VPN free trials in 2026: which VPNs have one, and what happens when it ends
A VPN free trial lets you use a paid VPN for a few days without paying, then turns into a paid subscription unless you cancel first. In the US, NordVPN and Surfshark run 7-day trials on their own websites, and VeePN a 3-day one on its pricing page for phones; PureVPN, VeePN, Hotspot Shield and Betternet offer free trials through the app stores; Proton VPN and hide.me have no free trial but offer a free plan instead, and VirtualShield's help center describes a 7-day trial that its pricing pages don't show.
PrivacyTechReview Editorial Team·Editor-in-Chief: Kirill Prosandeev·Reviewed Nov 1, 2026·12 min read
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We read the trial, free-plan and refund terms of the nine VPNs we review on their own US pages and app-store listings on November 1, 2026. We rank the trials by how much of the paid service you can try, where and on how many devices, and how clearly the vendor states what happens next; where a vendor doesn't say, we write "not stated." This covers the VPNs we review, not every VPN with a trial, and we don't publish prices. NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN, PureVPN, VeePN and VirtualShield are partners: we may earn a commission when you buy through our links, and that doesn't decide the order.
Want a VPN you never pay for? Our best free VPN guide compares free plans that need no payment details. Norton and McAfee include a VPN in trials of their security suites, and Avast One offers a trial of Avast Premium VPN; they're in a section below.
How VPN free trials work, and the catch
A trial is the paid service, free for a set time. The catch is what happens next: NordVPN, Surfshark, PureVPN, VeePN, Hotspot Shield and Betternet each say, on their sites or in an app-store listing, that a trial converts or renews into a paid subscription unless you cancel first. Their terms differ on four points:
Where it runs. NordVPN and Surfshark run their trials on their websites, and VeePN's pricing page offers a 3-day free trial of its 12- and 24-month plans when you view it on a phone. PureVPN, VeePN, Hotspot Shield and Betternet also offer free trials in their app-store listings, while PureVPN's website trial and VeePN's Windows trial cost a small fee.
Which plan it becomes. NordVPN's website trial applies to its 1-year and 2-year plans and Surfshark's to its 12- and 24-month plans; the plan you choose at sign-up is the one that starts when the trial ends.
Who handles refunds. A trial started in an app store is billed by Apple or Google. NordVPN and Proton say Apple refunds App Store purchases, Surfshark's refund policy doesn't cover App Store purchases, and PureVPN's excludes Google Play and App Store payments.
What the guarantee covers. A money-back guarantee is the other way to try a VPN: you pay first and can ask for a refund within a set window. NordVPN, Surfshark, PureVPN and hide.me apply theirs to your first purchase only, not renewals; PureVPN says trial-based renewals are non-refundable, and VeePN excludes discounted-trial fees and renewals.
How to choose a VPN free trial
1
Decide whether you need a trial
For light use, a free plan may do: Proton VPN says its free plan needs no credit card, and hide.me says its free plan never renews.
2
Check where the trial runs
A website trial (NordVPN, Surfshark) is billed by the VPN; an app-store trial (PureVPN, VeePN, Hotspot Shield, Betternet) is billed through your Apple or Google account.
3
Check the plan it turns into
NordVPN's website trial starts a 1- or 2-year plan and Surfshark's a 12- or 24-month plan; the plan you pick is the one that starts when the trial ends.
4
Note the end date and the refund window
Put the trial's end date in your calendar the day you sign up, and read the vendor's refund policy for exclusions such as renewals, trial fees and app-store purchases.
VPN free trials, ranked
6 compared
Editors' choice
1
Surfshark
Best free trial: 7 days from its website on up to 3 devices
Our take: Surfshark's 7-day free trial, for first-time users on its 12- or 24-month plans, covers Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and more, on up to 3 devices during the trial; for iPhone and Android you subscribe from Surfshark's website. It takes a card, PayPal or Apple Pay, and Surfshark says the subscription converts automatically into a paid plan. Its Mac App Store listing also advertises a free 7-day trial, billed to your Apple ID when it renews; its iPhone listing mentions a trial without giving a length. After that, Surfshark's 30-day money-back guarantee covers your first purchase from Surfshark or Google Play, not App Store purchases or renewals.
Strengths
7 days on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and more
Up to 3 devices during the trial; unlimited on paid plans
Card, PayPal or Apple Pay
Worth knowing
Converts to a 12- or 24-month plan
Refunds don't cover App Store purchases or renewals
No free plan
Platforms:WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
Bottom line: Pick Surfshark to try one paid VPN on your computer and phone at the same time.
Best for a website trial with a reminder before billing
Our take: NordVPN now offers new users in the US a 7-day free trial on its website, on its 1-year and 2-year plans. It needs a credit card or PayPal, since other payment methods grey out the trial option, and the plan starts automatically unless you cancel; NordVPN says it sends a reminder email first. On Android there's a separate 3-day trial through Google Play, managed by Google, and the iPhone App Store listing mentions no trial. NordVPN has no free plan. Its 30-day money-back guarantee covers the first purchase only; Apple's App Store and Amazon refund their own purchases.
Strengths
7-day website trial for new US users
Reminder email before the plan starts
10 devices on paid plans
Worth knowing
Website trial on 1- or 2-year plans only, card or PayPal only
Android trial is 3 days; none on iPhone
No free plan
Platforms:Website sign-upAndroid (3 days)
Bottom line: Pick NordVPN for the full 7 days if you'll sign up on its website with a card or PayPal.
Our take: PureVPN's Google Play and App Store listings advertise a free 7-day trial, and the App Store listing says all subscriptions renew automatically. Its website trial is different: it costs a small upfront fee, takes a card only, and PureVPN says the paid subscription starts after day 7 unless you cancel, with a reminder on day 6. Read the refund policy before you start: its 31-day money-back guarantee covers the first purchase only and excludes Google Play, App Store and CoinPayments payments, and PureVPN says trial-based renewals are non-refundable.
Strengths
Free 7-day trial on Google Play and the App Store
Reminder on day 6 of the website trial
10 devices on paid plans
Worth knowing
Website trial isn't free
No refunds on app-store payments or trial-based renewals
No free plan
Platforms:AndroidiOS
Bottom line: Start PureVPN's trial on your phone if you want it free, and treat the renewal as final.
Our take: VeePN's trial depends on the device: 3 days on Android and iPhone, 7 days on Mac through the App Store and on Android TV and Fire TV, while on Windows a 7-day full version costs a small fee. On a phone, its pricing page also offers a 3-day free trial of its 12- and 24-month plans, with nothing charged on the day you start. VeePN says its trials renew automatically into the plan you chose. Its free plan gives you one random server location with a two-hour session limit. The money-back window is 30 days on plans of 6 months or longer and 14 days on 1-week and 1-month plans; discounted-trial fees and renewals are excluded, Apple refunds in-app purchases, and VeePN allows one refund per customer.
Strengths
Trials on phones, Mac, Android TV and Fire TV
Free plan as a fallback
Up to 20 devices on its top tier
Worth knowing
Only 3 days on Android and iPhone
Windows trial isn't free
Device limits differ between its pricing page and its terms
Platforms:AndroidiOSmacOSAndroid TV & Fire TV
Bottom line: Pick VeePN for a quick test on a phone, Mac or TV stick.
7-day trial on Android and Mac; a 45-day guarantee on its website
Our take: Hotspot Shield's free trial is in the app stores only: its Google Play listing offers a 7-day Premium trial, and its Mac App Store listing gives the annual plan's first 7 days free and says subscriptions renew automatically; its iPhone listing mentions a trial without giving a length. On its website it offers no trial, just a 45-day money-back guarantee for purchases made directly from Hotspot Shield. Its free Basic plan uses one US location and is ad-supported, and the vendor's own pages disagree about its data and speed limits.
Strengths
7-day trial on Android and Mac (annual plan)
45-day money-back guarantee on direct purchases
10 devices on Premium
Worth knowing
No website trial
Free plan's data and speed limits are stated inconsistently
Platforms:AndroidmacOS
Bottom line: Use the Android or Mac trial, or buy direct if you'd rather have 45 days to ask for a refund.
Our take: Betternet's App Store listing offers a 7-day free trial of Premium on its monthly or annual plans, which converts to a paid subscription unless you cancel and renews automatically. Its Google Play listing mentions a trial without giving a length, and we found no trial on its website. Its free plan is ad-supported. Betternet's 45-day money-back guarantee runs from purchase; Apple and the Microsoft Store refund their own purchases.
Strengths
7-day Premium trial on iPhone
45-day money-back guarantee
Ad-supported free plan as a fallback
Worth knowing
Trial length not stated on Google Play
No website trial found
Platforms:iOSAndroid (length not stated)
Bottom line: Pick Betternet for a week of Premium on an iPhone.
Proton VPN has no free trial on its pages or app listings. What it offers instead is a free plan with "No credit card required": no data cap and no ads, but one device at a time, servers in 10 countries that Proton selects at random and what it calls medium speed. P2P is for paid plans only, and Proton guarantees streaming only on paid plans. If you pay, Proton's 30-day money-back guarantee applies to all subscriptions, except payments by bank transfer or cash; Apple refunds App Store purchases.
Use Proton's free plan as an open-ended trial on one device.
The link above goes to the free plan and earns us nothing. We do earn a commission if you buy a paid plan through our review.
Free plan
hide.me Free VPN
No free trial, a free plan that never renews
hide.me says its free plan is "always free, with no trials, payments, or sign-ups required." It gives one connection, 8 locations and no data cap or ads, and it never renews automatically. Paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first order; Google Play and App Store purchases follow the stores' own policies.
Some antivirus suites include a VPN, so their trials include one too. None of them is a free VPN: each asks for payment details when you sign up. Here's what their US pages say:
Norton: its free-trials page offers trials of Norton 360 plans, which include Norton VPN, and Norton says its trials require a payment method.
McAfee: its 30-day free trial of McAfee Total Protection includes a VPN. McAfee requires payment details at sign-up and says you won't be charged if the trial is canceled at least 7 days before it ends.
Avast: the Avast One page offers a 60-day free trial of Avast Premium VPN that needs a payment method and is billed when the trial ends unless it's canceled. Avast Ultimate includes Premium VPN.
Before you start a VPN free trial
You know which plan the trial turns into, and when.
The trial's end date is in your calendar.
You know who handles a refund: the VPN, Apple or Google.
You've read the refund policy's exclusions, such as renewals, trial fees and app-store payments.
The VPN has an app for every device you want to try it on.
You've checked whether a free plan, such as Proton VPN's or hide.me's, would be enough.
Yes. NordVPN offers new users in the US a 7-day free trial on its website, on its 1-year and 2-year plans, paid by credit card or PayPal; the plan starts automatically unless you cancel, and NordVPN says it emails a reminder first. On Android there's a separate 3-day trial through Google Play. NordVPN has no free plan, and its 30-day money-back guarantee covers the first purchase only.
Does Surfshark have a free trial?
Yes. Surfshark's 7-day free trial is for first-time users on its 12- or 24-month plans, on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and more, with up to 3 devices during the trial. It takes a card, PayPal or Apple Pay and converts automatically into a paid plan. Its Mac App Store listing also offers 7 days free. Surfshark has no free plan.
Does Proton VPN have a free trial?
No. Proton VPN offers a free plan instead, with no credit card required, no data cap and no ads, limited to one device and servers in 10 countries that Proton picks at random. Paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Which VPN free trials don't need a credit card?
None of the trials we found say they need no payment details. NordVPN asks for a card or PayPal and Surfshark for a card, PayPal or Apple Pay, and the app-store trials renew into paid subscriptions. If you want to give no payment details at all, use a free plan: Proton VPN and hide.me say theirs need none.
Is a free trial better than a money-back guarantee?
With a trial you aren't charged if you cancel before it ends; with a guarantee you pay first and can ask for a refund within the window. Guarantee windows run from 14 days (VeePN's 1-week and 1-month plans) or 30 days (NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton, hide.me) to 45 (Hotspot Shield, Betternet) and 60 (VirtualShield), but NordVPN's, Surfshark's, PureVPN's and hide.me's cover only your first purchase, and Surfshark's and PureVPN's exclude some app-store payments.
What happens when a VPN free trial ends?
The vendors say their trials turn into a paid subscription unless you cancel before they end: the plan you chose at sign-up starts, or the app-store subscription renews. NordVPN says it emails a reminder before the plan starts, and PureVPN sends one on day 6 of its website trial.
Does VirtualShield have a free trial?
Its pages disagree. VirtualShield's getting-started guide says every plan comes with a 7-day risk-free trial, that you won't be billed if you cancel during it, and that a 60-day money-back guarantee follows. But its pricing and risk-free pages and its app-store listings showed no trial on November 1, 2026, only the 60-day guarantee, which it describes as "Total of 60 Days Risk-Free." Check which applies when you sign up.
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