Are you a regular internet user? Are you concerned about your privacy? If so, then what options are available to you? Do you use some plugin for anonymity or you just don’t know how to keep yourself safe while browsing online? Well, whatever the case, your best option is to use a free and reliable VPN service to make sure that you not just stay anonymous but all your browsing information is kept private as well. Here we’ve listed some of the best free VPN services for Mac, iOS, Windows and other platforms that you can try and described in detail what a VPN can do for you.
What’s The Need of VPNs?
Though there can be many different reasons as to why you should use VPN software but on top of them all are hiding your identity and hiding where you’re on the internet. But the question is why would one want to do any of these things?
Well, depending on the way you use internet, it is quite possible that you don’t want anyone to reveal what you are doing online. This is especially the case in countries where they do some serious internet surveillance.
VPN is also widely used for getting access to many region-locked websites and online resources. With a VPN service, one can disguise their location and pretend to be browsing the internet from somewhere else. This way, users can be able to access websites that are accessible only in certain parts of the world.
VPN also comes in handy when you have to bypass restrictions placed by the governments and ISPs on browsing specific type of data. So, it helps in browsing freely and at will too.
Some of the Best VPN for Mac, iOS, Windows and More
So, now that you are receptive to the idea of using VPN and understand why the use of VPN is important, let’s get into which VPN services are reliable enough to be used for free. Here we have listed 3 front runners that you must consider and try. Each of them is described in detail, so please take a look.
- TunnelBear
TunnelBear is, probably, the best free VPN service around. With 1000 servers across more than 20 locations and support for 5 devices at most, it really offers a user-friendly experience. You can enjoy using the VPN for free and can also go for the paid subscriptions. But you should be fine with the free version as only restriction that it places on your usage is that it limits you to 500 MB traffic every month. And if you use VPN occasionally then you should not mind that at all. Whenever you need extra protection while browsing online, you can go anonymous and then switch back to normal browsing as soon as you are finished.
It’s easy to use with very few settings to play with but the performance is simply unparalleled. And, you won’t probably need to change default settings either. The VPN also connects you automatically to one of the 20 locations as you turn it on but you can also manage that manually and pick locations as you need.
And, with some latest updates to the privacy policy of the VPN software, it now keeps even less information on its users. You don’t need to provide your first name during the sign up process and it doesn’t save number of your lifetime connections anymore either. So, it’s quite a reliable option to go with and there are plenty of interesting benefits that you get to enjoy.
- Windscribe
Windscribe is very reliable and generous VPN software that you can put your hands on. Keeping its servers at 8 different locations, Windscribe allows you to enjoy 10GB usage for free every month. But the reason why we have put Windscribe on second spot in our list is that despite such generous allowance of data, it offers comparatively less server locations and supports only 1 device at most. So, that’s comparatively less than what we have with TunnelBear. Nevertheless, you can’t overlook that 10GB of data allowance.
The sign up process is simple as you just have to create a username and specify your password. It does not keep any of your connection logs, visited sites, or IP stamps. The only information it keeps is your username, VPN server to which you are connected and the data amount that is transferred. But wait, even this information is erased inside 3 minutes of the time when your session ends.
With generous 10 GB bandwidth, it can be your everyday choice for anonymous browsing. You may not find a free service offering such high data usage. Even there are some workarounds that you can try for increasing it even further. For instance, you can tweet about Windscribe to get an additional 5GB data and, other than that, an extra 1 GB is awarded to you whenever you invite some friend to use this service.
So, with all that on offer, it definitely is worth giving a try.
- Hotspot Shield Free
For those who often connect to the public WI-Fi, Hotspot Shield is the perfect option to go with. The free VPN does everything possible to protect your privacy. It supports 5 devices at most and is pretty straight forward to use. Your daily data limit is as high as 750MB which is more than enough for most users.
Why it is placed last on the list? Well, because it doesn’t offer as many server locations as the other two options described above. With Hotspot Shield you can only connect to 1 server every time. But still, the free service is worth it with good enough data allowance and the number of supported devices.
Every time you connect to some Wi-Fi that Hotspot Shield considers ‘unsafe’, the VPN enables itself automatically. So, as said earlier, if you use public Wi-Fi connections all the time then this is a perfect choice for you to protect your privacy. You don’t really have to get into the fuss of activating the VPN every time you go online on a public wireless connection.
Though it may cause the online performance of your device to suffer a bit, but with 750MB daily bandwidth Hotspot Shield is well worth it.
Conclusion
So, all the above discussion concludes that having VPN software to protect your online activity is always a good choice. They offer plethora of benefits for internet users from anonymity to data protection to accessing region-locked resources. And, when you get a reliable one for free, that’s even better. There are quite a few VPN software available these days and you really need to make sure that you choose the best from amongst them. A few good names can include TunnelBear, Windscribe and Hotspot Shield Free. All of them have their own merits and demerits and you can choose one depending on your own personal requirements.
Author Bio:
James Barrett is a passionate writer who writes mostly about tech with a focus on Apple’s products, news and reviews. Currently, he’s a contributing author at ApplePit.Com.