If you want to preserve your privacy when surfing the web, you can use the support of a VPN browser. A lot of VPN browsers have been launched to protect the privacy of their users and give them access to some location-based restricted content. With an in-browser VPN, you don’t need a third-party VPN server as well.
A VPN web browser is best suited for personal use and home networks. To make it simpler for you, we’ve come up with a list of the best free VPN browser tools you can use. Let’s get it started and read more about these invisible VPN surfing options.
Opera
Download in Play Store
Opera is one of the most popular VPN browsers available, although it’s not a “true VPN.”
With a lot of features and innovative technology, Opera provides a fantastic overall user experience. The free browser does not cap data limitations and boasts built-in ad-blocking and compression features for smoother surfing without the need for constant ads. Despite the fully-featured site, we must figure out that Opera uses an HTTPS proxy, so it is not practically a “true VPN.”
Opera has also been subject to significant criticism with respect to its privacy, with critics noting that Opera Software ASA, originally a Norwegian company, could be subject to the decisions of the Nine Eyes spy alliance with its Norwegian offices. Alongside this, the company is now largely owned by a Chinese consortium based in Hong Kong. With China’s mass censorship and surveillance, many privacy purists are curious about what this entails for the “VPN” side of things, and how private it really is.
Overall, Opera is a decent VPN browser for people who just want to add an extra layer of protection when using public WiFi, but we do not suggest using it for significant privacy, Netflix, or torrenting purposes.
Tenta
Download in Play Store
Tenta is an Android VPN browser that provides privacy through the incorporation of the OpenVPN protocol (making it a true VPN). It provides outstanding free service with the option to upgrade to full device coverage at a competitive price point. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect is that it encrypts more than just your traffic. Details that would not ordinarily be concealed from a VPN browser, such as bookmarks, downloaded files, and even different tabs, are all encrypted! In fact, Tenta promises to encrypt and restrict access to all your browsing data and takes a zero-knowledge approach to user data.
Using AES-256 bit encryption lets users know that their information is protected, and they freely publish their encryption specifications on their website for people to see for themselves. Despite being a very secure and fully featured service, there are a few kinks that need to be reviewed: there are still very few servers, so users don’t have a lot of options in that respect. On top of that, the browser is actually only available on Android, so we’d like it to be accessible on more platforms.
All in all, this is a fantastic VPN browser given it’s free, and we think it’s only going to get better over time.
Epic
Download in Play Store
Download in App Store
Epic provides a reliable service that puts the privacy of consumers first. Firstly, Epic is a non-logs service, which only gathers limited, aggregated data on bandwidth and preventative steps for DDoS (purely to boost the service provided). This is refreshing for a free provider, as other free programs always come at the expense of the data being sold to consumers. Their support comes mostly from subscription providers, advertisers, and quest partners.
It’s also an open-source initiative – ensuring that their code can be audited by everyone. This degree of clarity ensures that consumers are in a position to review the code in full and to validate the level of privacy themselves. Epic offers a secure and TLS-encrypted HTTPS proxy across most platforms, except for the iOS variant that uses IKEv2 (a cryptography protocol that is widely found with many iOS VPN clients). Although still encrypted, the HTTPS proxy is not the same as the real VPN but provides Perfect Forward Secrecy and HTTPS Everywhere.
Some users may be worried about DNS and WebRTC leaks by using an HTTPS proxy. Luckily, it provides WebRTC security, and DNS requests (when the encrypted proxy/VPN is active) are made by the proxy/VPN server. The Windows client can also delete the DNS cache to close for additional protection. While it doesn’t have a lot of functionality, it has a video downloader for websites such as Twitter) and its mobile app helps users to circumvent paywalls for certain publications. Overall, we think Epic is a fantastic alternative to a standard browser, and it has a lot of hope for the future.
Aloha
Download in Play Store
Download in App Store
Aloha provides a lot of offset customization, offering users a host of creative tools that make the overall VPN browser pretty good (even in its free format). After reaching out to Aloha for more details on their encryption, we can confirm that Aloha does provide users with true VPN support for IPSec, IKEv2, and two versions of their own proprietary protocols (patent pending). All connections are encrypted with at least an AES-256 algorithm and are updated to AES-512 if accessible to the user. One example of where AES-512 does not default is for example, on low-end devices, where higher encryption will drain the battery of the computer very rapidly.
Despite the high functionality of the browser, Aloha does pose some questions, especially with regard to its privacy policies, which can turn some users off.
It states the third-party hosting of their servers is an immediate red flag for privacy-oriented individuals. In short, this means that they have little power over the security and privacy of these servers. Second, although the policy notes that it can only gather sensitive information if you supply it, their servers will collect records of interactions for your computer. Most significant, though is that their privacy policy specifies that Aloha gathers information to be given to third parties as it is needed by the rule of law-meaning that they are likely to pass on your data to the authorities, particularly if demanded to do so.
What about Tor?
Download in Play Store
It’s worth noting that despite what some websites say, Tor is not a VPN browser, and there are some important distinctions between the two. Although both are proxy-based systems, there is very little overlap between them. The best way to understand the distinction is that Tor gives true anonymity, while VPNs help deter prying eyes from seeing your use of the Internet (such as governments, ISPs, or websites).
VPN Browser or Tor?
That depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to do something that might bring you a lot of trouble (such as whistleblowing), use Tor. If what you’re doing isn’t going to get you in trouble (such as P2P torrenting) or if you don’t want to be tracked and monitored online, use a VPN.