After making the shortlist, we also tried out the different extensions ourselves, to make sure they still work as expected.

We cross-checked this against recommendations from other users, and different expert reviews. To make the list, we first went to the Chrome Web store and searched for VPNs, to see what the top rated options were. This week, we're looking at the best free VPN extensions for Chrome. In the past, we've talked about Chrome extensions for YouTube, and we've talked about the best adblockers for Chrome. But if like most people, you prefer Chrome, then you have the option of using a Chrome extension to get the job done. Opera Browser has a built-in VPN that's free to use.

VPN 101: What’s a VPN, Do You Need One, Free vs Paid VPNs, and How to Get Started One alternative is to use an in-browser VPN this means that apps like email clients can still connect directly to the Internet, but your regular browsing gets an extra layer of protection/ convenience. Setting up VPNs has gotten easier over the years and there are many free options available as user, but they can still be a little intimidating for the 'typical' user. This means you can use VPNs to access block sites, or so that the ISP doesn't throttle speeds when it detects a torrent being downloaded.

This works because the services see the traffic as originating from the server that’s at the other end of the tunnel and not your computer. It prevents your ISP (and others) from being able to see what data is being transferred, ensuring your privacy, and also allows for some interesting usage, such as masking your location, so you can access geofenced content. A VPN or Virtual Private Network is - in grossly oversimplified terms - a private connection between you and a server on a network (typically the Internet) that’s used to ’tunnel’ your traffic through.

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