# Any good free VPN services? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152 "2009-12-22T02:54:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drgnrdr07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@drgnrdr07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drgnrdr07)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/1 "2009-12-22T02:54:24Z")
Does anyone know of any decent free VPN services? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/2 "2009-12-22T04:31:03Z")
Are you asking about free VPN software, or third-party VPN intervention in the process? ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/3 "2009-12-22T05:00:57Z")
[http://Hamachi.cc](http://Hamachi.cc), is my input for the evening. However, it’s been bought out by LogMeIn, awhile back… and it’s gotten a bit less dependable since then (and a little more commercialized), but it could be better now. It’s been almost two years since I’ve used it. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/4 "2009-12-22T09:38:03Z")
It would help if you explained what you need to do - there are a variety of things you use a VPN for, and a variety of solutions, many of which are free, some of which are more complex than others. My son uses [Leaf Networks VPN](http://www.leafnetworks.net/) with his mates and it works really well. However, Leaf is for point to point networking (with a central registration server for NAT traversal) and is not a VPN-to-get-past-a-national-firewall system. OpenVPN is the best free VPN system (using SSL) but does not do NAT traversal, so will involve some router configuration. It is also quite complex to set up. Si ---
**Author:** ![Dandmb50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Dandmb50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandmb50)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/5 "2009-12-22T17:15:59Z")
Daaa, what is VPN? I kinda think it is connecting to another computer over the internet but not sure? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/6 "2009-12-22T18:54:17Z")
Do you mean VPN software? If so, I use [OpenVPN](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenVPN), a Free and Open Source program for VPN connections. It’s a command-line utility, but has lots of Free third-party GUIs for various operating systems. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/7 "2009-12-22T18:55:25Z")
> [@Dandmb50](#): > > Daaa, what is VPN? I kinda think it is connecting to another computer over the internet but not sure? Have you tried Wikipedia? If so, what about the explanation there didn’t you understand? ---
**Author:** ![drgnrdr07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71e660/32.png) [@drgnrdr07](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drgnrdr07)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/8 "2009-12-22T20:34:32Z")
Thanks for the replies. I got the information I needed. =) ---
**Author:** ![Dandmb50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Dandmb50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandmb50)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/9 "2009-12-23T20:39:55Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Have you tried Wikipedia? If so, what about the explanation there didn’t you understand? NO ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2009, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-good-free-vpn-services/522152/10 "2009-12-23T20:52:46Z")
> [@Dandmb50](#): > > NO Well, [here you go](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VPN) then.