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Windows is one of the most popular operating systems to host Kodi for obvious reasons. It makes it installing and setting up Kodi and its numerous addons a breeze. Streaming with Kodi is also super-easy on Windows, and you don’t need a remote control.

But privacy and security cannot come as an afterthought now that streaming with Kodi is marginalized into the gray zone of dubious legality, while unofficial addons and repos are ripe with malware.

If you want to avoid pesky copyright trolls, your ISP snooping and bandwidth throttling, while protecting your sensitive data when using Kodi, check out the following VPN services for your Windows devices.

  • Proton VPN gives access to the Tor network
  • The Proton VPN package includes a secure email service
  • The free version of Proton VPN provides an excellent secure VPN service
Check best price ProtonVPN Review

ProtonVPN has a nifty free plan on offer. It’s limited to VPN servers in three countries only, but it has no bandwidth quota. It’s also ideal for privacy wonks since it comes with a kill switch, DNS leak protection, streaming, and torrenting support, and the ability to create custom profiles. If you choose to upgrade, ProtonVPN comes with a generous 60-day money-back guarantee and a selection of wallet-friendly subscriptions. 

Pros

  • The free plan is great
  • Simultaneous connection allowance of ten devices
  • Bundle plans offer secure file storage, email and calendar as well
  • Private mini-Tor
  • Connects to Tor network
  • App for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Manjaro, and Arch Linux

Cons

  • Connection profiles and threat models are complicated
  • The free version only gets three server locations
  • No browser extensions
  • If you’ve never used a VPN before, try TunnelBear
  • The TunnelBear animation makes it a child-friendly app
  • TunnelBear makes its services available for free in places where mass movements protest against government censorship
Check best price Tunnelbear Review

Canada-based TunnelBear is by far one of the most intuitive VPN clients for beginners. Although its free plan is limited to 500MB per month, it maintains a no-logs policy and runs a network of 900 servers in 20 countries. You can expand your free data allowance up to 5GB by spreading the word about the provider. Its Windows client is easy to use and comes with OpenVPN and 256-bit encryption.

Pros

  • Amazing app animation
  • Fun bear-based terminology
  • Works in China
  • Public WiFi hotspot protection
  • Free version

Cons

  • Doesn’t install on routers
  • No VPN app for Linux or Chrome OS
  • No longer offers a browser extension for Opera
  • Can’t get into Disney+, ABC, or the ITV Hub
  • Lifetime free plan available
  • Port forwarding available
  • Certified zero logs
Check best price hide.me Review

Hide.me offers VPN servers in over 30 locations. Its free version is limited to servers in Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore but comes with a fairly generous 2GB data usage per month. Hide.me offers decent download speeds, and robust privacy and security specs complete with OpenVPN support. It’s ideal for basic content unblocking and occasional use with public WiFi hotspots.

Pros

  • Lifetime free plan available
  • Port forwarding available
  • Certified zero logs
  • Independent from any government interference
  • Supports modern security protocols
  • Outstanding speeds
  • Applications for mobile devices available
  • 24/7 customer support

Cons

  • Complexity in setting up simultaneous connections
  • Number of servers may not sufficiently handle heavy traffic
  • The Windscribe browser extension contains more than just a VPN implementation
  • You can get up to 10 GB of data throughput per month with the free version of Windscribe
  • Combine the desktop app and the browser extension to create your own double-hop VPN
Check best price Windscribe VPN Review

Excellent privacy and security features, a crisp UI and an intuitive Windows client, come in Windscribe’s free plan complete with a 10GB/month bandwidth quota. This is, by all means, a generous offer. You can connect only one device, but if you want more, its premium plans allow the use of an unlimited number of devices simultaneously. 

Pros

  • Lots of free cybersecurity tools
  • Extensive privacy controls
  • Split tunneling options
  • Unlimited simultaneous connections
  • Easy port forwarding

Cons

  • More expensive than some of its big rivals
  • The autopilot option doesn’t change the IP address
  • Slows connection speeds
  • Free trial
  • Easy-to-use
  • Cross-platform
Check best price SurfEasy VPN Review

If you don’t mind using a US-Canadian provider, Surfeasy has 1000 servers in 28 countries and provides decent speeds and robust security features. Its free trial allows you to run five connections simultaneously. It is limited to 500MB, but the fun part is you can expand your free allowance by spreading the word about the VPN. It’s also dead-simple in use and allows P2P, bundling a tracker blocker to protect your browsing from malvertisers.

Pros

  • Free trial
  • Easy-to-use
  • Cross-platform
  • Seven-day money-back guarantee
  • Open VPN, AES-256
  • Excellent speeds
  • No leaks
  • Allows P2P

Cons

  • Doesn’t unblock Netflix US or BBC iPlayer
  • Doesn’t accept Bitcoin
  • Canadian provider owned by US-based Opera
  • Claims no-logs but will disclose your usage data to the government if need be
  • No kill switch

​Note: there is a reason these free offers are limited – decent providers can’t offer unlimited free service. In fact, the only way you can get a free VPN from a reliable provider is in a limited option designed to give you a sneak peek into what the VPN can do for you. Otherwise, if a free VPN is unlimited, you are most likely paying with your data or are bound to consume malware and ads.

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