Best free VPN for India

Finding a safe free VPN for India is a difficult task as the vast majority harvest data, suffer from leaks, and even hide spyware in their apps. We reveal the best free VPNs for India that offer privacy protection, even without payment.

Unfortunately, we could not find any reliable free VPNs that have servers in India, so you will need to pay for a subscription if you specifically require an IP address in India. However, the free VPNs we recommended still let you encrypt your data to hide your browsing from local networks or ISPs in India free of charge, which is extremely useful!

Internet users in India have to contend with semi-regular internet shutdowns, widespread surveillance, and pervasive online censorship. To make matters worse, the rules around what is banned are often arbitrary. For instance, adult websites are blocked seemingly for moral reasons, whereas apps like TikTok and PUBG Mobile are unavailable simply because they were developed in China (the two countries have long clashed over a disputed border, and tensions have flared again recently).

The solution is simple: just use a VPN to keep your activities private and access the wider web safely. However, finding a secure, free service with high enough speeds and bandwidth limits to use regularly is much more difficult than it sounds. That said, we’ve identified four free VPNs that work well in India; you’ll find a brief overview of these below:

Best free VPNs for India:

1. Hotspot Shield: Known for its fast, reliable speeds and impressive unblocking ability. Impressive security features and servers in 80+ countries. Offers a seven-day free trial.
2. ProtonVPN: A versatile, security-conscious VPN with absolutely no bandwidth limits. Ranks highly in terms of speed and works with all kinds of geo-blocked platforms.
3. Windscribe: Has 11 free-to-access locations and a reasonable 10GB per month data cap. Fast enough for HD live streaming. Includes a ton of security tools and customization options.
4. Hide.me: This high-speed provider allows torrenting, even on free servers. Unblocks a good number of streaming platforms and offers a solid security toolkit.

When selecting the best free VPNs for India we carefully check each service based on a range of criteria. Below is an outline of how we selected the VPNs on this list and you can find out more about our testing methodology below.

• Must allow you to use the service completely for free
• Provides high speeds
• Keeps your data safe
• Does not log any data that could identify you personally
• Includes a wide variety of apps

See also: Best VPNs (paid)

Best free VPN for India

Below, we provide a more detailed look at the best free VPN services for India:

1. Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield is our second pick for anyone traveling in India. It boasts an average speed of 63 Mbps, which is more than enough for streaming. There are a couple of limits, though: free users are limited to 500MB of data per day and can only access a single US server. That said, these do allow you to torrent and can reliably unblock platforms like Netflix US and Hulu.

This VPN protects you from prying eyes using 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and protection against IPv6 and DNS leaks. It also has its own Hydra protocol, which it claims is harder to block than IKEv2 and WireGuard. Recent versions of the app also allow you to connect to the VPN automatically any time you use an unsecured wireless network. Hotspot Shield refuses to store any personally identifiable info, meaning it can’t be used to link your activities to you.

Hotspot Shield offers Linux, Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS apps. It can also be manually configured for select home routers. Tempted by the paid plan? If so, you can take advantage of its seven-day free trial and, once that’s over, the risk-free 45-day money-back guarantee.

BEST FREE VPN FOR INDIA:Hotspot Shield is a speedy service with a reasonable daily bandwidth limit and cutting-edge security features. No issues unblocking popular US platforms in India. Try it risk-free thanks to its 45-day money-back guarantee.

Interested? Check out our complete Hotspot Shield review.

2. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN stands out from the crowd by being one of the only reputable free VPNs that doesn’t limit your bandwidth in any way. Better still, it’s fast enough for uninterrupted streaming, with an average speed of 66 Mbps, and has free servers in three countries: the US, Japan, and the Netherlands. Users can even access stubborn services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Sling TV.

This service has plenty of security features, including DNS and IPv6 leak protection, 256-bit encryption, and a kill switch that immediately stops sending data when you lose your connection to the VPN. Additionally, there’s an option called Secure Core that sends your traffic through multiple servers for even greater privacy. The apps recently received a smart connection feature too, which picks the best protocol for your needs. ProtonVPN doesn’t keep any logs that could identify you.

ProtonVPN has apps for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, and Linux. Also, you can follow manual setup instructions to install it on select routers, thereby protecting your whole network.

NO DATA LIMIT:ProtonVPN can bypass particularly strict geo-blocking and doesn’t have any bandwidth limits, making it a fantastic option for India. Boasts a wide range of security and privacy tools, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read the full ProtonVPN review.

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3. Windscribe

Windscribe users have 11 locations to choose from, which is extremely generous for a free plan. Just bear in mind that (as is the case with our other recommendations) this does not include a server in India so you will need to pay for a VPN if you specifically require an IP address in India.

Initially, you’re limited to 2GB of data per month, but this increases to 10GB once you verify your email address. Until recently, only the Windflix servers were able to access major streaming platforms. This is no longer the case, which means that free users shouldn’t have any issues accessing services like Netflix US, All 4, and ITV Hub abroad.

This VPN hides your activities from snoopers using 256-bit encryption and a no-logging policy. There’s also a firewall that blocks all connectivity outside of the VPN tunnel, aiming to provide more security than the kill switch/leak protection combo used by many of its rivals. Windscribe even has a unique proxy gateway feature that lets you share your VPN connection with devices that don’t normally support these, such as games consoles.

Windscribe apps are available for Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS, and Linux devices. Users can also install it on select routers, but they’ll have to do so manually.

LOTS OF LOCATIONS:Windscribe has more than twice as many free locations as any other VPN in this list. Also provides stable speeds, powerful security features, and the ability to access various geo-blocked platforms abroad. If you sign up for the paid plan, it’s possible to claim a full refund at any point in the first three days, provided that you’ve used less than 10GB of data.

Take a look at our in-depth review of Windscribe.

4. Hide.me

Hide.me is one of the few free VPNs that allow you to torrent. In fact, it recently increased its monthly bandwidth limit from 2GB to 10GB, meaning you can do so more often. It’s great for streaming too, even if you only have access to the free servers. There are four locations to choose from (the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany). The speeds are decent too, and we were able to watch popular channels like NBC and ZDF live without any issues.

If privacy is your top priority, Hide.me has you covered. To begin with, there’s 256-bit encryption, a kill switch, and protection against DNS leaks. However, users can also choose to let certain apps bypass the VPN entirely (for instance, to ensure the highest possible speeds in cases where you’re not concerned about privacy). This VPN has been independently audited to prove that it doesn’t keep any identifiable information.

The only real downside is that while Wireguard is supported, only paid users can choose it.

Hide.me users can install apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and MacOS. It’s also possible to manually install this service on supported wireless routers if you’d prefer.

GREAT FOR TORRENTING:Hide.me has no issues with torrenting, and it’s more than fast enough. Better still, it’s proven to keep no logs, meaning you can stream, browse the web, and use P2P networks safely. The paid plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Why not read through our full Hide.me review?

How to protect your online privacy using a free VPN in India

The good news is that, despite all the time, money, and effort that the Indian government has put into monitoring internet users and blocking specific websites, its surveillance and censorship are laughably easy to workaround.

Here’s how to set up a free VPN in India:

1. Choose one of the free VPNs mentioned above.
2. Download the app and install it onto whichever device you use the most
3. Log in and connect to one of the free server locations. Note that to unblock geo-restricted content, you’ll have to use a server in the appropriate country (only US servers will unblock NBC, for instance, whereas you’ll need a British server to use Hotstar UK)
4. Your real IP address and location are now hidden, allowing you to browse without fear of who might be watching. If you still can’t access region-locked services, try clearing your cookies and cache before reloading the page. Failing this, contact your VPN provider for advice.

Methodology: How we found the best free VPNs for India

Very few free VPNs have the speeds, high bandwidth caps, and security features needed for regular usage. As you might expect, it’s even more difficult to find one capable of beating digital censorship and protecting your anonymity in places like India. Our team tested dozens of services and decided to only recommend those with all of the following characteristics:

• Must be truly free: Our top VPNs have to be free to use, forever. There’s no place in this list for services that force you to pay after a certain amount of time.
• Reliably bypasses censorship: India’s government restricts access to a huge range of websites. The best free VPNs for India must be able to fly under the radar so that you can remain in contact with friends, access unbiased information, and prevent the government from monitoring your activities. 
• Strong focus on anonymity: India has an extraordinarily low Press Freedom Index, so being able to communicate anonymously is crucial. That’s why our top recommendations must have uncrackable encryption, a kill switch, leak prevention, a no-logs policy, and ideally, more advanced tools like stealth modes or automatic wifi protection.
• High speeds: Slow speeds can cause your VPN to disconnect, leaving your activities visible to whoever owns the network you’re using. We perform regular VPN speed testing to make sure that we only recommend services that can handle day-to-day browsing.
• Large network: The more servers there are, the higher the chance that there’ll be one nearby. We also looked for virtual Indian servers, as these allow you to get an Indian IP address abroad while removing any chance of government interference. 
• User-friendly apps: Everyone deserves privacy. As such, we strongly prefer VPNs that offer beginner-friendly apps for all major platforms. We’re big fans of anything that lowers the barrier to entry, whether it’s 24/7 support, well-described settings, or even a total lack of connection limits.

This is just one small part of our process. We have a detailed breakdown of how we test VPNs if you’d like to learn more.

Free VPNs in India: FAQs