The Best VPN Chrome Extensions

I really admire how many streaming services Windscribe’s VPN extension can unblock from just the 10 countries it covers.

Its free servers in Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Switzerland, the UK, and the US unblock popular content platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and Disney+.

I used Windscribe’s Chrome extension to seamlessly stream Adults on Hulu.

The one glaring omission was the American Netflix library, which I couldn’t get to work at all.

You should also know that Windscribe suffers from occasional internet speed slowdowns that result in annoying blurriness at times, especially during live streams.

Windscribe’s Chrome extension is packed with useful privacy and security features: auto-connect, kill switch, ad blocker, malware blocker, tracker blocker, cookie clearing, WebRTC blocker, HTML5 geo-spoofing, timezone spoofer, and the list goes on.

It’s incredible how many additional features Windscribe provides completely free, especially when compared to Proton VPN’s paid extension.

I stress-tested the Windscribe Chrome extension’s privacy features.

Without a doubt, it’s one of the most effective VPN ad blockers I’ve tested.

There’s also a setting that lets you configure the popular uBlock ad blocker to work alongside Windscribe in your browser. This is a really nice touch that I’d like other VPN extensions to replicate.

In true Windscribe fashion, all these features have somewhat cringy names that sound like they belong in a superhero movie: Ad Crusher, WebRTC Slayer, Smokewall, and Failover.

Unlike the paid VPNs on this list, Windscribe enforces a strict 10GB monthly data cap.

This may be fine for many people, but if you’ll be streaming or downloading throughout the month, then 10GB won’t be enough.

For instance, 10GB is roughly equivalent to four hours of HD streaming time.

Unlike my other picks, ExpressVPN provides an extension that controls the main VPN app from your browser.

The main advantage of this is that your entire device’s traffic is encrypted, not just your browsing activity. It also provides you with access to its full network of 13,360 servers in 113 countries.

ExpressVPN’s Chrome browser extension.

Like other Chrome extensions, it has built-in WebRTC and HTML5 blocking to better spoof your location in-browser.

ExpressVPN is outstanding at unblocking geo-restricted websites. I accessed 95% of the 120 streaming services I’ve tested it with, something not even NordVPN can match.

More specifically, I unblocked 18 Netflix regions, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and many more video platforms.

While testing ExpressVPN, I also concluded that it is the most suitable VPN for streaming on Chromecast devices.

I just as easily bypassed restrictions on office, public library, and school networks due to its advanced obfuscation technology that disguises your VPN traffic.

To use ExpressVPN’s extension, the cheapest deal right now is $2.99/mo over 28 months, which is slightly more expensive than Surfshark.

It’s certainly worth it if you can afford it, but it can still be a little too much for some people.

That said, there are two ways for you to use ExpressVPN for free for a defined period of time: taking advantage of its 3-day free trial or its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Annoyingly, to access ExpressVPN’s free trial you’ll have to first sign up for it either via the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, and then use your free account to add the extension to Chrome.

Or you can just subscribe to ExpressVPN and then cancel your subscription within 30 days to get a full no-questions-asked refund.

NordVPN’s browser extension includes a WebRTC blocker, ad blocker, geo-location spoofing, split tunneling, auto-connect, and a kill switch.

While that might sound confusing, NordVPN provides a helpful summary for each feature. Customer support is also available 24/7 via live chat.

I was impressed by how quickly NordVPN’s Chrome kill switch blocked my connection.

NordVPN’s Chrome extension is easy to use. When installed, there’s a quick connect button that automatically connects you to your nearest location.

To choose a server location, simply click on the drop-down menu next to the flag icons. Here you can choose from 137 countries — the same number as its main VPN app, including city-level servers in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and more.

NordVPN’s Chrome extension is actually a proxy, not a full VPN. That’s because it doesn’t require the main app to be running in the background, unlike ExpressVPN’s.

This does make it a lot quicker to use, but it also means that you can’t select connection protocols or encrypt all the internet traffic on your device.

That said, NordVPN’s Chrome extension is completely safe. It uses TLS AES-256 encryption and comes with a kill switch function to prevent sudden IP address leaks.

Overall, for just $3.49/mo over 27 months, NordVPN provides great value for money.

It doesn’t exactly match ExpressVPN’s ability to stream international libraries. But I’ve found NordVPN still extremely reliable for watching Netflix, not just in the US but in other popular locations like France, Germany, Japan, and Canada.

With a single click, NordVPN changed my Netflix catalog from the US to Japan.

In my hands-on testing, NordVPN always connected me to a server that worked with US Netflix on the first try.