Published on: March 29, 2023 Updated 9 times since publishing
- 🥇 ExpressVPN : It’s not free, but ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Google Chrome in 2026, and it has a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users, so you can try it out risk-free. ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN on the market, has industry-leading security features, and comes with an excellent Google Chrome extension.
Using a free VPN for Chrome lets you browse the web securely without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, a lot of free VPNs either don’t have a Chrome extension or have one but lack great security practices or useful features — this makes it tricky to find a good free VPN that has a free Chrome extension.
However, after thorough research, I found several good free VPNs for Google Chrome. I can confirm that all of them provide decent speeds, include strong security, offer multiple server locations, and have great features.
Editor's Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best Free VPNs for Google Chrome
Editor's Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Google Chrome in 2026
Basic 12-Months plan: $3.99 / month
1-month plan: $12.99 / month
ExpressVPN is without a doubt the best overall VPN for Google Chrome in 2026. While it doesn’t have a free plan, it offers affordable long-term deals and backs new purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Large server network
- Works with 100+ streaming sites
- Fastest VPN on the market
- Works in restrictive countries
- Browser extension needs the app
Its Google Chrome extension has all of the core features of the client app, as it’s basically a remote control for the VPN app on your device. This means you’ll need to have the VPN app installed on your device to use the browser extension — still, unlike most extensions that only secure the browser’s traffic, ExpressVPN’s extension secures all of the internet traffic on your device.
I like how user-friendly the extension is. Its Smart Location tool lets you connect to the fastest server with just a single click. I’m also a fan of the Recent Location feature, which shows your two most recently used locations on the home screen so you can connect to them with 1 click. There’s also a search bar to find a specific server in seconds.
I really like that the extension also includes an automatic connection option called “Connect on Browser Launch”. This means you don’t have to manually connect to the VPN’s extension every time you open your browser. To make it work, you just have to turn it on with your desired location selected. Then, disable and re-enable its permissions in your extensions — Proton VPN is the only other VPN on this list that offers a similar auto-connect feature for the browser.
The VPN also has great security. The Chrome extension has been independently audited twice (most recently in 2022). There’s also ExpressVPN Keys, a free password manager that stores your passwords in a secure digital vault, auto-fills login details when you sign into your online accounts, and generates strong passwords.
What’s more, the Chrome extension also stops HTML5 geolocation from revealing your physical location, blocks WebRTC to prevent IP leaks, and automatically connects you to the more secure HTTPS version of websites. The rest of the VPNs on my list only block WebRTC leaks.
ExpressVPN is great for safely streaming your favorite content on Google Chrome since its extension supports streaming (the only one on my list that does). It can access 10+ Netflix libraries and 100+ other streaming services, including Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Max. The Chrome extension is great for gaming and torrenting, too.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is my top VPN for Google Chrome. Its speeds are unmatched for browsing and streaming, it provides high-end security, it’s very user-friendly, and it works with 100+ streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and more.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. CyberGhost VPN — Best Free VPN Extension for Google Chrome
6-month plan: $6.99 / month
1-month plan: $12.99 / month
CyberGhost VPN’s app isn’t free, but its Google Chrome extension is — and it’s really good. It has no speed limits, provides unlimited data for browsing, and gives you access to servers in the US, Romania, the Netherlands, and Germany.
- Free Chrome extension
- Unlimited data on Chrome
- Excellent IP leak protection
- No account required
- No streaming support
- No kill switch
Unfortunately, CyberGhost VPN’s Chrome extension doesn’t support streaming. If this is important to you, consider getting its VPN app, which is one of the best VPNs for streaming in 2026 — it provides dedicated streaming servers that can access 50+ other streaming sites, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Max (ExpressVPN provides better variety, though, since it works with 100+ streaming apps).
Adding CyberGhost VPN’s extension to your browser is really easy — it shouldn’t take more than 1–2 minutes to do it. You don’t even need to sign up for an account. And the extension is dead simple to use since it only has a server selection menu and a power button.
Upgrading to its premium plans gets you access to servers in 100 countries, as well as its dedicated streaming, torrenting, and gaming servers, and much more.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN has the best free Google Chrome extension out there. It’s fast, secure, and very easy to use. If you like the extension, consider purchasing a subscription for its VPN app, which will get you access to more servers, streaming, torrenting, and gaming support, and more.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Editor's Note: CyberGhost and this site are in the same ownership group.
🥉3. Proton VPN — Fast and Secure Free VPN App With Unlimited Data
12-month plan: $3.49 / month
1-month plan: $4.99 / month
Proton VPN’s free VPN app is great for browsing on Google Chrome. It’s one of the only free VPN apps that offers unlimited data. It also provides access to servers in 5 countries, including Romania, Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, and the US.
- Free plan with unlimited data
- WebRTC protection for Chrome
- Open-sourced Chrome extension
- 5 server locations (US included)
- Proton VPN picks your server
- No P2P & streaming support
I really like using Proton VPN’s free Chrome extension. It has an auto-connect on browser launch option like ExpressVPN, offers the same number of free server locations as the app (5), and automatically chooses the best one for you — though, this might be frustrating if you want to choose a specific server.
The app is also really user-friendly. I’m a fan of how easy it is to access the different settings menus since they’re listed on the side of the display.
It also has good security features like Secure Core servers that improve your anonymity. The VPN routes your traffic through its servers in a privacy-friendly country before sending it through your chosen server. Its app also has a free Stealth protocol for bypassing network restrictions.
Proton VPN’s premium plans provide access to more servers, streaming support, split-tunneling, and additional security features.
Bottom Line:
Proton VPN has fast, secure, and easy-to-use free apps and Chrome extension with unlimited data. Upgrading to a premium plan provides access to more servers, streaming support, split-tunneling, and more.
Read the full Proton VPN review
4. hide.me — Best Free VPN App for Google Chrome
12-month plan: $4.58 / month
1-month plan: $11.99 / month
hide.me has both a pretty good free VPN app and a free Google Chrome extension. Its free app is one of my favorites — it offers unlimited bandwidth and provides access to servers in 7 countries. Its Chrome extension also offers unlimited data, but it only provides access to 3 servers in the US, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. There’s also an Automatic setting that chooses the best server for you, but I don’t like that it doesn’t then show you what location you’re using.
- Access to 8 server locations
- Unlimited free data
- Free Chrome extension
- Chrome extension doesn’t encrypt data
- No streaming support
hide.me’s app is pretty intuitive to use. But I dislike how none of the settings in the extension have explanations. This can be confusing for people new to VPNs, especially since they’re more technical features, like Bypass Local Network, which tells the VPN to ignore local networks — this is useful if you’re a web developer designing a website on your computer. There’s also Bypass Settings, which lets you list specific servers that bypass the VPN, like a work network. It also lets you add Wildcards, which means the VPN bypasses all sites/IP addresses, like Google services that all end in .google.com.
hide.me also provides decent security and privacy — its app offers StealthGuard, which binds your entire internet connection to the VPN to prevent you from going online without the VPN’s protection, an app kill-switch, auto-connect options, and split-tunneling. That said, its Chrome extension doesn’t encrypt your data — unlike CyberGhost VPN’s extension.
This provider’s free plan doesn’t support streaming, so you’ll have to upgrade to a premium plan to stream with hide.me. By upgrading to a premium plan, you get access to servers in 91 countries, streaming support, unlimited speeds, and more.
Bottom Line:
hide.me is a pretty good free VPN for Google Chrome. Both its app and Chrome extension are free and offer unlimited bandwidth – the only difference between them is that the app provides 7 server locations, while the extension only includes 3 server locations. Its paid version gets you access to all of its servers and streaming support.
5. TunnelBear — Great Google Chrome Extension with Tons of Servers
12-month plan: $4.00 / month
1-month plan: $9.99 / month
TunnelBear’s Google Chrome extension comes with some great features. It has SplitBear, the VPN’s split-tunneling tool, which lets you choose specific sites that don’t use the VPN, GhostBear, its obfuscation tool that hides your VPN traffic, and VigilantBear, the kill switch (protects your data from accidental leaks if the VPN connection is disrupted).
- Access to entire server network
- Streaming support
- All features included for free
- 2 GB of data per month
- No torrenting support
The extension (and the app) lets you connect to any of TunnelBear’s 47 countries, which is extremely generous for a free VPN (most limit you to only a handful of servers). Plus, there’s an auto-connect option that connects you to the fastest server for your location.
TunnelBear’s free Chrome extension and VPN app limit your data to 2 GB per month, which isn’t much even for basic browsing, so even though you can stream with the free plan, you won’t be able to watch much. If you need more data, Proton VPN is the better choice.
Upgrading gets you access to torrenting support and unlimited data.
Bottom Line:
TunnelBear has a great free, feature-rich Chrome extension that includes all of its paid features. It also supports streaming on the free extension (though not torrenting), plus provides access to its entire server network for free. However, it only allows 2 GB of bandwidth per month.
Read the full TunnelBear review
Quick Comparison Table
Editor's Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
I followed our approved testing methodology for VPNs to make my list of the best free VPNs for Google Chrome. To make the cut, each VPN had to have a good free plan with strong security, a user-friendly Chrome extension, a decent data allowance, and more. Check out the exact criteria I used when making my list below:
- I only chose VPNs with a good Google Chrome extension. VPN extensions are lightweight and user-friendly, but they may offer less security and fewer features compared to full VPN apps, as they only protect browser activity instead of your entire internet traffic. ExpressVPN stands out by offering both outstanding apps and a highly secure Google Chrome extension, providing a comprehensive and secure browsing experience.
- I looked for strong security features. All the VPNs on this list include essential security features like military-grade 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy (the VPN doesn’t log your online activity), or a kill switch, which disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops.
- I searched for VPNs with a large free server network. Many VPNs limit the server locations available to free users, which typically results in overloaded servers that slow your connection speeds. I only chose VPNs with multiple free locations on the app and/or Chrome extension. For example, the free version of hide.me provides connections to servers in 5+ countries.
- I selected VPNs with a high data cap. Many free VPNs limit how much data you can use per day or per month. CyberGhost VPN, Proton VPN, and hide.me both allow unlimited data on their free Chrome extensions.
- I only recommended VPNs with affordable premium plans. In case you ever want to upgrade to a paid plan, the VPNs on my list have reasonably priced premium plans and back all purchases with a money-back guarantee.
Risks of Using a Free VPN
- Weak security. Free VPNs often lack essential security features, such as full leak protection or a kill switch, which could compromise your online anonymity. And some free Google Chrome extensions hide your IP address but don’t provide encryption.
- Poor privacy. Some free VPNs keep logs of your online activity, such as what websites you visit and what files you download. Then, they sell this information to advertisers, who use it to serve you targeted ads.
- Shady Chrome activity. Many free VPNs make their money by selling your data, so they often conduct shady behavior when you install their Chrome extension. For example, FreeVPN.One, with over 100,000 downloads in the Chrome store, takes screenshots of users’ activity, including bank logins.
Free vs. Paid VPNs for Google Chrome
The free VPNs I discuss here include essential security features like 256-bit AES encryption, which is the industry standard for data protection, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy to prevent the VPN from keeping records of your online activities. Some free VPNs even have advanced features like leak protection, RAM-only servers for better privacy, and perfect forward secrecy.
However, free VPNs typically fall short in other areas, especially when it comes to performance and extra features. Many of them limit bandwidth, resulting in throttled speeds that make browsing and streaming more difficult, or have data caps, which can be quickly used up with regular use. Additionally, free VPNs often lack good streaming or torrenting support.
For example, Hotspot Shield’s Chrome extension is free, but it limits you to 250 MB daily, while hide.me’s extension doesn’t have a data cap, but it doesn’t support streaming. Furthermore, Proton VPN doesn’t support streaming on the extension and doesn’t let you choose your server location. Finally, CyberGhost VPN only has 4 server locations to choose from.
Paid VPNs have unlimited bandwidth and higher speeds, making them much better for streaming and downloading. They also provide access to much larger server networks, which helps in finding the best possible connection. Moreover, premium VPNs have better security, and have extra perks like multiple simultaneous connections. Most importantly, they usually come with a money-back guarantee, allowing you to test their services risk-free.
Free VPNs for Google Chrome to Avoid
- AceVPN. AceVPN’s free plan is only available to bloggers, influencers, journalists, or similar professionals. Even if you qualify, you have to manually configure the VPN on your device, because it lacks native apps.
- TouchVPN. TouchVPN has a large server network, but it lacks many essential security features. It also has a restrictive 500 MB/day data cap, making it impractical for most online activities.
- Opera VPN. Opera VPN doesn’t have any advanced security or streaming support. What’s more, the free plan doesn’t secure any traffic outside of the Opera browser.
- Phone Guardian: Phone Guardian encrypts some data, it doesn’t change your IP address, and it doesn’t offer the typical security features of a VPN.
- Hola VPN: Hola VPN operates on a peer-to-peer basis, assigning users the IP addresses of other users instead of using a traditional server network. This is highly risky because it means someone could engage in illegal activities using your IP address.
- TurboVPN: TurboVPN hasn’t had any independent audits, and its no-logs policy isn’t well explained in its Privacy Policy.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Windscribe. Windscribe has a great free plan and even a free Chrome extension with a good ad and tracker blocker and GPS and time zone spoofing, but it only allows 10 GB of data per month (and just 2 GB if you don’t provide your email address).
- PrivadoVPN. PrivadoVPN is a decent free VPN with a Google Chrome extension, but it isn’t good for streaming and lacks important security features like RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy.
- DroidVPN. DroidVPN is free to use, but it lacks a Chrome extension. Also, the free plan limits you to a measly 300 MB per day. What’s more, the VPN is missing a kill switch and leaks your DNS data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a free VPN for Google Chrome?
Yes, there are some good free VPNs for Google Chrome. My top pick is CyberGhost VPN — its Chrome extension is 100% free, has no speed restrictions, offers unlimited data, and gives you access to 4 server locations (in the US, Romania, the Netherlands, and Germany). It also maintains fast speeds on both local and distant servers and has strong security features like leak protection, perfect forward secrecy, and RAM-only servers.
Does Google Chrome have a built-in VPN?
No, but you can install a great third-party VPN. I recommend getting ExpressVPN, which is the best overall VPN for Google Chrome in 2026. It has a really good Google Chrome extension, lightning-fast speeds, and some of the best security features in the industry. All of its plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it out risk-free.
Are free VPNs safe?
Many free VPNs are pretty bad at protecting your privacy and security. This is because they’re often missing important security features. Additionally, some free VPNs keep logs of your online activity or IP address and sell this information to third parties, which may defeat the purpose of using a VPN in the first place.
I recommend getting an affordable premium VPN instead, like ExpressVPN. It has servers in 105 countries, blazing-fast speeds, top-of-the-line security features, and an excellent Google Chrome extension, which works with the provider’s VPN app to secure not only your browser’s traffic but all of the internet traffic on your device.
How do I use a VPN for Google Chrome?
Using a VPN on your Google Chrome browser is easy. First, sign up for a VPN with a good Google Chrome extension — I recommend ExpressVPN. Then, go to the Chrome Web Store and download its extension. Finally, open the extension and connect to a VPN server. You’re all set! Now, the VPN will protect all of your browser activity.
Are free VPN Google Chrome extensions safe?
For the most part, no. Unfortunately, a lot of free VPN extensions for Google Chrome log your data and sell it to third parties. Plus, they lack a lot of important security features. Instead, I recommend only choosing freemium plans from reputable premium VPNs like CyberGhost VPN and Proton VPN.
Editor's Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company
