Best Free VPN for Germany: These Are Safe & Secure

Germany is one of the largest countries in Europe. As one of the leading members of the European Union, the country is subject to various data retention laws. That said, online privacy can be an issue in this country, which is why many users seek the best free VPN for Germany.

In addition, people find geo-restrictions annoying. In this country, accessing Netflix US is impossible, let alone streaming services like BBC iPlayer or Hulu. This, in conjunction with stringent torrenting laws that produce expensive fees, makes the use of a VPN a smart move.

While we prefer paid German VPNs, free VPNs for Germany can also be viable. That is if you’re aware of their limits in certain aspects. Our team did its best to find and select really FREE services that are also 100% safe and secure, so keep reading to find out more about them.

Best Free VPN for Germany for 30 Days

Before talking about really free VPNs in Germany, we’ll take a quick detour. Namely, we want to swiftly go over two providers we found to be the most impressive for German residents and those abroad. We’re talking about premium services – not free – that you CAN use for free for a limited period.

Just to make sure we’re clear, you won’t lose any money in the end, despite paying for them initially.

NordVPN: The #1 Free VPN for Germany for 30 Days

The best risk-free VPN for Germany is NordVPN. This provider, like most VPNs, packs a 30-day money-back guarantee. The principle is also the same as with ExpressVPN or even CyberGhost. To use NordVPN as the best free VPN for Germany, you’ll need to purchase it first.

Getting a discount on its longest plan can be done through our site. In this case, the provider will sprinkle a few free months and give you a 30-day refund policy. NordVPN is incredibly affordable, despite being the most dependable VPN overall.

Either way, get NordVPN, install it, and enjoy top-tier security, unlimited traffic, and blazing-fast speeds. Now, you have 30 days to get a refund, so apply the same principle. Contact its customer support, request your money back, and you’re good to go.

30 Days of Risk-Free Use With NordVPN

NordVPN will gladly refund your purchase, making sure you don’t lose any money if you don’t need it anymore. However, we found that many people don’t go for a refund since NordVPN is so cheap, that it’s nearly free, at just above two dollars a month.

Why Use NordVPN?

NordVPN is, as said, a superior choice even compared to ExpressVPN, our #2 pick. It offers more servers – 6,300+ of them – and you get plenty of them in Germany as well. This is why many people use it to get a German IP address, for example, which users abroad will find welcome.

Another perk of this service is the presence of streaming and torrenting-optimized servers. All servers can unblock an array of platforms and even German TV channels abroad. Torrenting (P2P) servers are handy for anonymous P2P activities no matter your location.

We also like its Double VPN servers since they route your traffic through two servers, adding two encryption layers. The provider offers an ad blocker with full web/file protection but there’s also NordLynx support, coupled with AES-256 encryption and a solid automatic kill switch.

In Germany, people will like its no-logs policy audited by PwC and Deloitte. The provider uses RAM-only servers and Private DNS, adding to its trustworthiness. Another thing to acknowledge is the presence of Obfuscated servers that will work in China and Iran.

It is, in addition, important to mention the amazing device support that lets you install it on any system. Users can enjoy 10 simultaneous connections too, and its customer service works 24/7. Interestingly, its support also speaks German, so if you’re not great with English, you can still get proper help.

In short, we think NordVPN is an amazing choice even if you don’t intend to get a refund. But if you do, a 30-day refund policy surely sounds attractive. Not more than using NordVPN for a lifetime and reveling in its numerous benefits – at least in our book.

ExpressVPN: A Great Free Alternative

ExpressVPN is our second pick. It’s undoubtedly one of the most reliable choices. Aside from fast speeds, the service packs a boatload of German servers plus many of them abroad. While not free, it does offer a few incentives.

One is a 49% discount and 3 free months for the annual plan, which drops the price significantly. Another is a non-conditional 30-day money-back guarantee – the backbone of this free VPN for Germany. Basically, you’ll need to purchase ExpressVPN first.

Use ExpressVPN in Germany for Free

Then, you can use it limitlessly and enjoy streaming, torrenting, or anything you want. The point is to cancel ExpressVPN and get a refund in the first 30 days! As such, you’ll be refunded and not lose a single dollar. This is great if you need a free German VPN for a limited period, for example.

Keep in mind that the provider is way better than any really free provider we presented below. And in the first 30 days, you can enjoy this service for quite a while before asking for a refund. That said, you can watch the entire series on Netflix, enjoy gambling online, torrent anonymously, and much more.

Why Use ExpressVPN?

This ties into why ExpressVPN is much more reliable than any free German VPN. Well, it has 3,000 servers in 160 locations, making it suitable for Germans abroad and those in Deutschland. Later on, you’ll see that really free providers don’t have servers in this country.

Moving on, ExpressVPN is an unlimited VPN. This means no traffic and speed limits, yet another big advantage. As said, the provider is extremely reliable for streaming but also torrenting, giving you plenty of options for a varied and exciting internet experience.

For Germany, the provider must have excellent security. ExpressVPN has it. With 256-bit encryption, Lightway VPN protocol, and a kill switch, it’s unlikely your IP or DNS will ever leak. Plus, there’s a no-logging policy with a few audits.

This ensures the provider stores no logs, and thus, keeps you safe and anonymous at all times. ExpressVPN is easy to use and beginners will love this. Its apps can be installed on any platform, even if we’re talking about using a VPN on Apple TV or Kodi.

ExpressVPN also fully supports Onion over VPN and if you frequently roam the dark web, this is a perfect choice. Not to mention 8 simultaneous connections with 24/7 support for all your questions and doubts. For the price, it’s amazingly good.

Let’s not forget about a 30-day refund policy and a heavily discounted 1-year plan with 3 free months. But since you’re getting a refund, it most likely won’t matter. Or you aren’t? Well, think about it before getting your next free VPN for Germany.

Best REALLY Free VPNs for Germany for 2024

Since we discussed our favorite free German VPNs in 2024 for up to 30 days, let’s go back to the 100% free choices. This time, we’ll present you with the top 3 providers that we think are great. However, comparing them to NordVPN and ExpressVPN would be pointless.

These two are significantly superior and offer many features that the providers below don’t have. Regardless, let’s check them out and see what they can offer.

1. Proton VPN

Proton VPN is a VPN from Switzerland, known for its focus on privacy and security. For the start, it offers unlimited monthly traffic, which is a breath of fresh air. As expected, this VPN has no servers in Germany, making it suitable only for people in this country.

As one of the top free VPNs for Germany, Proton VPN does offer impeccable security. Aside from AES-256-bit encryption, there’s IP/DNS leak protection, split tunneling, WireGuard/OpenVPN, and even RAM-only servers. For a free provider, this one is seriously equipped.

Does it store logs? Actually, it doesn’t! Unlike Hotspot Shield which sells your personal data to third parties, Proton VPN has an audited no-logs policy and doesn’t store your IP, DNS requests, and geolocation on its servers. Unfortunately, there are shortcomings.

One big issue is the lack of torrenting. It forbids P2P traffic, so downloading torrents is a no-go. On top of that, Proton VPN works with no popular streaming services and offers only one “Fastest” server location. This makes its unlimited traffic kind of pointless.

It’s worth mentioning that the provider lacks many of the premium features. For example, you don’t get to use Secure Core servers for doubling your encryption – a big miss. Another issue is that NetShield isn’t working either, so blocking ads and trackers is out of the equation

Sadly, the VPN is slower than PrivadoVPN, and with 1 Gbps free VPN servers, expecting exceptional performance is unrealistic. The good thing is that it’s completely safe and great for general browsing. For anything else, you’ll have to use NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

Visit Proton VPN

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2. Hide.me

The second-best 100% free VPN in Germany is Hide.me VPN.

This provider is based in Malaysia, which means it’s really safe and secure. German users will like its easy-to-use apps for all devices, plus the fact that it offers a really free VPN for Germany. Keep in mind that it has servers in your country as well – amazing!

This means that, if you go abroad, you can watch German TV, as you can get a German IP. Even better, the provider comes with AES-256 encryption and full support for OpenVPN. On the other hand, it doesn’t support torrenting because of unlimited data.

Hide.me VPN also works on Linux, which is great for increasing your security. Our team likes that Hide.me has superior IP/DNS leak protection coupled with a certified no-logging policy. As such, the provider is great for avoiding ISP surveillance and data collection that frequently happens.

Now, is it a perfect provider if you don’t want to pay a dime? No. Compared to NordVPN and ExpressVPN, it’ll limit your speed despite unlimited bandwidth. It won’t be enough for streaming, which already won’t work since the provider is detected by streaming services.

Speaking of which, Hide.me won’t work with Netflix either. Another thing is that it offers just 8 server locations. As said, servers in Germany are there but Hide.me is still unimpressive compared to NordVPN’s 111 or ExpressVPN’s 105 countries.

Hide.me has only one connection per account in the free version as well. This, coupled with average performance and the lack of WireGuard, makes the provider quite limited. However, if you want to avoid paying, you’ll have to deal with some compromises. That’s how life functions.

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3. PrivadoVPN

The only free VPN that has servers in Germany is PrivadoVPN. It offers 12 free global servers in countries like the UK, France, the US, Mexico, and many others. Actually, we have a list of the top 3 free UK VPNs, so feel free to check it out if you’re from this splendid country.

And if you’re a German abroad… well, you can use PrivadoVPN to access ZDF or any other channel anywhere! PrivadoVPN comes with a boatload of security features and even includes bank-grade encryption and an automatic kill switch.

With uncapped speeds and apps for almost all platforms, you’ll enjoy its performance as well. PrivadoVPN is another Switzerland-based service, so it stores no logs. While it has no audits like Proton VPN, so far, it proved to be extremely reliable in terms of security.

We, of course, have a few issues with it. While it does allow torrenting, it’s good to mention its 10 GB bandwidth cap. After all, you won’t download torrents that much. PrivadoVPN will very rarely work with some streaming services, but most of the time, it’s detected and blocked.

A big issue we have with this VPN is that it doesn’t support Linux properly. This is a hell of a problem for Linux users who want to make this secure platform even safer. It trips over typical obstacles that most free VPNs do, such as not allowing for simultaneous connections and having limited traffic.

If you don’t care about them and you just want a really free VPN for Germany with servers in this country, it’s a wonderful pick. But be careful – free VPNs tend to be quite disappointing. Don’t tell us we didn’t warn you – here’s your warning!

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Free German VPN Servers: Which VPNs Have Them?

Before presenting you with our top 3 free VPNs for Germany, we warned you about one thing. Free services usually don’t have servers in this country. This, as you saw, rings true for most of our top providers. However, that’s not to say that not a single free service has German servers.

No, as you saw.

There are free VPN providers with servers in Germany and we included them because we don’t think they’re the best for you. Let’s quickly talk about a few more and explain why we didn’t include them on our list.

• Windscribe. This provider offers a few free German VPN servers. It has limited monthly bandwidth and is based in Canada, which is a 5-Eyes country. This means it’s not the best solution for security and privacy, compared to Swiss VPNs like Proton VPN or PrivadoVPN.
• TunnelBear. With this VPN, you’ll get hundreds of servers – many of them in Germany. This one is also in Canada, but above all, its 2 GB of monthly bandwidth isn’t enough for 10-15 minutes of browsing. It’s clear why we dislike this provider so much.
• Hola VPN. A P2P provider with serious problems in terms of security and privacy. It stores plenty of user-related logs, sells them to third parties, and doesn’t care about your safety. Do we need to explain anything else?

Summary

Using a free VPN in Germany seems like a sensible option, after all. Our team wholeheartedly recommends sticking to NordVPN and ExpressVPN if you need a provider for a limited time. With their 30-day money-back guarantee, getting a refund is pretty easy.

The downside is that you’ll have to pay upfront but the experience you’ll get is impeccable. If you don’t have the money to pay immediately, perhaps, Proton VPN, Hide.me, or PrivadoVPN will have to suffice. In this case, you can expect a downgraded experience.

This means no quality streaming/torrenting, a lack of simultaneous connections, slower speeds, and fewer servers/server locations. We did our best to present you with the best solutions from both sides. Now that you know their advantages and shortcomings, it’s time to get a VPN and enjoy.