Is a free VPN safe?
Sometimes, but only from a handful of providers. Proton VPN Free, Windscribe, and PrivadoVPN are trustworthy but limited in data or speed. Most other free VPNs make money from your data or inject ads, which is exactly what a VPN is supposed to prevent.
Running a VPN costs money: servers, bandwidth, and maintenance. If you are not paying, someone else is, and with shady free providers, you are the product. Research has repeatedly shown that unknown free VPN apps sell browsing data, inject advertising, or even carry malware.
There are three honest exceptions. Proton VPN Free is the only serious free VPN without a data cap; you trade away speed and server choice. Windscribe gives you ten gigabytes a month, enough for light daily use. PrivadoVPN also offers ten gigabytes. All three fund their free tiers transparently through paying subscribers.
Our advice: start with one of those three, and switch to a paid service once you use the VPN daily. From a couple of dollars a month you already get a top-tier service with no limits.