Updated on: April 26, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best VPN for Chromebook in 2024:
- 🥇ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN has a dedicated Android app for ChromeOS, top-notch security features, and the fastest speeds on the market. It also works with all popular streaming platforms, supports torrenting, and includes useful additional features such as split tunneling. All of its plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
While safer than regular laptops, Chromebooks aren’t immune to security threats. Bad actors can still intercept your traffic and spy on your online activities or steal your data.
That’s where a VPN comes in handy. VPNs encrypt all online data, making it unreadable to everyone, including your ISP (Internet Service Provider). They also change your IP address, which reveals your general location, so you can’t be tracked online.
But not all VPNs work with Chromebooks since they have a slightly different setup. On most Chromebooks, you can typically download the Android version of the VPN, but some of these Android apps aren’t optimized for Chrome OS. And if your Chromebook doesn’t have the Google Play Store, you’ll have to use a VPN extension to make it work — and not all VPNs offer that.
I spent a couple of days testing VPNs and found the best ones for Chromebook. My favorite is ExpressVPN. It has a dedicated Android app optimized for Chrome OS, provides high-end security features, works with popular streaming platforms, and is the fastest VPN I’ve ever tested.
Quick summary of the best VPNs for Chromebook:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for Chromebook in 2024 with an intuitive app & lighting-fast speeds.
- 2. 🥈CyberGhost VPN — User-friendly VPN for streaming and torrenting on Chromebook (on optimized servers).
- 3. 🥉NordVPN — Great Android app and Chrome extension for secure connections on Chromebook.
- 4. Surfshark — Affordable VPN with an easy-to-use Chrome extension & large server network.
- 5. PrivateVPN — Beginner-friendly VPN for Chromebook with decent speeds and good security.
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best VPN for Chromebook in 2024
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Chromebook in 2024. It has a great Android app that works really well on Chromebook and a user-friendly native router app that secures all devices connected to your Wi-Fi network, which is pretty useful if your Chromebook doesn’t support the Google Play store.
The Chromebook app is user-friendly. I like that it divides servers by region, so it’s pretty easy to find the one you’re looking for. Still, my favorite feature is Shortcuts, which lets you set up 1-click shortcuts for apps (like Netflix) that appear on your screen after you connect to one of the VPN’s servers.
When it comes to speed, ExpressVPN is unmatched on the market, which is why it’s #1 of our list of the fastest VPNs out there. During my tests, all sites loaded instantly, and so did HD and 4K videos — plus, I didn’t experience any buffering, even when I skipped through them.
ExpressVPN is very secure. It has advanced security features, including RAM-only servers (deletes all data upon reboot), perfect forward secrecy, which generates a unique key for every VPN session, and protection against DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks. ExpressVPN also has a no-logs policy that has been independently audited and verified, which makes it easy to trust the VPN.
In terms of streaming and torrenting support, ExpressVPN is the best. Customer support confirmed it works with 100+ streaming sites, including popular platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. And it allows P2P traffic on all of its servers.
I think it’s great that you get split tunneling, too, which lets you choose which apps use the VPN connection and which apps use your local network. This is really convenient if you only want to use the VPN on your Chromebook for certain activities, like streaming.
ExpressVPN offers plans starting at $6.67 / month. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for ChromeOS in 2024. It offers a user-friendly Android app that works well on Chromebook, as well as the fastest speeds on the market, top-notch security and privacy, and excellent streaming and torrenting support. All of its plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. CyberGhost VPN — Good for Streaming on Chromebook
CyberGhost VPN has 100+ dedicated servers for 50+ streaming sites on Chromebook. These servers are optimized to make sure they always work with popular streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime. I had a colleague in the UK confirm it works with BBC iPlayer and customer support confirmed it works with Rai Play in Italy, too.
CyberGhost VPN supports torrenting on Chromebook, too, on dedicated P2P servers spread across 75+ countries. This extensive coverage means you can find nearby servers for fast speeds and avoid overcrowded servers.
CyberGhost VPN’s Android app for Chrome is beginner-friendly — it didn’t take me more than a couple of seconds to find and connect to a server. This provider also offers router support, but you need to set it up manually (honestly, installing ExpressVPN’s native router app is much faster and easier).
During my tests, CyberGhost VPN was really fast. Websites and HD videos loaded instantly, and 4K videos only took 2–3 seconds to load.
CyberGhost’s app for Chromebook includes split-tunneling and an ad blocker (Content Blocker). When I tested them, the split-tunneling worked as advertised, but Content Blocker was only able to stop ads from loading in search engines and not websites, which was a bit disappointing. On the bright side, it blocked me from visiting potentially malicious websites.
CyberGhost VPN also has great security and privacy features. It uses RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy, has DNS and IPv6 leak protection (you have to set up WebRTC protection on your browser), and has an independently-audited no-logs policy.
CyberGhost VPN’s plans are affordable, starting at $2.19 / month. The long-term plans are backed by a 45-day money-back guarantee, while the shortest plan includes a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN offers an excellent package for streaming on Chromebook, thanks to its dedicated servers and fast speeds. The Android app is very beginner-friendly, so you’ll have no problem navigating through it even if you’ve never used a VPN before. Plus, it offers solid security and privacy features, extra features like split-tunneling, and affordable plans. If you pick one of its long-term plans, you’ll get a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
🥉3. NordVPN — Very Secure Android App & Chrome Extension for Chromebook
NordVPN offers a secure Android app and Chrome extension for ChromeOS. The VPN uses RAM-only servers, an audited no-logs policy, and perfect forward secrecy, and there’s full leak protection in the Android app and WebRTC leak protection in the browser app.
You get split-tunneling in both the NordVPN app and the extension. In the app, you can split-tunnel apps, and in the extension, you can choose which apps and IP addresses to exclude from the VPN.
I really like that both the app and extension come with an ad and malware blocker, called Threat Protection Lite. This feature blocks ads and protects against potentially harmful websites on the web.
NordVPN offers pretty impressive speeds, but it’s slightly slower than ExpressVPN and CyberGhost VPN. In my tests, HD videos loaded in 1–2 seconds, 4K videos took about 3 seconds to load, and there was only minimal buffering.
NordVPN has very good streaming and torrenting support. It works with all popular streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu, and allows P2P traffic on 4,500+ P2P servers in 45+ countries. It also supports SOCKS5 proxy servers that change your IP address but don’t encrypt your traffic, which allows for faster downloads.
NordVPN’s plans start at $3.09 / month and are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
NordVPN is a secure option for Chromebook users — it has excellent security and privacy features that you get in the Android app for Chromebook, and its Chrome extension that works well with Chrome OS. It’s very fast, has good streaming support, and allows P2P traffic on most server locations. All of its plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. Surfshark — Good Chromebook VPN With Large Server Network
Surfshark has a large server network of servers across 100+ countries, which makes it super easy to find a nearby server for the fastest speed and more likely to be able to find your home location and access your local library.
Surfshark offers a user-friendly Android app and a Chrome extension that works on Chrome OS — the layout is simple and clean and you get unlimited simultaneous connections, making it an excellent choice if your entire family needs a VPN on Chromebook.
Its streaming and torrenting support on Chromebook is great. It works with top streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, but it doesn’t always work with Disney+ like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN, and NordVPN. It also allows P2P traffic on all servers.
Surfshark performed well in my speed tests. Websites and HD videos loaded in no more than 2 seconds, while 4K videos took around 4 seconds to load, with only minimal buffering.
Surfshark offers advanced security and privacy features. It uses RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and has an independently verified no-logs policy. Although it only protects you against DNS leaks, I didn’t encounter any leaks during my tests.
You also get an ad, tracker, and malware blocker (CleanWeb) that works really well and a split-tunneling feature that lets you split-tunnel both apps and websites.
Surfshark provides cheap plans that cost as low as $2.29 / month and backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Surfshark offers a large server network for Chromebook users, both on its Android app for Chromebook and its Chrome extension. It has decent speeds, great streaming and torrenting support, and strong security and privacy features. It also allows unlimited connections. Each plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Surfsahrk review
5. PrivateVPN — Simple VPN for Beginners
PrivateVPN has a beginner-friendly Android app for Chromebook. All settings in the app come with brief but helpful explanations, and I like that PrivateVPN shows you the server ping, so you can easily find the fastest server for your location.
PrivateVPN offers decent speeds for Chromebook. In my tests, HD videos took about 2 seconds to load, while 4K videos loaded in about 5–6 seconds. I did experience some buffering, but it didn’t really ruin my streaming experience.
This provider also has advanced security features. It comes with perfect forward secrecy and DNS and IPv6 leak protection, but it’s a shame that it’s missing WebRTC leak protection, which you get with both ExpressVPN and NordVPN. It also doesn’t come with any extra features like the other VPNs on my list — there’s no ad and malware blocker or split-tunneling.
PrivateVPN also has really good streaming and torrenting support on Chromebook. Customer support confirmed it works with 20+ popular streaming services, including Netflix, Max, and BBC iPlayer, and it supports torrenting on all its servers.
PrivateVPN’s prices start at $2.00 / month. It also has a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans.
Bottom Line:
PrivateVPN is an excellent choice for beginners — it’s very secure and private, and its app for Chromebook is very clean, so you’ll never feel lost when using it. It delivers decent speeds and has good streaming and P2P support. However, it lacks some extras such as an ad blocker and split-tunneling. All of its plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full PrivateVPN review
Comparison of the Best VPNs for Chromebook in 2024
How to Choose the Best VPN for Chromebook in 2024
- Find a VPN compatible with Chromebook. To work on Chromebook, a VPN needs to have an Android app, so you can download it from the Google Play store on your Chrome OS device. If your Chromebook doesn’t support the Google Play store, you can instead use a VPN Chrome extension on your browser to protect your web traffic. All of the VPNs on this list have an Android app for Chromebook, and some have extensions that work on Chrome OS.
- Get a secure VPN. The VPNs I recommend come with essential security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch to prevent IP leaks if the VPN disconnects, a no-logs policy, and DNS leak protection.
- Test for fast speeds. Every VPN will slow down your speeds because it encrypts and reroutes your traffic through one of its servers, but the best providers minimize this speed loss. The fastest on my list is ExpressVPN.
- Choose a VPN with a user-friendly interface. All the VPNs on my list have a clean, intuitive interface and make it super easy to find and connect to a server or configure their settings.
- Opt for a VPN that offers good value. Each VPN I recommend supports simultaneous connections on more than 5 devices (Surfshark even offers unlimited connections), has affordable plans, and offers a money-back guarantee.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Private Internet Access. Private Internet Access is one of the best VPNs on the market. It’s really fast, has great privacy and security features, and excellent streaming and torrenting support. However, its reps told me that there’s no guarantee it’ll work on ChromeOS.
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear’s a beginner-friendly VPN with a simplistic Android app and good security features. However, it doesn’t work on Chromebook and doesn’t have router support.
- IPVanish. IPVanish works on Chromebook, has good security features, strong torrenting support, and allows unlimited connections, but it’s not great for streaming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use VPN on an old Chromebook that doesn’t support Android apps?
Yes, even if your old Chromebook doesn’t support Android apps, you can still use a VPN. One way is to use a Chrome VPN browser extension. A lot of top VPNs, like NordVPN, have an extension for Chrome that includes a lot of the good features that you get in the app.
Alternatively, you can set up the VPN on your router. ExpressVPN has a very easy-to-use router app that won’t take you more than 10 minutes to set up.
Can I use a free VPN for Chromebook?
Maybe, but I don’t recommend that. Most free VPNs don’t support Chrome OS, and those that do come with a lot of limitations, such as slow speeds and fewer server options. Many free VPNs also don’t have the essential security and privacy features and some even sell user data to third parties.
Instead, I recommend investing in an affordable premium option like ExpressVPN — it has a great Android app for Chromebook, has the fastest speeds on the market, and comes with industry-leading security and privacy features.
How do you set up a VPN on a Chromebook?
- Download and install a VPN. I recommend ExpressVPN. You can download the app from the Google Play store on your Chromebook.
- Select a VPN server. Open the VPN app and sign in with your account. Then, find the server location you want to connect to and click on the connect button.
- Start browsing. That’s it! All of your traffic is now secure.
Is it legal to use a VPN on a school Chromebook?
Yes, using a VPN on a school Chromebook is technically legal. However, it may be against your school’s IT policy. It’s always a good idea to check the rules before installing a VPN. If you’re allowed, using a secure and reliable VPN like ExpressVPN can help protect your online privacy even on your school Chromebook.
