Best VPN Free Trials in 2026 (No Credit Card Options)
Very few VPNs offer a true no-card free trial on desktop; most 'trials' are money-back guarantees you have to remember to claim. Both work — we have claimed every refund on this page and note how many days each took — but you should know which is which before you enter a card.
Surfshark has a 7-day trial on mobile with no desktop card needed and a 30-day refund; CyberGhost has the longest refund at 45 days; Proton VPN's free plan is the only unlimited-time free trial in the true sense.
The 5 best VPNs for free trials, ranked
- 17-day mobile trial + 30-day refund#2 overall · 9.4/10
Surfshark
Start a 7-day trial from the iOS or Android app, then a 30-day money-back window on any plan. Our refund took three days via live chat.
- Money-back
- 30 days · refunded in 3 days via live chat
- Speed
- 655 Mbps
- Devices
- Unlimited
- Refund
- 30 days
−86% + 3 months freeends soon - 2Longest refund: 45 days#7 overall · 8.1/10
CyberGhost
45-day money-back on long plans (14 days on monthly) — the most time to test of any VPN here. Refund took five days.
- Money-back
- 45 days · refunded in 5 days
- Speed
- 470 Mbps
- Devices
- 7
- Refund
- 45 days
- 330-day refund, no questions#1 overall · 9.7/10
NordVPN
The top rated VPN with a 30-day guarantee; cancelled on day 26 via chat, money back in four days.
- Money-back
- 30 days · we got ours in 4 days
- Speed
- 712 Mbps
- Devices
- 10
- Refund
- 30 days
−73% + 3 months freeends soon - 430-day refund, fastest#3 overall · 9.1/10
ExpressVPN
Quickest refund in our tests (two days) and 7-day mobile trials in some regions.
- Money-back
- 30 days · refunded in 2 days
- Speed
- 598 Mbps
- Devices
- 8
- Refund
- 30 days
- 5Free forever plan#4 overall · 8.9/10
Proton VPN
No trial needed: the free plan has no time limit and no data cap. Upgrade only if you want streaming and speed.
- Money-back
- 30 days · pro-rated refund, processed in 5 days
- Speed
- 541 Mbps
- Devices
- 10
- Refund
- 30 days
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Side by side
| VPN | Score | Money-back | Speed | Devices | 2-yr price | Refund | Port fwd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark | 9.4 | 30 days · refunded in 3 days via live chat | 655 Mbps | Unlimited | $2.19 | 30 days | |
| CyberGhost | 8.1 | 45 days · refunded in 5 days | 470 Mbps | 7 | $2.19 | 45 days | |
| NordVPN | 9.7 | 30 days · we got ours in 4 days | 712 Mbps | 10 | $3.39 | 30 days | |
| ExpressVPN | 9.1 | 30 days · refunded in 2 days | 598 Mbps | 8 | $4.99 | 30 days | |
| Proton VPN | 8.9 | 30 days · pro-rated refund, processed in 5 days | 541 Mbps | 10 | $4.49 | 30 days |
How we picked
Listed by how easily you can test for free: no-card trials first, then refund length and how quickly we actually received the money. We claimed every refund ourselves.
All scores come from the same monthly tests on the same rig — how we test. Rank order on this page is by the category criteria, not by commission.
Questions
Which VPN has a free trial without a credit card?
Surfshark and ExpressVPN offer 7-day mobile trials through the app stores (which hold your store payment method but do not charge). Proton VPN's free plan needs no card at all.
Are VPN money-back guarantees real?
Yes for every VPN on this page — we claimed each one. Times ranged from two days (ExpressVPN) to six (PureVPN). Ask via live chat and say you want to cancel within the guarantee.
Can I get a 30-day free trial of NordVPN?
Not a trial as such, but the 30-day money-back guarantee works the same way: pay, test, cancel within 30 days for a full refund. Ours took four days.
Which VPN has the longest free trial?
CyberGhost's 45-day refund window is the longest. Proton VPN Free has no time limit but does not include streaming.