Where should you download a VPN app, and does a free download mean the VPN is free?
Summary
Get the app from the VPN company's own website or from an official store: the App Store, Google Play or the Microsoft Store. If the VPN is for work, your employer's portal or IT team tells you which client to install. The download itself is almost always free, but the service may not be. NordVPN's app does nothing without an active subscription, while Proton VPN offers a free plan limited to one device at a time.
On Windows, you may not need an app at all
Microsoft's support page says a VPN connection needs a VPN profile on the device, and you either create that profile yourself or get it from your company through a work account.
It also tells you where to look. For work, check your company's intranet for VPN settings or a VPN app, or ask your company's support person. For a personal subscription, see whether the Microsoft Store has an app for the service, or check the provider's website for the connection settings. No app? Windows has a built-in VPN client, and our getting-started article walks through adding a connection to it.
Phones: the official store, and what Google Play shows you
On an iPhone the source is the App Store; on Android it's Google Play. In both cases, check the publisher name before you tap install.
Google Play listings carry a Data safety section where developers describe what data the app collects, whether it's shared with third parties, and whether it's encrypted in transit. Keep in mind that the developer fills this in. Google says that even the independent security review it offers "does not verify the accuracy and completeness" of the developer's Data safety disclosure.
Google Play also has a Verified badge, and for now it's only available for VPN apps. To qualify, an app needs an independent security review, at least 90 days on Google Play, at least 10,000 installs and 250 reviews, and an organization developer account, among other conditions. Separately, Google Play Protect runs a safety check on Play Store apps before you download them and scans apps from other sources on the device. It's on by default.
Downloading from the provider's site
Most VPN companies have a download page split by platform. Proton VPN's lists apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad, Chromebook, Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV, plus extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Proton says plainly that its browser extension only protects your browser, which is a different product from the app. Our article on Chrome VPN extensions covers that split.
A free download is not a free subscription
Downloading the client costs nothing for nearly every paid VPN. What you pay for is the service behind it.
NordVPN's getting-started guide lists "an active NordVPN subscription" as the thing you need before you begin. You install the app, sign in with an existing Nord Account, and only then connect.
Proton VPN says it "will always offer a free plan." Signing up takes you straight to the download page. The free plan connects one device at a time to servers in ten countries, including Japan, the United States and the Netherlands. Paid plans allow up to 10 devices at once.
Sources
- https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/experience/connectivity-networking/connect-to-a-vpn-in-windows
- https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/11416267?hl=en
- https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2812853?hl=en
- https://protonvpn.com/download
- https://protonvpn.com/support/how-to-create-free-vpn-account
- https://protonvpn.com/support/protonvpn-setup-guide
- https://support.nordvpn.com/hc/en-us/articles/20289779952017-How-to-start-using-NordVPN
Related on this site
- What do you actually do to start using a VPN, from signing up to knowing it works?
- How do you set up a VPN on an iPhone, and how do you turn it off again?
- Should you set up a VPN on Android with an app or by hand, and how does always-on VPN work?
- Does a Chrome VPN extension protect as much as a regular VPN app?
- Business VPN pricing: what teams actually pay per user
Written by Kaz (pen name). Published September 28, 2026. The facts above come from the vendor and standards pages listed under Sources. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.