Penka Hristovska
Updated on: December 1, 2023
Short on time? Here’s the best free VPN for Russia in 2024:
- ExpressVPN. Not 100% free but has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Works in Russia 100% of the time, has advanced security features, and maintains the fastest speeds on the market. It also has a large server network for connecting to servers in countries near Russia.
Most VPNs — both free and paid — don’t work in Russia. Russia has strict censorship and data laws in place that the majority of VPNs refuse to follow because doing so might put their users’ privacy in jeopardy.
But I still wanted to find out which free VPNs are good for Russia — if any. I asked my colleague in Russia to test the top free VPNs on the market, and he found only one 100% free VPN that he was able to download and use from his location, ProtonVPN.
Since free VPNs come with limitations, my advice is to get a paid VPN for Russia. Out of the few VPNs that work in Russia, my favorite is ExpressVPN. It consistently works in Russia, as my colleague reported, is the fastest VPN on the market and offers excellent security and privacy.
Quick summary of the best free VPNs for Russia:
- 1. 🥇Express VPN — Best overall VPN for Russia in 2024.
- 2. 🥈Proton VPN — Great free VPN with unlimited data & strong privacy.
- 3. 🥉Astrill VPN — Secure VPN that’s great for beginners (with a 7-day trial).
- Comparison of the Best VPNs for Russia in 2024.
DISCLAIMER: It’s essential to familiarize yourself with the local laws regarding VPNs use. Using a VPN in ways not in line with Russian regulations could lead to penalties or legal consequences. Neither I nor anyone at SafetyDetectives endorse or promote using VPNs for activities against Russian law and advise you to always check local laws and regulations before using a VPN in Russia.
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Russia in 2024
ExpressVPN is, without a doubt, the best overall VPN for Russia. It’s very fast and secure, and my colleague in Russia confirmed it works there after testing it multiple times over the course of a couple of weeks. Although it’s not free, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans, allowing you to test it risk-free.
ExpressVPN also comes with excellent security features for protecting your online privacy in Russia:
- RAM-only servers. These types of servers run only on RAM instead of hard drives. This means each server reboot wipes the data.
- Verified no-logs policy. ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited and verified, which confirms that it doesn’t log or store your IP address or your online activities while in Russia.
- Perfect forward secrecy. This security feature changes the encryption key for each VPN connection, minimizing the amount of data potential hackers could access.
- Full leak protection. ExpressVPN has full leak protection against DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leaks, which helps ensure your location and traffic don’t get exposed to government agencies.
The VPN also has the fastest speeds on the market. My colleague in Russia said that in his tests, websites loaded instantly, and HD and 4K videos played right away without any buffering or interruptions.
ExpressVPN has excellent streaming and torrenting support, as it works with 100+ streaming apps, including Russian ones like KinoPoisk, Okko, and Ivi.ru (all confirmed by our tester in Russia). I also like that ExpressVPN allows P2P traffic on all of its servers in 105 countries.
ExpressVPN doesn’t have a server located in Russia, but there are plenty of them in nearby countries like Latvia and Finland that can give you the best possible speeds. Plus, all of ExpressVPN’s servers have obfuscation, which allows you to keep your VPN traffic hidden.
The provider’s apps are very user-friendly. I’m a big fan of the Shortcuts feature, which allows you to create 1-click shortcuts for your favorite apps and sites that show up on your screen after you connect to a VPN server.
ExpressVPN’s plans start at $6.67 / month. All subscriptions are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you decide to get one of its plans, ExpressVPN offers tons of payment methods available in Russia, including Bitcoin, YooMoney (Yandex), Qiwi Wallet, WebMoney (as confirmed by my colleague in Russia).
Note that you may need a Russian-sanction VPN, like Kaspersky’s free VPN, to initially launch the ExpressVPN app. Kaspersky VPN is a government-approved VPN in Russia that complies with the government’s censorship and data requests.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for Russia because it’s one of the few VPNs that works reliably in Russia. It also comes with top-notch security features and maintains superfast speeds across all servers. There’s no free plan, but every plan is backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Proton VPN — Best Free Plan for Russia With Unlimited Data
Proton VPN is one of the only VPNs whose free plan works in Russia and includes unlimited data. This is great because there’s no cap on how much internet data you can use on a daily or monthly basis for all online activities in Russia.
Although Proton VPN’s support reps told me there’s no guarantee the free or paid plan would work in Russia, my colleague in Russia tested both plans several times over a couple of weeks and said he was able to easily connect to a server and securely browse the web while in the country.
The provider’s free plan gives you access to servers in 5 countries — the US, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, and Japan. Proton VPN has servers in Russia, but to be able to connect to one of them, you’ll need to use the paid version.
The free plan has advanced security features, too, including full leak protection, a verified no-logs policy, and perfect forward secrecy. It also has full-disk encryption, which makes sure all data on a server is safe even if it’s compromised, and there’s an obfuscation feature through its proprietary protocol called Stealth that hides your VPN traffic.
Proton VPN is pretty fast. My colleague in Russia said his websites and HD videos loaded in 1–2 seconds in his speed tests, and 4K videos loaded in 3 seconds with minor buffering in the beginning.
The free plan doesn’t allow streaming, but the paid plan works with 30+ streaming apps. Also, only the premium plan supports torrenting and that’s only in 15+ countries, which is a lot fewer compared to ExpressVPN’s support across all of its 105.
Proton VPN’s plans are reasonably priced at $4.99 / month, and all subscriptions have a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee. If you decide to get Proton VPN’s paid plan, which includes access to all features and servers in 71 countries, my colleague confirmed the only way to pay for a subscription from Russia is with UnionPay. ExpressVPN offers more payment options.
Bottom Line:
Proton VPN’s free plan works well in Russia and has unlimited data, allowing you to browse the web without any bandwidth restrictions. The free plan includes advanced security features like full leak protection and obfuscation, and gives you access to servers in 5 countries. All of its premium plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Proton VPN review
🥉3. Astrill VPN — Great Security Features & Good For VPN Beginners
Astrill VPN comes with beginner-friendly apps that consistently work in Russia, so it’s a pretty good pick if you want to secure your connections while in the country but you’re new to VPNs. It’s very easy to find and connect to a server in any of its apps — it only takes a couple of clicks.
Astrill VPN offers a 7-day free trial for those that want to give the VPN a go. The provider doesn’t have a free plan like Proton VPN, and unfortunately, there’s no money-back guarantee like with ExpressVPN’s plans or Proton VPN’s paid plans.
Astrill VPN comes with full leak protection against WebRTC, DNS, and IPV6 leaks. I ran 10+ leak tests and I never experienced any leaks. It provides obfuscation, too, through its Stealth VPN obfuscation protocol, and I like how it comes with a multi-hop feature that routes your traffic through 2 servers for an extra layer of security.
The VPN has servers in 58 countries, including plenty of locations that are near Russia, such as Finland, Ukraine, Sweden, and Japan, which is great for getting the best speeds possible. My colleague in Russia confirmed that he was able to repeatedly connect to them and browse the web from Russia without any issues.
In terms of speed, Astrill VPN is decent. It’s not as fast as ExpressVPN, but my Russian colleague said it took only 2–3 seconds for websites to load in his speed tests, and he only experienced minimal buffering in HD videos.
Astrill VPN’s plans start at $12.50 / month. My Russian colleague said the only 2 payment methods available to him in Russia were UnionPay and cryptocurrency. If you prefer another payment method, check out ExpressVPN.
Bottom Line:
Astrill VPN is a secure and beginner-friendly VPN that works really well in Russia (as confirmed by my Russian colleague). Its apps are intuitive, so you’ll have no problem finding and connecting to a server while in Russia, it has advanced security features for private browsing, and it’s got decent speeds. There’s no free plan or money-back guarantee, but you get a 7-day free trial.
Read the full Astrill VPN review
Comparison of the Best Free VPNs for Russia in 2024
How to Choose the Best Free VPN for Russia in 2024
- Look for a VPN that works in Russia. A good VPN should be able to get around Russia’s censorship and allow you to browse the open internet. I contacted the support teams for each VPN on this list, and they all confirmed that their respective VPNs work in Russia.
- Opt for a VPN with strong security features. All of the VPNs on this list come with industry-standard security features like 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, and a kill switch that disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection drops.
- Choose a VPN with fast speeds. Free VPNs are usually slower than premium VPNs because their small server networks can lead to overcrowded servers. But good VPNs still maintain fast speeds. My top pick, ExpressVPN, had the fastest speeds in mine and my Russian colleague’s tests.
- Go for a VPN with high data caps. Many free VPNs limit the amount of data you can use on a daily and monthly basis, so I recommend picking one that allows at least 5 GB of data per month.
- Choose a VPN that offers reasonable prices and excellent value. The paid packages should offer extensive server networks, superb streaming support, and refund guarantees.
Do Free VPNs Work in Russia?
Most VPNs, let alone free VPNs, are generally ineffective in Russia. This is because the country has censorship and data sharing laws, may sometimes restrict VPN traffic, and has banned a couple of VPNs from being able to operate in the country (such as NordVPN). Free VPNs rarely have the means to make sure their product works well in restrictive countries like Russia.
The core issue with free (and even paid) VPNs that do work in Russia is that they either collect logs and sell that data to third parties, including Russian agencies, or they have no-logs policies but have agreed to share the little data they do collect (usually to keep in touch with you and update your payment when necessary) with the Russian government if necessary.
Proton VPN’s is the only free VPN plan out of the top free VPNs on the market that works in Russia and won’t share your data with the Russian government. My colleague in Russia tested all top free VPNs, and it’s the only one that worked for him.
The VPN offers great security and privacy and won’t share data with the Russian government thanks to its independently audited no-logs policy. It comes with other perks like unlimited bandwidth and decent speeds for all online activities, too.
But as a free VPN, it has its limitations. it doesn’t support streaming or torrenting, you only get 1 connection, and it includes access to servers in just 5+ countries.
This is why I prefer paid VPNs that work in Russia (including Proton VPN’s paid version). They offer a lot more value, including unlimited data, multiple connections, access to a large server network, very fast speed, excellent security and privacy, extra features like an ad blocker, and streaming, gaming, and P2P support. Plus, the VPNs I recommend that work in Russia offer a money-back guarantee or a free trial, so you can try their service risk-free.
Is It Safe to Use Kaspersky Free VPN in Russia?
Kaspersky VPN’s free plan is decent for browsing, but whether you should seriously consider using it in Russia depends on what you need the VPN for.
First thing first — the free Kaspersky VPN does work in Russia. My colleague in Russia tested it several times over a period of 3–4 weeks and said he never had any issue accessing the Kaspersky site, downloading the VPN app onto his device, or connecting to a server.
The free plan comes with some security features, but unlike the VPNs I recommend here, it’s pretty limited. You don’t get a kill switch, which is a standard security feature, but it does follow a no-logs policy, which, unfortunately, hasn’t been independently audited, making it harder to trust it.
Plus, there’s a pretty big caveat when it comes to using the VPN in Russia — as a Russia-sanctioned VPN, Kaspersky VPN might share user data (no matter how little it logs) with Russian authorities, and this is something the VPN has publicly stated.
Being an authorized VPN in Russia also means that Kaspersky VPN, whether its the paid or free version, complies with the government censorship request. This means that when you’re connected to Kaspersky, you’ll only be able to visit sites that the Russian government allows.
Personally, the only time I’d use Kapersky’s free VPN in Russia is if I needed a helper VPN to access my primary VPN app. Overall, I wouldn’t trust it to keep information about my online activities private and secure from government agencies in Russia, especially if dealing with sensitive data (like journalists or NGOs do).
Why Does Russia Block Some VPNs?
Russia blocks certain VPNs as part of its broader internet censorship efforts.
The primary reason for this censorship is to control and restrict access to information and content that the government deems inappropriate or a threat to national security and public order. This includes political content, material that criticizes the government, and sites promoting certain social movements or ideologies.
Specifically, Russia has banned access to numerous websites and apps, including prominent social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, messaging apps like WhatsApp, and news sites that are considered to be spreading information counter to the state’s official narrative or promoting unsanctioned public gatherings and protests.
Since VPNs change your IP address, making it appear as if you were accessing the web from a different location, they may enable you to visit sites and watch content that you typically won’t be able to do with a Russian IP address. This is why Russia only sanctions certain VPNs to operate in the country, more specifically, VPNs that agree to comply with the government’s censorship and to share data with Russian authorities.
The Russian government has banned several VPN services that refused to do so and a lot of top VPN providers have removed their servers from the country. The VPNs on this list don’t share data with the government or follow its censorship rules.
Why You Should Use a VPN in Russia in 2024
Enhancing Online Privacy
VPNs encrypt your online traffic, making it unreadable to third parties, including the Russian government. This means all of your online activities will remain hidden from your Russian ISP and any government surveillance, which is especially important for journalists, activists, or anyone concerned about their online privacy in Russia.
Secure Communication
In Russia, strict regulations and the government’s stance on cracking down on opinions that counter the main narrative, it can be pretty intimidating for anyone to say what they think. A VPN allows you to communicate anonymously since it hides your IP address (which reveals your general location) and scrambles your online data, making it very hard for anyone to track your activities back to you. Note that neither I nor anyone at SafetyDetectives condone using a VPN to break Russian law.
Protect Your Data on Public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi networks are one of the easiest targets for hackers. In Russia, public networks may also make it easier for Russia’s monitors to spy on your activities, and maybe break into your device and steal information. Since VPNs encrypt your traffic, they significantly reduce the risk of this happening to you.
Download Torrents & Stream Anonymously
Due to the VPN’s encryption and the fact that it assigns you a different IP address, you can anonymously torrent P2P files and stream your favorite content in Russia. Note that though a VPN could, in theory, allow you to watch content not available in your current location, this goes against most streaming platform’s Terms of Use and may break copyright law. We, at SafetyDetectives, don’t condone this.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best free VPN for Russia?
ExpressVPN is my top pick for Russia. It comes with advanced security features and obfuscation that reliably lets you browse the open web in Russia. It also has user-friendly apps and excellent streaming support for sites like KinoPoisk and Ivi.ru. You can try it risk-free via its 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you insist on a truly free VPN, I recommend Proton VPN’s free plan. It reliably works in Russia, as confirmed by my Russian colleague, allows unlimited bandwidth, has decent speeds, and gives you access to servers in 5 countries.
How do I browse the web from Russia with a free VPN?
Surfing web content from Russia with a VPN requires only 3 steps:
- Step 1: Get a free VPN that works reliably in Russia. Not a lot of VPNs — let alone free ones — work in Russia, but the 3 options on my list are great for Russia.
- Step 2: Download and install the VPN. The process shouldn’t take longer than 2 minutes.
- Step 3: Open the app and connect to a server. That’s it! You can now securely browse, stream, torrent, and game in Russia.
Is using a VPN legal in Russia?
Technically, yes, but Russia’s vague digital laws give the government wide authority to restrict the use of VPNs. Only government-approved VPNs may operate in Russia, and this usually comes with the condition of being subject to monitoring.
It’s theoretically possible to be fined for using a banned VPN in Russia, although in my research, I didn’t find any reports of foreigners in Russia being punished for using non-government-approved VPNs. That said, I recommend informing yourself about the current laws — at SafetyDetectives, we don’t condone breaking Russian law.
Which VPN has Russian servers?
Proton VPN is one of the few VPNs that still has physical servers in Russia. It also comes with advanced security features, a free plan that has unlimited data, and apps with user-friendly interfaces.
