Do you call for the best VPN Chrome extension, which works? Nowadays, almost everybody needs access to everything, and that means using the internet. Whether you’re a person living in restricted areas, or researching online content, or merely chilling out and watching content on Netflix.
While many of the best VPNs offer Chrome VPN Extensions, there are many choices, and it can be hard to decide which suits your needs. Now that data security is more of a hot topic these days, it’s obvious why you ought to consider getting one. (Read Good Ad Blocker Guide)
It can be worse when you’re in a situation where you need a free Chrome VPN extension. Here we offer you the best free VPN extensions for Chrome that can help you browse safely.
6 Best Free VPNs for Chrome
TunnelBear
TunnelBear’s download speeds are good, with the VPN network covering over 20 countries, so you will have a fast server in your region.
For security, you find AES 256-bit 256 encryption, Vigilant Bear Mode, which is a kill switch; to block all unsecured traffic should the VPN fail.
About transparency, TunnelBear shows one of the most transparent privacy policies from any VPN. No data is logged by TunnelBear, which identifies users, and any data is strictly to troubleshoot and monitor data limits on the free VPN service.
The CDT audit shows TunnelBear servers deliver full disk encryption, malware, and intrusion protection. (Read our full Tunnelbear Review)
The extension is easy to use, and one-click of the Closest Tunnel takes you to the most optimal server.
TunnelBear offers users 500MB data monthly, which is ideal for light browsing. Unfortunately, the free VPN extension from TunnelBear cannot work with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and a couple of other streaming platforms. On the plus side, it allows torrenting on all servers
Customer service is through the help section, where you can find answers to questions.
While the data cap limits Tunnel Bear, it’s perfect for quick access to bypass government restrictions or public Wi-Fi.
You can find the Tunnelbear Chrome add-on here
Hotspot Shield VPN
Hotspot Shield’s Catapult Hydra VPN protocol is optimized for speed; thus, it’s one of the fastest free VPNs. While you get faster speeds, the free service gives access to servers in the US.
Because of this, some servers can face high levels of server load. In the US, it isn’t a big issue, yet further afield and there will be an impact.
Security is the top level with 256-bit AES encryption and IP/DNS leak protection, and you have an automatic VPN kill switch for connection failure protection.
Hotspot Shield has its headquarters inside the USA, although the VPN doesn’t collect your browsing history, so it isn’t too much of a worry.
However, Hotspot Shield collects data such as IP address, location, mobile device ID, and uses this on the free version, as it is ad-supported. This info is shared with Google to create targeted ads within the app.
Data limits are generous with 500MB per day, and though not ideal for streaming or torrenting, it gives you more than enough for browsing for the day.
While many free VPN extensions can’t access streaming services, Hotspot Shield blocks you with a payment wall. In theory, it can unblock Netflix, but the VPN won’t let you.
If you need support, you can email questions, or check the website for a solution
You can find the Hotspot Shield VPN Chrome extension here
ZenMate VPN
ZenMate delivers a free full-featured VPN extension. ZenMate’s free version offers a vast range of features and hardly any compromises, besides it is simple to set up and use.
A unique feature is the pre-enabled SmartPrice, which saves you money as you shop online. It will display relevant reviews of products and price comparisons.
For security, it offers WebRTC blocking, encryption, and NAT Firewall to prevent hackers from scanning your device.
You also have the Always-On feature that starts the VPN protection once it detects your internet connection.
ZenMate free offers you access to four locations with a max speed of 2 Mbps. With this, there is no torrenting, no Netflix, no Killswitch, No customer support, and no torrenting.
The VPN has offices in Germany, thus they have a zero-logging policy to enforce security, and it comes with AES-256 encryption, the military-grade standard.
You can find the ZenMate VPN Chrome extension here
Betternet Unlimited Free VPN Proxy
Betternet is a popular free VPN proxy as it doesn’t ask for registration or credit card info, and all it takes is to install the extension and enjoy the free chrome VPN service.
Betternet’s security is great for secure browsing, and it will protect your privacy and mask your identity if you need to connect quickly to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.
Betternet adds an extra layer of security with perfect forward secrecy, so it changes the encryption key regularly so hackers cannot access your data. The extension secures private data using SSL encryption and doesn’t show any IP or DNS leaks in testing.
With Betternet, you have access to one free US location so it can unblock websites in the US, but no more in other countries. If you live a distance away, you may see an impact on speeds, although connections are reliable.
The VPN doesn’t offer a kill switch, and though there were no leaks, there is nothing to prevent it if you lose a VPN connection.
Betternet allows users 500MB of free data per day, which automatically resets. Thus, you can have around 8-hours of light browsing or checking social media. It doesn’t offer much for streaming, and you will find you can’t stream on a Betternet free account.
One niggle is that Betternet is ad-supported, and it will share some of your data with third-party advertisers. As a result, you may find annoying ads when you use the VPN service.
Customer support depends on the help center page on their website, or you can send them an email.
You can find the Betternet Unlimited Free VPN Proxy Chrome extension here
Hola VPN
Hola offers free unlimited fast internet speeds and makes full use of split tunneling technologies. To achieve this, it uses peers, with which it shares spare capacity and idle CPU resources on your device.
The company touts users can unblock most websites using the free version, and while it is possible to access Netflix, you may find you have an hour limit to do so.
Unlike other free Chrome extensions for VPN Chrome, you don’t have the luxury of selecting different servers. While it is purely a proxy, it delivers high speeds, and a 1% decrease is hardly noticeable.
Unfortunately, like many free services, the further you get away from the source, the slower your connection.
Aside from streaming, you see that torrenting isn’t allowed on the network, and as it only works in the browser, you wouldn’t have any protection.
Many Chrome VPN extension, offer some protection, even if they force ads on you. Hola makes money from using idle CPU resources. In use, this means you are sharing your internet bandwidth with other users.
Zero logging is crucial, and Hola goes against all the others on the list and logs almost everything you do online. All this they share with third parties, affiliates, and partners of the Hola VPN proxy.
If there was one redeeming feature, which is that Hola comes with a built in ad-blocker. However, there is no kill switch or DNS leak protection.
You can locate this proxy in the Chrome web store
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN offers unlimited data, lightning-fast speeds, and no restrictions. The network has over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, and you can use each for torrenting or streaming.
If you wish to bypass streaming restrictions, the ExpressVPN extension allows you to do so in your browser. You can also torrent as much as you like from all the optimized servers.
While many browser extensions only cover your browser, you use this one as the control for the full client app on your device. As such, it makes it the best, easy to use VPNs Chrome option you can find. (Read our full ExpressVPN Review)
Thus, you are secure in all your systems with AES 256-bit military-grade encryption, OpenVPN protocols, DNS leak protection, and the Network Lock (Kill Switch).
All servers run in RAM for added security and speed; thus, user data will never be written to hard disk. The company headquarters are outside any governing jurisdiction, and they maintain a zero-log policy.
You can use split-tunneling, and you quickly find that it offers the best unblocking for unrestricted access to Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and most other popular streaming services. You also find you can have five device connections and not just one like the other extensions.
While the Chrome VPN extension is free, the ExpressVPN service isn’t. However, you have a risk free 30-day money-back guarantee. With this, you can test all the features with no restrictions in bandwidth or server connection.
If you have issues in your 30-day refund window, you can contact the customer support with the 24/7 live chat. It won’t take you long, to find ExpressVPN is the best VPN Chrome extension, and more beneficial and safer than any free easy to use Chrome extensions for your browser than you get here in this list.
You can find ExpressVPN in the Chrome web store here
FAQ
Does Chrome have a free VPN?
Unfortunately, Chrome doesn’t come with a free VPN built in unlike some other browsers are doing.
Do Chrome VPN extensions work?
The answer is yes, although you will face some restrictions in most cases.
Installing a Google Chrome extensions VPN protects your online activity and data while you are using your Chrome-based browser; however, any other data from your device is unprotected.
If you use any apps on mobile devices or something such as Skype or a streaming service app on your PC, then these come with no protection, and they won’t have the unblocking capabilities of a full VPN.
Is free VPN safe?
VPN’s that say they are 100% free is not always safe, and you may face issues. Here is a quick list of threats you can meet.
- Free Chrome VPNs can infect your system with malware
- A free VPN can insert trackers into their system for analytics and ads
- Free VPN’s don’t unblock of online content reliably
- A free VPN for Chrome can slow down your connection
- Free VPN’s can hijack your browser
- A Free Chrome VPN won’t have zero-logging policies
What’s the bottom line?
It is nice to have something free, and unfortunately, many free VPN extensions take advantage of this and use their network for their benefit. (Read Best VPN Free Trial)
Even with the likes of TunnelBear, this is purely an advertising strategy so that users will sign up to the premium services. Free Chrome VPN extensions, most times, are proxies and don’t maintain your anonymity or privacy.
It is better to use a free VPN Chrome extension that comes from a premium VPN, then you have assurance there is no harvesting of your data, and you can perform all the online activities you desire.
