Yes |
Pros:
- Week-long free trial
- Allows unlimited simultaneous connections
Cons:
- Smaller server total
- Fewer server locations
Surfshark is definitely up there with the likes of ExpressVPN when it comes to the best VPN services, but unlike a lot of the other giants, it actually offers a free trial. If you want to take this provider for a test drive before committing, then you’ll actually get a whole seven days to do so – something that’s becoming increasingly rare in the VPN world.
One of the most appealing things about Surfshark as a VPN provider is that it allows you to have an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. With this in mind, the Surfshark free trial could be a good opportunity for everybody in your household to take it for a spin. It may be that you decide it’s the best way to protect the internet privacy of all your cohabiters.
The biggest limitation of Surfshark when compared to other VPN giants in the fact that has a smaller overall server count and spans fewer countries. By all means, the numbers are still good, but noticeably less than other providers – but then, this is one of the more affordable options too.
Read our Surfshark review.
2. CyberGhost free trial
The CyberGhost free trial lasts for 24 hours.
| CyberGhost features | |
| Locations | 9,249 servers in 91 countries |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, Prime |
| Free trial length | Card-free for 1 day |
| Money-back guarantee | 45 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 7 |
| Router support | Yes |
Pros:
- Broad selection of servers and locations
- Great for streaming
- 45-day money-back guarantee
Cons:
- Free trial could be longer
- Allows fewer simultaneous connections than other providers
It may seem limiting to have a free trial that lasts for only 24-hours, but when you compare it against the likes of NordVPN and ExpressVPN, which offer no trial at all, you realise it manages to leap over the low bar set for VPN free trials.
CyberGhost is a fantastic VPN for streaming, and if you’re an avid TV or movie fan looking to get your hands on a VPN provider, you might like to use the trial period to test it on different streaming platforms. CyberGhost is compatible with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, and other platforms too, but if you just want to check it for yourself, a day should give you enough time to load them up and make sure they work okay.
Of course, if you don’t feel like that’s enough time, you might also be pleased to know that CyberGhost has a 45-day money-back guarantee. This means that you have a month and a half to test it before you really have to commit. If at any point during that period, you decide it’s not worth its salt, you can get a full refund.
Read our CyberGhost review.
3. Atlas VPN free plan
In place of a free trial, Atlas VPN has a free plan that allows you to use a limited version of the service indefinitely.
| Atlas VPN features | |
| Locations | 750 servers in 37 locations |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | Free version available |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | Unlimited |
| Router support | No |
Pros:
- Free plan can be used indefinitely
- Unlimited simultaneous connections (with paid plans)
Cons:
- No router support
- Small server selection and range even if you pay
This pick is a little bit of a cheat because rather than being a conventional ‘free trial’ Atlas VPN allows you to trial its service with a completely free package . You don’t get access to everything that Atlas VPN has to offer, but it does give you a taster. A starter before the main course, if you will.
The main limitation of this free version is that you can’t use more than 10GB per month, but for some users who only want the extra privacy for certain activities (such as when using public wi-fi) this might just be enough.
It also only gives you access to three of its 750 servers, which is a much smaller range than you’ll get anywhere else, but, hey, since you’re not paying, who can complain? They even let you use two simultaneous connections, which is pretty cool and, importantly, have a no-logs policy in place.
4. PrivadoVPN free plan
In place of a free trial, PrivadoVPN has a free plan that can be used indefinitely.
| PrivadoVPN features | |
| Locations | Hundreds of servers in 59 cities in 46 countries |
|---|---|
| Services unblocked | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu |
| Free trial | Offers a free package which can be used indefinitely, but only up to 10GB a month and with one connection at a time |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Simultaneous connections | 10 |
| Router support | No |
Pros:
- Free plan can be used indefinitely
- Up to ten simultaneous connections (paid plan)
Cons:
- Small server selection and range
- No router support
We’ve got just one more free VPN plan to mention to you, but this will be our last one. We wanted to before talk about PrivadoVPN because, just as with Atlas VPN, its free plan provides an excellent way for customers to trial the services before levelling up with a paid package.
The PrivadoVPN free plan may not allow simultaneous connections like Atlas VPN does, but it has the benefit of providing 12 free VPN servers across eight countries, which is a rather generous spread. However, it also limits you to just 10GB of data a month, which isn’t likely to suit anybody who likes to be connected to the internet all the time.
Worth noting is that if you decided to upgrade and start using the PrivadoVPN paid plan, you’d still have a much smaller selection of servers than you would with any of the other providers on this list. It does, however, let you have up to 10 simultaneous connections.
5. PureVPN trial plan
PureVPN has a trial plan that costs $0.99 USD and gives you access to all its features for a week.
| PureVPN features | |
| Locations | 6,500+ servers in 78+ countries |
|---|---|
| Services accessed | Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube |
| Free trial length | 7 days for $0.99 |
| Simultaneous connections | 10 |
| Router support | Yes, but only under PPTP and OpenVPN |
Pros:
- Third-party privacy audits
- Up to ten simultaneous connections
Cons:
- Free trial no longer free
- Limited router support
“You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the VPNs without a free trial, not join them!” Once upon a time, PureVPN sat proudly at the top of this list because it’s an excellent VPN and it also let you have a week-long free trial. Unfortunately, they’ve started charging a small free of $0.99 USD for that trial, so it can no longer be said to have a free trial.
Nonetheless, because PureVPN is still a pretty great service and its trial is almost free, we felt that it still deserved a spot in this list (even if it is at the bottom). What helps it to stand out from the crowd is the fact that has regular third-party privacy audits to prove it to be one of the most private VPN services.
It’s also got a decent selection of servers and allows for up to ten simultaneous connections (which is pretty much the best you’ll get without it being unlimited). Unfortunately though, it only offers router support under PPTP and OpenVPN encryptions, which might be off-putting for anyone planning to use Wireguard or other protocols.
Anyway, we hope this is a handy reference for any prospective VPN customers. We’ve put this list together by carefully looking at several of the most respected VPN providers and then singling out the ones that actually have any kind of free trial – with a couple of fully free plans thrown in for good measure. After all, why go for just a free trial, when a free plan might serve you just fine?
For more VPN recommendations, take a look at our guides on the best gaming VPN and the fastest VPN which might help make it easier for you to find the right fit. If you need a bargain, our VPN deals page is also worth a look.
