Updated on: November 12, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best free VPN for Australia in 2024:
- 🥇 ExpressVPN : While it’s not free, it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Has servers based in 6 locations in Australia, blazing-fast speeds, and excellent security features. Works with all of the top streaming apps, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, and supports torrenting on all of its servers.
Australia is a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances, which facilitates the sharing of intelligence data between countries. Plus, the country’s Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act means your data is stored for 2 years, while the Assistance and Access Act enables authorities to compel technology companies to provide access to encrypted communications. As a result, you need a reliable VPN to protect your privacy online.
Free VPNs have lots of limitations, but I still found some good ones for Australia that include top-notch security features to protect your privacy, really fast speeds, and feature-rich apps. That being said, I still prefer a premium VPN like ExpressVPN — it’s very fast, secure, and easy to use. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free. Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group. Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best Free VPNs for Australia
1.🥇ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Australia
ExpressVPN is my top pick for Australia — it’s not free, but it includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have a full month to use it and see if you like it. It has 5+ server locations in Australia, industry-leading security features, and the fastest speeds on the market. It also works with all of the popular streaming sites and comes with extremely easy-to-install and easy-to-use apps.
I love how it offers connections all over Australia with servers in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Woolloomooloo, Adelaide, and Sydney. This way, you can always connect to the closest server to reduce your ping (the distance the internet signal travels from your device to the server) and get the fastest speeds. In addition, ExpressVPN has a giant server network with servers in 105 countries.
When it comes to security, it’s hard to match ExpressVPN. In addition to having all of the industry-standard VPN security features, as well as an independently audited no-logs policy, it has:
- Perfect forward secrecy — This feature constantly alters your encryption keys to prevent hackers from accessing future or past keys.
- TrustedServer Technology — ExpressVPN only uses RAM-memory, so none of your personal data is stored on a hard drive, and all of the data is wiped each time the server is rebooted.
- Full leak protection — ExpressVPN protects you from DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks (I tested multiple servers in all 4 Australian cities and never suffered a leak).
- Threat Manager — This feature blocks trackers to stop targeted ads and prevents you from visiting potentially malicious websites.
- Privacy-friendly jurisdiction: ExpressVPN is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, which isn’t part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.
- Obfuscation — ExpressVPN has obfuscation on all servers and protocols automatically. Obfuscation hides your VPN traffic, so it blends in with all ordinary traffic and doesn’t get flagged by VPN blocks.
I also like that ExpressVPN has launch automations. This prevents you from going online without first protecting yourself with the VPN’s encryption. It lets you set up automatic connections to the last used server when you open the app and will even launch the app automatically upon Windows startup.
I had zero issues connecting to any of the server locations in Australia, and it took just seconds to switch my connection between them. In my speed tests using ExpressVPN’s proprietary Lightway protocol, I noticed no differences on any of the servers I tested — web pages instantly loaded, videos played without any delay, and torrenting speeds were only a tick slower than my speeds without a VPN connection.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming and torrenting. It can access different Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ libraries, as well as 9Now, Presto, and Stan. It also allows torrenting on all servers (including the Australian servers) and supports the top torrenting apps, including BitTorrent, uTorrent, and Deluge.
ExpressVPN plans start at $4.99 / month — and you can usually get extra months for free.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is hands-down the best VPN for Australia, with servers in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and more, high-end security features, connection automations, and lightning-fast speeds for streaming, torrenting, and gaming. ExpressVPN isn’t free, but it provides the best overall value — and all of its plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have a full month to test it and see if it meets your needs.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
2.🥈Proton VPN — Unlimited Data + High-End Privacy
Proton VPN is one of the rare free VPNs out there that allows unlimited data. However, note that the free plan only allows you to connect 1 device at a time, and you only get access to servers in the US, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Poland.
Proton VPN has a number of security features that protect users, even while using a free account. You get perfect forward secrecy, full leak protection, an audited no-logs policy, and full-disk encryption, which scrambles all of the data on the hard drive. I also like that it has a permanent kill switch option, which means you won’t be able to do anything online without the VPN active, thereby fully protecting you from sharing any sensitive information with third parties. Plus, the VPN is based in Switzerland, which has excellent data privacy laws. But you have to provide your email to get access to the free plan.
Proton VPN also has obfuscation available on the free plan via its Stealth protocol — this allows you to make your VPN traffic appear as regular traffic to bypass VPN blocks. It works with any of its free server locations, but unlike ExpressVPN, it has to be enabled manually.
I like that Proton VPN has several connection automations on the free plan. It automatically connects you to the fastest free server when you launch the app, which is really convenient. But you can also set the VPN to launch automatically upon system boot for total automation.
Proton VPN’s paid plans start at $2.99 / month and add streaming and P2P support, access to all servers, and an ad blocker. There’s a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee for all purchases.
Bottom Line:
Proton VPN is a very secure free VPN that allows unlimited data. It’s fast and it’s very secure, but it doesn’t include access to Australian servers or allow streaming or P2P traffic. Instead, you need to buy one of the paid plans to unlock its Australian servers and watch your favorite streaming apps or download files. All of the paid plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Proton VPN review
3.🥉hide.me — Best Free VPN With Unlimited Data and Many Server Locations
hide.me is a decent free VPN with unlimited bandwidth. It doesn’t include Australian servers in its free plan, but it gives you access to 5+ server locations, including France, Germany, Spain, the US, the UK, and Canada, so you can still find a server that’s closer to your location for faster speeds — I just don’t like how hide.me limits your speeds on the free plan.
It also has great privacy features. In addition to full leak protection, it has a really cool Stealth Guard feature available on the free plan that lets you customize the kill switch by app, which means the app won’t connect to the internet unless the VPN is connected. Or, you can apply this internet block to the internet connection for your entire device. Also, hide.me is located in Malaysia, which is not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. Plus, it doesn’t require you to sign up with your email.
hide.me has a couple of connection automations to make sure you’re protected from Australia’s surveillance and data retention laws whenever you go online. It has Launch on Startup and Connect on Launch options like ExpressVPN.
It also has automatic obfuscation on its servers, but unlike ExpressVPN, it’s only active when you’re using the OpenVPN protocol.
Upgrading to its paid plan gives you access to its servers in Australia, located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth (as well as servers in 58 other countries), and adds 10 connections (instead of just 1) and streaming support for top sites like Netflix and Disney+. It also gives you unlimited speeds (Proton VPN doesn’t limit speeds on the free plan).
hide.me’s paid plans cost $2.39 / month and all are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
hide.me is a good, 100% free VPN that provides unlimited data. Its free plan doesn’t include access to Australian servers, but you can connect to 5+ other servers, including the US, UK, Germany, France, and Spain. It has multiple advanced privacy features and great automations for your Australia connection. The paid plans add access to all servers and 10 device connections, plus are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. TunnelBear — Good Free VPN for Beginners + Access to Australian servers
TunnelBear is very simple to use, so it’s good for someone who has never used a VPN before. Its free plan gives you access to all of its servers, including those in Australia, as well as all of the features that come with the premium plans.
One of my favorite things about TunnelBear is the hilarious bear puns and the adorable animated bears that are all over the apps. For example, when you connect to a server, a bear digs a tunnel from your current location to your new location and roars. And its features are named SplitBear (split-tunneling), GhostBear (obfuscation tool), and VigilantBear (the kill switch), all of which are available on the free plan. It also has an automation option to launch the VPN’s app upon startup, but not to auto-connect.
TunnelBear has really good security features, and I love how its apps, code, and server infrastructure policy are audited every year. It also offers a really good free ad blocker for Chrome. TunnelBear is based in Canada, which is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. But I don’t like that it makes you sign up with your email to use the free plan. hide.me doesn’t require any of your information.
However, there’s a data cap of 2 GB per month for free users, which is only enough data to browse for 3–4 hours or so — you can briefly test it out, but that’s about it.
TunnelBear’s premium plans start at $3.33 / month, and get you unlimited data, but there’s no money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
TunnelBear is a fun VPN for new users, and it’s one of the few free VPNs to offer Australian servers on its free plan. However, you only get 2 GB per month, which is only enough data for basic browsing for about 3-4 hours. Upgrading to one of TunnelBear’s paid plans gets you unlimited data.
Read the full TunnelBear review
5. Avira Phantom VPN — Good for Securely Browsing and Streaming From Australia
Avira Phantom VPN is great for protecting your privacy when casually browsing from Australia. It follows a strict no-logs policy, offers built-in DNS leak protection, and even protects against malicious sites on desktop. And it doesn’t require you to sign up with your email, so your privacy is protected. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have obfuscation.
The free plan offers 500 MB of monthly data for secure browsing in Australia, which can be increased to 1 GB with registration. But if you need more secure time online, check out hide.me.
Avira does a pretty great job at accessing different Netflix libraries, including the US, UK, and Australia, and sites like 9Now. It also supports torrenting on all servers for secure streaming from Australia, including its servers in Perth and Sydney.
Note that the free plan connects to 1 automatically selected server location on desktop, optimized for speed (which can include its servers in Australia and any nearby countries). In my tests, I experienced no slowdowns, but it doesn’t match ExpressVPN’s speeds. On mobile, you can pick any of its servers in 37 countries.
Avira Phantom Pro costs $5.99 / year and includes unlimited data, plus a kill switch for Windows. It comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Avira Phantom VPN is a solid free choice for securing your online traffic in Australia, with DNS leak protection and a malicious site blocker. The free plan offers 500 MB of data monthly (1 GB with registration) and accesses Netflix libraries in Australia, the US, and UK. However, it connects to 1 automatically selected server. The paid plan is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Avira Phantom VPN review here
Quick Comparison Table
Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
To find the best free VPNs for Australia, I relied on our detailed testing methodology to guide my decisions. I analyzed speeds, security, ease of use, and a lot more. Here are the exact criteria I used to make my list:
- I looked for servers in Australia or nearby countries. A VPN with servers in Australia, or at least in a location close to Australia like Hong Kong and Japan, will ensure you can get the fastest speeds possible when at home. All of my top picks either have Aussie servers or servers near Australia.
- I checked for strong security & privacy features. Some free products may skimp on essential features, but my recommended VPNs all provide 256-bit AES encryption, kill switches, IP leak protection, and strict no-logs policies.
- I tested each VPN for quick speeds. VPNs can reduce your speeds as they encrypt your data and route your connection through remote servers. Nonetheless, all the VPNs listed here sustain rapid speeds (although ExpressVPN is the quickest).
- I prioritized VPNs with additional features. The VPNs on this list have been chosen specifically for providing extra features such as split-tunneling and an ad blocker.
- I chose VPNs that offer affordable paid plans. All of the VPNs here offer competitive premium plans, in case you are interested in upgrading your subscription plan.
Free vs. Paid VPNs for Australia
The free VPNs on this list come with essential security and privacy features to protect your data. These include a no-logs policy, 256-bit AES encryption, and a kill switch, all of which are industry-standard features. However, they also include some advanced features like full leak encryption, perfect forward secrecy, RAM-only servers, and even full-disk encryption.
While this is good, most free VPNs lack a lot of the features offered by premium VPNs, such as full server networks, unlimited data, multiple device connections, streaming and torrenting support, and uncapped speeds.
For example, hide.me and Proton VPN have unlimited data but only 1 device connection and fewer than 10 server options. On the other hand, TunnelBear has only 2 GB of data per month but provides access to its entire server network on the free plan.
In contrast, upgrading to a premium VPN plan gives you unlimited data and speeds, access to every server location, 7-10+ device connections, full support for torrenting and streaming, and extra features like ad blockers and split-tunneling. Plus, almost all paid VPNs include money-back guarantees, so there’s no risk in trying a premium plan.
All things considered, free VPNs can be decent, but premium options are always a better value.
The 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances and What It Means for Your Data
The 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances is an intelligence-sharing agreement between five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. By working together, these nations can monitor electronic data, including emails, phone calls, and web traffic, to gain valuable security information.
For people in Australia, this alliance has notable consequences. Local surveillance laws, such as the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act and the Assistance and Access Act, require internet companies to store user data for up to 2 years and allow government agencies to access it. This data may then be shared with international intelligence agencies. As a result, private information can be tracked and analyzed more easily, making personal online activities less secure.
A VPN can help address this issue by creating a secure, encrypted connection between your device and the internet. It hides your location by changing your IP address and protects your data by encrypting it, making it harder for anyone to see your online activities. Whether you’re accessing sensitive information or simply want to keep your browsing private, using a VPN can help you maintain your privacy and navigate the internet more safely in Australia.
Free VPNs for Australia to Avoid
- SuperVPN. This VPN logs a bunch of user data, including IP addresses, browser types, email addresses, and operating systems. It’s even suffered a huge data leak in the past. Plus, it doesn’t have any essential security features, and there’s no customer support.
- TouchVPN. Though TouchVPN has a large server network available for free, it logs your sensitive information, like your browsing activity and IP address. So, it can’t be trusted to protect your privacy.
- TurboVPN. TurboVPN’s privacy policy is a bit shady. While it’s clear that it doesn’t log or store information about what sites you visit, it says nothing about whether or not it logs your IP address.
- TuxlerVPN. This VPN’s privacy policy states that it collects information about you, including your contact information, browser type, and website activities. Plus, it says that it shares this data with third parties for business reasons.
- AceVPN. AceVPN isn’t all bad as it has DNS leak protection, but it’s still not safe enough for me to recommend. Mainly, it doesn’t have a kill switch, which could leave you exposed. Plus, it only has 20 server locations and 1 P2P server. The biggest issue, though, is that it doesn’t have any actual apps and instead requires manual setup.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Hotspot Shield — Hotspot Shield offers a good free plan with unlimited data and pretty fast speeds. But it unfortunately limits you to just 1 connection, only lets you use servers in 3 countries (none of which are near Australia), and doesn’t support streaming.
- PrivadoVPN — PrivadoVPN lets free users use up to 10 GB per month and supports P2P traffic, but its closest servers are in Europe, which won’t provide fast enough speeds for users in Australia.
- Windscribe — Windscribe has a solid free plan that allows unlimited connections, access to 10+ servers, and 10 GB of data per month. Its free plan doesn’t include Australian servers, and it’s a lot slower than the VPNs on my list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best free VPN for Australia?
My #1 completely free VPN is hide.me. Its free plan offers unlimited data, 1 connection, really fast speeds, and great security.
That said, ExpressVPN is my top VPN for Australia. It doesn’t include a free plan, but it has a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. During this period, you can use all of ExpressVPN’s features and test out its lightning-fast servers in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney for browsing, streaming, torrenting, and gaming.
Which free VPNs for Australia have browser extensions?
All of the VPNs on this list have browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. ExpressVPN also has an extension for Microsoft Edge.
Are free VPNs legal in Australia?
Yes! There are no laws against protecting your data using a VPN. However, it’s still against the law to use a VPN for criminal activities.
Do free VPNs work with Netflix Australia?
Unfortunately, most don’t work with Netflix Australia. Many free VPNs don’t even allow streaming on their free plans. And the majority of free VPNs that actually support streaming don’t include access to Australian servers, or they allow connections to an Australian server but set a very low limit on the amount of data you can use.
For watching Netflix Australia, I recommend getting a paid VPN like ExpressVPN, which has top-notch security and blazing-fast speeds.
