Callum Tennent oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his VPN advice has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society.
Free VPN by FreeVPN.org is one of the worst VPN services we've reviewed. It has a vague privacy policy, poor customer support, and shows too many ads. It does have unlimited data, but there are much safer free VPNs available.
Ranked #52 out of 56 VPNs
Free VPN by FreeVPN.org Category Ratings
2.42.4/10
22.0/10
1.91.9/10
3.23.2/10
4.54.5/10
5.55.5/10
1.51.5/10
2.52.5/10
0.50.5/10
Free VPN by FreeVPN.org Pros & Cons
Works with BBC iPlayer
Adverts aren't overbearing
No hard data cap or speed throttling
Unconvincing privacy policy
Poor customer service
No transparency
Poor performance
Third party adverts
Flawed server list
Why Trust Our Review?
We’ve spent thousands of hours testing and reviewing 56 VPN services using our impartial review process to recommend you the best VPN software.
Here are some of our key VPN testing statistics:
Total Hours of Testing
30,000+
Weekly Speed Tests
3,000+
VPN Services Reviewed
56
Streaming Platforms Tested Daily
12
IP & DNS Leak Tests Performed
9,500+
How Much We've Spent On Testing
$25,000+
The Google Play Store and iOS App Store are littered with bizarre, generic, free VPNs.
“Free VPN by FreeVPN.org” may just take the cake on this front, but does it have more going for it than just the domain name?
This is not the first time we’ve reviewed FreeVPN.org. It’s been around for a while now – since at least 2015 under its current ownership – and we were hopeful it would have used the past few years to improve its free VPN service.
Every time we look at a VPN we start from scratch to give it a fair and objective assessment, and FreeVPN.org is no exception.
In short, FreeVPN by FreeVPN.org is an awful VPN and you should not use it.
If you can’t afford to pay for a premium VPN subscription, see our list of the best free VPNs instead.
EXPERT ADVICE: FreeVPN.org is slow and unsafe. Instead, why not try a secure, unrestricted and cheap VPN like Surfshark?
In our Surfshark review, we verified the VPN is fast, safe and it unblocks many streaming services. Try Surfshark for free by taking advantage of its 100% refund policy.
We dissect the logging and privacy policies of every VPN. A VPN should never log:
Your real IP address
Connection timestamps
DNS requests
A base of operations outside of 14-Eyes or EU jurisdiction is preferable.
FreeVPN.org claim not to log anything, but there's nothing to back up its vague policy and we've found elements of it to be categorically untrue. This is not a trustworthy VPN provider.
Ranked #49 out of 56 VPNs for Privacy & Logging Policy
The FreeVPN.org website comes nowhere near the kind of transparency you need in a trustworthy VPN service.
There is no about or team page and the social media buttons don’t go anywhere.
We wanted to find out who is really behind FreeVPN.org.
It certainly isn’t the group of happy young people displayed on the website – they are easily identifiable as the stars of a royalty-free stock photo titled: “Group of happiness students with raised hands.”
There is an address on the website: 1070 Gray Fox Circle, Pleasanton, California 94566. This just points to a detached house in a Californian suburb, though.
A reverse search for the domain provides more information. FreeVPN.org is hosted on the same server as just 11 other sites, including dashvpn.io and open-vpn.org.
Some of the domains hosted on this server, like freedomvpn.org, redirect to the FreeVPN.org site.
Several of these pages, including DashVPN, point to the same Pleasanton address, too. It is safe to say that they belong to the same individual or organization.
Left to right: Matt Snyder (President), Tim Bush (CFO) & Pankaj Kulkarni (CTO)
After some investigation, it’s apparent all these companies exist beneath ActMobile Networks Inc., fronted by president Matt Snyder, CFO Tim Bush, and CTO Pankaj Kulkarni.
Matt Snyder’s LinkedIn account describes ActMobile as producing “consumer-facing apps… under the FreeVPN.org umbrella”:
ActMobile is unambiguously the parent company of FreeVPN.org.
The company is incorporated in the United States, which is a privacy red flag. Revelations in recent years show the US as one of the most privacy hostile countries in the world.
If you can trust your VPN service not to keep logs, jurisdiction isn’t necessarily a big deal. As we have just seen, though, FreeVPN.org isn’t very transparent.
Dubious Security Standards
We also have some doubts about how seriously it takes data security.
Currently, the URL Freevpn.org doesn’t redirect to HTTPS by default, leaving users without HTTPS Everywhere to the HTTP version of the site.
This is insecure, dangerous, and frankly not something we expect to see from a VPN service in 2023.
The question is raised: if its website isn’t secure, how can you trust FreeVPN.org’s VPN with your data?
Logging Policy
Back in 2016, FreeVPN.org had a comprehensive and well written (if invasive) privacy policy.
In big letters at the top of the page there is a question and answer:
“What Information Do We Collect?
“None.”
The mobile app also includes an information tab with an encouraging statement:
On their face, these changes all seem positive. Not keeping data is surely good, isn’t it?
But it isn’t that simple. Lots of VPN providers will claim not to log – but investigation often reveals they have a very loose definition of what logs actually are.
A privacy policy can promise lots, but you need to be able to trust it, otherwise it is meaningless.
We hoped that this privacy policy rewrite meant that FreeVPN.org was making its service more secure and trustworthy.
Instead, FreeVPN.org is only getting less transparent – it seems to care more about making money than being honest about user privacy.
For instance, the privacy policy states:
It does not use cookies
It does not collect or share any information about its users
It has advertising partners but doesn’t share any information with them
On the website FreeVPN.org give instructions for deleting your personal data – but we found no way to do so in the app.
The suggestion of the existence of a personal profile is worrying on its own – as it suggests that FreeVPN.org is logging something about its users.
November 2021 Data Leak
On November 1st 2021, a database containing 300 million records of VPN user data was posted to an online hacker forum. It is claimed this database belongs to ActMobile, the parent company of FreeVPN.org.
As we discussed above, FreeVPN.org claims to retain no user data. But the leaked database contains every user’s full name, IP address, and password. This appears to confirm our skepticism about the VPN’s vague logging policy.
In response, ActMobile has stated that the accusation is false, as they “do not maintain databases”.
Despite its denial, the evidence strongly suggests that the leaked database belongs to ActMobile. Thus proving FreeVPN.org logs personally-identifiable user data, despite its claims to the contrary.
We strongly recommend avoiding FreeVPN by FreeVPN.org under all circumstances.
Speed
Slow and unreliable connection speeds
3.23.2/10
How is this calculated?
Speed ratings are calculated using upload speeds, download speeds, and ping (latency).
We test average speeds regularly using a dedicated 100Mbps connection in London, UK. Local download speed is considered the most important factor.
FreeVPN.org's server netowrk is clearly poorly built or totally overwhelmed with traffic. It's speeds are cosistently slow, both over short and long distance connections.
Ranked #48 out of 56 VPNs for Speed
We don’t expect the best speeds from free VPNs – within reason. A VPN still needs to hit some basic levels of performance in order to function properly.
While FreeVPN.org certainly isn’t the slowest VPN we’ve ever reviewed, it consistently underperforms.
Local Speed Test results before using Free VPN by FreeVPN.org:
Download Speed: 77.9Mbps
Upload Speed: 87.7Mbps
Ping: 5ms
Local Speed Test results with Free VPN by FreeVPN.org:
Download Speed: 25.5Mbps
Upload Speed: 23.4Mbps
Ping: 16ms
Download speed loss when Free VPN by FreeVPN.org is running: 67%
FreeVPN.org’s latency was poor across the board. On a London to London short-distance connection, we recorded a ping of 16ms. Our worst connection was to Hong Kong, which reached 240ms.
Again, we’ve seen higher pings than this, but it pretty much eliminates the option of playing online mobile games while connected.
The speeds achieved by FreeVPN.org scale pretty directly with distance, so we don’t think they are being throttled, just that they are not set up to effectively serve the volume of traffic passing through them.
These are the speeds we saw world-wide:
USA: 4.5Mbps (download) & 13.2Mbps (upload)
Germany: 29Mbps (download) & 30.9Mbps (upload)
Hong Kong: 6.6Mbps (download) & 11.9Mbps (upload)
Nearby connections aren’t great but global ones slow down to a crawl. Even if we thought FreeVPN.org were a trustworthy organization, speeds like these would make its service difficult to recommend.
It’s safe to say there are much faster free VPNs than FreeVPN.org available. For instance, in our TunnelBear speed tests, the free VPN recorded a speed loss of less than 8%.
Security & Technical Features
Weak security
1.51.5/10
How is this calculated?
Top-rated VPNs offer OpenVPN or WireGuard protocols, AES-256 encryption, and a functional kill switch. We also consider additional security features and the global spread of VPN servers.
FreeVPN.org uses an outdated version of TLS SSL encryption for it's VPN, which isn't up to industry standards. It also doesn't include vital security features like a kill switch.
Ranked #51 out of 56 VPNs for Security & Technical Features
Protocols
Available in Free VPN by FreeVPN.org
IKEv2/IPSec
No
OpenVPN (TCP/UDP)
No
SSL VPN
Yes
WireGuard
No
Encryption
Available in Free VPN by FreeVPN.org
AES-128
No
AES-192
No
AES-256
No
Blowfish
No
ChaCha20
No
Undisclosed
Yes
Security
Available in Free VPN by FreeVPN.org
DNS Leak Blocking
No
First-party DNS
No
IPv6 Leak Blocking
No
Supports TCP Port 443
No
VPN Kill Switch
No
WebRTC Leak Blocking
No
Advanced Features
Available in Free VPN by FreeVPN.org
Ad Blocker
No
Dedicated IP
No
Double VPN
No
Smart DNS
No
Static IP
No
SOCKS
No
Split Tunneling
No
Tor over VPN Server
No
Tracker Blocker
No
The app features no advanced security features, not even a kill switch. These kinds of tools are vital to keeping your data safe from governments and hackers, but completely absent from FreeVPN.org’s VPN service.
We’d like to talk a little about about the VPN protocol and encryption being used – but neither the website or the app disclose anything about these, though.
There also aren’t any settings which allow you to change protocol.
Since FreeVPN.org doesn’t monitor its email we weren’t able to find anything out from the company directly, either.
Our research has found that FreeVPN.org uses TLS (Transport Layer Security) 1.2, the second most up-to-date version of the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) VPN protocol.
This is the same protocol as Microsoft uses for its corporate networking, and can be considered generally secure.
That said, it is not the most recent version of the protocol, or the most secure. TLS 1.3 has performance improvements over 1.2, while also reducing the risk of successful attacks.
The app only allows you access to the VPN for fixed amounts of time, and this results in a significant security flaw. Once your time has run out the VPN connection simply cuts out without warning, completely exposing your data.
As we have already mentioned, when we visited FreeVPN.org it didn’t automatically redirect us to the HTTPS version of the site. This is insecure and exposes any visitors to potential Man-in-the-Middle attacks.
A crossed out padlock represents an unsecure connection in Firefox, in Chrome the padlock would be open
(If you do visit the site, make sure there is a padlock in the URL bar to show you have a HTTPS connection. If the padlock is open or crossed out, make sure to add https:// before the URL to connect to the secure version of the site).
This security flaw applies only to the website, not to the VPN itself, but it doesn’t give us any faith that FreeVPN.org is up to the task of securing a global network of VPN traffic.
With all that said: we found no DNS or IP leaks, which is a positive sign.
Some more transparency around this would do a lot to boost our faith in this VPN provider.
Streaming
Sometimes works with BBC iPlayer but not US Netflix
2.42.4/10
How is this calculated?
Streaming is rated by the number of different services unlocked, how many regional libraries are viewable, and how consistently the VPN can access them.
Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and more are all tested on a weekly basis.
FreeVPN won't unlock paid streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+. We have found it works consistently with BBC iPlayer, although slow speeds make HD streaming impossible.
Ranked #38 out of 56 VPNs for Streaming
FreeVPN.org can’t unblock US Netflix, or any other region for that matter. But, this is very common among free VPNs, with only two free VPNs that stream US Netflix, currently.
Surprisingly, FreeVPN.org can unblock BBC iPlayer, though. But, the very slow speeds make the streaming experience almost unbearable.
In short, FreeVPN.org is not a streaming VPN we can recommend. Conversely, our tests found that Windscribe can unblock both Netflix in a number of locations including Turkey, France, and Germany, as well as BBC iPlayer on its free servers.
Torrenting
Very slow and not secure enough for torrenting
22.0/10
How is this calculated?
We calculate the average download bitrate of every VPN using a bespoke torrenting setup.
Testing also factors in the percentage of servers which permit P2P, plus useful features like port forwarding.
While FreeVPN.org does allow torrenting, we don't recommend using it for P2P traffic. The service is based in the US, logs unnecessary information and has super slow speeds.
Ranked #45 out of 56 VPNs for Torrenting
FreeVPN.org doesn’t have an official policy on torrenting anywhere on its website or in the app. We reached out for information on it but haven’t received a reply.
In our tests we’ve found P2P traffic is permitted on its servers, but we do not recommend using this VPN for torrenting.
There are a few reasons for this:
The terrible speeds available from Free VPN by FreeVPN.org will make torrenting slow and frustrating
FreeVPN.org’s US jurisdiction is notoriously hostile to torrenting
The VPN company has a vague and poorly written logging policy which we do not trust
Tiny server network, pretends to be larger than it is
4.54.5/10
How is this calculated?
The global spread and coverage of the VPN server network is the most important factor here.
We also consider the number of city-level servers, plus how many IP addresses are maintained.
This rating does not directly contribute to the Overall Rating, but instead makes up a portion of the Security & Features rating.
While FreeVPN has a large number of location options, very few actually connect where they claim. Out of a huge server list we only found eight unique locations.
Ranked #47 out of 56 VPNs for Server Locations
8 Countries
8 Cities
Undisclosed number ofIP Address
When you load up the server locations list in Free VPN by FreeVPN.org’s app, it looks fairly strong.
It isn’t comprehensive by any degree, but for a free VPN it has a decent number of options and at least something in every continent except Africa.
Ideally, we would like to see more across Asia, South America, and of course Africa than is on offer here, but poor coverage in these areas sadly isn’t at all unusual for a free VPN.
Put simply, if the server list accurately reflected what the VPN actually does when you connect it would be right in the middle of the pack: modest but respectable.
Sadly, in our tests, we discovered that the server options in the app were consistently misleading.
The continent-level server location choices were often just duplicates of a country-level server location – not just at the country, city, or even server level, but even giving us the same IP address at times. This was the case with the China and Asia servers, which connected to the same IP address in Hong Kong.
Even worse, the South America, Japan, and US West server options all connected us to the same server, located in Arizona, US.
Even by the standards of misleading free VPNs, it’s pretty shocking to have options from three different continents all connect to the same server.
In real terms, this contributes to FreeVPN.org’s slow speeds over longer connections – and will likely bottleneck the speeds of anyone attempting to connect at peak times, even if they are located nearby.
It also suggests that FreeVPN.org is operating a very small server network across the board. We reached out for more specific numbers, but it hasn’t given us an answer.
After connecting to every server location several times we can conclude that FreeVPN.org doesn’t have 18 server locations across at least ten countries as the server list suggests, but roughly 11 server locations across eight countries.
In comparison, when we tested Proton VPN, we verified the service definitely operates free servers in 200 countries.
Bypassing Web Censorship
Unlikely to work in China
5.55.5/10
How is this calculated?
Our remote-access server in Shanghai, China routinely tests if a VPN can beat restrictions and access a free, open internet. Obfuscation technologies and nearby servers are also a contributing factor.
This rating does not directly contribute to the Overall Rating, but instead makes up a portion of the Security & Features rating.
FreeVPN.org's developers claim to have users in mainland China, but we havn't seen any evidence the app works in censored regions.
Ranked #30 out of 56 VPNs for Bypassing Web Censorship
We’ve seen little evidence that Free VPN by FreeVPN.org will work is censored regions, although when we spoke to the app’s developers they claimed to have users in China.
Only very well designed VPNs with dedicated obfuscation technology can work in censored regions – you might want to give FreeVPN.org a try in censored regions, but we wouldn’t count on it working.
If you need a VPN for a censored region do yourself a favour and get a better one – take a look at our best VPNs for China, the UAE or Turkey to get an idea of the options available.
Device & OS Compatibility
Not available on Windows
How is this rated?
A quality VPN should maintain functional, fully-featured applications and extensions for as many platforms and devices as possible.
This does not directly contribute to the Overall Rating, but instead makes up a portion of the Ease of Use rating.
FreeVPN.org is a mobile VPN. It offers apps for macOS, iOS and Android. There is not an app available for Windows or any other platform.
Apps
iOS
Android
The number of devices FreeVPN.org produces apps for is extremely limited.
It has an app for iOS and an app for Android and nothing else.
Since FreeVPN.org doesn’t come with Smart DNS support, there is no way of using the free VPN on game consoles or smart TVs.
Unsurprisingly, there aren’t any browser extensions, either.
Ease of Use
Ugly, poorly designed applications
2.52.5/10
How is this calculated?
This rating mainly consists of the intuitiveness of setup and everyday use.
Device or platform compatibility and customization options are also a factor.
The FreeVPN.org app offers just the very basics, and doesn’t present them very well. A recent design overhaul has improved things slightly, though.
Ranked #54 out of 56 VPNs for Ease of Use
The VPN has recently has a design overhaul, which has marginally improved the service.
The main screen of the app is perfectly usable, if unattractive.
The country scroll wheel is fiddly and difficult to navigate, though.
On top of this there are no settings available at all, which we find shocking.
FreeVPN.org operates on an “Earn VPN Time” system which asks you to watch up to 10 adverts before you start using the VPN. If you watch 10 adverts you unlock 24 hours of VPN use.
These are the only full-screen adverts you’ll encounter in the app itself – and they aren’t too obnoxious either.
We like that FreeVPN.org doesn’t just throw ads at you unexpectedly. From an ease of use perspective frontloading the adverts like this makes sense (even if they bring privacy and security issues).
This advert system is new since the last time we reviewed FreeVPN.org, and we think it shows a marginal improvement.
Customer Support
In app support
0.50.5/10
How is this calculated?
This rating is based on our assessment of each VPN’s:
Email support
Live chat support
Online resources
Not every VPN offers all of these, and they often vary in quality and response time.
FreeVPN.org has poor support. It doesn't offer online resources or live-chat, and the support email on it's website is unmonitored. The only way to get help is through an in-app support field.
Ranked #56 out of 56 VPNs for Customer Support
Customer Support
Available in Free VPN by FreeVPN.org
24/7 Live Chat Support
No
24/7 Email Support
No
Chatbot
No
Live Chat Support
No
Email
Yes
Email Support via Online Form
No
Tutorial Videos
No
Online Resources
No
FreeVPN.org doesn’t have particularly good customer service.
Most free VPNs at least have a guide section, or a blog which can give its users some help, but when you click the “Blog” link on the FreeVPN.org website it just refreshes the page – no help to be found.
In fact, FreeVPN.org appears to be made up of just three pages: the homepage, a privacy policy, and a download page for a .apk of the app.
None of the social media buttons actually lead to social media profiles, either.
Without online resources the only option users are left with is to email a support email (support@freevpn.org).
We tried doing just this, but got no reply.
FreeVPN.org has informed us that it monitors customer service questions that come from the app itself, not the email listed on its site.
The Bottom Line
Avoid using FreeVPN.org
Using FreeVPN by FreeVPN.org is not a good idea. There are faster, more trustworthy, and secure free VPNs available.
FreeVPN by FreeVPN.org is simply too slow, and lacks the privacy and security levels we expect to see in a free VPN.
If you’ve already downloaded FreeVPN.org’s free VPN app, we recommend uninstalling it immediately.
EXPERT ADVICE: Surfshark is a cheap yet fast and secure VPN service. To download files securely or unblock overseas streaming platforms, use Surfshark for free for 30 days.
Alternatives to Free VPN by FreeVPN.org
Windscribe
8.68.6/10
Unlike FreeVPN.org, Windscribe Free is a free VPN which actually delivers on lofty promises. It gives you good speeds, a decent server network, computer and mobile apps, and a better guarantee of privacy and security. Windscribe Free doesn’t have ads, but implements a 10GB data cap. Read Windscribe review
PrivateVPN
8.98.9/10
One of the cheapest VPNs we recommend, PrivateVPN is great for streaming global content without punishing your wallet. It has a no logs policy we trust and apps for all your devices, not just mobile. It is also consistently very fast, over twice as fast as FreeVPN.org in our tests. Read PrivateVPN review