Opera VPN is the best example of a free VPN: of few pretensions, it is integrated directly into Opera, the famous browser for surfing the Internet (which I also told you about in my tutorial on the best browsers). In reality it is not a very structured service: optimal speeds are not guaranteed and there is no possibility to choose the part of the world from which to simulate the connection.
 
Opera VPN is a service that you can easily take advantage of if you need to mask the IP address while browsing the Internet, in order to be able to access blocked sites in your country, but the protection offered does not go beyond surfing the Net, and is limited exclusively to the sites visited through the browser.
 
Having made this premise, it's time to explain how to activate Opera VPN: if you use a Windows or macOS computer, download the browser from this page by pressing the green Download Now button, open the file you just downloaded and, if you use Windows, press the button Accept and Install, then click on the Yes button, while if you use macOS drag the Opera icon to the Applications folder of your Mac.
 
Now open Opera from the Windows Start menu (the flag icon, bottom left) or from the MacOS Applications folder, click on the button with the red O at the top right, then on the Settings item, on the Privacy & security item that you find in the left bar and, finally, click on the Enable the VPN box to put the check mark on it.
 
It then returns to your browsing activity, which is now protected through the VPN. To disable the service, repeat the procedure in exactly the same way, unchecking the Enable the VPN box to return to "normal" browsing.

Betternet.

While this VPN's malware detection service leaves something to be desired, I still decided to include it among the best free VPNs because, in fact, Betternet is a great service that can be used for free for 7 days. At the end of the trial period, however, it is necessary to subscribe to a subscription, at the price starting from 11.99 $ / month.
 
It shows a small advertisement before each connection and includes in-app suggestions, but this is an acceptable exchange for the free use of the service; also because the VPN offered by Betternet has no data limits or devices that can be used simultaneously, the connection speed is pretty good, and there are several locations from which to "simulate" a connection.
 
Betternet is available on Windows computers, as an extension for Google Chrome and Firefox browsers, as well as on Android and iOS platforms. All you have to do to use it is to go to the download page that best suits your operating system, then press the blue Get The App button: if you use Windows, wait for the BetternetForWindowsxyz, exe file to be downloaded, then start it with a double click and presses the Yes, Next, Install, Install and Finish buttons to install it.
 
To install the Google Chrome extension, connect to the Chrome Web Store and click on the Add and Add Extension buttons, while on Android and iOS you simply need to download the Betternet app from your smartphone / tablet store.
 
To take advantage of this VPN there is no need to register and, as I have already explained to you, all you have to do to use it is to see a small advertisement on every connection. I recommend that you do not visit sites notoriously full of malware, and have a good antivirus available when browsing through Betternet: as I have already told you, this VPN does not offer such an effective malware detection service.

TunnelBear.

the on-screen instructions to access the VPN. If you use macOS, on the other hand, drag the TunnelBear icon into the Applications folder of your Mac and call the program from the Applications folder. As for Google Chrome, go to the Chrome Web Store page dedicated to TunnelBear and click on the Add and Add extension buttons, while on Android and iOS you have to go to the app store of your device and download TunnelBear.
 
The VPN offered by TunnelBear has a completely free mode of use, through which you can enjoy 500 MB of VPN traffic per month for free, as long as you simply register from this page: enter a valid e-mail address and password in the in the appropriate boxes, press the Create Account button and follow the instructions that will come to you via email to validate your registration. You can use the credentials thus obtained within the programs or apps I mentioned earlier.
 
Also, if your data limit is tight or you decide to invest some money on your security, you can subscribe to the service by paying about $ 10 a month or $ 60 a year.

Avira Phantom VPN.

 
You've certainly heard the name of Avira when it comes to antivirus for computers and no, you're not getting confused: Avira Phantom VPN is the VPN solution offered by the same manufacturer, has extremely stable servers and allows you to use IP addresses, both for browsing. and for access to Internet services in various countries around the world.
 
Available in the form of a program for Windows and macOS, and an app for Android and iOS (all can be downloaded from this page), this service is not limited to protecting only the activities through the browser, but the entire data traffic between the device and the Internet, and can also be used by multiple devices at the same time. To install Avira Phantom VPN on a computer, go to the download page of the program and click on the green button Download free VPN, wait for the file to download and start it with a double click.
 
Now, if your operating system is Windows, click on the green Accept and Install button, then on the Yes button, and wait for the installation of all services to be completed. Otherwise, if you are using macOS, drag the downloaded file to the Applications folder, then click the Accept and Install button and wait for the installation to complete. The program will start by itself at the end of the procedure.
 
Avira Phantom VPN is among the best VPNs ever, and allows you to enjoy 500 MB of free traffic per month after a simple registration to Avira services (you must then enter the credentials in the programs or dedicated apps). Alternatively, it is possible to take advantage of the PRO version for free for a month, with no data limit, and then proceed with the subscription of a pay subscription at the price of 7.95 euros / month.

Windscribe.

 
Windscribe is one of the best free VPNs available today. It offers programs and apps for many platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, BlackBerry, extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers and for the Kodi program, as well as apps for Amazon FireTV, Nvidia Shield, plugins for DD-WRT and Tomato for routers, and configuration generators for OpenVPN, IKEv2 and SOCKS5; all easily downloadable from this page.
 
If you want to use Windscribe on your computer, go to the program download page and click on the icon for the operating system you are using (eg Windows). Then wait for the file to be downloaded to your computer, start it with a double click and, if you are on Windows, press the Yes and OK buttons. Then, check the I accept the terms of the license agreement box and complete the setup by pressing the Next button twice and then click Finish.
 
If you are using macOS, after downloading Windscribe to your computer, you simply need to drag the downloaded file to your Mac's Applications folder and then double-click the program. As for Android and iOS, all you have to do is install the app through your device's store.
 
The free version of Windscribe, which you can use after a small registration to be made by pressing the blue Use For Free button, allows you to take advantage of 10 GB of monthly traffic and connect from multiple devices at the same time, with a limitation - in addition to data - only on the locations from which to log in (some are available only and exclusively for paid users). This does not mean that, on the whole, the quality of the service is good and that the navigation speed offered, despite the free nature of the data traffic, is absolutely acceptable.
 
To get rid of traffic and location restrictions, you need to take out a Pro subscription, but it's not that expensive: it costs $ 4.50 a month or $ 45 a year. More info here.

Hide Me.

Another great free VPN service is Hide Me, which has servers spread across 22 countries, so you can take advantage of 22 different locations when connecting. All in all, the connection speed is more than acceptable, the traffic is encrypted at the global connection level (and not just for the browser), through programs for Windows, macOS and Linux, and apps for Android and iOS are available.
 
To download Hide Me on your computer, connect to the download page that best suits the operating system you are using, then press the blue Download Now button, wait for the file to download, start it with a double click and, if you are on Windows, press on the Yes, Install and Finish buttons to complete the setup, while if you are using macOS you have to drag the Hide Me icon into the Mac Applications folder (and then start the program with a simple double click).
 
 
A bit like the solutions I proposed at the beginning, even the free version of Hide Mi offers 2 GB of monthly traffic upon registration, and guarantees, in addition to anonymity and security, not to store any logs about the activity. of its users, thus ensuring the security of what is done through the VPN. To unlock the data limit, you can subscribe to the service for a price starting at $ 4.99 per month, directly from this page.
 
Have you seen? Not only have you learned easily what a VPN is and what it is for, but now you are able to safely navigate the various free VPN services and choose the one that suits you best. How do you say? Now that you understand what this is all about, do you feel that using a VPN is excessive for your purposes, as you simply need to access blocked internet sites while browsing? Then I invite you to consult my tutorial on how to hide IP, where you can find solutions that are certainly more suitable for your purpose.