7 BEST FREE VPN FOR FREELANCERS

Working online for freelancers comes with a lot of challenges, and one of them is the IP location. You will notice that most clients/companies want to work with workers who are within their location or in the US. Well, there’s no need to worry as you can mask your real location or IP address with a VPN.

What’s a VPN? A VPN or virtual private network is a safe tunnel between the internet and your device. VPN protects the user from online interference, snooping, and censorship.

A VPN (virtual private network) is the most effective and easiest way for users to protect their identities online and also helps them to have internet privacy. Once you connect your device to a secure VPN server, the internet traffic gets an encrypted tunnel that can’t be seen by governments, hackers, or your internet service provider.

Here are the 7 best free VPNs for freelancers

1. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is the best free VPN on the market currently as it has no monthly data limit. It also doesn’t have any data restrictions, which is rare for a free VPN.

It only has three serves globally, that’s Japan, US, and Netherlands. Not only that, but it supports Windows, and Mac users as well as Android and iPhone apps.

It has no P2P support and speed may drop when there’s traffic as the paid users are given a priority during peak times. If you want it for streaming, Proton makes it clear that you need to upgrade to their Plus tier.

There are no ads here, and you can sign up with your email address and username of your choice, and they also don’t have any logging policy which makes it a great choice.

2. Windscribe

Windscribe is an easy application to use, and it has an exceptional privacy feature. It’s supported on Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, and Linux. It has a free plan with 2 GB bandwidth monthly, but this can be upgraded to 10 GB data cap if you subscribe with your email address.

The free version has 11 locations to choose from. Their remote server locations include Hong Kong, the UK, Germany, Turkey, Canada, and eight US VPN cities. It has a desktop version and also a Chrome extension which allows you to connect to different servers while on the move.

One advantage of using Windscribe free VPN is that it doesn’t store your IP stamps, connection logs, or even your browsing history. Note that, when you’re actively connected to the server, it stores your username and the data transferred, but this is later erased after three minutes of ending the session. It also has a built-in ad blocker, firewall, and malware protection which makes it a great choice in protecting your privacy.

Supported on: Windows, Android, Mac, Linux, and iOS.

3. Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield has a free version that is limited to 500 MB of daily data, that’s 15 GB monthly. If your sole aim is online privacy, then HotSpot Shield is the best option because it’s on the same wavelength as military-grade encryption, which most VPNs brag about.

It had a Chrome extension and also a 7-day trial for the premium version. Hotspot Shield has an encrypted connection which doesn’t log any of your data, which shields your online identity and protects you from cyber predators and hackers.

With the free version, you can only use one US-based location that Hotspot Shield chooses for you, and you will have to endure unending pop-up ads when on Android. But if you subscribe to their monthly plan of $2.50 you can get access to their 70 plus odd countries. It also supports 5 devices with one account, from TVs, phones, and laptops.

Supported on: Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS. 

4. TunnelBear

TunnelBear is a great and serious free VPN that comes with a cute design after its acquisition by the security giant McAfee. TunnelBear has both free and premium versions.

With the free plan, you’re restricted to 500 MB of traffic monthly. The only good thing about their free version is that they don’t limit you on the available servers, and you can access 20+ countries of their premium version.

Tunnel Bear also collects less data on its users, and they don’t require your first name to sign up, and also they don’t keep a record of the user’s number of connections in a lifetime.

Supported on: Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS.

5. PrivadoVPN

PrivadoVPN Free VPN has global servers with a generous 10 GB monthly data limit, which is more than enough for any freelancer. They have servers in the UK, US, Mexico, Canada, France, Germany, France, its native Switzerland, and Netherlands which is a rare coverage for a free VPN.

PrivadoVPN Free doesn’t restrict you automatically from streaming like most free VPNs.

Supported on: Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS.

6. Hide.me

Hide.me has both free and paid versions, the latter giving you 10 GB monthly data limit to play with. But note that you can only connect one device at a given time, which is limited to five server locations, including Canada and the US, rather than the 50 plus locations for the paid version.

Hide.me doesn’t cap the connection speed, and neither does it store the user’s data and logging details. They don’t have pop-up ads, and they also offer P2P support on their five free available servers. It also comes with 24/7 technical support, which is a plus for a free VPN. This is a superb free VPN that doesn’t come with a lot of restrictions.

Supported on: Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS.

7. Speedify

Speedify has one aim as a free VPN, as the name suggests, is to ensure that your internet connection speed stays uninterrupted as you benefit from their encryption.

The free plan has full access to their servers and the only restriction is that you’re limited to 2 GB of download data. This is not a huge allowance compared to other free VPNs, but it’s more than enough for someone with email duties and basic surfing.

Speedify also has three packages i.e. individuals, teams, and families that are available for 30 days risk-free. It works with all apps – from video conferencing, live-streaming software, online games, and social networks. It has a solid privacy and also low-level control to the users.

Supported on: Windows, Android, Mac, Linux, and iOS.

Conclusion

A free VPN serves the same function as the fully paid versions, only that they come at no cost. There are very many free VPNs and most of them aren’t very good to use as they may sell your private data or even keep on bombarding you with a lot of ads.

While the main concern of free VPNs is that they’re not safe as the paid versions, they still serve the purpose but with some restrictions. So, if you’re a freelancer who needs to mask their location, just grab a free VPN of your choice, and you can work from any location.

In case you have more options, kindly share them in the comments section.