If you are an avid Windows user, you might be aware of all the privacy concerns revolving around it. The OS is notorious for privacy leaks despite it claiming to be secure. With that, the most comfortable and most secure option is to opt for the best free VPN for Windows.
However, free VPNs are unreliable, and with them, privacy remains to be entirely non-existent. Despite how enticing it seems, they come with a plethora of privacy and safety issues.
First off, as free VPNs don’t demand payment in turn of their services, they tend to rely on advertisements which is why:
- Free VPNs bombard users with advertisements.
- The advertisements free VPNs display may also track user information and activity
- These advertisements are often malicious and inject users with malware infections.
Apart from that, free VPNs often limit the amount of data for users, confining users mostly to a bare minimum of 500MB per month. Additionally, as these are low budget VPNs, there are low amounts of servers present. Therefore, with free VPNs, users are confined to using a limited number of servers as these servers have high traffic, so users additionally face slow speeds.
With that, using free VPNs to gain any form of online security is an utter nuisance. However, as online privacy is crucial, one way to circumvent this issue is to use the best free trial VPNs for Windows.
Best Free Trial VPNs for Windows
| Name | Website | Free Trial | Price |
| 1. NordVPN | nordvpn.com | 30-day | $3.48/m |
| 2. ExpressVPN | expressvpn.com | 30-day | $6.67/m |
| 3. Surfshark | surfsharkvpn.com | 30-day | $1.99/m |
| 4. PIA VPN | privateinternetaccess.com | 30-day | $2.85/m |
| 5. Ivacy | ivacyvpn.com | 30-day | $3.50/m |
The best free trial VPN providers are a safer alternative to free VPNs. That is primarily because free trial VPNs are legitimate VPN providers and therefore are a reliable source for gaining online privacy and security.
Insights On The Best Free Trial VPNs For Windows
Apart from providing ultimate privacy and security, the best free trial VPN for windows comes with a horde of innovative features. As per my experience, I have therefore compiled a short review of each mentioned VPN provider.
1. NordVPN
This Panama based VPN provider promises a strict no-logs policy within a safe jurisdiction, which lies far away from the intruding 5, 9, or 14 eyes. Additionally, to back up with the strict log policy, the VPN provider sports a third party log audit report as verification.
Apart from that, NordVPN ensures security through secure encryption protocols such as IKEv2, TCP, and UDP, which further pair up with AES-256 bit of military-grade encryption. However, the most outstanding feature by NordVPN is a whopping number of 5000+ servers in 59+ locations.
This considerable amount of servers are what owe to super fast speeds and access to Netflix US libraries. Moreover, these servers are all P2P friendly, allowing users to torrent safely and speedily.
To further support torrenting, the VPN provider offers robust features such as Socks5 proxy and Kill switch. Both of these features provide secure P2P communication options along with speeds.
Furthermore, to provide extra privacy, NordVPN allows secure payment methods through crypto payments along with online payments and credit/debit card method of payment. It additionally has various privacy features, too, such as a built-in ad blocker and double VPN protection.
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN withholds a reputation as one of the most secure VPN providers. This reputation owes primarily as the VPN provider nestles safely amidst the secure British Virgin Islands jurisdiction. Additionally, it also promises to strictly no logs through the third party log audit report.
However, apart from jurisdiction and log policy, there are a plethora of robust privacy and security features this VPN provider has to offer. First off, it ensures data security through military-grade AES-256 bit encryption that comes alongside secure encryption protocols such as TCP, UDP, IKEv2, and IPSec.
It additionally boasts an impressive number of 3000+ VPN servers that are spread over 160+ server locations. These servers, along with providing unexceptional speeds, and anonymity, further provide access to Netflix US libraries. They are additionally P2P optimized, ensuring safe and speedy torrenting.
With that, ExpressVPN comes with a horde of privacy and security features such as kill switch protection, IPv6 protection, and split tunneling. However, the two most stand out features of this VPN provider is zero-knowledge DNS that provides users with a secure and private DNS and secure crypto payment method.
3. Surfshark VPN
Although this is a reasonably new VPN provider, it is notorious for providing high levels of security and privacy. The VPN provider sports a safe jurisdiction within the lush British Virgin Islands and promises a strict no-logs policy through a third party log audit report.
For a considerably young VPN provider, it offers optimum security through AES 256 military-grade encryption and secure encryption protocols, namely IKEv2 and OpenVPN.
It additionally has an impressive collection of privacy and security features such as the Clean Web feature protecting from malware and trackers and obfuscation mode for concealing VPN connections. It further allows sorting VPN traffic through Whitelister.
Apart from that, SurfShark doesn’t fall short on the number of servers and has approx of 1040+ servers in 61+ countries. It further supports torrenting and has all its servers P2P friendly, which allows convenient seeding/downloading more specifically through the Socks5 proxy feature.
Now, as far as Netflix is concerned, SurfhShark is not one to disappoint and has managed to evade Netflix’s bans. Although not all of its serves work well with Netflix, there are a selected few that allow access to US Netflix.
Within payment methods, SurfShark provides secure payment methods such as crypto pay. However, there are conventional credit/debit cards and online payment methods available too.
4. Private Internet Access VPN
This VPN provider lies in the US, which is a 9 eyes jurisdiction making it somewhat shady. However, it follows a strict no-logs policy, and that comes with a log audit report.
It further promises security through secure AES-256 bit encryption and OpenVPN protocol. With that, it also provides users with a built-in ad blocker that provides malware protection too. Additionally, for more privacy-conscious personals, PIA allows secure payments through crypto pay.
Apart from that, PIA VPN offers 3375+ servers that offer high speeds and security. Moreover, these servers are all P2P optimized, making PIA torrent-friendly.
For torrenting, PIA VPN further provides privacy and security features such as Socks5 Proxy and port forwarding. This VPN provider further stands apart as it is amongst the few VPNs that have managed to evade the Netflix VPN ban. Most of its servers provide access to US Netflix along with smooth streaming.
5. Ivacy VPN
Ivacy originates from the ever secure Switzerland, which is far away from the 5, 9, and 14 eyes jurisdiction. With that, it also follows a relatively strict no-logs policy, which adds up to its security.
The VPN provider has online security as a priority and encrypts data through the state of the art AES-256 bit of encryption. With that, accompanying such high-end encryption are secure VPN protocols such as IKEv2.
Apart from that, the VPN provider also provides its users with several features dedicated to online privacy and security, such as kill switch protection, IPv6 protection, DDoS protection, and split tunneling.
It further allows users to set up secure DNS that further adds up to privacy. Additionally, it allows secure payments through crypto payment along with online payments and traditional credit/debit cards. Furthermore, IvacyVPN also stands to be the few VPN providers that provide access to US Netflix.
How to choose the best Free Trial VPN for Windows?
As cybersecurity continues to fail, many VPNs have sprung up in the market, claiming to be the best. Amidst this filtering out a legitimate VPN is a hard task. However, while choosing the best free trial VPNs for Windows here are the following things to consider:
- Jurisdiction: It is crucial to have a secure jurisdiction that does not lie within the 5, 9, and 14 eyes.
- Log policy: VPNs keeping logs kills the whole purpose of having a VPN; therefore, it is better to choose a VPN that has a strict no-logs policy.
- Encryption: As VPNs protect your privacy and personal information through encryption, it is best to have a VPN that uses a secure AES-256 bit encryption cipher.
- Number of servers: A VPN provider that has lots of servers provides a wide variety of IP addresses to switch in. This large amount of servers also help provide high-speed connections.
- Compatibility: it is best to choose a VPN that is compatible with Windows, so you don’t have a hard time setting it up
- Netflix: US Netflix is a real treat; however, most VPNs fail to work with it. Therefore it is better to look into this matter before subscribing
- P2P support: Having a VPN with P2P support is handy. Not just for Torrenting but for sites like Reddit too. Therefore it’s better to choose a VPN that has dedicated P2P servers.
- Simultaneous Connection: It is always better to have a VPN provider that allows more than one connection simultaneously to secure more devices.
- Crypto Payments: Crypto payments are the epitome of privacy as they allow users to pay anonymously. With that VPN offering, crypto payments mean secure!
Do Windows Have A Built-In VPN?
Windows, albeit, comes with a built-in VPN feature. However, it is not the ideal privacy set up. Although it may seem ideal considering it is integrated within the OS, however, Microsoft is already alleged for privacy and data leaks.
Using a native VPN of the company which is known for data leaks is not a very smart move apart from that; unlike all the free trial VPNs, the built-in VPN by Windows comes with many limitations.
Therefore, setting up a Windows VPN requires some technical knowledge. To start with things, you will need to delve into network and port configuration. This port forwarding tweaking will necessarily happen through the router as they have port forwarding responsibility.
While doing so, it is crucial to use a different port than the default PPTP port. If things happen otherwise, there is a high risk of exposing Windows and your choice server port to malware.
With that, it is also necessary to have a strong password for extra protection. However, despite all the hassle, these built-in VPNs by Windows don’t work well with US Netflix.
Additionally, as Windows is a US country, these VPNs are not torrent-friendly either. Apart from that, the same US origin applies to the fact that the US is a 9 eyes country. Therefore, there is no guarantee that this built-in VPN by Windows is, in fact, there for safety.
Why use the best free trial VPN for Windows?
VPNs are a privacy tool; therefore the most obvious reason for using the best free Trial VPN for Windows is to gain online privacy and security.
VPNs ensure utter anonymity online, and therefore help get rid of data tracking and data theft. However, the use of the best free Trial VPN extends beyond that. Some of those uses are:
1. Bypass ISP Throttling
With a VPN connection in place, all of your internet traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel. This prevents anyone from monitoring your online activity.
Now, the ISPs usually throttle your connection with P2P traffic and streaming. Therefore with a VPN, since they are unable to monitor your data, they don’t throttle your connection too.
2. Encrypt information
VPNs protect your information through encryption. Some of the most secure VPNs encrypt your traffic through high-end military-grade encryption. For this, they use AES-256 grade encryption cipher and secure VPN protocols such as IKEv2, UDP, TCP, and more. This encryption, therefore, prevents anyone from snooping in your data, protecting your privacy and security.
3. Get rid of geographical restrictions
Geographical restrictions make using internet constrictive. However, with VPNs, it is easy to get past them. That’s because VPNs, to change your online location, route all the internet traffic to remote VPN servers.
These remote servers are scattered across various cities and countries. With a VPN as you connect to the internet, your traffic first routes to a VPN server before proceeding towards the destination.
Therefore, for anyone monitoring traffic, it seems to originate from the remote server rather than your device. This helps in getting past geographical restrictions. All you need to do is route the internet traffic through a non-blocked server.
4. Secure torrenting
Torrenting is a smart free way of getting your hands on movies, TV shows, games, music, and a lot more. However, there are a few problems if you try torrenting without a VPN. First off, as P2P traffic takes up lots of bandwidth, ISPs throttle your connection while torrenting. This throttling ultimately leads to slow seeding and downloading speeds.
Also, as most of the content over torrent sites is pirated, various countries have banned torrenting due to copyright infringement issues. Therefore torrenting in such countries can lead to hefty fines and penalties. VPNs, however, help mitigate these risks by encrypting your traffic and hiding it from anyone who tries to monitor it.
5. Streaming Netflix
Netflix is notorious for its US libraries that have all the best TV shows, movies, and a whole lot of exciting content. The issue is that most of this content, due to copyright owners’ requests, is not available in other countries’ libraries. VPNs help access these libraries by routing traffic through US servers. However, ever since the Netflix VPN ban, not all VPNs can do so. Only some of the best free Trial VPNs can help access Netflix libraries.
Final words
Therefore the TLDR here is that VPN use is not only limited to privacy and security. The primary purpose of having the best free Trial VPN for Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android is to gain unrestricted internet.
An unrestricted internet is a fundamental right of all netizens. However, as there is a gross abuse of privacy and control over the cyberspace, the only way to achieve secure and unrestricted internet is through the best free VPNs for Windows.
