5 Best Browsers with a VPN in 2024: Privacy Solution or Risk?

Raven Wu
Updated on: June 29, 2024 Writer

I tested all the top browsers and found the 5 best ones with a VPN to enhance your online privacy and security when surfing the web. I also compared browser-based VPNs and standalone VPNs to determine their respective strengths and weaknesses so that you can decide on the right VPN solution for you.

My favorite browser with a VPN is Opera due to its great security features and extra tools. However, if you want or need more comprehensive protection, I recommend a standalone VPN like ExpressVPN, which has excellent extensions for popular browsers, including Google Chrome and Firefox. Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

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🥇1. Opera — Best Overall Browser with a VPN in 2024

Opera is the best overall browser with a VPN in 2024. Its built-in VPN is completely free with unlimited data, has a strict no-logs policy, and includes 256-bit AES encryption for your entire Opera traffic. Note that the VPN is turned off by default for search engines, like Google, which is a big privacy concern.

While Opera lets you select from 3 regions, the Americas, Asia, or Europe, you can’t pick a specific country. Your only other option is to allow the VPN to choose the most optimal location, meaning it’s not really ideal for getting a specific IP address. This is why I prefer a full-fledged VPN like ExpressVPN, which lets you pick any server location in 105 countries.

The browser has a built-in ad blocker which eliminated most ads on the social media and news sites that I visited in my tests. By default, the ad blocker is set to exclude certain sites, “Allow Acceptable Ads,” and not to block trackers, so make sure customize your preferences in the settings menu.

It comes with a basic split-tunneling feature, which means you can exclude specific websites from the VPN tunnel. Opera doesn’t do a great job explaining how to set up this feature — to exclude a site from the VPN tunnel, you’ll have to click Add under Manage additional VPN bypass rules in the settings menu and type out the website’s address.

Opera works with all the Google Chrome extensions you’re familiar with to expand the browser’s functionalities.

Unfortunately, this VPN doesn’t include a kill switch, so if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly, it’ll leak your data. It doesn’t use a VPN protocol either, like WireGuard or OpenVPN. This means you’re getting roughly the same level of protection as any website using HTTPS.

Opera’s VPN has a premium plan, called Opera VPN Pro, which provides device-wide protection, uses protocols like OpenVPN, gives you access to servers in 30+ countries, and more. I still think it’s overpriced for what you get, especially when compared to a standalone VPN. That said, its paid plan comes with a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

🥈2. Aloha Browser — Minimalistic Browser with a VPN (Great for Beginners)

Aloha Browser’s free VPN is minimalistic, which is great for non-tech-savvy users. To turn on the VPN, just tap the little lightning shield icon in the top left of the browser next to the address bar. The VPN automatically connects to the fastest server. Like Opera’s VPN, it protects your browser traffic with 256-bit AES encryption and has a no-logs policy.

The browser comes with a built-in ad blocker, which stopped most ads from loading in my tests. If you want to block all ads, consider picking up a standalone VPN, like Private Internet Access, whose ad blocker (PIA MACE) stopped 100% of ads on the same pages. As with Opera’s ad blocker, Aloha Brower’s ad blocker allows “acceptable ads” by default. You can toggle this off in the Additional settings menu (and not in the General settings menu).

Aloha Browser’s doesn’t have any other VPN-related features or settings. There is no kill switch, no VPN protocols, and you can’t connect to a specific location. Additionally, Aloha Browser lacks extension support, which greatly limits the degree to which you can customize the browser (unlike Opera).

Aloha Browser has a paid plan, Aloha Premium, which gives you basic device-wide VPN protection, access to more server locations, a kill switch, and more. There’s a 7-day free trial but no money-back guarantee.

Editors' Note: Private Internet Access and this site are in the same ownership group.

🥉3. Epic Privacy Browser — Privacy-Focused Browser with a Good VPN

Epic Privacy Browser is an excellent privacy-focused browser that offers comprehensive protection against ads, trackers, and fingerprinting (a technique used by websites and online services to identify and track you based on unique characteristics of your device and browser).

It comes with a free VPN, which has no data caps and a strict no-logs policy. Unlike Opera and Aloha Browser, it allows you to select your server location — there are 7 countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Singapore.

Its ad blocker is based on the highly-regarded uBlock Origin extension. It blocks address bar and URL tracking, installation tracking, error tracking, and more. It gives you the option of setting Epic to always be in private browsing mode, which deletes all user data, including history, cookies, preferences, and more, when the browser window is closed.

Like Opera, Epic supports most extensions from the Google Chrome web store, so you can customize the browser to your liking.

A notable drawback is Epic is partnered with Yahoo! This has a few major consequences: its default search engine is Yahoo!.and whenwhen you click on an ad in Yahoo! search, it also automatically disables its proxy and ad blocker for several seconds so Yahoo! gets your data. Also, some Yahoo! sites bypass Epic’s ad blocker and proxy entirely, including Techcrunch, Engadget, HuffPo, and more.

4. Microsoft Edge Secure Network — Convenient Browser-Based VPN for Edge Users

Microsoft Edge Secure Network is built into the Edge browser, which is installed by default on all Windows devices and may save you the hassle of switching to a new browser just to get access to a VPN.

I like how easy it is to configure the VPN. You can set it to 3 different modes depending on your needs, such as Select Sites, Optimized, and All Sites. Select Sites makes it so that the VPN will only turn on when you visit the sites that you specify. Optimized makes it so that the VPN only turns on when you’re on public Wi-Fi, unsecure networks, or attempt to visit a site without a valid HTTP certificate. Lastly, All Sites makes the VPN run constantly. In addition to these modes, you can set overrides for specific sites that the VPN should always turn on for or always ignore.

Unlike Opera’s VPN and the other browser-based VPNs on this list, it imposes a data cap of 5 GB per month. This may be enough for casual browsing, but it’ll quickly run out if you watch video content. For streaming, I recommend getting an affordable standalone VPN, like ExpressVPN, which comes with no data caps and can access 100+ streaming sites like Netflix.

There are a few other downsides to Microsoft Edge Secure Network as well. It doesn’t allow you to select which VPN server you connect to, doesn’t include a kill switch, and while it does encrypt your traffic, it doesn’t use a VPN protocol.

Editors' Note: ExpressVPN and this site are in the same ownership group.

5. Avast Secure Browser — Affordable Premium VPN + High-End Security Features

Avast Secure Browser includes an affordable browser-based VPN as part of its premium plan (Avast Secure Browser PRO). I like that the VPN uses WireGuard and OpenVPN, both of which provide fast, secure, and reliable connections. It also has a decent-sized server network in 35+ countries and allows you to connect to a specific location.

Besides the VPN, Avast Secure Browser comes with a plethora of other useful privacy and security tools. Bank Mode is a particularly great feature to use when entering sensitive information. It opens the browser in a virtual desktop, an isolated ecosystem that’s protected against keyloggers, screenshot attempts, and other malware.

The browser also comes with a built-in ad, tracker, and malware blocker, a password manager, and more. Additionally, it supports Google Chrome extensions. If you need a reliable VPN for streaming, I suggest checking out ExpressVPN, which works reliably with 100+ streaming services.

Avast Secure Browser PRO comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try out all of its features risk-free.

Quick Comparison Table

Browser VPNs vs. Standalone VPNs

The biggest difference between the two is a browser VPN only works in your browser. It encrypts only the data transmitted through that browser, leaving other internet traffic on your device unprotected. Standalone VPNs, on the other hand, run on your device and encrypt all internet traffic, regardless of which application or browser is being used. This means all data transmitted from your device is secure.

Other important differences are:

• Ease of use & convenience. Browsers with built-in VPNs are straightforward to use. You can toggle the VPN on or off directly within the browser settings, so they’re good for casual users who want a hassle-free solution for occasional private browsing. Standalone VPNs require separate installation and setup. But while they might seem more complex at first glance, most top providers offer user-friendly apps with easy-to-navigate interfaces. As a bonus, using a standalone VPN means you can continue to use your preferred browser (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge) and any of its extensions/add-ons.
• Cost. Many browsers with built-in VPNs are free. In exchange, they often come with annoying limitations such as data caps, fewer server options, or reduced speeds. As such, they’re a good starting point for users who don’t want to spend money and need basic privacy protection, but subscribing to a good standalone VPN is a worthwhile investment as a long-term solution. Some standalone VPNs also have great free plans.
• Privacy & Security. Most browser-based VPNs aren’t true VPNs — they’re proxies. They only protect the data transmitted through the browser and often lack encryption and even industry-standard VPN security features, like a kill switch. Standalone VPNs provide more comprehensive security and encrypt all internet traffic on your device.
• Servers. Browsers with VPNs typically have a smaller selection of server locations. This can limit your ability to access content from specific regions or reduce flexibility in choosing a server for optimized performance or security.
• Speeds. Due to their limited server coverage and often free or lower-tier service levels, browser-based VPNs tend to offer slower speeds or experience performance issues under heavy use. This can affect the quality of streaming, gaming, or other high-bandwidth activities. Standalone VPNs experience less congestion and provide faster and more reliable connections.
• Features. Browsers with built-in VPNs don’t tend to come with many extra features or settings, like streaming and torrenting support, split-tunneling, or an ad, tracker, and malware blocker, the ability to change your VPN protocol, and more.

Best Standalone VPNs

• ExpressVPN. It’s our #1 VPN in 2024 and is the VPN with the best extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Unlike most VPN extensions, ExpressVPN’s extensions allow you to access all of the features of its full, standalone app from the convenience of your browser window. It protects all traffic on your device and you can connect to any of its servers in 105 countries. Check out our full review of ExpressVPN here.

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• Private Internet Access (PIA). It has an excellent extension for Google Chrome, Opera, and Firefox, that gives you access to all of its servers in 91 countries. They also come with the unique ability to prevent websites from accessing your camera, phone, or personal information, and powerful anti-tracking capabilities, like the ability to prevent websites from knowing where you came from when you click a link. Check out our full review of Private Internet Access here.

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• CyberGhost VPN. It has free Chrome and Firefox extensions that come with unlimited data and encrypt your browser traffic. The extensions follow a strict no-logs policy, include WebRTC leak protection, and give you access to 4 server locations (the US, the Netherlands, Germany, and Romania). Its premium plans include even more features and are highly affordable. Check out our full review of CyberGhost VPN here.

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Editors' Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company

Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria

I used our proven testing methodology to find the top browsers with a VPN with a particular focus on privacy and security, speeds, and ease of use. But I also considered other factors such as cost and extra features. You can see a detailed breakdown of the testing criteria I used to rank and compare the browsers with a VPN on my list below:

• I considered each VPN’s privacy and security features. I checked each browser-based VPN for industry-standard security features, like 256-bit AES encryption, which scrambles your data and makes it unreadable to third parties, a kill switch, a no-logs policy (the VPN doesn’t keep track of your online activities), and the use of VPN protocols.
• I chose browsers with VPNs that provide extra features. The browsers with VPNs I recommend include extra tools like split-tunneling and an ad blocker. That said, you could get a standalone VPN which provides more value for less.
• I tested each VPN’s speeds. Every VPN will reduce your connection speeds to some extent due to the extra distance your internet traffic has to travel and the encryption process. But the browser-based VPNs on my list maintain fast enough speeds to surf the web with minimal load times and to watch YouTube videos with minimal buffering.
• I looked for browsers with intuitive interfaces. One of the main selling points of a browser-based VPN is their simplicity and ease of use. The browsers I recommend have built-in VPNs that are straightforward to activate and manage, even if you’ve never used a VPN before.
• I checked each browser for compatibility with popular extensions. Using a different browser means you may have to give up on your favorite Chrome or Firefox extensions. But many of my recommendations are compatible with extensions from mainstream browsers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do any browsers have a built-in VPN?

Yes, there are many browsers that offer built-in VPNs. I recommend Opera, whose browser-based VPN is 100% free and provides unlimited data. It also uses 256-bit AES encryption, has a strict no-logs policy, and comes with an ad blocker and split-tunneling.

Does Firefox have a built-in VPN?

No, Firefox doesn’t have a built-in VPN. Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, does sell a standalone VPN that you can purchase called Mozilla VPN, but it isn’t integrated into the Firefox browser. If you’re looking for a VPN for Firefox, consider getting ExpressVPN, which has an excellent Firefox extension that combines all the power of a standalone VPN app with the convenience of a browser-based VPN.

Is a browser VPN good enough?

Browser VPNs, especially free ones, are generally inferior to standalone VPNs. While being able to control your VPN directly from within your browser is very convenient, browser-based VPNs usually emphasize simplicity and ease of use at the cost of other things. For example, many of them aren’t true VPNs — they’re proxies and don’t encrypt your data, don’t use a VPN protocol, and lack critical security features, like a kill switch. They frequently have a very limited list of server locations as well, have slower speeds, and come with few extra features.

Does using a VPN slow down your browser?

Yes, using any VPN will slow down your connection speeds to some extent. This is because your browser traffic must travel some extra distance to be routed through the VPN’s servers and because of the time it takes to encrypt your data. Getting a good browser-based VPN or a good standalone VPN will minimize the impact on your browsing speeds.