To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more
If youre looking for the best VPNs with a free trial, we have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that currently no VPNs are offering a free trial. The good news is that all the best VPNs offer money-back guarantees, so if you dont like the service, you can just ask for your money back.
The reason why VPNs dont offer free trials is probably because there was just too much room for abuse. VyprVPN had one for a while: you could use the service for free up to 2GB of data, though you did have to enter your credit card details to get it.
However, VyprVPNs parent company Golden Frog cancelled the trials on desktop and now only offers them for Android and iOS. If you want to try out any other service, youll have to pay for it. If you decide you dont like it, though, you can ask for your money back. Every service weve reviewed so far will give you a refund, though some will give it up more easily than others. That said, there are still ways to use VPNs for free, just check out our selection of the best free VPNs if money is tight.
Best VPNs with a free trial: At a glance
How do I pick the best VPN refund policy?
Picking which refund policy is best is tricky as theyre pretty much all the same: you sign on, and if you cancel in the first 30 days you can get your money back. Some VPN services have shorter or longer durations, but the overwhelming majority offer 30 days (on this list only CyberGhost breaks the rule, with 45 days).
Read on to see how some of the major players in the VPN industry handle refunds.
READ NEXT: The best VPNs to buy today
Best VPNs with a free trial in 2022
1. NordVPN
We think NordVPN is the best VPN out there thanks to its speed and ability to get past blocks. Still, though, it could be that youre not happy with the service for one reason or another. Maybe you dont like the interface, or maybe it doesnt have the server spread youre looking for; there are all kinds of reasons.
If so, you can get all your money back as long as you cancel in the first 30 days of your subscription. Simply contact the NordVPN support team live chat is usually the best option and that should take care of the issue.
Generally speaking, theyll ask you why you want to quit, but once youve provided an answer theyll start processing your cancellation and refund straight away. If they do ask further questions, remind them that they have a no-questions-asked policy and that should do the trick.
Read our full NordVPN review for more details
2. ExpressVPN
Our second pick is ExpressVPN, which we like mostly for its great interface and excellent security. However, we cant deny that its a little on the pricey side and it could be that, after using it for a few weeks, youd rather have a more cost-effective service.
In that case, youll be happy to learn that ExpressVPN has one of the more pleasant customer experiences for getting refunds. Just ask for your money back and as long as its within the first 30 days youll get it. There are no endless questionnaires to go through.
For the details, take a look at ExpressVPNs refund page: theres a link to the contact support centre there. We got the best results using the chat feature, but requesting your refund via email will work too.
Read our full ExpressVPN review for more details
3. Surfshark
As you can read in our full-length review, theres plenty to like about Surfshark: it offers good security and speed, all at a great price. Still, though, it could be that you need a VPN thats a bit more reliable at breaking through blocks like that of Netflix. In that case, youll be happy to know Surfshark has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The details of how it works can be found on Surfsharks website. Unfortunately, of all the entries on this list, Surfshark gave us the most trouble when it came to getting our money back. In our email exchange with support staff, we were reminded time and again of the services positive points, despite us insisting that we just wanted our money back.
Though they did relent eventually, it could have gone a little more smoothly. Still, though, in the end we did get our money back, so we cant complain too much.
Read our full Surfshark VPN review for more details
4. Hide.me
Our fourth pick, Hide.me, does have a trial of sorts in the form of its free plan, though we have to admit its pretty rudimentary as it restricts the servers you have access to (we go into more detail in our review). If you make the jump to the paid plan and still arent too sure about it, youll be happy to know that you can claim your money back as long as you do it within 30 days.
Like ExpressVPN, Hide.me will not ask any questions about why you want a refund, though it does lay out its terms a little more strictly than other services do: you cant have asked for a refund before, and you cant be in violation of the terms of service. It also has one of the slowest processing times, taking up to 10 days before the money is back in your account.
Read our full Hide.me VPN review for more details
5. CyberGhost
Last but not least is CyberGhost, which holds the distinction of having the longest money-back guarantee in the business at 45 days. Were not sure why it needs to be this long: its a good service with a great interface. But its a great option for anybody that isnt too sure about whether the service will meet their needs.
Like all of our other picks, cancelling CyberGhost and getting a refund is pretty easy: just contact customer support, make sure you mention your purchase number and that should be it. Weve had some back-and-forth in the past on why we were cancelling, but generally it was just an email or two and our money was on its way back to us.
Read our full CyberGhost VPN review for more details
