Avast launches a free VPN in France with no card required

Avast's free tier puts no cap on data volume or on the number of devices, across Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. One account can therefore cover a whole household. The trade-off lies in servers: at first launch, users pick three locations among 40, including Paris, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Amsterdam, Chicago, Tokyo and Sydney. The choice cannot be changed afterwards, but users can switch freely among the three.

Proton VPN's free plan does the opposite, assigning a server from about ten countries automatically. Avast's approach is more practical for regular use, such as keeping access to home services while abroad or reaching US content from France.

The free tier encrypts traffic and hides the IP address. The app picks the protocol automatically, with WireGuard selectable manually. A kill switch and a pause function (15, 30 or 60 minutes) are included.

Speed and business model

In a test from Paris, a connection of 89.84 Mbps down and 110.27 Mbps up lost about 20% on download and 45% on upload through Avast's Spanish server. That still allowed 4K Netflix streaming, though the figures are indicative only.

Avast says it keeps no activity logs, a policy independently audited, and does not resell data. The free plan is a gateway to Avast Premium VPN, also included in Avast One. Split tunneling, ad and tracker blocking, automatic connection on public Wi-Fi, double VPN and post-quantum encryption are paid-only. The paid plan offers more than 140 locations that can be changed at any time, a loss of about 10% in the same Spain test, and a 10-device limit. A 60-day trial requires a card, and a 30-day money-back guarantee applies.

For public Wi-Fi protection, hiding browsing from an ISP or occasional access to services abroad, the free plan looks sufficient for most people.