In life, things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend by your side. And, so happens in the online world. Just after you install a powerful antivirus, you can rest assured that no virus will be able to infiltrate your device, and right after you got yourself the best VPN to encrypt your online activities, your device will turn into a fortress. Since I am here to talk tech, it’s time to reveal some precious information on what are the best VPN services out there, what is a VPN trial, and why you should start your VPN journey with one.
I am not sure if you’re aware, but you’re on a Transylvanian blog, and we do things differently around here. We like stories, legends, and myths, so before digging into the tech-related talk, I owe you a Transylvanian story on why a VPN trial is an important thing you should look for in your future provider.
What is a free VPN trial? The Transylvanian story.
Living in Transylvania puts you in front of many challenges, especially if you’re a tiny, innocent bat. I already told you that bats like to hang out with friends too, but I am not sure that you’re aware that they build trust and relationships just like humans do.
So, before hanging out, share secrets or plan on how to steal my food, TomBat and AnonymousBat had to build trust over time.
Is AnonymousBat the enemy or a trustworthy friend? The truth shall be revealed by facts, not nice and empty words!
Just like me, Tom likes to be better safe than sorry, so he came up with a plan that helped him draw the conclusion line on his friendship with AnonymousBat, and I will fill you in with everything that happened that day…
The best thing on earth you could give a bat is love and figs, and if we speak about a lady-bat, you could try your luck with chocolate too. Therefore, Tom used the fig tree I have planted as a test.
Fig trees don’t usually grow in Transylvania, as the winters are too long and cold for them to survive around here. Still, I have decided to plant one and keep it in a pot, inside the castle, during the cold winters. The experiment has been a real success, and this could be a piece of very important information for the whole Castlevanian community, and especially for Dracula’s clumsy bats.
After telling me his plan and receiving my approval, TomBat shared with AnonymousBat the secret about the only fig tree in Transylvania. If other bats would find out about it or, even worse, if someone would try to steal it, it would mean that AnonymousBat wasn’t able to keep the secret and rushed into sharing the news with others.
Luckily, AnonymousBat proved to be a true friend and never disappointed TomBat. Since then, they share a strong friendship and my figs, of course.
Now, this is exactly why you need to find the best free VPN trial. If you start screening VPN providers’ websites, you will read only positive aspects, handpicked 5-star reviews, and impressive lists of features. Yet, you can’t be 100% sure that those are not only empty words. Therefore, testing a VPN’s performance is crucial, as it is influenced by a series of factors. A free VPN trial is just what you need before putting your whole trust into your future provider.
What is a free VPN trial?
Who doesn’t like free stuff? I love free stuff, and only the thought of getting something for free puts a smile on my face.
When we talk about different services, a trial period could attract customers, just as honey attracts flies. A few good examples? Netflix provides (in some countries) a free month of service, so future customers can check the available catalog. YouTube does the exact thing, and Kindle provides a free limited period to its enormous e-books collection. The same principle applies to antiviruses or software in general.
And guess what! Some VPNs make no exception!
Thus, if it’s still not clear what is a free VPN trial, let me enlighten you.
A VPN trial is a free testing period some VPNs allow their users to take. Usually, a free VPN trial is provided so future customers can test the service’s full performance before subscribing.
Yet, there are other hidden reasons behind these decisions, such as avoiding refunds policy which, to be honest, it’s kinda normal. You had your chance to test the VPN, you were happy enough with the performance to subscribe, so what’s the point of asking for a refund in the first place? As I am not here to act as a detective, let’s continue with our topic of interest…
Why would you look for a VPN?
I know talk is cheap, but before telling you what is the best VPN providing a free trial, or what you need to check during the trial, I MUST tell you a few reasons why you NEED a VPN in your life.
With all the threats lurking at Internet’s corners like vampires at my windows, besides enabling a firewall and an active antivirus subscription, you also need a tool that secures the data you transmit over the web. A VPN does exactly this thing and many more.
With a VPN app installed on your device, with a simple click, you can hide your IP address, encrypt your traffic, bypass geo-restrictions, unblock streaming websites like Netflix or BBC, and even avoid having your bandwidth throttled.
By combining a VPN server with a powerful protocol and a strong encryption standard, the VPN works its magic over your connection in such a way that all your online activities and even the most sensitive data will be kept private and secured.
What is the best VPN providing a free VPN trial?
The VPN performance is influenced by a series of factors such as your normal internet speed, the distance between you and the physical location of the VPN server you choose to connect to, and many, many more. This is one of the reasons why the best VPN in my opinion, will not be the best VPN in your opinion and, again, this is why testing is important.
If you already checked the VPN reviews-related websites, you might have noticed that there is a list of things reviewers take into consideration when testing and reviewing VPNs such as speed, features, number of servers, etc.
When it comes to my recommendations, you must know that I use every single VPN I include in my articles on a daily basis. Based on their performance and the availability of a free VPN trial in their list of benefits, here are my top picks that I highly encourage you to test:
ibVPN is, by far, my favorite VPN providing a 24-hours free VPN trial, no credit card required. This Romanian provider has lots of experience in the VPN market and an impressive list of key features like both Internet and application KillSwitches, a satisfying number of servers located in strategic countries around the world, so you will be able to unblock media streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Pandora, unlimited bandwidth, and a 100% no logs policy.
Moreover, during the testing period, you are allowed to give their proxy add-ons a try and, trust me, you want to do that, as you will be able to try out advanced settings like WebRTC leak protection.
During the trial period, you are treated like a regular customer of theirs, meaning that you will have access to 24/7 customer support and access to their impressive knowledgebase featuring savage tutorials.
With CyberGhost, you will be able to ghost all your internet activities while staying protected and away from ISP surveillance.
CyberGhost offers a 24 hours free trial during which you can enjoy servers especially optimized for streaming, torrenting, and gaming with unlimited bandwidth, an outstanding performance, up to 7 simultaneous connections, and transparent no-log policy.
Services like NordVPN or ExpressVPN that need no further presentation, advertise their free VPN trial in a distorted manner I don’t necessarily like. These two providers offer 30-days money-back guarantee policy, meaning that you can test the service for 30 days, and in case you don’t like it, you can ask for a refund. Even so, this is not an option for internet users who have an empty credit card.
Of course, there are a bunch of other VPNs providing free VPN trials, but as I don’t regularly use those and I am not 100% sure about their ups and downs, I cannot recommend them with an open heart.
What to check during the free VPN trial?
No matter if you will choose testing one of the VPNs I have suggested or others of your pick, you should pay special attention to a few important elements while testing. Why? Because when it comes to VPNs you, need to act like Doubting Thomas and question every single affirmation presented on a provider’s website. Picking a VPN is like choosing your best friend, remember?
So, here’s what you should look for:
- VPN apps. The Age of dinosaurs is long gone, so you should consider using the VPN like a pro and opt for VPN software instead of the rustic manual setup. As the VPN is a software, there are VPN apps for the most popular OSes (Windows VPN apps, macOS VPN apps, iOS VPN apps, Android VPN apps, Linux), which allow you to enable the VPN connection with just a click (or a tap, if you use it on a mobile device). Therefore, apps are a must, so make sure you find plenty in the provider’s list.
- Perform a speed test. Remember what you just read in the Transylvanian story? Well, then test the VPN’s speed right after you installed and configured your app. Who has time to wait for a page to load infinitely or a movie to buffer? No one, right?! Speed is essential, so don’t forget to make sure you are content with how the VPN performs.
- Check the number of servers. Unlike age, the number of servers is not just a number. Access servers located in the most-wanted countries around the globe is important for being able to bypass censorship or China’s DPI, unblock geo-restricted websites, and even download torrents securely. Activate your detective spirit again and check if the total number of servers pleases you.
- Check for unicorn servers. Besides regular VPN servers, other special servers help you accomplish impressive things. Great examples of such servers are DoubleVPN, Tor over VPN, Gaming VPN, P2P & torrent-friendly servers, and even obfuscated servers. Based on their use, you will be able to double encrypt your traffic, maximize your security level while using Tor, or avoid DDoS attacks while playing your favorite video games.
- Check for unicorn protocols. VPN providers created two species of unicorns – unicorn servers I have just told you about and unicorn protocols. Unicorn protocols are represented by protocols besides OpenVPN, or PPTP. Therefore, look for protocols like Stealth VPN, SoftEther VPN, WireGuard, or even Shadowsocks.
- Advanced VPN features. Have you ever bought a car? You must know that when you buy a new car, you can opt for whatever configuration you have in mind like the transmission, horsepower, type of rims, and many more. Of course, for all those things, you need to pay more, and the same principle applies to VPNs. Basic VPNs have a price, and advanced, powerful VPNs have a spicier price. The difference is set by the advanced VPN features, which imply a lot of resources to implement. Here is the list of advanced features you should look for while testing the VPN: Internet and/or application Kill Switch, IP leak protection, DNS leak protection, split tunneling options, or Socks5 proxy solution for torrenting.
- No-logs policy. A transparent no logs policy assures you that the provider keeps no logs on your activity, meaning that your privacy, security, and anonymity are completely safe. Plus, such a policy makes a huge difference. For instance, free VPN services offer lousy protection and performance and, besides these, they can spy on your activity and even sell your personal information, as they don’t provide the advantage of a no-log policy.
- Customer support. VPNs can get frustrating from time to time. That’s when the assistance of friendly customer support is more than welcomed. As time zone is important, make sure your provider allows you to contact support 24/7.
Other important VPN-related FAQ.
Did you know that on my blog FAQ stands for Friend Answering Question? I thought that highlighting this fact into this best VPN – best friend related article would make so much sense but, maybe, it’s just in my imagination.
As loose lips sink ships, I will stop rambling and answer a few hot questions you may have if you’re a novice.
VPNs sound too good to be true. Is this technology legal?
VPNs are 100% legal and safe to use, with 2 or 3 examples of countries where using a VPN is completely banned. In this article, you will find the extended information you need on the topic: “Is VPN legal?”.
Will my ISP be aware that I use a VPN during the trial?
If your ISP is specifically preoccupied with your internet activities, it can see that you’re using a VPN, and that’s pretty it. If you’re not using a VPN in counties where the technology is banned, your ISP will have nothing against you encrypting your traffic.
What happens if I don’t have enough testing time?
In such a case, you can negotiate with the provider a trial extension that you may get if you’re polite and explain the whole situation and why proper testing is important for you.
What if I damage my device by choosing to use a VPN?
If you’re a novice and decide to go for a manual VPN setup, you may face difficulties or even bugle your network connection, but there’s no way to break your device. To make sure you’re safe and sound, go for installing a VPN app, as it is ready to use and intuitive.
What happens if I want to access Netflix/BBC iPlayer and get blocked?
Close your PC, pack your things, and get ready to move to another country! I am just kidding. In case the advanced filtering algorithms detect that you use a VPN to bypass restrictions, just clear your browser cache and try again by connecting to a different server, or even by using a different browser.
Do you have any other questions? Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter by using the form below, as I constantly share informative newsletters to my tech-savvy community.
Are you ready to sum things up?
Online anonymity, privacy, and security are 3 key elements to think about every time you surf the web. Keeping all our data private should be our goal in the digital era. Luckily, with just a click, you can accomplish these things and many more, right after installing a suitable VPN for your needs.
How to find the best VPN for you? By doing a bit of research and testing before buying. The VPN should fit your needs better than your favorite sweater, so keep testing until you’re happy with your discovery.
With the VPN market blooming from a day to another, try finding the VPN who provides a trial, powerful features, enough servers not to get bored swinging between, and a friendly support team you can share your concerns with (and maybe some jokes).
Bottom line – there is a best friend for anyone, you just need to find it. And so happens with VPNs!
Fingers crossed!
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