Penka Hristovska
Fact-checked by Eric Goldstein
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🥇 ExpressVPN
: While it’s not free, it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Has servers based in 6 locations in Australia, blazing-fast speeds, and excellent security features. Works with all of the top streaming apps, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, and supports torrenting on all of its servers.
Free VPNs have a lot of limitations, but I still found some good ones for Australia that protect your online privacy from the government. In addition, some of the VPNs I recommend have decent streaming support for Australian and international streaming platforms, as well as good speeds for all online activities.
That being said, I still prefer a premium VPN like ExpressVPN — it has industry-leading privacy features, a large server network that includes 6 Australian server locations, and can access many streaming sites. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free. Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Quick Summary of the Best Free VPNs for Australia
1.🥇ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Australia
ExpressVPN is my top pick for Australia — it’s not free, but it includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have a full month to see if you like it.
When it comes to privacy, it’s hard to match ExpressVPN. In addition to having all of the industry-standard VPN security features, as well as an independently audited no-logs policy, it has:
- Privacy-friendly jurisdiction — ExpressVPN is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, which isn’t part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (data sharing group of nations).
- TrustedServer Technology — ExpressVPN uses only RAM-memory servers, which wipe all data clean with every reboot. This makes it impossible for the Australian government to retrieve any information from the VPN despite its data retention laws — even with a legal warrant.
- Perfect forward secrecy — This feature constantly alters your encryption keys, making it virtually impossible for hackers to access your data even if they manage to obtain a previous key. It’s essential for users in Australia who want to safeguard their data from potential surveillance or cyber-attacks.
- Threat Manager — It blocks trackers, preventing companies and data brokers in Australia from targeting you with ads and tracking your online activity.
- Full leak protection — ExpressVPN protects you from DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks (I tested multiple servers in all 4 Australian cities and never suffered a leak).
It can access Australian content with server locations in 6 cities, including Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Woolloomooloo, Adelaide, and Sydney. This way, you can always connect to the closest server to reduce your ping (the distance the internet signal travels from your device to the server) and get the fastest speeds.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming and torrenting from Australia. It can access different Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ libraries, as well as 9Now, Presto, and Stan. It also allows torrenting on all servers, including in Australia, and works with the top torrenting apps like BitTorrent.
I like that there are launch automation options, which prevent you from going online in Australia without first securing your connection. You can set it to automatically connect to your last used Australian server when you open the app, and even launch on startup.
ExpressVPN plans start at £3.86 / month — and you can usually get extra months for free.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is hands-down the best VPN for Australia, with servers in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, and more, and high-end privacy features to anonymize all of your online activities in Australia. It’s also a top pick for streaming, torrenting, and gaming. ExpressVPN isn’t free, but it provides the best overall value — and all of its plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have a full month to test it and see if it meets your needs.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
2.🥈Proton VPN — Best Free VPN With Unlimited Data + High-End Privacy
Proton VPN is a great free VPN for Australia with excellent privacy and unlimited data. The VPN is based in Switzerland, which has strict data privacy laws, and all of its privacy-friendly features are available to free users. This includes perfect forward secrecy, full leak protection, and full-disk encryption, which scrambles all of the data on the hard drive, so neither Australian authorities nor cybercriminals can access your online activity. Another nice touch is you do have to provide your email to get the free plan.
I also like that the free plan includes its permanent kill switch, which blocks you from going online without connecting to the VPN first. This helps you avoid unintentionally sharing sensitive data with your Australian ISP and government, as well as any third parties.
The free plan gives you access to servers in the US, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Poland. You can’t choose the server location — Proton VPN auto-connects you to the fastest one. If you want to connect to a specific server, you can try and re-connect a couple of times. Proton’s free version doesn’t officially support streaming, but it can sometimes access Netflix and Amazon Prime.
I also like that Proton VPN has several connection automations on the free plan. It automatically connects you to the fastest free server when you launch the app, and you can even set the VPN to launch automatically upon system boot for total automation.
Proton VPN’s paid plans start at £2.77 / month and add streaming and P2P support, access to all servers (including its Australian servers) and an ad and tracker blocker. There’s a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee for all purchases.
Bottom Line:
Proton VPN is the best free VPN for Australia with many privacy-friendly features and unlimited data. It has a permanent kill switch to make sure you don’t accidentally leak your data to your Australian ISP and government, and it accesses some streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon, about half of the time. All of the paid plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Proton VPN review
3.🥉hide.me — Many Free Server Locations + Unlimited Data
hide.me is a decent free VPN with unlimited data and access to 7 free server locations, including in France, Germany, Spain, the US, the UK, and Canada, so you can still find a server that’s closer to your location for faster speeds — I just don’t like how hide.me limits your speeds on the free plan.
The free plan has great privacy features for anonymizing your traffic in Australia. In addition to full leak protection, it has a really cool Stealth Guard feature available on the free plan that lets you customize the kill switch by app, which means the app won’t connect to the internet unless the VPN is connected. Or, you can apply this internet block to the internet connection for your entire device. Also, hide.me is located in Malaysia, which isn’t part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances — and I really like that it doesn’t require you to sign up with your email.
hide.me has a couple of connection automations to make sure you’re protected from Australia’s surveillance and data retention laws whenever you go online. It has Launch on Startup and Connect on Launch options like ExpressVPN.
Upgrading to its paid plan gives you access to its servers in Australia, located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth (as well as servers in 58 other countries), and adds streaming support for top sites like Netflix and Disney+. It also gives you unlimited speeds (Proton VPN doesn’t limit speeds on the free plan).
hide.me’s paid plans cost £1.85 / month and all are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
hide.me is a good, 100% free VPN that gives you access to servers in 7 countries and unlimited data. Its free plan doesn’t include access to Australian servers, but you get multiple advanced privacy features and great automations for your Australian connection. The paid plans add access to all servers and are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
4. TunnelBear — Good Free VPN With Australian servers
TunnelBear is one of the only good free VPNs with access to servers in Australia, so it’s a pretty great pick for safely accessing Australian content.
My favorite part about the free plan is that you can access all of its server locations in all 47 countries. Its servers support streaming, so the free plan works with sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, 7 Plus, and 10 Play. However, it’s disappointing that it doesn’t work with Disney+, like ExpressVPN.
TunnelBear offers really good privacy for Australian users. It has full leak protection and a really good free ad blocker for Chrome that helps stop Australian advertisers and trackers. VigilantBear (the kill switch) is also available on the free plan — ensuring you’re protected as soon as you go online in Australia.
I also really like how easy it is to connect to TunnelBear’s servers. It has an interactive map that allows you to connect to a specific server location by clicking on a country pin. This makes it very simple to quickly find the server you’re looking for or pick a nearby server (if geography is not your strongest suit).
The downside is the free plan has a data cap of 2 GB per month for free users, which is only enough data to browse for 3–4 hours. I also don’t like that it makes you sign up with your email to use the free plan. hide.me doesn’t require any of your information.
TunnelBear’s premium plans start at £3.22 / month, and get you unlimited data, but there’s no money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
TunnelBear is one of the few free VPNs that offer Australian servers and support streaming on its free plan. However, you only get 2 GB per month, which is only enough data for basic browsing for about 3-4 hours. Upgrading to one of TunnelBear’s paid plans gets you unlimited data.
Read the full TunnelBear review
5. Avira Phantom VPN — Good for Privately Browsing & Streaming From Australia
Avira Phantom VPN is great for protecting your privacy when casually browsing from Australia. It offers built-in DNS leak protection and doesn’t require your email. Plus, you can connect to any of its servers in 37 countries on mobile.
The free plan offers 500 MB of monthly data for secure browsing in Australia, which can be increased to 1 GB with registration. But if you need more secure time online, check out Proton VPN.
Avira accesses different Netflix libraries from Australia, including the US, the UK, and it works with the Australian library. It accesses Australian streaming sites like 9Now and lets you torrent on the free plan, including on its servers in Perth and Sydney.
You can also set the VPN to automatically connect to a server when it detects an unsecured WiFi network. This is especially useful if you’re on the move in Australia and you’re using public Wi-Fi to access your e-banking account or check emails.
Note that the free plan connects to 1 automatically selected server location on desktop that’s optimized for fast connections (which can include its servers in Australia and any nearby countries). It’s convenient for speed, but you may not like that you can’t pick a server on desktop.
Avira Phantom Pro costs £4.63 / year and includes unlimited data, plus a kill switch for Windows. It comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Avira Phantom VPN is a solid free choice for securing your online traffic in Australia. The free plan offers 500 MB of data monthly (1 GB with registration) and accesses Netflix libraries in Australia, the US, and UK. It gives you access to all server locations for free on mobile, but it only connects to 1 automatically selected server on desktop. The paid plan is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Avira Phantom VPN review here
Quick Comparison Table
Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
To find the best free VPNs for Australia, I relied on our detailed testing methodology to guide my decisions. I analyzed free server networks, speeds, privacy, ease of use, and a lot more. Here are the exact criteria I used to make my list:
- I looked for servers in Australia or nearby countries. A VPN with servers in Australia, or at least in a location close to Australia like Hong Kong and Japan, will ensure you can get the fastest speeds possible when at home. All of my top picks either have Aussie servers or servers near Australia.
- I checked for strong security & privacy features. Some free products may skimp on essential features, but my recommended VPNs all provide 256-bit AES encryption, kill switches, IP leak protection, and strict no-logs policies that can keep all of your online activities completely anonymous and hidden from your Australian ISP and government.
- I tested each VPN for quick speeds. VPNs can reduce your speeds as they encrypt your data and route your connection through remote servers. Nonetheless, all the VPNs listed here sustain rapid speeds (although ExpressVPN is the quickest).
- I prioritized VPNs with additional features. The VPNs on this list have been chosen specifically for providing extra features such as split-tunneling and an ad blocker.
- I chose VPNs that offer affordable paid plans. All of the VPNs here offer competitive premium plans, in case you are interested in upgrading your subscription plan.
Only 3 Steps (Quick + Easy) to Getting a Free VPN for Australia in 2025:
- Choose a high-quality VPN. The best VPN for Australia is ExpressVPN. It has 6 server locations in Australia and in 105 other countries that have excellent streaming, P2P, and gaming support. The only downside is that It doesn’t have a free plan, but it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Download the VPN. You can download the app for your device from the VPN’s website or the app store on your phone.
- Connect to the VPN. Go to the VPN’s list of server locations and pick the one you want to connect to. That’s it! You can now anonymously browse the web in (or out of) Australia.
Editors’ Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.
Free vs. Paid VPNs for Australia
The free VPNs on this list come with essential security and privacy features to protect your data. These include a no-logs policy, 256-bit AES encryption, and a kill switch, all of which are industry-standard features. However, they also include some advanced features like full leak encryption, perfect forward secrecy, RAM-only servers, and even full-disk encryption.
While this is good, most free VPNs lack a lot of the features offered by premium VPNs, such as full server networks, unlimited data, multiple device connections, streaming and torrenting support, and uncapped speeds.
For example, hide.me and Proton VPN have unlimited data but only 1 device connection and fewer than 10 server options. On the other hand, TunnelBear has only 2 GB of data per month but provides access to its entire server network on the free plan.
In contrast, upgrading to a premium VPN plan gives you unlimited data and speeds, access to every server location, up to 10+ device connections, full support for torrenting and streaming, and extra features like ad blockers and split-tunneling. Plus, almost all paid VPNs include money-back guarantees, so there’s no risk in trying a premium plan.
All things considered, free VPNs can be decent, but premium options are always a better value.
The 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances and What It Means for Your Data
The 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances is an intelligence-sharing agreement between five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. By working together, these nations can monitor electronic data, including emails, phone calls, and web traffic, to gain valuable security information.
For people in Australia, this alliance has notable consequences. Local surveillance laws, such as the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act and the Assistance and Access Act, require internet companies to store user data for up to 2 years and allow government agencies to access it. This data may then be shared with international intelligence agencies. As a result, private information can be tracked and analyzed more easily, making personal online activities less secure.
A VPN protects your data in 2 key ways: encryption and IP masking. Encryption scrambles your internet traffic, preventing ISPs and government agencies in Australia from reading what you do online — even when using public WiFi to check emails, access bank accounts, or send messages. IP masking hides your real location, making it harder for websites and surveillance programs to track you. Together, these features help you stay anonymous online and avoid Australia’s data retention laws.
Free VPNs for Australia to Avoid
- SuperVPN. This VPN logs a bunch of user data, including IP addresses, browser types, email addresses, and operating systems. It’s even suffered a huge data leak in the past. Plus, it doesn’t have any essential security features, and there’s no customer support.
- TouchVPN. Though TouchVPN has a large server network available for free, it logs your sensitive information, like your browsing activity and IP address. So, it can’t be trusted to protect your privacy.
- TurboVPN. TurboVPN’s privacy policy is a bit shady. While it’s clear that it doesn’t log or store information about what sites you visit, it says nothing about whether or not it logs your IP address.
- TuxlerVPN. This VPN’s privacy policy states that it collects information about you, including your contact information, browser type, and website activities. Plus, it says that it shares this data with third parties for business reasons.
- AceVPN. AceVPN isn’t all bad as it has DNS leak protection, but it’s still not safe enough for me to recommend. Mainly, it doesn’t have a kill switch, which could leave you exposed. Plus, it only has 20 server locations and 1 P2P server. The biggest issue, though, is that it doesn’t have any actual apps and instead requires manual setup.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Hotspot Shield — Hotspot Shield offers a good free plan with unlimited data and pretty fast speeds. However, it only lets you use servers in 3 countries, none of which are near Australia, and it doesn’t support streaming or torrenting.
- PrivadoVPN — PrivadoVPN lets free users use up to 10 GB per month and supports P2P traffic, but its closest servers are in Europe, which won’t provide fast enough speeds for users in Australia.
- Windscribe — Windscribe has a solid free plan that allows unlimited connections, access to 10+ servers, and 10 GB of data per month. Its free plan doesn’t include Australian servers, and it’s a lot slower than the VPNs on my list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best free VPN for Australia?
My #1 completely free VPN for Australia is Proton VPN. Its free plan offers unlimited data, access to servers in 5 countries, and high-end privacy.
That said, ExpressVPN is my top VPN for Australia. It doesn’t include a free plan, but it has a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. During this period, you can use all of ExpressVPN’s features and test out its lightning-fast servers in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney for browsing, streaming, torrenting, and gaming.
Which free VPNs for Australia have browser extensions?
All of the VPNs on this list have browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. ExpressVPN also has an extension for Microsoft Edge.
Are free VPNs legal in Australia?
Yes! There are no laws against protecting your data using a VPN. However, it’s still against the law to use a VPN for criminal activities. At SafetyDetectives, we recommend following all rules and regulations.
Do free VPNs work with Netflix Australia?
Unfortunately, most don’t work with Netflix Australia. Many free VPNs don’t even allow streaming on their free plans. And the majority of free VPNs that actually support streaming don’t include access to Australian servers, or they allow connections to an Australian server but set a very low limit on the amount of data you can use.
For watching Netflix Australia, I recommend getting a paid VPN like ExpressVPN, which has top-notch security and blazing-fast speeds.
