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Top/Best:5+ Free VPN Services as alternatives to Web Proxies for Anonymous Web Browsing/Surfing

by EngineerHead on January 22, 2010

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Anonymity while surfing Internet may be a major concern for many People. Hackers are most established participants in the category although they don’t rely on simple solutions like VPN.  Anonymous web surfing using VPN or Web Proxy minimizes the risks in leaving traces of browsing. Some main purposes for anonymous web browsing can be identified as

Bypass/Unblock Local Firewall Restrictions

The user may be forced to browse web through some firewall of local network at office school/university, or country. In result, the web surfers are not allowed to visit some of websites according to the policy. These websites may include social websites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and many more. The restriction may have been enforced over larger scale like China has blocked through ‘Great Firewall of China’.

Bypass/Unblock Default Regional Restrictions

There are many web services which impose restrictions on IP level so that these services can be accessed from specific regions. For example, Hulu and Pandora are not accessible outside of USA. Similarly, Spotify is only available in major parts of Europe.

Anonymous Web Browsing/Surfing for Privacy

The user does not want to reveal its identity which can be traced. Anyone who wants to speak about forbidden social issues, receive some information,  and involve in illegal activities like P2P file sharing without revealing the identity is concerned.

There are two popular solutions for anonymous web surfing which are free VPN and Web Proxies. Free web proxies are usually less secure and fast and they also block java scripts or dynamic content. Specifically, if the user is behind regional restrictions imposed by websites like Hulu and want to view videos outside US then free web proxies are useless. In this case, the most viable and useful solution is to use free VPN software/clients. List of following free VPN services are being compiled after comprehensive testing.

FreeVPN by WSC
It will almost fulfill your needs of anonymous web surfing. The user will browse through secure connection and IP is hidden. It has a pretty simple interface which offers list of VPN servers. A double click on the desired server will make your connection more secure and anonymous. This FreeVPN client is my favorite one. They have included many free VPN servers since their beginning. Their current version 3.11 offers connection through free 4 US, 1 Canadian and 1 Chinese VPN servers. They also offer a premium paid service which includes anonymous surfing/browsing through UK, Swedish, French, German, and Italian VPN servers. It works on all Windows NT versions 2000/2003/XP/Vista/7/2008. There is an iPhone version available also.

UltraVPN
This is a free, open source, and platform independent VPN solution based on OpenVPN. The internet traffic is encrypted using SSL and also anonymous. The user is required to get an account before actually using it. After downloading and installation, enter the account details and connect. You will be able to use Skype, Watch Hulu outside US, and anonymous web surfing. UltraVPN works on Windows, MAC, and Linux.

ItsHidden

This is another free VPN service which doesn’t require download or installation of any client. The user needs to create an online account and then setup ItsHidden onPC. They offer Free and Premium services. Free ItsHidden offers a dedicated 5GB bandwidth and 128 bit secure network connection. They claim total privacy for users and no logs are kept. ItsHidden free VPN is OS-independent and works on Windows, MAC, and Linux.

CyberGhost
This VPN service also offers a fast, secure, and anonymous web browsing connection for users. Like other services, a tunnel is formed between VPN client and server using SSL and 128 bit encryption which takes your surfing in a private mode. The IP address is also hidden. CyberGhost has free and premium plans as well. In Free plan, 1GB traffic/month is available which enough for basic uses is. It works on all Windows versions.

AnchorFree HotspotShield
No doubt, this is one of the most popular free VPN services. Its popularity compelled Hulu to block at IP level although ban no longer works. HSS has a bandwidth limitation of 10 GB. The security will protect from Identity Theft, Hide IP for Privacy, and unblock restricted websites. It works on Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 and Mac OS X Tiger/Leopard/Snow Leopard.

PacketiX.NET VPN Client
It is not a free VPN service in reality but they let a user test VPN using a client. Their server is Japan based and provides a speedy and reliable free VPN solution for normal users. You only need to download VPN client which will connect you to PacketiX VPN Online Test Environment. The encryption is performed using digital signature based on the SSLv3 protocol and user authentication by PKI is available.

Some Notable VPN offering Free Service by Invitations

HideIP VPN
It is a premium service and the servers are based in USA and UK and users can access Hulu, Pandora, ABC, NBC, BBC, ITV, etc. Account invitations are offered in start of every month.

AceVPN
The servers of premium VPN service are in USA and Europe (France, Germany, Netherlands, UK). You can use AceVPN if gets an invitation of existing user.

Above mentioned Free VPN services are good alternatives to web proxies for anonymous web surfing/browsing. They ultimately let you bypass/unblock any local or regional restrictions and allow access to blocked websites like Facebook, MySpace, Hulu, and Pandora.

If there are some other Free VPN services which have not been covered, please mention in comments.

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{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }

Hide ip tool January 22, 2010 at 17:58

To access blocked websites I use a complex, but easy to sue hide ip tool called Invisible Browsing. It can be downloaded from http://www.invisible-browsing.com and it also has a 3 days trial.

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Mike Lynch July 11, 2010 at 21:51

Hi,
This is very helpful post however I wasted lots of time trying to figure out which of these services are operating. The article is worth an update.
FreeVPN and CyberGhost is an adware, UltraVPN is terribly slow, AnchorFree no longer works.
In the meantime other excellent free VPN services appeared like http://www.SecurityKISS.com

Mike

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Frankenstein July 24, 2010 at 12:48

Yeah, securityKISS tunnel so far is the fastest and most reliable. What's best – no accounts/passwords needed. Just download, install and connect.

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VPN Surfing January 23, 2010 at 17:14

I don’t agree that PacketiX is in the top 5 free VPN.
.-= VPN Surfing´s last blog ..How To Setup PPTP VPN connection On Mac OS =-.

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EngineerHead January 23, 2010 at 18:17

What service you would rank at #5?

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Jay February 9, 2010 at 22:17

Hi!

I tried installing FreeVpn by WSC and half way thru the installation, I get a warning message from Microsoft saying that continuing will destabilize the computer system now or in the future. Not sure if this is a genuine warning and not wanting to take chances, I aborted the installation. Anyone else have this issue?
Thanks

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EngineerHead February 10, 2010 at 04:25

The setup instructs that a warning message will be displayed when installing the adapter. You should click Continue Installation anyway to install TAP adapter

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nolimit April 16, 2010 at 03:38

You can try our free vpn service at http://www.internetnolimit.com

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jon June 3, 2010 at 21:19

can someone send me a very strong canadian proxy…

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Sergio July 1, 2010 at 21:53

I use freevpn but for somedays everything’s been showing offline..Why is that happening?

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EngineerHead July 1, 2010 at 22:44

No Info regarding that. I am facing same

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Lozz July 25, 2010 at 03:01

Faster and Better VPN Service with Security

Hey, I've been using FBVPN to free my Internet. now I can access Facebook, Youtube, Twitter on faster speed.

FBVPN encrypts my network traffic when I'm online at public WiFi spots, protects my privacy against hackers and spies.

I thought you might be interested… sign up with the EXCLUSIVE link below, You can get a "1+7" days free trial (up to a limit of one year)!, Let me know if your like it.

Click the link below to sign up : http://gol.ly/fbvpn

I got to 1 month extended and still counting up.

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jonhsmi September 12, 2010 at 22:46

tha't great

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joseph August 3, 2010 at 11:56

can some one give me a free VPN web proxy for canada or usa that require no downloading or registration??

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Jade August 8, 2010 at 01:21

i use GoVPNGo. they have fast hong kong servers available. helped me to surf youtube, facebook, twitter without any issue when i was in cn. http://www.govpngo.com

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bob83 August 12, 2010 at 09:11

guys just use proXPN ,its a us based free vpn simple to use here a link -<a&gt <a href="http://;https://proXPN.com/?keyword=referal&token=wwoij4oij444” target=”_blank”>;https://proXPN.com/?keyword=referal&token=wwoij4oij444 have fun

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Ivan Aguilera September 12, 2010 at 12:26

Security Kiss is UK based? I cannot use it to use hulu?

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tony September 12, 2010 at 22:47

I think FBVPN is the best one I used. http://www.fbvpn.com

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bmunnzy September 26, 2010 at 21:59

bmunnzyI am new to the VPN world and did a fair amount of research before signing up with FBVPN. Their service has been truly superb. Not only did the set up take absolutely no time, the customer support is beyond compare. I received an email from FBVPN support shortly after purchasing a monthly service just to ask if everything was working okay!!! Every email I send to them has been promptly replied and helpful.
Don’t waste your time with any other VPN!

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-Ve October 12, 2010 at 18:13

anyone here can help me find vpn suitable for malaysia?

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bestfreevpn October 15, 2010 at 16:25

Here is a best free vpn service for individual:
http://www.bestfreevpn.com

It's 100% free running with expert in VPN industry for many years. Now provides free PPTP account and soon will add free openvpn SSL based account. It uses QoS guaranteed network, so quality is always good, no congestion with dedicated bandwidth! check it :-)

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meysam October 27, 2010 at 21:04

Hi,
Could you please send me a vpn account ?
Thanks
meysam_mirarab@chemeng.iust.ac.ir

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Brad P October 31, 2010 at 05:45

Guys – check out VPN Authority ( http://www.vpnauthority.com ). Honestly, I've been on it for 3 days and I can vouch for it. I started with the free trial and decided to upgrade. Made it an easy choice when i compared the speeds and also found out that the servers are all over the world. :) Anyways, just my 2 cents.

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Joern Guustein November 14, 2010 at 15:44

Tried VPN Authority as well, and it really is a lot faster than the free services. Also, they have servers in the UK and US so I was able to access hulu and BBC iplayer. Good times!

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Serge November 18, 2010 at 09:50

To find a good VPN Service you can also check out http://vpnservicereviews.com/.

They have around 100 providers listed…

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Lengend December 4, 2010 at 01:33

Yes, I found a very good site on your site http://www.VPNing.com” rel=”nofollow”>.http://www.VPNing.com
Who had it?

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sahar November 23, 2010 at 23:38

Hi

Could you please send me a vpn account ?
Thanks

ssahar_476@yahoo.com

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tradingconsultancy November 29, 2010 at 13:01

proxpn.com provides free vpn service and it is real good compared to others.

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tradingconsultancy November 29, 2010 at 13:03

proxpn.com provides free vpn service and it is real good compared to others.

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Rehenm December 11, 2010 at 14:23

This one is pretty popular now:
http://www.bestfreevpn.com

100% Free VPN for iPad, iPhone or Android mobile phones and for Win7 or MAC computers. Uses USA Dallas data center so the VPN network performance is excellent, no software installed, no spyware or virus, very pure and fast VPN experience.

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Reheae Shinem December 13, 2010 at 06:03

I used this openvpn based free vpn service:
http://www.freeopenvpn.com

It provides free openvpn connection, works very well.

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Tony December 20, 2010 at 06:21

we invite people to test our UK servers, and if you are interested, please send an email to support@fbvpn.com

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mistery December 27, 2010 at 16:54

Hi

Interested to test UK servers

MVh

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Wes December 27, 2010 at 21:12

Try using ultrasurf. No install required. Just double-click and start browsing.

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lisa miller January 3, 2011 at 05:07

The bestfreevpn.com free vpn service is really nice, used it daily to unblock facebook, like it :-)

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little mouse January 4, 2011 at 14:31

My windows is 7 and 32-bit.do y have any vpn for my windows?

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Jim January 12, 2011 at 13:19

What’s the privacy situation with (free) VPN services? The provider has lots of bandwith cost, and they must have some form of income.

For example, see the discussion about bestfreevpn.com at http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r24934541-Anyone-tried-www.bestfreevpn.com-service- where the comments say: “Seems to be quite a lot of free (take your private information) VPN services these days.” and “Sadly they always get plenty of victims.”

Since all your web traffic goes through their servers, it’s easy for them to log it and use it for whatever. If you install the client software from the VPN service, it might spy a little more. With a service like bestfreevpn that uses the built-in VPN client of the operating system, what are the risks? Can they look at files on your computer, or even install something?

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Alexander January 23, 2011 at 13:07

I used several VPN providers, most are very slow when it comes to video streaming. Right now I`m using highspeedvpn.com to watch BBC iPlayer (the UK Plan), costs me 10$ / month and it streams OK.

Still, just for surfing any one will do just fine, even free ones. Stay away from proxies though, just get a free VPN, it`s much safer.

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dany January 30, 2011 at 22:57

There is currently running a campaign on http://www.Leechermods.com where you can get a vpn premium account for free.

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HMES February 13, 2011 at 07:18

Over the last 4 years I was searching to get a reliable VPN and I tried many free,
and paid, but at the end I'm currently using vonmessenger from http://www.vpnmessenger.net
for more than one year, and it's really a reliable service it's free to try, but
after first 4 hours user have to charge his account and buy units, it's cheap
3 Euro enough for 120 hours online with VPN.
It's very secure because I discovered it's not only a VPN service, but my Internet
traffic actually go through the VPN service + what they call it TCP encrypted
tunnels acting as proxies so simple it's VPN service + proxy at the same time

Good luck to everybody

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BB1 February 20, 2011 at 15:02

People, before trusting any old free VPN, remember that by using a VPN you are effectively forcing your data to travel via a single pipe through the VPN provider. Any data not protected by SSL (such as your emails, Facebook's pages, Google seaches) can be harvested by an unscrupulous provider. Choose a reputable company or you may be giving a Chinese company very convenient access to your data traffic.

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Onur Guzey February 24, 2011 at 14:50

I still prefer free web proxy services. http://proxite.me is the fastest.

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Alberto February 25, 2011 at 15:38

Bestfreevpn is the best!

Thanks a lot from Italy.

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JBS March 3, 2011 at 13:01

Has anyone tried this bestfreevpn.com / openfreevpn.com mentioned above?

I'm a little skeptical. They've got several domains, all with various spins on common search terms (Best Free VPN, Open Free VPN, Hotspot Shield VPN) all with the same layout and all claiming 100% free service. I can't find much information about them other than their own websites (which include grammatical errors not likely to be found in a North American website) and this reference here, and I wonder if they have set up a scam type operation to steal data from unsuspecting users. Anyone have any thoughts about this?

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J.B. March 22, 2011 at 07:56

Proxy is not so good as you can get your computer infected really fast. A VPN service is much safer.

You can check out this VPN Reviews website to find a good and affordable VPN Provider.

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Miachel May 12, 2011 at 07:59

http://www.redvpn.net
Really good free vpn service. USA based pptp vpn service.
No need to install the additional software.
Works with Windows, MacOS, Linux, Iphone, Anodroid devices.

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