Opera VPN to shut down: Here are 4 alternatives

Opera VPN

There’s some bad news for those who use the Opera VPN mobile app, namely that it’s being shut down come the end of the month.

The announcement was made that the free iOS and Android apps will be permanently shuttered on April 30, just under a fortnight’s time.

Those who are Opera Gold members (which was the commercial paid-for version of the product) will be given the option of having a free one-year subscription to SurfEasy Ultra VPN. That’s an obvious move, as Opera VPN was built on SurfEasy’s network and SurfEasy is included in our guide to the best free VPNs.

Opera noted that SurfEasy Ultra is a service which has 28 regions, allows for simultaneous use on up to five devices, and has a ‘strict no-log’ policy.

What about free users of Opera VPN? The company is offering a discount of 80% on SurfEasy Total VPN, which can be bagged through the latest version of the Opera VPN iOS and Android apps.

Alternative paid VPNs 

Another consideration is that maybe you don’t want to use a free VPN anymore. While the price may be free, there could be hidden costs with some providers. Remember, these services need to turn a profit somehow, whether through ads or via data gathered from users.

If you want to make the switch to a paid VPN service, these are the top two picks from our best VPN for 2018 article.

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is simply a great all-rounder and our current favorite VPN. This provider’s performance levels are impressive, the mobile client software is great, and tech support is superb, among other strengths.

2. IPVanish

IPVanish offers superfast speeds, and it’s a highly configurable service for those who like to tinker a bit with their VPN connection. It also offers unlimited P2P traffic and is tight on the privacy front.

Alternative free VPNs 

Of course, jumping ship to SurfEasy is far from your only option here. If you want another quality free VPN service that offers mobile apps, then it’s worth checking out our top two picks for best free VPN of 2018.

1. TunnelBear

TunnelBear is a laudably novice-friendly VPN and it scores very highly on the privacy front, which is always good to see. The main downside is a stingy limit of 500MB for your monthly data allowance, but with TechRadar’s special offer, you can up this to 5GB – problem solved!

2. Windscribe

This free VPN offers an impressive data allowance of 10GB per month, and you can get more via referrals. There are also some pretty nifty extras like a built-in ad blocker and firewall.

Desire Athow
Managing Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.