The Best Windows VPN in 2024 – Paid and Free Solutions

Based in Panama, a country outside the 14-eyes alliance and without data retention laws, NordVPN offers more privacy than most competitors. Additionally, it has a strict no-logs policy that passed an independent audit. To bolster the security of user data, NordVPN employs AES-256 encryption and RAM-only servers.

• Advanced Browsing Protection – NordVPN will prevent you from accessing websites known for scamming their visitors, conducting phishing attacks, or being malware-ridden.
• Security Features – The provider’s Windows VPN app offers a reliable kill switch and prevents DNS leaks, even if the VPN connection suddenly drops.

With nearly 6,300 servers across 111 countries, the provider offers a wide variety of content. However, NordVPN shines as a great streaming VPN. During my testing, it seamlessly unblocked Netflix libraries for the UK, Japan, Australia, and other services, including Hulu and HBO Max.

NordVPN’s Windows VPN app interface is sleek and modern, with different screens for VPN server selection, Threat protection settings, Meshnet functionality, and an overall overview. While the app is very simple to use, some users may find NordVPN’s map-based server selection unexpected. Regardless, you can use a search bar to find your desired location, too.

NordVPN offers exceptional speed thanks to its NordLynx protocol, which is based on WireGuard and works flawlessly on Windows. I streamed 4K shows buffer-free and noticed it retains as much as 930Mbps (on a baseline of 1GB) internet speed while browsing or streaming.

NordVPN has four pricing plans, with the cheapest entry-level plan starting at just $3.09/month. However, the basic plan offers VPN functionality and threat protection.

While that may be enough for most users, its Plus plan, priced at $3.99/month, offers the best value for money with its great password manager, ad blocker, anti-malware, and data breach scanner.

Each of its plans comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to try NordVPN risk-free today.

With its global coverage and numerous features designed to bolster your privacy and security, NordVPN is an ideal Windows VPN for privacy-conscious users.

Surfshark headquarters is in the Netherlands, which has no obligatory data retention laws, meaning the VPN won’t store any logs of your activities. Security-wise, Surfshark offers strong AES-256 encryption, WireGuard protocol, MultiHop to bolster security online, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection.

• Ad Blocker – Surfshark VPN includes a very effective ad blocker that blocks pop-up ads, banners, and video ads – essentially ensuring a smooth browsing experience.
• Alternative ID – Surfshark offers an alternative ID feature, enabling users to create an alternate email address, name, and even phone number to lower the risk of identity theft, spam, phishing, or scam emails.

Surfshark has 3,200 servers in 100+ countries, enabling you to access global content no matter where you are. I successfully unblocked numerous streaming platforms, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video.

As one of the fastest VPN services, Surfshark lets you stream multiple 4K videos in your household, making it ideal for families.

Surfshark’s VPN app for Windows is modern and intuitive. You can set it up to automatically connect you to a VPN server when you launch your PC or manually connect to the fastest server with a single click.

The provider offers some of the fastest connections on the market. During my testing, the provider kept a stable 950Mbps internet speed on a baseline of 1GB, so I didn’t notice any slowdowns, even when connecting to distant servers.

Like NordVPN, Surfshark offers generic VPN features with its entry-level plan, which costs $2.19/month. 

For $2.69/month, its Surfshark One plan offers much more, including real-time antivirus protection, a private search tool, and quarterly or yearly security reports, making it the best choice for Windows users.

Surfshark lacks a free trial for Windows, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee with all plans.

As one of the few providers that offer VPN for Windows for unlimited devices, Surfshark is the best choice for families, and its blazing-fast connection speed makes it a top choice for streaming.

ExpressVPN is headquartered in a privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands and has a strict, verified no-logs policy. Furthermore, ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology ensures no user data remains on its RAM-only servers, which minimizes the risk of a data breach.

• Network Lock Kill Switch – ExpressVPN’s kill switch goes beyond the feature’s traditional functionalities. It blocks all traffic with a “block everything” firewall rule on Windows computers. Then, it allows only traffic encrypted by its VPN servers to pass. That way, your real IP address and other information will not leak.
• Private DNS – With a private DNS, ExpressVPN ensures that nobody can track your online activities. Plus, you get the best response times.

With 3,000 servers across 105 countries, ExpressVPN doesn’t have the largest server network. However, it unblocked popular streaming platforms like Disney+ and Netflix in my tests, allowing me to stream buffer-free.

ExpressVPN has a minimalistic yet user-friendly interface dominated by a large “Quick Connect” button. Selecting a server and activating its features, such as the kill switch, is also very easy, making it ideal for beginners.

ExpressVPN offers some of the best VPN protocols, including its propriety Lightway protocol, which promises security and fast speeds. However, when connected to faraway servers, I noted a significant drop in baseline connection, leaving 750Mbps out of 1GB.

ExpressVPN offers a single plan with different subscription terms. The cheapest two-year term costs $6.67/month and includes everything from an ad blocker to a free password manager. It also protects up to eight devices simultaneously.

While there is no free trial for Windows devices, a 30-day money-back guarantee allows you to try it risk-free today.

ExpressVPN is ideal for users seeking top-notch security, especially travelers connecting to unsafe public networks on Windows devices. Additionally, its Windows 11 VPN app receives frequent updates to help you stay ahead of the latest online threats.

Based in Switzerland, a highly privacy-oriented country, Proton VPN is under no obligation to store or share your data. It has a strict no-logs policy and encrypts your internet traffic with AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption algorithms, meaning hackers, snoopers, and even your ISP won’t have access to your browsing history.

• Kill Switch – Unlike most free Windows VPN solutions, Proton VPN offers a kill switch to all its users. Enabling the kill switch will immediately halt your internet connection if the VPN protection suddenly drops, preventing data leaks.
• Stealth Protocol – Proton VPN’s proprietary protocol, Stealth, is available to its free users. Stealth replaces obfuscated servers, hiding your VPN usage from your ISP to prevent network throttling.

This free VPN for Windows offers more than 130 servers in five countries, including the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Romania, and the United States.

Although it can’t match the unblocking capabilities of premium services, Proton VPN’s Stealth protocol allows you to access foreign streaming platforms undetected. While I managed to unblock Japan’s Netflix library using the free plan, the experience wasn’t as smooth as with the premium solution while streaming in 4K.

Proton VPN’s Windows app is intuitive and modern. It allows users to easily connect to one of its free VPN servers. The app also has a map-based view of its servers, which I found easier to use than NordVPN’s.

Proton VPN doesn’t impose any data or speed limits for its free users, but you might experience slowdowns during peak hours when its small server network gets overcrowded.

Proton VPN is one of the few providers to offer a fully functional free VPN for Windows 10 and older OS versions, including 8.1 and 7. Its frequent updates, no data limits, and numerous free servers make it the best free Windows 10 VPN.

Like Proton VPN, PrivadoVPN operates under Swiss laws, meaning it won’t store or share any user data. Its Windows VPN app lets you choose between the IKEv2, WireGuard, and OpenVPN protocols, and there’s a kill switch available for free users.

• SmartRoute – PrivadoVPN is the best free VPN for Windows 11 or older versions if you value split tunneling above other features. With SmartRoute, you can choose which apps, IPs, and websites use the VPN, leaving the rest unencrypted and running at full speed.
• Application Kill Switch – In addition to its standard kill switch, which blocks all internet traffic if your VPN connection drops, PrivadoVPN has an app-specific variant of the feature. Adding one or more apps to the list will block only their activities when VPN protection is lost.

PrivadoVPN offers servers in 10 countries, including the US, Germany, India, and Argentina. In testing, it helped me access US Netflix with no issues, and the stability and speed of its connection were enough to let me stream in 4K buffer-free.

PrivadoVPN is easy to use, as its Windows app offers a minimalistic yet intuitive experience. There’s no quick connect button to help you with server selection, but you can sort its free server list to show the lowest latency options first.

PrivadoVPN’s free plan has a 10GB high-speed monthly data cap. Its performance is excellent while the data lasts, but there’s a significant speed loss once you run out of high-speed data.

PrivadoVPN’s free VPN for Windows is perfect for users looking to stream US Netflix at no cost. It’s also one of the few free VPNs to include a split tunneling feature, allowing you to manage how much data you spend.