The hidden costs of using free VPNs

Whether you’re seeking to boost online privacy, access geoblocked content from overseas or boost your security on an unknown public WiFi connection, having a virtual private network (VPN) in your back pocket is fast becoming essential in this Internet Age.

But as is the trend with online software these days, big-name VPNs tend to be built on subscription models that either charge ongoing monthly fees or attempt to tempt you out of a steeper initial upfront fee for a longer duration, albeit with better overall value. When it comes to finding a free VPN to use in Australia, there’s always a compromise.

One of the most popular free VPN services is Hola VPN, but we don’t recommend using that because the free version makes users exchange system resources for access. Even as a premium service, it’s not a VPN we’d recommend because of a shaky privacy policy. There are better alternatives from NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark VPN.

Speedify also offers a free version, but only if you click through to the end of the installer prompts enticing you to pay. It’s capped at 2GB of data per month. Like TunnelBear, Speedify’s free version has a great range of location options (more than 30 countries), plus it even has servers built for peer-to-peer.

The other alternative for a viable free VPN service to use in Australia is Hide.me, which offers 10GB per month with five location options (Canada, Germany, Netherlands, as well as West Coast and East Coast USA). You can only connect via one device, though. And while there is support for peer-to-peer services while connected and no speed throttling for the free version, it doesn’t play nice with sidestepping geoblocks on international streaming services. That said, we don’t recommend using Hide.me as it’s a proxy instead of a VPN, which means it doesn’t encrypt your web activity.

The reality is that most free VPN services should work with Netflix in that you should still be able to play content on Netflix. That said, if you’re after a free VPN that removes geoblocks and allows you to play international content on Netflix and other international streaming services, that’s a little trickier.

Hotspot Shield Free doesn’t let you stream content from Netflix, blocking the site and letting you know that’s a feature only available via the premium service. TunnelBear worked with Stan but not Kayo, BBC iPlayer or any of the US streaming sites we test.

That leaves the free version of Windscribe as the best pick for streaming the Netflix US library and other international services, care of a more practical 10GB monthly data cap. Windscribe also happens to be our top pick for the best VPNs for streaming. You also want to factor in where servers are located. Speedify and TunnelBear (53 and 49) have the most choices, followed by PrivadoVPN and Windscribe (12 and 10).

The catch with all of these money-back guarantees masquerading as trials is you have to input payment details first and then select your subscription period. If you select a month and forget to cancel ahead of time, you might be up for $10 to $20; if you’ve selected six months, one year or longer, you could be stung with hundreds of dollars. Additionally, some VPN services don’t offer money-back guarantees for monthly subscriptions.

Of the premium VPN services we’ve tested, Hotspot Shield and CyberGhost VPN are the best in terms of money-back guarantees, both offering up to 45 days to request a refund. PureVPN offers a 31-day money-back guarantee, but it’s more common to see a 30-day money-back guarantee. Here’s a list of the VPNs we’ve reviewed with 30-day money-back guarantees (ranked in order of how they scored):

• NordVPN
• ExpressVPN
• Surfshark
• ProtonVPN
• VPN Unlimited
• Mullvad VPN
• Private Internet Access VPN
• PrivadoVPN
• Hola VPN
• IPVanish VPN

And here’s a list of how the other VPN services look in terms of shorter money-back guarantees:

• Norton Secure VPN (14 days)
• Windscribe (three-day money-back guarantee)
• TunnelBear (no money-back guarantee)

If you want to save money, we advise using one of the free services listed above this section. Otherwise, if you’re ready to try a premium VPN service, use a money-back guarantee as a trial to get a taste of all the features. Just remember to set a calendar reminder to cancel if you don’t intend on using the VPN beyond the trial.

The table below offers a breakdown of the best VPNs in terms of their money-back-guarantee durations (30 days or more):