Are VPN free trials worth using?
Testing out products before you spend real money on them is an essential part of the buying process, yet as we rely more on online shopping and software downloads, its something that seems to have fallen by the wayside. Thats why if youre in the market for the best VPN, you might be looking to test out a VPN free trial before you commit. There are a number of different kinds of free trials that VPNs offer, and here were going to be exploring whether its worth the time and potential hassle using one, plus any tips weve got on how to make the most of it. Tom's Guide needs you! TG has teamed up with sister site TechRadar investigate how our readers use VPNs with streaming sites like Netflix so we can improve our content and offer better advice. This survey won't take more than 60 seconds of your time, and you can also choose to enter the prize draw to win a $100 Amazon voucher or one of five 1-year ExpressVPN subscriptions. In short  yes. Prioritizing a free trial or money-back guarantee when choosing a provider gives you peace of mind that even if you dont enjoy the product, you wont be out of pocket. Youll usually have at least a few days to test any essential features, and if it doesnt perform, you havent wasted money. Every user is different, and while we often recommend ExpressVPN as the best service available, you might dislike the interface or find that it simply doesnt behave how you want it to. In ExpressVPNs case, you can test it for 30 days and claim back for any reason, so youll have plenty of time to figure out if its right for you. VPN trials tend to fall into one of three categories: money-back guarantees, free VPN versions, or short true free trials. On the surface, a true free trial (no payment or credit card entry) seems like the best option. However, these are usually very short, ranging from 24 hours to seven days, which doesnt give you much time to test it out, and fewer and fewer providers are offering them. Also, you may often still have to submit your credit card details, but the payment will be deferred for a short period of time in which you can cancel. Both NordVPN and Surfshark offer a seven-day free trial, but these are only available with the mobile apps. However, while it does require an upfront payment, money-back guarantees give you much longer to test a service. Youll get full access to the VPN for at least 30 days (in some cases up to 45), and in that time youre much more likely to discover any problems that might change your mind. The aforementioned ExpressVPN offers this, alongside most other premium providers. Finally, using a free option allows you to test a limited version indefinitely. Thats good if youre just worried about the interface, but for features like streaming and torrenting its likely youll have to upgrade to a paid version to test them out. Hotspot Shield and ProtonVPN are great examples of this. Weve all had issues with refunds in the past, but thankfully VPN providers know that their customers are often buying because of the promise of a refund, and are very fair about it. All of our top-rated providers are very fair, have active live-chat assistance to see you through the process, and deliver refunds promptly. All you need to do is either send a message over live chat or email stating that youd like to claim your refund. Youll likely be asked why, but your reasoning wont affect your refund. (Image credit: Song_about_summer/Shutterstock)  How to use your free trial  Whichever option youve chosen  true free trial or a money-back guarantee  its good practice to identify why exactly you want your VPN. If youre after a secure VPN, make sure all the protocols and privacy features you need are available. If youre a big streamer, make sure your streaming VPN can access everything you want to watch. This is another reason why having longer to test your VPN is a positive  you simply might not get round to testing everything you need in the short time a true free trial offers you. ExpressVPN  our top-rated service today  With over 3,000 servers worldwide and excellent speeds on just about all of them, ExpressVPN is a versatile, secure solution for streaming, torrenting, and day-to-day browsing. You can test it out risk-free for 30 days and claim your money back, and now Tom's Guide readers can get three months absolutely FREE.View Deal