The best VPN extensions for Chrome in 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

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Finding the right virtual backstage web (VPN) to support your net transportation encrypted and your browsing backstage tin beryllium challenging. If you're lone looking for a browser-based solution, it's easier to find the champion options for rapidly masking your IP code during a browser session, possibly to alteration your determination to entree circumstantial content.

An estimated 66% of net users favor Chrome arsenic their browser, beating Safari, Edge, and Firefox. This usher recommends the best VPN extensions for Chrome, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

What is the champion Chrome VPN close now?

Our prime for the champion Chrome VPN wide is ExpressVPN, acknowledgment to its fantabulous speed, stability, and immense server network. Plus, the businesslike Chrome hold isn't intrusive and doesn't drastically dilatory down your net connection. ExpressVPN is typically a alternatively costly VPN astatine $5 per period connected a two-year plan, but you volition beryllium granted 4 months of escaped work astatine sign-up.

At ZDNET, we've tested each reputable VPN connected the market, rigorously evaluating speed, fig of servers, information features, and price. We show VPN solutions, behaviour predominant velocity tests, cheque retired caller VPNs that appear, and show lawsuit feedback to guarantee we urge lone the best.

Best Chrome VPN extensions successful 2025

ExpressVPN is 1 of the astir wide utilized VPNs. It supports galore platforms and has an extended database of protocols you tin take from.

Its Chrome hold has garnered galore affirmative reviews, with thousands of users issuing precocious scores.

While wide show whitethorn alteration depending connected your net transportation and which server you're connecting to, ExpressVPN is accelerated and reliable. We recovered that it consistently provides fantastic speeds and immoderate of the champion we've measured.

Recent upgrades to the Windows-only Lightway protocol person accrued idiosyncratic speeds adjacent further.

Review: ExpressVPN review

When we utilized the extension, we noted small alteration to speeds, and it was unobtrusive. This is an important constituent of VPN hold usage, fixed each the pop-ups and notifications we already person to woody with.

At the clip of writing, a fake ExpressVPN hold appears successful 2nd spot successful hunt results. Be cautious to lone download the authoritative "ExpressVPN: VPN proxy for a amended internet" extension, which has an mean standing of 4.5 retired of 5 stars and 2.8K ratings. The seemingly fake hold has been reported, truthful successful the meantime, avoid the hold with "-secure Vpn proxy" successful the title.

ExpressVPN besides has servers successful much countries than galore providers connected this list, truthful you'll person plentifulness of determination options. It's bully for streaming and is worthy trying retired if you privation to entree your location libraries connected the spell done the Chrome browser. I besides tried it retired with Plex and determination were nary transportation issues.

To usage the accompanying extension, you volition request an ExpressVPN subscription. ExpressVPN's two-year program is $5 per month, with 4 months of escaped VPN entree added to the magnitude of your contract. Alternatively, its yearly program costs $6.67 with 3 months of escaped access.

Despite the usually higher terms point, customers accidental ExpressVPN is simple, fast, and casual to use.

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NordVPN is 1 of the astir fashionable VPNs and for bully reason. NordVPN supports each the large platforms and operating systems, truthful you tin usage it to unafraid the immense bulk of your devices. For other protection, you tin besides way your transportation done a 2nd server, known arsenic a treble VPN.

Its astir caller autarkic audit, conducted by Cure53, recovered nary client-side vulnerabilities successful browser extensions, including Chrome. The audit highlighted that the VPN works arsenic intended, though respective vulnerabilities were uncovered and resolved.

In our latest velocity tests, NordVPN performed exceptionally good and, unneurotic with ExpressVPN, offered the champion speeds and stability. It's besides large for accessing streaming services with precocious occurrence rates for accessing geo-blocked content.

The VPN supplier offers 111 locations to take from, and you tin link up to 10 devices to the work simultaneously.

Customers accidental they similar NordVPN's velocity and information and enactment that the enactment is impressive. The Chrome hold is lightweight, and galore users see it reliable and a large summation to day-to-day browsing and tasks.

Combine this with a user-friendly dashboard, and we see NordVPN to beryllium 1 of the champion 'one-size-fits-all' VPNs connected the market, and the Chrome hold is simply a bonus.

Review: NordVPN review

NordVPN's champion pricing is for its entry-level two-year plan, which begins astatine $3.09 per month. You tin besides opt for one-year and one-month plans astatine $5 monthly and $13 monthly, respectively. One and two-year contracts travel with 3 months of escaped access.

If you're unsure if NordVPN volition enactment for you, you tin ever effort it and get a afloat refund wrong 30 days with the service's money-back guarantee.

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Surfshark is 1 of the astir affordable VPNs connected the marketplace and offers consistently debased pricing connected longer-term contracts.

In presumption of security, Surfshark is simply a coagulated choice. In our testing, we recovered nary information oregon domain sanction work (DNS) leaks. That said, Surfshark's transportation times and speeds tin beryllium slower than those of its competitors.

The VPN comes modular with utile connectivity and information features on with a cooky and ad-blocker, a masked email generator, divided tunneling (Bypasser), a treble VPN enactment (MultiHop), and different options. Premium plans connection much specified arsenic malware and webcam protection, arsenic good arsenic Incogni information removal.

Users accidental they find Surfshark's Chrome hold casual to instal and run and deem it an hold that "just works." The Chrome hold besides makes it easier to entree services restricted by section IPs.

Review: Surfshark VPN review

Surfshark pricing begins astatine $2 per period connected a two-year program with 3 months free. You tin motion up for a one-year declaration astatine a starting terms of $3.19 per period oregon get a period of entree for $15.45. Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Recently, Surfshark dropped enactment for legacy iOS and macOS devices, truthful guarantee you are connected astatine slightest iOS 15 oregon macOS 11 (Big Sur) if you program to usage this VPN and its extension.

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When thing is free, there's usually a drawback and a VPN work is nary exception. We don't typically urge escaped VPN options, arsenic galore providers volition cod oregon merchantability your information successful return, and this signifier undermines the full constituent of the service.

Fortunately, paid subscribers backmost Proton VPN's escaped plan, and the squad down it puts information and privateness first. The VPN work is besides protected by Swiss information privateness laws. The trade-off? There are precise constricted server options disposable and enactment for lone 1 instrumentality connection.

Also: The champion escaped VPNs

Proton VPN's Chrome hold -- and wide -- reviews are mixed, but galore complaints are astir the restrictions connected the escaped option. You tin instrumentality this however you will, but galore users inactive accidental that this VPN is unafraid and accelerated capable that fewer announcement immoderate velocity changes erstwhile enabled.

If you privation to effort retired a paid plan, Proton VPN is offering a two-year declaration for $3.59 per period oregon a one-year enactment for the equivalent of $4 per month. A period of entree costs $9.99.

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Windscribe is different recommended and fashionable enactment if you're looking for a Chrome VPN extension.

Windscribe has earned itself a 4.7 retired of 5 standing connected the Chrome Web Store and has implicit 2 cardinal users. Many of the reviews are mostly positive, but immoderate users study determination detection issues and subordinate to Windscribe's escaped option. The escaped mentation offers up to 10GB of bandwidth per month, but you volition request to motion up for an account.

This VPN is 1 of our top picks for the champion escaped VPNs connected the market. You tin entree servers successful 10 countries with a escaped account.

While you tin ever instrumentality vantage of Windscribe's escaped plan, we besides similar the enactment to make customized plans based connected your preferences. You tin take the server locations you privation to link to -- billed astatine $1 per server per period oregon opt for a yearly program priced astatine $5.75 per month.

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Best VPN for Chrome	Price	Chrome Web Store rating	Simultaneous connections
ExpressVPN	$5 per period with a two-year program and 4 escaped months	4.5	8
NordVPN	$3.09 per period with a two-year plan, 3 escaped months	4.2	10
Surfshark VPN	$2 per period with a two-year program and 3 escaped months	3.8	Unlimited
Proton VPN	Free oregon $4.49 per period connected a two-year plan	2.6	1 (free), 10 (paid)
Windscribe	Free oregon customized plans. Fixed plans commencement astatine $5.75 per month	4.7	Unlimited

Incognito mode tin assistance boost your privacy, but not successful the aforesaid mode a VPN oregon VPN hold will. Incognito mode reduces the postulation of information during a browsing session. It helps support your privateness by deleting logs and accusation aft a session, which tin beryllium utile if you stock a instrumentality with others. As Google's April 2024 tribunal colony showed, Chrome's Incognito mode isn't peculiarly effective.

In comparison, a VPN encrypts your connection, disguises your online activities, and masks your IP address. Using a VPN oregon a VPN hold and past launching a backstage browsing league tin beryllium complementary but relying connected conscionable 1 oregon the different isn't arsenic effective.

A VPN hold is champion erstwhile you privation to fell your IP code and disguise your net postulation during abbreviated browsing sessions.

Remember that you volition lone person extortion enabled for the browser with the hold enabled. So, if you person a Chrome VPN extension, lone information passing done the Chrome browser volition beryllium encrypted, and not immoderate requests sent via Edge oregon Safari, and truthful on.

A standalone VPN app grants you acold much protection, arsenic it tin supply broad sum crossed each browser sessions and online services. The trade-off is that VPN apps are much apt to dilatory down your net speed. Still, we urge that unless determination is simply a peculiar crushed for utilizing lone an extension, you should see utilizing a VPN's afloat acceptable of features.

How bash I acceptable up my Chrome VPN?

Go to your VPN provider's website oregon the authoritative Chrome Web Store. Find your VPN and click the "Add to Chrome" button.

You should get a announcement explaining what the hold does and tin do. If you are blessed to proceed, click Add Extension. If not, click Cancel.

Sign successful with your VPN credentials, and that's it! Remember that you tin click the extension's icon anytime to alteration oregon disable it.

Choose this VPN Chrome extension...	If you want...
ExpressVPN	The champion Chrome VPN overall. ExpressVPN provides top-tier show and features, with standout usability and speed, but the emblematic terms constituent whitethorn deter immoderate users.
NordVPN	The champion determination and server network. NordVPN provides accelerated and reliable connections with a big of further options available. The idiosyncratic interface representation is besides well-designed.
Surfshark VPN	The astir value. Surfshark offers tenable speeds and a user-friendly interface astatine a consistently debased price. It's reliable, has a ample server network, and a utile intermission function.
Proton VPN	A trustworthy, escaped option. Proton VPN is the champion enactment if you privation a escaped Chrome VPN extension, but support successful caput that the escaped program is constricted successful instrumentality enactment and server network.
Windscribe	An alternate escaped VPN with the enactment of customized plans. The Windscribe proxy hold besides comes with an advertisement blocker, whitelisting, and determination spoofing.

Many VPN providers recommended successful this database person been taxable to in-depth investigating and reviews by members of our team. We've reviewed VPNs for years, spoken with their absorption and users, and developed a mostly favorable content of our apical picks.

ZDNET tests VPN services from aggregate locations, but we can't trial from each locations. Every home, community, section ISP, and federation has a antithetic infrastructure.

We analyzed the champion VPNs for Chrome beneath utilizing the pursuing criteria:

Performance: Our apical VPN recommendations indispensable person a minimum level of performance. After all, there's nary constituent successful utilizing a VPN if your transportation continually drops oregon lags.
Reliable extensions: As Chrome is our priority, we ensured that each proposal has a Chrome hold disposable that users see useful, stable, and non-invasive.
Simultaneous connections: Many VPNs bounds the fig of devices you tin link to a work simultaneously. If you person a phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, oregon astute TV you privation to link to a VPN, you request a work that allows astatine slightest 5 oregon six simultaneous connections.
Security: There's nary constituent successful utilizing a VPN unless its information protocols and encryption levels are up to scratch. We besides ensured the improvement squad down each recommended VPN cares astir making information improvements and patching reported bugs.
Kill switch: A termination power prevents you from having an unprotected connection. It is an important diagnostic for a VPN, arsenic it protects you by preventing a instrumentality to a default Wi-Fi transportation should your net transportation unexpectedly drop.
Geo-blocks and streaming: We cognize VPNs tin beryllium cardinal to accessing section contented and services portion you're distant from home. Considering these factors, we ensured that our apical recommendations performed good and are improbable to dilatory down your transportation portion you are streaming oregon torrenting.
Platforms: What systems and devices tin you tally the VPN on? Our VPN recommendations people person to connection easy-to-use and intuitive app extensions, desktop software, and mobile apps.
Countries and servers: In however galore antithetic countries does the VPN person servers? This tin see carnal and virtual servers, and whether determination are capable -- astatine slightest 50 oregon truthful -- to supply variety.
Trial magnitude and price: Each VPN we urge has a coagulated money-back warrant of astatine slightest 30 days.
Support: As with immoderate subscription software, you whitethorn brushwood problems with installing apps, utilizing the service, renewing, oregon canceling. We database VPNs with a enactment team.

For a much extended breakdown, cheque retired our comprehensive VPN investigating methodology page.

No. While Chrome is 1 of the safest and astir well-featured browsers, it does not person a built-in VPN. Instead, it supports VPN usage and VPN extensions. You'll request to instal a VPN to person the astir unafraid acquisition connected your Chrome browser.

All the VPN services connected this database are trusted and vetted by ZDNET. The services we urge person been astir for a agelong clip and supply the safest and astir unafraid connections for Chrome and different browsers, oregon arsenic standalone apps for your devices.

If you privation to support a Chromebook, the Chrome browser hold won't needfully beryllium capable connected its own, particularly if you power betwixt browsers. Most VPN vendors urge you support your Chromebook by installing their Android app. Android apps present tally connected astir modern Chromebooks. Since older Chromebooks whitethorn not beryllium supported, beryllium definite to cheque each vendor's compatibility list. Once you instal the Android app connected your Chromebook, you should beryllium mostly protected.

We urge trying retired ExpressVPN oregon NordVPN if you're looking for a compatible work for your Chromebook.

The reply to this is overmuch similar the reply to anyone asking however to enactment protected connected aged gear: Sometimes, you can't. If your machine can't support you harmless online, either don't usage the net oregon earnestly see upgrading your hardware.

Once enactment and updates halt for bequest devices, you besides won't person information fixes, and if your Chromebook is older and doesn't person compatible Android apps, your options are limited. At a minimum, you shouldn't usage your Chromebook for immoderate delicate tasks, specified arsenic accessing a fiscal work oregon email account.

If you privation it to, yes. You tin link to a VPN successful your location state -- and sometimes your metropolis -- and inactive usage the work to amended your information and privacy. Alternatively, you tin prime a server successful a wholly antithetic location. For example, if you're trying to entree a media root that is blocked successful the EU owed to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), appearing from the U.S. volition region this geo-linked block.

Yes, successful astir countries. VPNs are besides often important tools for companies, arsenic they let much unafraid distant connections. However, user VPN usage is restricted and state-controlled successful immoderate areas specified arsenic China and Russia. The services are banned wholly successful different countries including Iraq and Belarus.

You get what you wage for, right? Well, sometimes. VPN pricing varies wildly, and monthly fees besides beryllium connected immoderate further features you person subscribed to, specified arsenic dedicated IP addresses, information breach scanning, oregon cyberinsurance. Others, specified arsenic Astrill, travel astatine a precocious terms but are known for being unchangeable and mostly precise reliable successful countries wherever VPN usage is challenging, including China.

Unless you person downloaded a escaped Chrome VPN extracurricular our recommendations, yes. Chrome extensions are provided arsenic an add-on work alongside PC and mobile apps, and aren't usually disposable arsenic a standalone enactment without signing up for a VPN plan.

To download a VPN hold for the Chrome browser, caput implicit to the Chrome Web Store. You volition besides find nonstop links to Chrome extensions successful the store connected authoritative VPN supplier websites. Once you've recovered the hold you want, click the "Add to Chrome" button.