8 Best VPN Free Trials in 2021 | Get a free trial VPN with no credit card details

CyberGhost is a respected and secure VPN provider from Romania. It offers prospective subscribers a 24-hour free trial via its Windows, macOS, or Android apps. The only thing needed to avail of this free offer is a valid email address. And if you want added privacy, you can always opt to sign up for the trial with a burner email address.

iOS users can enjoy a 7-day free trial. However, they must cancel via the App Store before the time is up or will be automatically charged for a 1-year subscription. Because there is no Linux app to implement the free trial, Linux users must sign-up for the trial on another device. 

During the trial period, users get full access to all CyberGhost’s servers and all of its features. As well their 1-day free trial, CyberGhost’s money-back guarantee of 45 days really does make it stand out from the crowd. When I first downloaded it many years ago, having 45 days essentially for free really eased the pressure on making the decision. I know there’s nothing worse than paying for something and it not turning out how you expected, so it’s good to see a provider like CyberGhost making this a thing of the past!

As previously noted, CyberGhost offers a fully-featured service. It runs servers in more than 90 countries around the world, allows 7 devices to connect at the same time (even when using the free trial account), keeps no logs that can comprise users’ privacy, and unblocks BBC iPlayer and US Netflix flawlessly. 

Features: 1-DAY FREE TRIAL | NO LIMITS | NO CARD REQUIRED | 45-DAY MBG
Platforms: WINDOWS | MACOS | IOS | ANDROID | LINUX (MANUAL CONFIG)

Hotspot Shield VPN is a service from the US that is well known for its excellent free plan. That free VPN provides a single server in the USA that many people use in times of crisis (during protests, political upheaval, etc). Those who enjoy the free plan – but require a bit more – can test the rest of its servers thanks to the 7-day free trial of the ‘Elite’ version. Those who upgrade to the paid service get access to servers in more than 73 countries around the world – with access to popular streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer.

I was really impressed with how Hotspot Shield performed on all of the platforms I tested it on. I used it on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. The apps were well-built and easy to use on desktop as well as on mobile, and the speeds I was getting were top-notch even using their free trial. I was able to stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney + in full HD with no buffering issues whatsoever ad premium features are available on their free trial. I would definitely recommend Hotspot Shield to anyone who loves to stream content and appreciates a solid overall VPN user experience.

I think Hotspot Shield is a good VPN that suits people who like to stream. For this reason, I recommend giving the free trial a go. It is also good for gaining privacy and security both at home and on public WiFi.

ZenMate is a VPN provider that has been around for many years. It is a great all-around VPN based in Germany. It has servers in over 74 countries worldwide, which means that it is good for unblocking content from across the globe. And the VPN has placed those servers in all the most useful places, so you’re getting good server coverage when you trial ZenMate.

The ZenMate free trial (available for desktop and mobile) lasts for 7 days, which I found to be fairly standard, though the VPN does offer a permanently free option if you fancy trialing it for longer! Whilst you will have to confirm your email to get your trial up and running, I particularly liked that it doesn’t ask for any credit card details.

This is really handy VPN service if you want to take some simple steps to improve your internet privacy and security, although the free version does have some limitations, though (download cap and server locations). Overall, I like ZenMate because it is a VPN that provides both privacy and reliability that can be thoroughly tested without splashing out.

Surfshark is a VPN provider that burst onto the scene a couple of years ago. The service is a fantastic all-rounder that is great for both privacy and unblocking content. Surfshark has servers in 63 countries, which is great for accessing blocked or censored content from around the world. And it is able to unblock multiple Netflix libraries (including Netflix US), BBC iPlayer, and many other popular streaming services.

What I found to be particularly amazing was that Surfshark gave the power to not only unblock US Netflix, but also an additional 25 different Netflix libraries from around the world on top as it gives free trial users access to all it’s premium features. If you want to optimize your Netflix viewing capabilities, then I would definitely recommend trying the Surfshark free trial, because not many others can offer that level of unblocking power.

This VPN has apps for all platforms, and it is very easy to use. It also has a zero-logs policy, which means that it can be trusted to keep your data private. Plus, it has strong encryption to ensure your data is secure both at home and on public WiFi. All users can test the service thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. And mobile users get a 7-day free trial.

HMA is a solid VPN provider that has servers in a whopping 190+ countries. That makes HMA particularly good for people in need of a VPN server in a rarer location (most VPNs have servers in about half as many counties). HMA has apps for all platforms, and it is very easy to use, which makes it great for VPN noobs as well. I also like that this VPN provides strong encryption and keeps no usage logs.

I found HMA’s free trial really useful because it’s not really restricted in any way – I got access to their full range of servers, which are spread across 210 or more countries. This is the most server locations I have ever seen from a VPN, so you won’t have any issues with finding a server in a specific country.

The free trial is great because you can make your decision based on your experience with the real thing, not a limited server pool that might be unreflective of the product. It gives you a real opportunity to understand how fast the service is.

When it comes to unblocking content, HMA will let you access many sought-after streaming services like Netflix US and BBC iPlayer, which puts HMA in the most elite circle of VPNs. To top it all off, HMA will let you test its service for free for 7 days, and also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Windscribe VPN is a Canadian provider that many people enjoy using for free. However, it is worth noting that the free subscription plan is rather limited in terms of download caps and server locations. The free plan also blocks Netflix US, so if this is a concern you will need to trial the full premium version.

Windscribe is quite well known for its free service, and the fact it doesn’t require a credit card meant I could test out all of the features without even putting any money upfront. That free service, however, is quite limited – you can only connect to 11 servers – so using their free trial proved to be a great opportunity to get to grips with its premium tools, and not something all VPNs let you do! 

On the free trial users can access Windscribes entire server network located in 63 different countries. I like this VPN because it is easy to use, has strong OpenVPN encryption, and provides great customer care. It also has a zero-logs policy (which makes up for it being based in a Five Eyes country).

AirVPN is an Italian provider with a strong privacy focus is often viewed as providing a techie VPN service for techies by techies. While there is some truth in this, I don’t actually think it is any more difficult to use than any other VPN service, and it does offer lots of bells and whistles not available elsewhere. 

This was particularly mind-blowing to us, seeing as most other free trials I tested somehow limit your service, but AirVPN does things a bit differently. Our speeds didn’t take a hit at all, I could connect to any of the free servers, and, perhaps best of all, I didn’t need to provide any payment information.

A three-day no-strings free trial is therefore a great opportunity to find out if AirVPN works for you. To get a free trial, you must request it via the website’s Contact Form. You may have to wait a few hours for an email confirmation (especially if posting outside Italian office hours), but once you have it, then you can access all features of the service during the trial period.

If you can’t be bothered to submit a request and/or are impatient to try out AirVPN, you can instead simply purchase an instant-access three-day trial for 2€ (approx. $2.25USD) using the website’s automated payment system.

AirVPN has been the winner of our annual Privacy Award for two years running due to its position as the clear market leader when it comes to privacy technology. This includes the use of very strong encryption, VPN obfuscation using SSH and SSL tunneling, and anonymous VPN use via VPN through Tor. AirVPN is also one of the very few providers to offer a fully-featured GUI Linux client.

Features: 3-DAY FREE TRIAL | NO CARD REQUIRED | NO LIMITS | ON REQUEST ONLY
Platforms: WINDOWS | MACOS | IOS | ANDROID | LINUX (FULL GUI CLIENT)

CactusVPN is a Moldovan VPN provider that offers a free 3-day trial. All you’ll need to do is sign up with a valid email address (a disposable one is fine) to get unlimited free access to the service for three days. It really doesn’t get much simpler than that. CactusVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you need more time to think about things. 

Right off the bat, I was glad to see that I wouldn’t have to divulge any of my credit card details to check out the CactusVPN free trial, and the absence of any speed and bandwidth limitations was another massive plus. What’s more, CactusVPN has apps available for just about any device in the home; PCs, mobiles, and TVs included.

CactusVPN uses strong OpenVPN encryption and performs the core functions of a VPN service with aplomb. This includes effective DNS and WebRTC leak protection, a kill-switch (Windows only), dedicated P2P servers, 24/7 live chat support, and decent speed performance.

I particularly like that a Smart DNS service is thrown in for free on all accounts, but are a little worried by some aspects of the privacy policy which appear to undermine CactusVPN’s no-logs claim. 

Features: 3-DAY FREE TRIAL | NO CARD REQUIRED | NO LIMITS | ON REQUEST
Platforms: WINDOWS | MACOS | IOS | ANDROID | UBUNTU (MANUAL CONFIG)