Free alternatives to a VPN?

VPN
1

I like what a VPN offers, the simplicity of security, privacy, and anonymity it brings. However I want to take a look at free alternatives to protect myself as I am always using untrusted or public networks but to also anonymize myself.

So far I have looked at Tor, I2P, HTTPS Everywhere, and DNSCrypt. Is this enough to protect my data over untrusted networks while keeping me anonymous? Is there anything else I should add?

2

Bitmask. It’s a vpn but run by volunteers. Open source.

3

Tor Browser.

I like what a VPN offers, the simplicity of security, privacy, and anonymity it brings.

No, it doesn’t.

4

Tor will keep your web browsing anonymous, and encrypted. Best to use the Tor Browser Bundle (TBB). Nicely packaged and ready to go when you need. Also, download TBB ONLY from this site: https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en

5

vpns offer privacy, not security or anonymity. tor is probably overkill for you. firefox with a few addons and a decent vpn makes perfect sense for you.

6

the best free alternative to a VPN is always going to be tor, you’ll occasionally get a compromised node but other than that its even more privacy friendly than a VPN, for a quick use of tor where security isn’t 100% required you can use it through brave, but for more private browsing always use the official tor browser

7

Algo VPN and wireguard

8

ProtonVPN as long as you don’t use P2P on thier free servers.

9

For another layer of privacy, use a private search engine. Startpage.com also offers a free proxy with every search result. This means you can visit webpages in privacy, too. An upgraded version is rolling out soon.

10

I love this answer but there are some very legitimate uses of a VPN. Geo-restrictions, governmental powers and avoiding them, unsafe wifi networks. TOR and VPNs and VPSs are all good for something different. You can even test if a VPN is actually encrypted by just using wireshark on your own network and see for yourself.

It really just depends on what you’re looking for and for 3$/month or so it’s really a good thing to have if you travel often.

EDIT: I left out torrenting as a legit use for VPN’s. That’s not something I would want to do on TOR for speeds or a VPS since you are tied to that IP anyway.