Best Free VPN for the Dark Web: These Are Really Safe

The dark web is often a taboo topic among many people. Some think it’s a forbidden part of the internet and shouldn’t be dwelled. Others, however, know that going on the darknet is safe as long as you don’t do anything illicit. It’s why people seek the best free VPN for the dark web.

Using Tor alone isn’t safe, as there are still concerns regarding your anonymity and privacy. A free dark web VPN will fully encrypt your traffic before you even connect to Tor. This way, it’ll hide your activities from your ISP and make you entirely anonymous.

In addition, you’ll also gain additional protection in the form of a kill switch and IP leak prevention. This will keep you safe from hackers and snoopers looking to steal your data on this part of the internet. Now, the only question is what is the best free VPN for the dark web in 2024?

Or, more importantly, do free VPNs work on the dark web? The answer is YES but there are some caveats we’ll address further in the article.

Why We Don’t Recommend Free VPNs for the Dark Web?

Okay, so before we talk about the subject matter, we first need to take a quick detour. Despite the list you see below, our team can’t recommend free services for this purpose. We actually talked about this issue in our guide on visiting the dark web safely.

Essentially, free providers will work – no doubt. They support Onion over VPN and usually don’t require particular setups. However, it’s worth noting that many of them have limits in terms of bandwdith, speeds, and most importantly – security/privacy!

Of course, our list focuses primarily on safe and secure VPNs. But on the other hand, they compromise on the allowed monthly traffic and have very slow speeds. Tor is already slow due to all the encryption and nodes in the system, so you need a fast VPN to maximize the performance.

Sadly, these providers won’t give you the fastest experience to begin with. On top of that, their bandwidth limits will annoy you, and so will the fact that they lack simultaneous connections. While the providers we recommend are safe and secure, most free VPNs for the dark web aren’t!

They’re notorious for sometimes not encrypting your connection at all! Furthermore, we know plenty of them store logs of your online activities and IP address. As a result, your privacy is in jeopardy and you can’t rely on them to safely follow you through your darknet journeys.

For these reasons, after our best free dark web VPNs, we included two premium providers that you can use for free. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. We still have plenty of ground to cover, so keep reading.

Best Free VPNs for the Dark Web: Our Top 3 for 2024

To ensure we provide you with the best possible options, we chose the top 3 services for 2024. Our team tested them numerous times, so we can guarantee they’re legit and won’t store any logs. Also, these services are REALLY free.

You don’t have to pay a dime. All you need is a free account, after which, you can use the selected VPN forever. Now, let’s check them out and discuss their offerings.

1. ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is the best free VPN service for the dark web. Using it with Tor is a breeze, as you get unlimited traffic and rock-solid security. ProtonVPN offers bank-grade encryption and a no-logging policy, thanks to its Swiss jurisdiction and stringent privacy laws.

Moreover, we also like its addition of WireGuard in the free version, plus port forwarding which is often used for torrenting. Among its premium features is Secure Core (MultiHop), which its free VPN doesn’t have. On the flip side, the free version offers IP/DNS leak protection and a kill switch.

This makes it perfectly safe to go online, especially on the dark web. ProtonVPN’s unlimited bandwidth is ruined by slow speeds – very slow speeds! Its servers are frequently overloaded with users, so connection instability is imminent.

Another crucial thing is that it forbids P2P traffic, making torrenting a no-go zone. Unlike premium dark web VPNs, ProtonVPN also has only 5 server locations – the US, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, and Japan. These won’t serve you that well, especially because we’re talking about outdated 1 Gbps servers.

To make things worse, the service has no 24/7 live chat support and lacks any form of simultaneous connection. This makes it far worse than the premium version, which ends up being too expensive compared to NordVPN or ExpressVPN, for instance.

ProtonVPN is among the safest providers you can get. However, its downsides outweigh its upsides, despite the unlimited bandwidth. And its slow speeds really influence the dark web experience which is already doomed due to Tor. With ProtonVPN, get ready to drastically decrease your internet speed!

Visit ProtonVPN

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2. Hide.me VPN

Hide.me VPN is a brilliant provider with an exceptionally low price for the 2-year plan and the second-best free VPN to use on the dark web. Most impressively, it also offers unlimited bandwidth!

It has a free plan that allows for 8 server locations in countries like the USA, Germany, Singapore, Canada, and a few more. It’s more than ProtonVPN and unlike that provider, it allows you to select a specific location.

Furthermore, Hide.me supports Onion over VPN. This means you’ll just need to connect to one of the servers, open Tor, and enjoy browsing. Another perk is security. Hide.me uses 256-bit encryption with a kill switch and IP/DNS leak protection to anonymize you online.

As it stores no logs, it’s also among the best and safest VPNs we tested. Its third-party audit tells us a lot, all while its RAM-only servers ensure no private information ever stays in the provider’s database. Sadly, because it’s free, you’ll have to come to terms with some limits.

For example, the provider lacks MultiHop servers for added security. It also limits your speeds which is a concern because of Tor’s bandwidth-hungry infrastructure. Due to all the encryption taking place, you’ll surely spend more time loading certain pages on the darknet.

Despite being the second-best VPN for the dark web in 2024, its limits include even app compatibility. For example, it offers just one connection per account, and streaming is very limited. Our tests showed it won’t work with Netflix, which some users might end up despising.

Torrenting doesn’t work with Hide.me but with pretty slow speeds, we assume you won’t be too happy. Overall, Hide.me is decent for what it is – a free darknet VPN with tons of compromises. If that’s okay, click the button below to test it for free.

If not… well, this list isn’t for you – move on to the one below.

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3. PrivadoVPN

PrivadoVPN is yet another Switzerland-based VPN with paid and free plans. As a free VPN for the dark web, it fully supports Onion over VPN, letting you roam the darknet easily. On top of that, a no-logging policy applies even to the free plan, so it won’t store any private data.

PrivadoVPN comes with 256-bit encryption and a kill switch. These features are complemented by WireGuard support, on top of which, it supports OpenVPN. We like this provider’s ease of use and even great streaming capabilities for a free provider.

Torrenting is, of course, allowed, and PrivadoVPN sports uncapped speeds for the best performance. Now, since we’re talking about a 100% free darknet VPN, it does offer some critical shortcomings. The first thing is limited monthly traffic – just 10 gigs a month.

This bandwidth would most likely be spent in a day, after which, you’ll be without a VPN for a month. Another thing is the lack of support for Linux, which Tor users won’t appreciate. PrivadoVPN is also limited to just 12 server locations, which isn’t much compared to NordVPN’s 111 locations.

We also need to point out that, unlike ProtonVPN and Hide.me, PrivadoVPN has no third-party audits. This is properly highlighted in our test of PrivadoVPN where we reviewed its free version. If you’re expecting simultaneous connections, you’re in for disappointment.

However, PrivadoVPN is a decent choice if you’re looking for a provider that won’t leak your IP/DNS addresses and keep you anonymous. For a full experience with unlimited streaming, torrenting, and surfing on the darknet, you’re better off with NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

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Best Free VPNs for the Dark Web for Up to 30 Days

With the free services out of the way, it’s time to discuss the options we really recommend. Premium services are known for their superiority compared to free VPNs. They also allow for unlimited bandwidth and have much faster speeds.

Not to mention their stronger security/privacy practices, simultaneous connections, and better device compatibility. While these providers are paid – obviously – there’s a trick to using them for free for up to 30 days. As you’ll see, this will end up being far better if you need safe and secure access to the darknet.

NordVPN: The #1 Free VPN for the Dark Web for 30 Days

People who seek a great non-paid VPN for the dark web should go with NordVPN. A premium provider by default, NordVPN offers some great incentives for new and existing users. One of them is a 30-day refund policy for all plans.

Try NordVPN for Free for 30 Days

This allows you to get a special discount through our site and subscribe to the VPN for a cheap price. Despite being much cheaper than ExpressVPN – our #2 pick, NordVPN grants you a 30-day money-back guarantee that functions the same.

You get the VPN, enjoy it for up to 30 days, and request a refund before this period expires. This way, you lose no money, yet, you get to experience the dark web in all of its glory, thanks to no bandwidth/performance limits imposed by the free VPNs.

For further information, check our NordVPN review.

Why Use NordVPN?

Now, why use NordVPN as a free dark web VPN in 2024? For one, it’s the most reliable VPN and comes with 6,400+ blazing-fast servers in 110+ countries. All servers are based on RAM and Double VPN servers also present in the app are amazing for doubling your encryption. The same applies to its Obfuscated servers that work in China.

We use these servers when going on the dark web, too. NordVPN supports Tor over VPN natively, so connecting to a server is all you need. After that, you’ll just need Tor and you can visit any Onion website safely and securely. Speaking of that, the provider is littered with many features.

This VPN has a dependable CyberSec ad blocker which works well for blocking even YouTube ads. Aside from that, it also has 256-bit encryption with split tunneling, a kill switch, and IPv6 leak protection. All features work in tandem to make your dark web adventures 100% safe.

NordVPN stores no logs either and aside from its audits by PwC and Deloitte, it uses Private DNS servers. This makes it extremely trustworthy, especially because of its favorable reputation among its users. We also like its 10 simultaneous connections – 2 more than ExpressVPN.

With this in mind, you can use this free VPN for the dark net on up to 10 concurrent devices at no additional induced cost. NordVPN has the NordLynx protocol, which is great for overall security and performance. A nice addition is Meshnet for remote access and control, too.

In 2024, it’s still one of the top choices for security, privacy, streaming, torrenting, and visiting the darknet. And thanks to a 30-day refund policy, it can be yours for free for a month if you’re willing to spend as low as $3.2/mo for it!

ExpressVPN: The #2 Free VPN for the Darknet for 30 Days

ExpressVPN is the next provider useful for any purpose. With fast speeds and excellent support for Tor over VPN, this provider beats many others easily. While surely not free, it does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, representing the backbone of our solution.

The trick involves buying ExpressVPN through our site. We left a button for you where you can claim a 49% discount and 3 free months for its 1-year plan – it’s the cheapest deal on this VPN, by the way. Alternatively, you can also get the monthly plan.

Try ExpressVPN for Free for 30 Days

Once you do that, you can use ExpressVPN on all your devices and enjoy browsing the dark web. Right before the first 30 days expire, contact the provider via live chat on the site and request a refund. Shortly after, the support team agent will issue a refund and give you your money back.

As a result, you used ExpressVPN as the best free VPN for the dark web and didn’t lose any money. The refund policy is non-conditional, so your first purchase is always refundable. As long as you don’t abuse this policy, you’ll have no problems.

Why Should I Use ExpressVPN?

ExpressVPN is miles ahead of the providers we mentioned previously. Its unlimited traffic coupled with 3,000 servers in 160 locations already sounds much better. In addition, the provider has 10 Gbps servers, ensuring the fastest possible speeds.

Further improving the experience is the Lightway protocol. It’s a lightweight security protocol for stable performance and fast speeds, complemented by cutting-edge security features. AES-256 encryption is here and ExpressVPN even includes a proprietary DNS service, plus a kill switch.

All of this will let you use ExpressVPN with Tor and not worry about being tracked by your ISP or hacked while on the darknet. Furthermore, ExpressVPN’s no-logging policy is among the best, with security audits from PwC, KPMG, and Cure53.

Its RAM-based servers are privacy-oriented, as they store no personal data. Plus, there’s ExpressVPN’s SmartDNS solution for streaming, while all 3,000 servers are great for torrenting. In fact, we found that ExpressVPN is great for Google Chrome and even has a full-fledged VPN extension.

This is welcome if you’re using Brave or other Chromium-based browsers. ExpressVPN allows for 8 simultaneous connections as well, and its 24/7 live chat support is impeccable. Compared to all the free VPNs for the dark web, you can see it’s really better.

And this is all on paper. In practice, it’s vastly superior to its free counterparts, which you’ll realize as soon as you start using it. For us, the only downside is a slightly higher price but that’s remedied with the exclusive discount through our site.

How to Get on the Dark Web With a Free VPN?

If you already decided on which free VPN provider you want to use, it’s time to see how to set it up before you venture into the dark web. The setup is actually quite simple and it won’t consist of many steps, so let us go through them swiftly.

• Get a free VPN from our list. It can either be a really free provider like ProtonVPN or a temporary-free choice like NordVPN or ExpressVPN.
• Install the app on your device – Android, macOS, Linux, or Android.
• Go to Tor’s official site and download this browser. It works on all four aforementioned platforms and it’s free.
• Open the VPN and sign in with the credentials you provided in the first step – email and password.
• Connect to a server. We recommend using the one close to you to get the best performance.
• Open Tor and visit any “.onion” website to enter the dark web.

Beware that the page loading time might be slightly longer because of encryption from Tor and the VPN. This is just a small price to pay for additional security. Still, if you perform the steps correctly, everything should work well and you should be able to browse the depths of the internet smoothly.

Summary

In today’s article, we presented you with our top 3 free VPNs for the dark web. These providers require no previous payments, so they’re easy to get into. All you need is to download a free VPN for Windows, macOS, Android, or Linux since Tor works on these platforms.

Then, simply connect to a VPN, open Tor, and start surfing. Although these free providers will work, they’ll destroy the experience a bit due to limited traffic and slower speeds. Thus, we recommend NordVPN or ExpressVPN if you’re not willing to cut corners.

They’re far safer, faster, and more secure. Above all, they’re unlimited bandwidth-wise, enabling you to soar the darknet without thinking twice about restrictions. With so much to see on this part of the internet, we believe traffic limits are the last thing your heart desires.

If you can’t decide between the two, take a few minutes to read the recently published NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison.

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