Best VPN Trials: Free Ways & Top Offers to Get Premium Protection & Services

It is always better to choose a VPN service based on quality rather than price.

Saving a few bucks each month shouldn’t mean putting your trust in an unreliable company.

In this article, we’ll give you the lowdown on speed, server locations, advanced features, and more, as we reveal which free trial VPN providers are best.

In a hurry? If you want the best VPN for privacy, security, or speed, here are our editor’s picks for the best VPNs overall — each with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Click through now to get our best discount on your subscription:

• ExpressVPN: A global leader among VPNs, ExpressVPN offers one-click ease with high speed servers in 105 countries — and it also unblocks Netflix. Get 3 months free when you purchase a 12-month subscription.
• NordVPN: Compatible with many streaming services, featuring malware prevention and ad blocking. Get up to 68% off + 3 free months with NordVPN’s Back to School special when you choose a 2-year plan with our special offer.
• Surfshark: Award-winning VPN for unlimited devices, featuring worldwide connections with 10 GBit servers in 100 countries. Get up to 86% off your Surfshark 2-year subscription price.

Quick Guide to Choosing a Free Trial VPN

Although it’s convenient to use a free trial VPN to hunt for bargains and discounts, recent security issues show that you should pay for secure encryption when you browse online.

You can use the free trials or introductory versions of a trusted VPN provider on our list if you must use a free VPN version.

The best thing to do if you have to use a free VPN is to take advantage of a free trial offer from a paid VPN or make good use of a money-back guarantee.

Therefore, we recommend VPNs that offer either a free version of the premium service or an evaluation period of 30 days. Below are our top best contenders.

The ExpressVPN brand is one of the most recognizable names in the VPN industry. Since its inception in 2009, the British Virgin Islands-based firm has offered security and privacy to its customers.

Despite not having the lowest price available, ExpressVPN offers many advantages.

Privacy and speed are the most important features a VPN provides. In addition to security, VPNs must have two different aspects: the encryption used to secure your data and the protocols used to carry it. With ExpressVPN, you can select Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256).

As an added feature, ExpressVPN also offers a kill switch (Network Lock), which activates if your VPN connection drops. It will cut all traffic between your device and the Internet if such a situation occurs.

It also includes a large number of server locations.

ExpressVPN has servers spread across over 160 locations in 105 countries. It covers four main geographical regions, including the United States of America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Sign Up Now for ExpressVPN

Read our full ExpressVPN review.

Surfshark

Rank:	2	Max devices:	Unlimited
Servers:	3,200+	24/7 support:	✅
Speed:	10Gbps	Free trial:	✅ (mobile devices only)
Countries:	100	Money-back guarantee:	✅
Encryption Type:	IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard	Apps & devices:	Win, Mac, Android, iOS, router
Jurisdiction:	Netherlands

Our Deal: Surfshark Starter for $2.19/mo for 2 years (+3 months free)

Best & Worst:

• Unlimited simultaneous connections
• Not all features are available on all devices.

Surfshark hosts 3,200 servers in 65 locations worldwide.

Surfshark contains all the main protocols required for quick surfing to full-stealth mode, including our favorite – OpenVPN.

It also offers one of the best VPN free trials for new users. The free 30-day trial was appealing to us, and we signed up.

Surfshark also offers a feature called Whitelister (split-tunneling) that lets you decide which applications use the VPN and which ones don’t.

A few drawbacks are the following – the range of options offered by browser extensions is limited. Several features, such as kill switch and CeanWeb, do not work with browser extensions.

Sign Up Now for Surfshark

Read our full Surfshark review.

According to NordVPN’s registration information, it is based in Panama. As a result of its strong privacy laws, NordVPN does not have to log its users’ activities.

NordVPN also runs diskless RAM servers to prevent server hacks and follow its “no logs” policy. Servers of this type do not have the capacity to store data, so it is not possible to store sensitive data. It is nearly impossible to steal information if there are no data files or configuration files to steal in the event of a hack.

As a VPN mainstay, NordVPN comes with a kill switch, which stops all internet activity if the VPN drops and ensures that your information is kept private.

The company also supports split tunneling which allows you the choice of routing traffic from individual applications through the VPN or not.

Sign Up Now for NordVPN

Read our full NordVPN review.

Why Use a Free Trial VPN?

There are many reasons why you might decide to choose a VPN provider with a free trial.

First off, let’s discuss what a VPN does. A Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A free trial allows you to try multiple providers without getting tied into a contract, so you can find out which provider is best for you before parting with your cash.

However, many providers, such as ExpressVPN offer a money-back guarantee instead of a trial – the end result is the same as you can cancel and get your money back within a certain timeframe. However, it does mean that you have to pay upfront in the beginning. Both of these options differ from a free VPN which in some cases provides a limited VPN service free of charge. However, in many cases, it is better to pay for a VPN if you are serious about your privacy and internet security.

There are many features that you’ll want to look at when trialing VPN services. These include server locations, speed, number of servers, and value for money.

Ultimately, which VPN provider you choose will come down to your individual needs.

How to Get Started Using a Free Trial VPN

While Express VPN doesn’t explicitly offer a free trial, the company does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee which can be utilized in the same way.

As it is our top pick – here are instructions for to setup ExpressVPN:

1. Visit the ExpressVPN website and get your hands on our exclusive offer
2. Choose a subscription plan and make the payment.
3. Download the ExpressVPN app for your device from the website.
4. Install the app and log in with your ExpressVPN account credentials.
5. Connect to a server location of your choice.
6. Verify that you are connected to the VPN by checking your IP address.

Methodology

We personally try out each VPN for our reviews. We evaluate speed, security features, ability to unblock streaming services, support for torrenting, customer support, and many other factors. We also look at the VPN company’s jurisdiction, history, past security incidents, privacy policy, and audit reports to ensure that you get a complete picture of the service. Learn more about how we test VPNs on our methodology page.

Wrapping Up

Having a free trial is a great way to test out a VPN provider without having to worry about commitment or cost. It allows you to try a number of different providers and check out features such as server locations, speed, and generally whether it meets your online security needs.

Ultimately, the provider you pick will depend on your individual needs and requirements – but you won’t go too far wrong with any of the top free trial VPN providers listed above.