Best VPN for Chrome: Premium and Free VPNs
The first thing to do when looking for the best VPN for any browser is to read reviews. That way, you can know the features, the user-friendliness and many other details. Never subscribe to a free or paid-for virtual private network blindly.
1. NordVPN Best VPN for Chrome Extension
π Get Three Months Free with NordVPN Many people ask: Is NordVPN worth having? Well, first, if you are a Chrome user, you will be happy that NordVPN offers a free extension for Chrome. Therefore, you can access it easily. You will hide your digital footprints fully even when browsing the prohibited sites. This is one of the most popular VPNs in the world. With its headquarters in Panama, a country that does not subscribe to any surveillance treaties, users are safe. If you are looking for a VPN that can truly hide your digital footprints, you might want to try this one.
NordVPN β Best VPN for Chrome Features
Any VPN is as good as its features. Here are the benefits of some of the NordVPN features: π Kill switch feature This VPN has a kill switch. The benefit of this feature is that if there is any sort of disconnection with the VPN, it immediately stops what you are doing. That way, no one will be able to track what you have been doing online. Once the connection is back, you can continue what you were doing before the kill switch kicked in. π Static IP address We all know that IP address is your digital address, which shouts, βI was here!β Therefore, dynamic IP addresses change every time you log onto a VPN. A static IP address does not change thus making it easy for someone to track your digital footprints. Please note that NordVPN uses static IP addresses but since they are shared with other users, they are hard to track. π Double VPN strategy Double VPN strategy means that this network tunnels your online connections through two or more servers. This kind of rerouting has many benefits. The biggest of them all is that it is so hard to track your activity online. π Encryption NordVPN uses the most highly recommended encryption standards of AES with 256-bit keys. But that is not all! This network also uses IPSec and IKEv2, which ensures that you stay protected even when the internet you were using drops. It encrypts data when you use your mobile data or mobile hotspot. π Thousands of servers NordVPN has thousands of servers in different places in the world. The main benefit of this is that the network connects you to the closest server. This helps to maintain high internet speeds. π NordVPN cost The monthly cost of this VPN is $12 but it reduces as you subscribe for many months. One-year plan costs $4.92 a month, paid cumulatively. Their two-year plan costs $3.30 a month, paid cumulatively. There is no free trial but it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
β NordVPN Pros
β’ Minimal details logging of customer service and customer details such email β’ You can connect up to six devices at the same time β’ Uses top encryption standards β’ Minimal effect on internet speed
β NordVPN Cons
β’ No split-tunneling feature β’ The IP addresses are static β dynamic would be better
2. ExpressVPN : Best Chrome VPN with Dynamic IP Addresses
πGet ExpressVPN with additional 35% discount If you are looking for a VPN that has an extension for Chrome, Firefox and Safari web browsers, you should get the ExpressVPN. With this extension (also called add-on), you will have close-at-hand access to the VPN on your desktop. This VPN also has more features. Keep reading to see their benefits.
ExpressVPN β Best Chrome VPN Extension Features
With the features that we will show you here, you can compare this VPN with the others and see whether it can meet your needs. π Kill switch ExpressVPN has a kill switch feature. If you lose connection to the VPN for any reason, Kill switch kicks in and closes all the tabs that you had open on your browser. It does this to protect you from snoops and trackers. π Dynamic IP addresses All the time that you will log on to the VPN, you will get a new IP address. Even if you log in at different times on the same day, you will get a different IP address. This beats having static IP addresses anytime and it makes it impossible to track your activity online. π Encryption Standard This network uses industry standard AES 256-bit encryption. It also uses Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and other protocols. Since governments also use AES 256 to protect classified data, every VPN should come with such encryption. π 2000 servers all over the globe This VPN provider has more than 2000 servers that are located in different parts of the globe. If you are in Houston, Texas, you want to be connected to the closest ExpressVPN server. That way, you can enjoy browsing at the same internet speed. We know that connecting to the web through VPN affects the internet speed. It decreases considerably when the VPN server is too far away. π Streaming and Torrenting If you are in a country that bans Netflix streaming service, uTorrent and other similar content providers, you will be happy that ExpressVPN supports these services. With every subscription that you make on ExpressVPN, you can enjoy streaming Netflix content. In addition, you enjoy this streaming service on all VPN servers. π Download and Upload Speed Speed is one of the main considerations when you are using a virtual private network. With ExpressVPN, you are going to enjoy using the web without any noticeable difference in the download or upload speed. However, please note that internet speed also depends on the computer you are using among other things. π Split Tunneling Split tunneling allows your VPN to connect you to public as well as private networks safely. NordVPN does not offer this, so ExpressVPN takes it! π ExpressVPN Cost There are three packages so you can choose the most appropriate for you. For instance, a monthly subscription costs $12.95, a six-month subscription costs $59.95 and the third package costs $99.95, which is for 12 months. For a limited time ExpressVPN offering 35% additional discount π Get ExpressVPN Best VPN deal (35% off)
β ExpressVPN Pros
β’ No noticeable latency when accessing the web, downloading or uploading a file β’ Simple user interface and has Chrome extension β’ No logging of data β’ Dynamic IP address is a good idea
β ExpressVPN Cons
β’ It does not have a free trial period
3. Hotspot Shield VPN for Chrome Review
Buy Hotspot Shield VPN and Get upto 77% discount When you want to access blocked sites in your country, school or any other setting, you might want to try the Hotspot Shield VPN. If you check many VPN reviews, you will see that Hotspot Shield ranks in the top ten networks. If you work with Chrome browser, it has an extension for the same, which gives you a shortcut access to the VPN engine. But first, the features β¦
Hotspot Shield VPN Features for Chrome users
You need to know the security, speed and other features that you need in a good VPN network. Does the Hotspot Shield network? Letβs find out: π High number of servers Always look for a VPN that has many servers all over the globe. In this regard, Hotspot Shield has over 3200 servers in different countries. Thus, when you login, the network will connect you to the server that is closest to you. This enhances your internet speed a great deal. π Kill Switch The benefit of having a kill switch feature in a VPN is too important to overlook. For instance, imagine you have been viewing content on a prohibited site and then suddenly, your VPN connectivity drops. It leaves you exposed to all manner of trackers. The network will immediately close all the tabs that you had open, thus keeping you safe from internet trackers and monitors. π Torrenting and Streaming If torrenting is your thing, you know that you cannot do it while you are exposed. That is why torrenting services such as uTorrent warn you to download a file only if you are using a VPN. Look no further since the Hotspot Shield VPN allows you to access torrenting services irrespective of which country you come from. You will also be able to access streaming services such as Hulu, Netflix and others. π Multi-device connectivity You can use up to five devices simultaneously on the same subscription. This means your desktop, laptop, tablet and two other devices are connected. Today, no one has a single internet-enabled device. It is all about the IoE β internet of everything. π Hotspot Shield VPN speed There is latency of course, but it is so minimal such that you will never notice it. It has fair speeds even when it connects you to distant servers. In some instances, internet speeds can be as high as 400Mbps especially for close servers. Some users report internet speeds as high as 60Mbps when connected to distant servers. π Hotspot Shield VPN security Overall, the security of your data is the most vital feature in any VPN. The Hotspot Shield does not disappoint since it comes with AES 256-bit encryption as the main protocol. It also changes your encryption key dynamically so that your data is secure all the time. π Hotspot Shield VPN Cost A monthly plan costs $12.99, a yearly plan costs $7.99 per month paid cumulatively and a three-year plan costs $2.99 per month paid cumulatively. β Hotspot Shield VPN Pros β’ Split tunneling feature is available β’ Easy to use client β’ Multiple-device support β Hotspot Shield VPN Cons β’ Outdated geo-location data that my hamper your streaming experience
4. TunnelBear Chrome VPN Review
TunnelBear VPN is so user-friendly that many sources say that it is the best for beginner VPN users. You will also love that it is cheaper than most when it comes to the monthly price. It also has a free trial period, which we will discuss later.
TunnelBear VPN Features
While this VPN does not have an expanded network of servers, it still offers good security features. It will also do what most of the big boys in the industry do as you will see in the features lineup: π Kill Switch Protect your online activity when the connectivity with the VPN is interrupted. This feature is going to log you out of all sites that you were logged into. It will also close open tabs to protect you from prying eyes, until the VPN comes back online. π Split tunneling on android This VPN offers split tunneling on android. This means that you can do two things on the internet at the same time. For instance, you can be using the web without the VPN to do something such as answering your emails. On the other hand, you could be streaming content using the VPN. Please note that the split tunneling feature is only available on android. π AES 256 Encryption for security Governments in the world use the AES 256 encryption standard for their classified data and you will get the same from TunnelBear. Also, the AES 256 encryption key is fast and does not consume much of your network resources. Simply put, it encrypts all data. It will delete even the email that you used to log into the VPN at the end of each session. VigilantBear and GhostBear functions are designed to keep you as secure as possible as you browse the web. π TunnelBear Protocols The protocol that a VPN uses to send data packets also determines how secure the network is. Thankfully, TunnelBear VPN uses OpenVPN on Windows and iOS as well as IPSec and IKEv2 on Android and iPhone. You can also download torrents on many torrent clients. It will not unblock everything but it will give you enough access to keep you going for a long time. π Internet Speeds When you connect to the internet through the TunnelBear VPN, your internet speeds will drop by a small margin. The drop is bigger on Windows devices than on Mac. This is to be expected especially when it comes to download and upload speeds. However, it is not too obvious if you are just browsing the web without downloading anything. Unlike in the last few years when TunnelBear did not offer torrenting services, now, they unblock torrent sites in the countries where they have servers. π Server locations Currently, this VPN provider only has servers in 27 countries. Therefore, chances of being connected to a distant server are quite high and this can affect your internet speeds. It is also possible that this VPN does not have servers in countries that have strict internet usage policies. They also do not have servers in Africa or the Middle East. Thus, if you are located there, you will not be able to use TunnelBear VPN. π TunnelBear VPN Cost This is not the cheapest VPN in the market but it is not the most expensive either. If you subscribe to the three-year package, you will pay $3.33 per month, cumulatively. The 12-month package costs $4.99 per month paid cumulatively while the one-month package costs $9.99. Regarding the free trial, the company says that you can use the network free of charge as long as you keep your monthly usage below 500MB.
β TunnelBear VPN Pros
β’ It does not keep logs β’ It supports torrenting and streaming β’ Good local speeds (when you are connected to very close server) β’ Has TCP override function
β TunnelBear VPN Cons
β’ Distant server speeds are slow β’ Support is only available on email β no chat
5. CyberGhost VPN for Review
If you are looking for a VPN that the whole family can use, you might want to try CyberGhost. You can connect up to seven devices simultaneously. This VPN also supports Chrome and other browsers. You can add the CyberGhost Chrome extension to your browser for easier access and control.
CyberGhost Chrome VPN Features
To see why you should choose (or perhaps not) CyberGhost virtual private network over others, you need to see some of its features. π Server Locations This VPN provider has 7200 servers located in about 90 countries. Thus, chances are high that you will connect to a server that is close to you. This helps a lot in increasing the internet speeds for gaming, streaming, torrenting and other services that you might want to unlock with a VPN service. π Kill Switch and Military Grade Encryption For security, you will get AES 256-bit encryption, which is top, military-grade security. The US government uses this encryption for classified information. You also get a Kill Switch feature. If your VPN connectivity drops, kill switch βkillsβ all the activity that you were doing online. It also closes all the tabs and windows that you had opened through the VPN. Thus, there is no one time when your IP address or other details will be exposed. π Internet Speeds If you connect to the closest servers in the country that you are in, you will enjoy high internet speeds. You can access and even play web-based computer games, enjoy streaming content, download and upload files easily. When it connects you to the closest server, you will not notice any latency when using the VPN. Internet speed reduces as distance between you and server increases. π Privacy and logging CyberGhost says that they only log maintenance data. Therefore, they will not keep details of your server location choices, IP address, data that was exchanged, search preferences and others. This is as close to a zero-log policy as you will get with any VPN. They also have static IP addresses and dynamic ones. With their headquarters in Romania, they are not under any law to reveal data hence they can uphold a zero-log policy π CyberGhost VPN Protocols This VPN service comes with WireGuard β a protocol that enhances the speed of connectivity and has better, stronger encryption technology. It is open source, perhaps the equal of OpenVPN technology. It also runs the IKEv2 protocol on Android, Linux, Windows, Android TV, Fire Stick TV and other devices through WireGuard. π CyberGhost VPN Cost There are different packages at different prices. The three-year package costs $1.99 a month but you have to pay cumulatively. The six-month package costs $4.80 per month but you must pay cumulatively and the one-month package costs $12.99.
β CyberGhost VPN Pros
β’ You get 24/7 hour support β’ Money back guarantee of 45 days β’ Fast speeds for local connection β’ Absolute privacy is assured
β CyberGhost VPN Cons
β’ Offers a short, 24-hour trial period
Best Free VPN for Chrome
After reviewing the paid-for VPNs for Chrome, perhaps you might want to find out whether there are free VPNs for Chrome. Here are a few that you might want to check out:
Browsec Free Chrome VPN
On the Browsec website, you will find a prominent button called Install Browsec free of charge. It is true, this VPN is going to help you by-pass site blockers and access the content that you want, free of charge. You can hide your personal information, protect your data when using public networks and you can also download the content that you want free of charge. This free VPN supports different devices (android, iOS) and Windows. In addition to Chrome, it also protects traffic from Firefox.
Windscribe Free VPN for Chrome
This free VPN and ad blocker works on Firefox and other browsers. It can also help you to access blocked content in different countries. They have a browser-desktop combo package, which offers better protection when you are using the internet. If you would like to get a feel of how a virtual private network works before getting a premium package, you might want to try Windscribe.
Zenmate Free VPN with Chrome Extension
This is another of the free VPNs for Chrome and you can add its extension to your browser to access it easily. With this VPN, you can choose your location from the 74 available. When you access blocked content from a country of your choice, no one can tell that you are not in that country. With the Stealth Connection function, this free VPN deletes your cookies, cache and browsing history after you end the session. You will never leave a digital footprint on the internet.
Hola Free: Best Free VPN to Access Restricted Content
With the Hola Free VPN, you can access content from any blocked website. Just choose a server that is located in a country that is not restricted from access to the content. There are millions of IP addresses. Whichever you are assigned will never be tracked back to you. When you end the session, it deletes everything so that no spyware can find your tracks. This easy-to-use VPN routes you through proxy servers. You can use it to access content blocked by your school or other institutions. This is a Chrome extension only, so it is only compatible with the Chrome browser. Once you download Hola Free, you are going to access content from 190 countries.
SetupVPN: Free Chrome VPN with High-grade Encryption
They say this is the best free, lifetime VPN to help you escape government censorship. It comes with more than 100 servers that are in different parts of the world. You will also enjoy free 4096-bit encryption, which is regarded as military-grade encryption. You can access content from hundreds of websites, without paying a dime to keep your digital footprints hidden. Once you add the Chrome extension to your browser, you can turn the VPN on or off with a couple of clicks of your mouse. After reading about the five premium VPNs for Chrome and five free ones, you might still need more clarification about these services. Thus, here are some of the most common questions that people ask, and their answers:
How do I enable VPN on Chrome?
First, you need to subscribe to the VPN service of your choice. Download the VPN. There is a version for every operating system. After downloading, install the VPN by following the prompts. Click the desktop icon and it will take you to settings. You will find the activation code and buttons for different browsers. Install the Chrome extension so that you can access it directly on the browser where you can turn it on or off.
Is there a free VPN for Chrome?
There are several free VPNs for Chrome. And by free, we do not mean the free versions of the paid ones, or the trial periods. We mean Chrome VPNs that are free of charge for whichever period you choose to be using the Chrome extension. Some of the free VPNs for the Chrome browser include Hola Free, Zenmate and Windscribe. These cost nothing yet they work almost as well as the paid-for ones. They have millions of IP addresses and can help you access content in hundreds of countries.
What is the best free VPN for Chrome?
Without a doubt, this must be the Browsec free VPN. By 2021, more than 8 million users were using it. There are so many IP changes it will be hard to track your activity online. SetUpVPN is also another good choice. It can help you escape government censorship and access hundreds of restricted websites.
Does Chrome have a built-in VPN?
It does not exactly come with an integrated VPN that you can just enable, but the browser supports many free VPN services. These ones include Zenmate, SetUPVPN and Browsec that only work on Chrome. Once you add their extension to your browser, you can turn them on and off easily, without accessing the client.
How do I know VPN is working?
The best way to know that your VPN is working is to test it. You can do that by testing for a leak using the IP address method. This is simple. Just do a simple search online for βWhat is my IP addressβ on your search engine and note it (IP address) somewhere without enabling the VPN. Secondly, enable the VPN and then carry out the same search on your search engine. If the same IP address as before the VPN was enabled displays, the VPN is not working. If you get a different one, it is working.
Which browser has free VPN?
Only the Opera browser comes with an integrated VPN. Therefore, you need not download extra extensions, add-ons or apps. It is safe.
Are free VPNs safe?
Free VPNS are not βsafeβ. This means that they will only give you a few of the features that you would get with the premium VPNs. When you donβt pay for a product you are the product. Free VPNs collect your data and browsing history and create your online fingerprint that they later sell it to advertising firms for profit. For instance, a free VPN can give you 256-bit encryption and claim it is military-grade while a premium service gives you 4096-bit encryption, which is actually military-grade. So you should always buy a premium VPN like πExpressVPN with your chrome browser as an extension.
Are Chrome extension VPNs safe?
Technology is very dynamic and what was safe yesterday may not be safe today. Therefore, Chrome extension VPNs do not evolve fast enough to seal all leaks and give you all the protection that you need online. It is best to go for the premium VPNs if you truly want to access strictly restricted content.
Is ZenMate free VPN safe?
ZenMate is a free virtual private network that is available for the Chrome browser. While it has its limits when compared with premium VPNs, it is still better than most free services. It is going to obliterate all of your internet activity including IP addresses.
Is Brave a VPN?
Brave is a web browser that does not have a built-in VPN. To use it safely, you should find a free virtual private network that is compatible with it. You can also use it with a premium VPN. Of all browsers, only Opera comes with integrated VPN.
Conclusion: Best Chrome VPN
With almost 3 Billion users and the user base growing fast, everyone who uses a computer or internet-enabled mobile device needs a VPN that is compatible with the browser. Thankfully, hundreds of VPN services have Chrome extensions. These add-ons enable you to turn the network on and off easily. If you do not have money but you would still like to access blocked websites, you might love using the free VPNs for Chrome. You can also use the free networks to get a good feel of the best VPNs for Chrome, before subscribing at a fee.