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Why look for Betternet alternatives? Betternet is a free, ad-supported VPN owned by Point Wild, the company behind Hotspot Shield, as our ownership records show. Its free tier is limited: 500 MB of data on desktop, and on mobile an ad every 30 minutes. Its reputation also carries a research finding: a CSIRO study of 283 Android VPN apps found 14 tracking libraries in Betternet’s app, more than any other free VPN tested, several reviews report. To be fair, a third-party audit commissioned by its owner in August 2023 found no logs linking activity to users, AllAboutCookies notes.
This page weighs the trade-offs and lists free and paid alternatives.
What You Get With Betternet Free
| Feature | Betternet free | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Data on desktop | 500 MB | SafetyDetectives, PrivacySharks |
| Mobile | Unlimited, with an ad every 30 minutes | SafetyDetectives |
| Business model | Advertising | top10vpns |
| Identifiers collected | Device or advertising IDs | vpnMentor |
| Independent audit | No-logs check, August 2023 | AllAboutCookies |
Ads are the price of ‘free’. An ad-funded VPN needs to know enough about your device to serve ads, which sits awkwardly with privacy, as our free VPN guide explains.
The CSIRO Finding, in Context
The study is old but still cited in the case for Betternet alternatives. CSIRO’s analysis, published in 2016 and 2017, found 14 tracking libraries in Betternet’s Android app and flagged it among the apps most often detected by antivirus scanners, TheBestVPN and others report. The app may have changed since, TheBestVPN acknowledges.
An audit is the counterweight. It dates from August 2023 and focused on no-logs claims, so it answers a different question from the tracker study. Our audit tracker explains what audits do and don’t cover, and our no-logs guide sets out the standard.
Betternet Alternatives: The Picks
| Option | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN free | Free, no data cap, no ads | Audited no-logs policy |
| NordVPN | Paid | Audited; fast |
| Surfshark | Paid | Unlimited devices |
| Hotspot Shield | Free and paid tiers | Same owner, Point Wild |
Among Betternet alternatives, Proton VPN’s free plan is the no-ads swap: no data cap and an audited policy, as our Proton VPN value guide explains. If you like Betternet’s apps, Hotspot Shield is its better-equipped sibling; our Proton VPN vs Hotspot Shield comparison weighs them.
Surfshark and NordVPN share a parent, Nord Security. Our VPN ownership guide maps other families, and our Hola guide covers another free model with a catch.
How We Research
Ownership and free limits come from SafetyDetectives and PrivacySharks; the CSIRO findings from TheBestVPN and other reviews citing the study; the audit from AllAboutCookies; identifier collection from vpnMentor; the ad model from top10vpns. SafetyDetectives’ review is here. We read all sources on 28 September 2026. Proton and NordVPN are providers we link to. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Betternet Alternatives FAQ
An audit in August 2023 backed its no-logs claims, but it’s ad-funded, collects device or advertising identifiers, and a CSIRO study once found 14 trackers in its Android app.
500 MB on desktop. On mobile it’s unlimited but shows an ad every 30 minutes.
Point Wild, which also owns Hotspot Shield.
Proton VPN’s free plan, with no ads, no data cap and an audited no-logs policy.
It comes from the same family with more features; our comparison with Proton VPN weighs it up.
The Verdict
Betternet alternatives start with Proton VPN’s free plan, which drops the ads and data limits.
It has an audit to its name, but an ad-funded VPN with a tracker history is a hard sell when ad-free options exist.