A Chrome VPN extension or add-on is a great way for Chrome users to gain data privacy from invasive corporations, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and snooping governments. Using a VPN extension on Google Chrome will also provide unrestricted access to censored and geo-restricted websites and services from around the world.
In this article, we list the best chrome VPN extension, all of which offer browser add-ons and give you some tips on how to protect your privacy online.
What are the best Chrome VPN extensions?
We have listed the best services offering a Chrome VPN extension below. If you want more information about these Chrome add-ons, scroll below this list.
- ExpressVPN - The best Chrome VPN extension – consistently high speeds, exceptional geo-spoofing capabilities, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- CyberGhost VPN - An easy-to-navigate Chrome VPN extension and desktop client, with a large pool of servers, and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Surfshark - The best value-for-money Chrome VPN extension. Jam-packed with features, and offers unlimited simultaneous connections.
- Private Internet Access - Has a great Chrome add-on with a strong focuses on privacy. Plus, it's proved it doesn't keep logs in court twice!
- IPVanish - An fantastic VPN if you want to use it alongside a torrenting add-on. It's fast, secure, and it has been fully audited.
Best Chrome VPN add-ons - in-depth analysis
We give you some information about the recommended VPN Chrome extensions in this article. If you want to find out more about any of the services on this list, check out our VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN is the best Chrome VPN extension as it offers consistently fast servers located in over 94 countries. It also offers great privacy features, and a 30-day, money-back guarantee.. ExpressVPN Demo ExpressVPN is a secure VPN based in the British Virgin Islands that comes with an outstanding Chrome extension. The extension ensures that your VPN never suffers WebRTC leaks and allows you to initiate a VPN connection (and change server locations) from inside of Chrome. ExpressVPN has fast servers in 105 countries
; perfect for unblocking more content on Chrome. Plus, this VPN is ideal for bypassing censorship without your ISP or the government ever finding out. ExpressVPN provides strong OpenVPN encryption and a zero-logs policy, which means it can be trusted to give you watertight privacy. And, thanks to its kill switch and obfuscation, you can use this VPN for even the most sensitive use cases (such as torrenting). ExpressVPN has software for all platforms that are incredibly easy to use and we love that it can unblock Netflix US, Hulu, iPlayer, and other sought after services. It also has 24/7 live chat support to give you help when you need it. Finally, this VPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service risk-free. It's a superb all-rounder that lets you control the VPN connection right inside of Chrome. CyberGhost is easy to use, which is great if you haven't used a Chrome VPN extension before. It also has a great desktop app which labels what servers are good for streaming, torrenting etc. A generous 45-day money-back guarantee is a another great bonus. CyberGhost Demo CyberGhost is another VPN service ideal for accessing more content on Chrome. It has reliable apps for all platforms that come with impressive features such as a kill switch and DNS leak protection. It also has various extensions for Chrome, including a proxy service (that can be used alongside the full VPN service) and a cookie cleaner extension that lets you keep on top of your privacy in Chrome. No matter whether you're running Chrome on Android or a PC, this VPN will get the job done. CyberGhost has servers in 100 countries
, which means it is superb for unblocking huge amounts of content around the globe. And this is one of the few VPNs able to provide fantastic speeds for streaming in HD and access to Netflix US and BBC iPlayer. To keep your data both secure and private, CyberGhost implements great encryption and has a zero-logs policy you can rely on. The software is great for beginners, and you can test it yourself thanks to its 45-day money-back guarantee. Plus, CyberGhost lets you install and use the VPN on up to 7 devices simultaneously, which makes it great for people who own a lot of devices. Surfshark is one of the cheapest Chrome VPN add-ons, but the bargain price doesn't effect its level of service. It's jam-packed with features, and it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Surfshark has only been around for a few years, but in that time it has quickly risen to be one of the world's most loved VPN services. It has plenty of featured; especially considering the low cost of a subscription. With Surfshark, users get a strong no logs policy, OpenVPN encryption, a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, access to Netflix US, and a superb Chrome extension. The provider can be used on any device, and it allows subscribers to install its software on an unlimited number of devices simultaneously. This makes it great for families or for people who own many devices. We love that this VPN has servers in over 100 countries
, and it is one of the few VPNs that always unblocks the content we search for. Surfshark has a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat support, which means you can always get help when you need it. It's an excellent, cheap VPN with a Chrome extension that will help you gain watertight digital privacy and security in your browser. Private Internet Access has a great Chrome extension that comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. PIA is fantastic for the privacy conscious, thanks to its court-proven zero-logs policy. PIA Demo Private Internet Access is a VPN based in the USA that is often praised by Reddit users. It is a secure VPN that comes with a Chrome extension that you can use alongside the full VPN client. It has apps available for all popular platforms, which means you can use the VPN to gain security on a PC, laptop, MacBook, or smartphone devices and tablets. PIA’s Chrome extension can be used as a secure HTTPS proxy in addition to the full VPN tunnel provided by the standalone VPN app. The extension is designed to block dangerous Flash scripts and prevent WebRTC leaks that could damage your privacy. Plus, PIA has anti-tracking and ad-blocking thanks to its superb MACE feature. This will block malicious domains to stop you being infected with malware (though we recommend you always use a top antivirus software too). PIA is a well rounded and fully featured VPN that comes with port forwarding and split-tunneling. This makes it great for torrenting. And because it is fast, you can use PIA for streaming in HD. This VPN is even able to access sought after services like Netflix US and Hulu. It's an excellent VPN that provides value for money; you can test it risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee. IPVanish is a great VPN for torrenters. It allows P2P on all servers, offers great speeds, and has great streaming features. Besides, you can try it risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. IPVanish Demo IPVanish is another fantastic service that has a reliable standalone app and a useful Chrome extension. The VPN client is available for all devices and comes with advanced VPN features such as a kill-switch, DNS leak protection, and obfuscation. The Chrome extension ensures that the VPN never endures WebRTC leaks and gives you the ability to connect to a different location from inside of Chrome. We love that this VPN has a zero-logs policy, which means that even if the authorities approach it, it will never have any information to hand over. Plus, this VPN has strong encryption to ensure your ISP and the government can never track your online habits. IPVanish is a fast VPN with servers in over 75 locations, and it can unblock Netflix US, HBO GO, and other international services. This VPN is fantastic for streaming in HD on Chrome and works well on both Android and Windows machines as well as mac OS and iOS. We love that you can test this VPN using its 30-day money-back guarantee. 1. ExpressVPN
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Why are these the best Chrome VPN extensions?
The VPNs in our list above offer reliable Google Chrome VPN add-ons, however, there are plenty of other things we considered before recommending them.
Each of our chosen VPNs feature:
A Google Chrome extension - which only connects your browser to a VPN server.
Servers all over the world - allowing the VPN to unblock various websites and services.
Lightning-fast speeds - ensuring you can stream in HD without buffering.
Robust privacy policies - keeping no logs means there is no data to pass onto authorities.
Solid encryption standards - preventing prying eyes from seeing what you do online.
Our recommendations have servers all over the world, so that you can unblock any content you desire. These VPNs also all provide lightning-fast speeds, so you can do data-intensive tasks such as streaming in HD. The Chrome VPN add-ons in this article also have trustworthy privacy policies and well-implemented encryption standards, meaning your data will be completely private no matter which service you decide on.
If you want to learn more about each provider, you can click through to our VPN reviews.
Advantages of using a Chrome VPN extension
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a versatile online service that allows you to do two things:
Unblock more content
Firstly, it allows you to pretend to be in a different location. This permits you to overcome government-imposed censorship or international geo-restrictions. A VPN also allows Chrome users to overcome restrictions placed by workplaces, schools, landlords, WiFi hotspots, and other local network administrators.
A Chrome VPN extension will allow you to access content online that is usually unavailable in your region or country. This is great for people who love foreign TV channels, want to unblock foreign Netflix titles, and or watch more sports.
Using a VPN on Chrome will let you access geo-restricted websites from back home when you go on vacation. Expats can also make use of a VPN - to access the internet as if they were still living back home.
Protect your online privacy
Secondly, a reliable VPN provides encryption to give you online privacy. By securely scrambling your data, a Chrome VPN add-on stops governments, ISPs, hackers, WiFi hotspot providers, and anybody else from accessing your web browsing data.
A Chrome VPN is a service that comes with both a reliable standalone client and a Chrome extension designed to be installed right inside your browser. This ensures that the VPN works perfectly to prevent DNS leaks and WebRTC leaks inside of Chrome.
Chrome VPN extension vs Desktop client
A VPN will always require a standalone client to provide a proper encrypted VPN tunnel. However, some VPNs also provide a Chrome VPN extension alongside this full VPN app.
A Chrome extension provides added functionality such as leak protection against the WebRTC bug - which could potentially damage your privacy. The VPNs recommended in this article should always be used with both the standalone app and the Chrome extension simultaneously for maximum privacy.
Some service providers advertise Chrome extensions as a full VPN. Most of the time this information is misleading. A standalone VPN extension that does not work alongside a full VPN client is always a browser-based proxy (usually an https proxy); rather than a secure VPN.
A browser-based proxy of this kind allows internet users to pretend to be in a different location. However, they do not provide the security and privacy benefits you get with a full Chrome VPN service (like the ones in this article).
We recommend that you always use a VPN service with a VPN desktop app if you want watertight digital privacy.
Using a VPN with other Google Services
A VPN also works great with other Google products and services:
- Using a VPN with Chromecast will let people watch content from all over the world on their TV screens.
- A VPN will let you change country on Google Play store so you can access apps that are usually not available to you. In some countries, for example, some VoIP messaging services are blocked. Using a VPN to access Google Play Store overseas can help to increase the number of apps available.
- Social features such as Google Hangouts can also be unblocked using a Chrome VPN.
- Google Maps and other useful services can be accessed with a VPN.
How to Install a Chrome VPN extension
Getting a Chrome VPN and setting it up really is extremely easy. To help you out, here's a quick guide:
- Select a VPN provider from our recommendations above and click through to subscribe.
- Download and install the VPN and the Chrome extension. Remember to get the correct software for your device - the VPNs we've recommended work on Android, Mac, iOS, and Windows.
- Log in using your username and password once the software is installed.
- Connect to a server in the country where you wish to access the content.
- As soon as the VPN connects, you are protected by the VPN’s encryption and you can access content that is usually unavailable - with complete privacy.
Google Chrome VPN extension: Conclusion
In this article, we've walked you through the very best Chrome VPNs. These VPNs will work brilliantly on any device that runs Chrome. Our recommendations have been carefully selected because they provide fast speeds and strong privacy and security for browsing the web on Chrome.
These VPNs will ensure that your ISP and government are unable to track what you do online, as well as protect you from hackers and the KRACK vulnerability when you are using your devices on public WiFi.
Our recommendations are trusted and reliable services that offer value for money. And they all come with a Chrome extension, so you can be sure the VPN is working perfectly alongside your favorite browser. Here is a refresher of our top VPNs for Google Chrome:
Best Chrome VPN Extensions – FAQs