There is a specific “Free VPN ™” app on the Play Store with 97 million installs, built by Hotspot VPN & Proxy Master and shipped under con.hotspot.vpn.free.master. It works the way most free VPNs work in 2026: one-tap connect, a short server list, and an ad every time you touch the button. The privacy claims are OpenVPN encryption and a stated no-log policy, but neither is independently audited. If you are here for Free VPN alternatives that keep the “no cost” part while fixing the ads, the tiny server pool, or the missing audit, these seven are the ones we keep coming back to on Android.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Audit | Ad-free free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN | Unlimited free traffic | Yes, unlimited data | Yes | Yes |
| Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 + WARP | Zero-signup free proxy | Yes | Cloudflare tunnel | Yes |
| Windscribe | Generous monthly cap | 10 GB/mo | Yes | Yes |
| Psiphon Pro | Censorship circumvention | Yes | Publicly documented | Ads on free |
| Mullvad VPN | Paid privacy trade-up | No | Yes | Paid only |
| TunnelBear | Beginner-friendly free | 2 GB/mo | Yes | Yes |
| Turbo VPN | Familiar one-tap free | Yes | No public audit | Ads on free |
Why people leave Free VPN ™
- Ads on connect and disconnect. The free flow is interrupted by full-screen interstitials at exactly the moment you want the tunnel up. Proton VPN, Cloudflare WARP, Windscribe, and TunnelBear all run ad-free on their free tiers.
- A small server list on the free plan. Six countries covers most reader needs, but the pool is shared with millions of free users. Peak-hour speeds in Europe drop noticeably, and the app cannot tell you which node is least loaded.
- The no-log claim is unaudited. Proton VPN, Mullvad, and TunnelBear have all published independent audits of their no-log claims. Free VPN ™ has not.
- Opaque ownership. The parent “Hotspot VPN & Proxy Master” brand and the supershell.me site do not disclose company address, staff, or jurisdiction the way audited competitors do. That matters if privacy is the reason you installed a VPN at all.
- Bundled ad permissions. The app requests notification, biometric, and ad-service permissions on install. None are strictly required to run an OpenVPN tunnel.
The alternatives
Proton VPN, best free tier for unlimited traffic
Proton VPN is the only well-known VPN whose free plan carries no daily or monthly data cap. Free accounts get servers in three countries; the paid plan opens 100+ countries, Secure Core multi-hop, and the NetShield ad and tracker filter. The Swiss operator publishes annual no-log audits and ships its Android client as open source, so the privacy claims are checkable rather than promotional.
Where it falls short: the free tier’s three-country pool cannot unblock geo-locked streaming in specific regions. A paid plan lifts that limit for a few dollars a month on the longer terms.
Proton VPN vs Free VPN ™: audited no-log, open-source client, no ads on the free tier, and unlimited free bandwidth. Loses on raw country count in the free tier and wins on every privacy metric.
Bottom line: pick Proton VPN if a monthly data cap is the thing that bothers you most about free VPNs.
Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 + WARP, best zero-signup free option
WARP routes your phone’s traffic through the Cloudflare edge for free with no account, no monthly cap, and no ads. The 1.1.1.1 app also carries Family DNS profiles for adult-content or malware blocking, and a paid WARP+ tier for the Argo speed boost.
Where it falls short: WARP is a proxy, not a country-picker VPN. There is no way to appear as if you are in Germany or Japan, which rules out streaming geo-unblocking as a use case.
WARP vs Free VPN ™: no signup, no ads, audited tunnel, and better routing on flaky mobile networks. Trades the country-picker for radical simplicity.
Bottom line: pick WARP if you want privacy and cleaner routing without picking a country.
Windscribe, best generous free plan with real settings
Windscribe’s free tier gives you 10 GB per month and access to servers in 11 countries once you verify an email address, or 2 GB without. The Android client exposes split tunnelling, custom DNS, WireGuard and IKEv2 protocols, plus the R.O.B.E.R.T. ad and malware blocker. The company is Canadian, publishes a transparency report, and ran a public audit of its no-log claim.
Where it falls short: 10 GB per month goes fast if you stream. Heavy users push to the ScribeForce team plan or the unlimited monthly tier.
Windscribe vs Free VPN ™: audited no-log, ad-free free tier, and settings that let you actually tune the connection. The monthly cap is the trade-off.
Bottom line: pick Windscribe if you want the setting depth of a paid VPN on a free plan.
Psiphon Pro, best for reaching blocked sites
Psiphon Pro is a free proxy tool built for users behind national firewalls and captive-portal blocks. It rotates through obfuscated transports (SSH, OSSH, and a Meek-style tunnel) to stay reachable when plain OpenVPN connections get filtered. The project is documented publicly and has been in continuous use in censored regions for over a decade.
Where it falls short: the free tier shows ads, and the “speed boost” is behind the paid subscription. It is a circumvention tool first and a general-purpose VPN second, so latency to nearby exit servers is not competitive.
Psiphon vs Free VPN ™: proven track record inside restricted networks, transparent protocol stack, and no data cap. Ads and paid speed are the trade.
Bottom line: pick Psiphon Pro if the network you are on actively blocks other VPNs.
Mullvad VPN, best paid trade-up on privacy
Mullvad sells one thing: a flat €5 per month subscription paid against an anonymous numeric account. No email, no name, cash by post if you want to skip cards entirely. The Android client is open source, the no-log claim has been independently audited, and the company has a public record of refusing data requests because it has nothing to hand over.
Where it falls short: no free tier. If price is the only reason you use a free VPN, this is not the trade-up.
Mullvad vs Free VPN ™: anonymous accounts, audited no-log, and transparent ownership. The €5 flat rate replaces the ad interstitials with a bill.
Bottom line: pick Mullvad if you want the strongest privacy story and would rather pay a fixed price than see ads.
TunnelBear, best free plan for beginners
TunnelBear is the friendliest onboarding in the VPN category. The app labels servers by country flag, avoids jargon, and works out of the box for people who have never used a VPN before. Free accounts get 2 GB per month across 47 countries, and the company runs a public annual audit on both the apps and the server infrastructure.
Where it falls short: 2 GB is a low cap. Heavy users move to the unlimited paid plan quickly.
TunnelBear vs Free VPN ™: audited stack, ad-free free tier, and the softest learning curve of any option here. The cap is the trade.
Bottom line: pick TunnelBear if you are installing your first-ever VPN and want it to feel simple.
Turbo VPN, best familiar one-tap replacement
Turbo VPN is the closest like-for-like swap to Free VPN ™: a free one-tap connect model, a similarly sized server list, and a small paid tier that removes the ads. The Android app has a wide install base and is straightforward to use for people who just want a working tunnel with no configuration.
Where it falls short: the free tier still shows ads, and the no-log policy is not independently audited. Turbo VPN sits in the same reference class as Free VPN ™ rather than being a full privacy trade-up.
Turbo VPN vs Free VPN ™: a familiar free-VPN experience, useful when you want to swap without changing habits. The privacy story is similar rather than better.
Bottom line: pick Turbo VPN if you want the same one-tap free experience without switching how you use a VPN.
How to choose
Pick Proton VPN if the data cap on other free plans is the thing that has been bothering you. It is the only serious VPN whose free tier does not throttle you by gigabyte.
Pick Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 + WARP if you want a free privacy layer with zero signup and do not care about picking an exit country. It is the cleanest install-and-forget option in this list.
Pick Windscribe if you want a free tier that still exposes real settings, split tunnelling, and an ad blocker. Fair for 10 GB per month.
Pick Mullvad or another audited paid VPN if the reason you use a VPN is privacy rather than cost. Free tiers exist for good reasons, but the strongest privacy is the one you pay a fixed price for.
Stay on Free VPN ™ only if the specific server list happens to include a country you need, and the ads on every connect do not bother you enough to switch.
FAQ
Is Proton VPN really unlimited for free?
Yes. Free accounts have no daily or monthly data cap and no bandwidth throttle. The trade-off is a three-country server pool on the free tier and no access to Secure Core or NetShield.
Can I import my settings from Free VPN ™ to any of these?
No. VPN clients do not export or import configuration between vendors. Each app on this list is a fresh install with a fresh connect flow.
What is the cheapest paid VPN in this list?
Mullvad at €5 per month is the flat rate. Proton VPN and Windscribe run their long-term paid tiers around the same monthly price point on the two-year plans, and Cloudflare’s WARP+ is a few dollars per month.
Is there a free VPN with no ads?
Yes. Proton VPN, Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 + WARP, Windscribe, and TunnelBear all run ad-free on their free tiers. The paid tiers of the audited providers stay ad-free by default.
What do people use instead of Free VPN ™?
Reader traffic on this article points hardest at Proton VPN for the unlimited free tier, WARP for the zero-signup option, and Mullvad for the privacy-first paid trade-up. Windscribe is the common pick when readers want a free plan with real controls.
Is a free VPN safe to use?
The audited free VPNs on this list, Proton VPN, Windscribe, TunnelBear, and Cloudflare WARP, publish enough about their infrastructure and privacy policy that the answer is yes for typical browsing and streaming. Unaudited free VPNs sit in a different reference class and are worth avoiding for anything sensitive.
