Betternet Review 2026: Free vs Premium, Is It Safe?

By PrivacyTechReview Editorial Team · Editor-in-Chief: Kirill Prosandeev · Reviewed Oct 30, 2026 · Documentation-based overview

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Betternet is a VPN run by Betternet LLC, which its privacy policy calls a division of the Pango Group, whose brands also include Hotspot Shield. It has a free version paid for by ads and one paid tier, Premium, billed monthly or yearly, which removes the ads, opens 115+ virtual locations and covers up to 10 devices at once. Betternet says it doesn't log data or activity that can be tied back to you, and links a 2023 summary report from Aon that reviewed that claim.

This review covers both the free version and Premium. We haven't tested Betternet ourselves, so every product fact below comes from Betternet's own website, help center, terms and privacy policy, Pango's VPN privacy notice, the Aon report Betternet links, Aura's and Point Wild's company pages, a 2016 academic study, and Betternet's App Store, Google Play and Chrome Web Store listings, as they read on October 30, 2026. Where those pages disagree, and Betternet's often do, we say so.

The short answer

Betternet · An ad-supported free VPN with a 10-device Premium plan

Pick Betternet if you want a free, ad-supported VPN for light use on one device, or a Premium plan for up to 10 devices across Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chrome, with a kill switch and split tunneling in the device apps — not if you want a free tier without ads or a data cap, or a recent, full independent audit.

Free version on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chrome
Premium: 10 devices, no ads, 115+ virtual locations

Check Betternet price

Opens Betternet's official site

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

An ad-supported free version on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chrome that you can keep using without paying, Betternet says
Premium covers up to 10 devices at once, with no ads, unlimited data and 115+ virtual locations
A kill switch and split tunneling in the Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android apps, plus a choice of the Hydra or WireGuard protocol
Aon's 2023 review of the free and paid tiers found no sign that browsing activity could be tied to a user
A 45-day money-back guarantee, according to Betternet's help center and download pages

Limitations

The free version shows ads, is capped at 500 MB a day on Android, Mac and desktop, and links one device, per the help center
Free-version ads come through third-party ad SDKs that can collect advertising IDs, IP addresses and device details
One outside review, from August 2023, commissioned by Pango and limited to data-collection and logging claims
No apps for Linux, routers, TVs or game consoles, and no static IP addresses
Betternet's own pages disagree on free data, devices, locations, logging and refunds

Who it’s for

Occasional users who want a free VPN on one device for public Wi-Fi and can live with ads and a daily data cap
People who want one Premium account for up to 10 Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chrome devices
Anyone who wants a kill switch and split tunneling in every device app, iPhone included, noting that split tunneling covers websites only on iPhone and Mac

Who should look elsewhere

Anyone who doesn't want ad SDKs on their phone, or wants a free tier without a data cap
People who want a recent, full independent audit before they trust a VPN
Linux, router, smart-TV or game-console users

Is Betternet worth it?

It depends on which version you mean. The free version is a real free tier, not just a trial: Betternet's help center says you can keep using the app for free by closing the payment screen that appears when you first install it. But it shows ads, the help center caps free data at 500 MB a day on Android, Mac and desktop, it links one device per account, and it mostly connects you through the United States.

Premium is where the rest of the features are: no ads, unlimited data, 115+ virtual locations, streaming and gaming modes, and up to 10 devices at once. The outside evidence for Betternet's privacy claims is one summary report from Aon, dated August 2023 and commissioned by Pango. And Betternet doesn't protect your device from viruses or malware, as its help center itself points out.

What Betternet includes

Betternet's features page and help center list these. Where its feature table covers a feature, it marks it as part of both Free and Premium unless noted below; the table doesn't cover multi-hop or the Windows network settings, and Betternet's pages don't say which version gets them:

Encryption: what Betternet calls industry-standard encryption with perfect forward secrecy, on free and paid connections alike.
Protocols: Hydra, Pango's own protocol, plus WireGuard and IKEv2 (IPSec). The Windows, Mac and iPhone apps offer all three and an automatic mode; the Android help page lists Hydra and WireGuard.
Kill switch: in the Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android apps, to stop traffic if the VPN drops.
Split tunneling: to send chosen apps or websites outside the VPN, or only chosen ones through it. Windows and Android handle apps and websites; on Mac and iPhone the help pages describe websites, and on Mac only with the Hydra protocol.
Always-on and auto-connect settings. On iPhone, the help center says Always-On is Premium-only.
Multi-hop, which routes your traffic through an entry and an exit server you choose. Betternet says it's currently unique to Android.
Anti-phishing warnings before you visit suspicious sites, and IP and DNS leak protection.
Tor over VPN, and traffic obfuscation through Hydra, which Betternet says helps you get past VPN restrictions or local censorship.
Streaming and gaming modes, Premium only. Betternet says they're optimized for services such as Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and Prime, and games such as Roblox and Fortnite.
Local network protection and Wi-Fi auto-connect settings in the Windows app.

Betternet Free: is it still free, and what's the catch?

Yes, it's still free. Betternet's help center says Betternet is "a free VPN service for everyone" and that upgrading "is not obligatory." What the free version includes, as Betternet's pages state it on October 30, 2026:

Ads: the free version is ad-supported. Betternet's terms say ads may overlay a page or appear as interstitials, and Pango says the ad money pays for only part of the cost of the free apps.
Data: 500 MB a day on Android, Mac and desktop, resetting every 24 hours, per the help center. Betternet's feature table instead lists free data as "Unlimited," with a note that free users may watch ads to get past a daily limit on iOS.
Devices: one device per account, per the help center. The feature table says 5.
Locations: the help center says free users can't choose a virtual location and are set to the United States; its comparison table counts 4 free locations and the feature table 5. In the Chrome extension, free users can switch between "a few" locations.
Included: the same encryption, plus the kill switch, split tunneling and leak protection, per the feature table.
Not included: streaming and gaming modes, ad-free use, the full location list and, per the help center's comparison, 24/7 personalized email support. The feature table lists 24/7 support for both tiers.
Account: Betternet's home page says the free version needs no registration, "not even your email." Its terms say you need to register and establish an account to use the services.

Betternet Premium plans and devices

There's one paid tier, Premium. Betternet's terms say subscriptions typically run for one month or one year and renew automatically, and its help center says you can hold only one active subscription at a time. What Premium adds, per Betternet's feature table and help center:

No ads and unlimited data.
115+ virtual locations you can choose, including 22 US cities. Betternet's two location lists each name about 80 countries, and one help article says "80+" locations.
Up to 10 devices at once on one account. You link a new device by signing in with the email address you bought Premium with.
Streaming mode and gaming mode.
Dedicated servers for Premium users and priority support, per the help center.
Not offered on any plan: static or dedicated IP addresses, or a choice of a specific IP address.

Betternet on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chrome

Betternet's help center lists five platforms. Where each app comes from, on October 30, 2026:

Windows: Windows 10 and 11, from Betternet's own download page, which may ask you to sign in.
Mac: Betternet VPN—Best WiFi Proxy, from Betternet LLC in the Mac App Store, for macOS 11 or later.
iPhone and iPad: Betternet VPN: Fast Secure VPN, from Betternet LLC in the App Store. The listing requires iOS or iPadOS 14 or later; Betternet's help center still says iOS 12.
Android: Betternet: Secure VPN Hotspot, from Betternet, LLC in Google Play; the help center says it needs Android 5.0 or later on an unrooted device, and that some devices can't run it, including Amazon Kindle and Android streaming players.
Chrome: VPN Free - Betternet Unlimited VPN Proxy, from Betternet LLC in the Chrome Web Store. Betternet's help center says it's free and that Premium users can sign in for the full location list.
Firefox and Edge: Betternet's feature table lists Firefox among its platforms, but its help center's platform list doesn't, and the Betternet pages we read don't mention an Edge extension.
Not supported: Linux, Chromebooks, routers, game consoles, and streaming devices such as Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and smart TVs. Betternet says they can't be set up manually because it sets connections dynamically, and suggests its Chrome extension on unsupported devices.

Privacy, logging, audits and who runs Betternet

Betternet is run by Betternet LLC, 250 Northern Ave, Boston, Massachusetts. Its privacy policy (version 2.1.0, effective February 28, 2025) calls it "a division of the Pango Group," and its terms (last updated November 25, 2024) are governed by New York law. Betternet shares two things with Hotspot Shield, according to Pango, Betternet and Hotspot Shield pages: Pango's VPN privacy notice, and the Hydra protocol. What the documents say:

Ownership: in a release dated September 3, 2024, Aura said it had split into two standalone companies, Aura and Pango Group, with Betternet in Pango's portfolio. In a release dated December 12, 2024, Pango Group and Total Security announced they had merged and that the combined company would rebrand as Point Wild, whose brands include Betternet and Hotspot Shield. Aura's About page now calls it "Point Wild (formerly known as Pango)," while Betternet's privacy policy still says "a division of the Pango Group" and Pango's site says Pango Group is backed by Aura's investors.
Not logged: Pango's VPN privacy notice, which covers Betternet, Hotspot Shield, VPN360 and Ultra VPN, says it doesn't record VPN browsing activity in a way that can be tied to you, and doesn't log IP addresses or device identifiers together with that activity.
Logged: the length of VPN sessions and bandwidth used (partly to enforce free usage limits), the domains users visit on an anonymized basis, aggregated roughly monthly, and device hashes, random IDs also used for analytics and marketing. Pango says it collects your IP address when you connect, encrypts it and deletes it when the session ends.
Collected elsewhere: account details if you create an account, billing details if you pay, device information such as advertising identifiers, diagnostics, and an approximate location worked out from your IP address, per Betternet's privacy policy. It keeps personal data for as long as you have an account or as reasonably necessary, and names no fixed period.
Ads on the free version: Betternet's policy lists eight advertising services, Unity Ads, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi, Kochava, Mintegral, Meta and AppsFlyer, whose SDKs may collect advertising IDs, IP address and device details. Pango's notice names Google as the partner that personalizes the ads, and both say ad partners don't see your VPN browsing. Betternet says it doesn't sell personal information for its own benefit, but that some ad services may count as a "sale" under California law.
Audit: Aon's summary report, dated August 25, 2023 and commissioned by Pango, covered the free and paid tiers, client and server side, but only the logging and data-collection claims in Betternet's privacy policy as it read then; its methods included browsing tests on a development VPN node, and a review of Pango's data-protection measures and hosting security was out of scope. Aon found no indication that browsing activity could be tied to a unique user, and no logging of plaintext IP addresses. It names IPSec, OpenVPN and Hydra as the protocols, not WireGuard.
App-store labels: Apple's lists identifiers as data that may be used to track you across other companies' apps and websites, and purchases, location, contact info, user content, identifiers, usage data and diagnostics as not linked to you; Apple notes it hasn't verified the label. Google Play's says the app may share your email address and device IDs with third parties, including for advertising. The Chrome Web Store listing says the extension handles personally identifiable information, authentication information and location.

Is Betternet legit and safe?

It's a VPN from a named US company, Betternet LLC in Boston, that publishes its terms, privacy policy and a summary of an outside review, and its apps are listed by Betternet LLC in the App Store, Google Play and the Chrome Web Store. Betternet's help center says BitTorrent and P2P are allowed on its network but that it will comply with a valid court order. Pango says it can't share VPN browsing activity with an ad network or a government agency because it doesn't store it. Point Wild, as Pango is now called, also posts a company-wide 2023 transparency report listing 82 government requests for user data, none of which led to disclosure.

There is also older outside research. A study of 283 Android VPN apps collected from Google Play in September 2015, presented at the ACM Internet Measurement Conference in November 2016 by researchers from CSIRO's Data61, UNSW, ICSI and UC Berkeley, found 14 third-party tracking and advertising libraries in the Betternet Android app it analyzed, the most of any app in the study. It also listed that app among the 10 with the highest VirusTotal "AV-rank," the number of antivirus engines that reported any malware activity: 13 for Betternet, without saying which kind of detection applied to it. These are findings about the app as it was a decade ago, before the current apps and policies, and don't describe how today's app behaves. Betternet's help center, without referring to the study, says its app "doesn't have any type of viruses" and that antivirus detections are "likely a false-positive."

For US customers, the terms require binding individual arbitration and waive class actions; you can opt out within 30 days only where local law gives you that right. Pango says paid versions send no information to its ad partners. Get the apps only from Betternet's site, the App Store, Google Play or the Chrome Web Store, not from modified "premium" APKs.

Limits to know before you choose

Free version: 500 MB a day, one device and US servers per the help center, against "Unlimited" data, 5 devices and 5 locations in the feature table, and "Unlimited data" on the download pages.
Logging wording: one help article says Betternet does not "collect, log, store, share any data logs of our users"; Pango's notice says it logs session length, bandwidth, anonymized domains and device hashes.
Ad blockers: the terms reserve the right to cut off free users who block ads, while the privacy policy says the service keeps working if you use one.
Platform gaps: no Linux, router, TV or console apps, multi-hop only on Android, no IKEv2 listed on Android, and split tunneling described for websites only on Mac and iPhone.
Outdated pages: the refund help page still names AnchorFree as the company that processes refunds, and the privacy policy mentions "UltraAV web pages."
No antivirus: Betternet says it "doesn't protect your computer from viruses or malware."
The only outside review dates from August 2023. Betternet's site links no transparency report, but Point Wild posts a company-wide Pango transparency report for 2023, which lists 82 government requests for user data and none that led to disclosure; it doesn't break the figures down by product.

Betternet free trial and refund window

Besides the free version, Betternet's help center offers a free 7-day trial of Premium, and its home page advertises the trial with an annual plan. Its terms say trials are offered at Betternet's discretion, may require billing details, and turn into a paid subscription unless canceled before they end.

Betternet's download pages and help center offer a 45-day money-back guarantee, but its terms of service, last updated November 25, 2024, don't name that window and say amounts paid directly to Betternet are non-refundable except as stated in the terms or required by law.

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Our verdict

On paper, Betternet is two products. The free version is a real free tier, but a narrow one: ads served through third-party ad networks, a 500 MB daily cap on most platforms per the help center, one device and mostly US servers. Premium removes the ads and the cap, opens 115+ virtual locations and covers 10 devices; the kill switch, split tunneling and protocol choice are in both versions, per the feature table. The outside evidence is thinner than the marketing: a single Aon summary from August 2023, commissioned by Pango and limited to the logging and data-collection claims in the privacy policy, plus a company-wide 2023 Pango transparency report. Betternet's help pages also contradict its own feature table on free data, devices and locations, and one help article says it keeps no logs while Pango's notice lists what it does log. Treat the free version as a light-use option for public Wi-Fi, and if you pay, note that the terms don't repeat the 45-day guarantee.

Bottom line

Betternet · An ad-supported free VPN with a 10-device Premium plan

Free version on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and Chrome
Premium: 10 devices, no ads, 115+ virtual locations

Check Betternet price

Opens Betternet's official site

Compare free VPNs →

Sources · checked Oct 30, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Is Betternet really free?

Yes. Betternet's help center says you can keep using the app for free by closing the payment screen, and that upgrading isn't obligatory. The free version shows ads, and the help center caps it at 500 MB a day on Android, Mac and desktop, one device and US servers. Betternet's feature table gives more generous figures, "Unlimited" data, 5 devices and 5 locations, so its own pages don't agree.

Is Betternet safe and legit?

It's run by Betternet LLC, a Boston company its privacy policy calls a division of the Pango Group. Betternet links an August 2023 summary report in which Aon, commissioned by Pango, found no indication that browsing activity could be tied to a user. A 2016 academic study found 14 tracking libraries in the Betternet Android app it analyzed then, and 13 antivirus engines on VirusTotal flagged that version; the study is a decade old and doesn't describe the current apps.

Does Betternet keep logs or sell your data?

Pango's VPN privacy notice says it doesn't record what you browse in a way that can be tied to you, but does log session length, bandwidth, anonymized domains and device hashes. The free version's ad SDKs may collect advertising IDs, IP address and device details. Betternet says it doesn't sell personal information for its own benefit, but that some ad services may count as a "sale" under California law.

Who owns Betternet, and is it related to Hotspot Shield?

Betternet LLC's privacy policy calls it a division of the Pango Group. In a September 3, 2024 release, Aura said it had spun Pango Group off as a standalone company; in December 2024, Pango Group announced a merger with Total Security and a rebrand to Point Wild, which lists Betternet and Hotspot Shield among its brands. Aura's About page now calls it "Point Wild (formerly known as Pango)." The two share Pango's VPN privacy notice and Pango's Hydra protocol.

How many devices can I use with Betternet?

Up to 10 at once with Premium. For the free version, the help center says one device per account, while the feature table says 5.

Does Betternet have a free trial or a money-back guarantee?

Betternet's help center offers a free 7-day Premium trial. Its download pages and help center offer a 45-day money-back guarantee, but its terms of service don't name that window and say payments made directly to Betternet are non-refundable except as stated in the terms or required by law.

Can I torrent or stream with Betternet?

Betternet's help center says BitTorrent and P2P are allowed on its network, with torrenting supported on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, but that it will comply with a valid court order. Streaming mode, which Betternet says is optimized for services such as Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and Prime, is Premium-only.