Free Business VPN and Zero Trust Access
Which business VPN and zero trust access tools a startup can secure its team's access to private servers and apps with for free today, how many users and devices the free plan allows, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . VPN services change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Business VPN and zero trust services a startup can use for free today include Cloudflare Zero Trust (Free for teams under 50 users), Netmaker Community (Free and open source (Apache 2.0)), Firezone (Free for up to 6 users), NetBird self-hosted (Free open source (BSD-3)), and NetBird Cloud (Free, up to 5 users and 100 machines). Each of the 13 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its user and device caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
A small team still needs safe access to its servers, databases and internal apps. Zero trust access services and mesh VPNs connect each person's device to what they need without opening it to the internet, and several have a free plan; open-source VPNs run free on your own servers.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap users or devices, keep logs for a day, or are for personal, non-commercial use only, and single sign-on and access policies are often paid. Each service below shows what is free, its main limit, its user and device caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which services we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which services are listed or where.
Business VPN and zero trust with a free plan
Give your team secure access to private servers and apps, free to start.
- 1
Cloudflare Zero Trust
Teams under 50 users that want zero trust access
Cloudflare's Free plan is $0 forever for teams under 50 users. Pay-as-you-go is $7/user/month.
- Users and devices
- Up to 50 users (source: cloudflare.com)
- First paid plan
- Pay-as-you-go: $7 per user a month (source: cloudflare.com)
Start free at CloudflareTerms read on cloudflare.com on Cloudflare Zero Trust: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Firezone
Small teams up to 6 users, no card to start
Firezone's Starter plan is free for up to 6 users and 10 service accounts, with no credit card required. Team is $5 per seat a month.
- Users and devices
- Up to 6 users, 10 service accounts (source: firezone.dev)
- Payment card
- No card required (source: firezone.dev)
- First paid plan
- Team: $5 per seat a month (source: firezone.dev)
- 3
NetBird Cloud
Small teams that want managed setup, up to 5 users
NetBird Cloud is free for individuals or small teams, up to 5 users and 100 machines, with community support only.
- Users and devices
- Up to 5 users, 100 machines (source: netbird.io)
- 4
Twingate
Small teams up to 5 users replacing a VPN
Twingate's Starter plan is free for up to 5 users. The Teams plan is $5 per user per month.
- Users and devices
- Up to 5 users (source: twingate.com)
- First paid plan
- Teams: $5 per user a month (source: twingate.com)
Start free at TwingateTerms read on twingate.com on Twingate: the free allowance and how to start Twingate for Startups: what startups get - 5
Tailscale
Personal and homelab use, not a company
Tailscale's Personal plan is free for up to 6 users, but only for non-commercial use. A company on Standard pays $8 per user a month.
- Users and devices
- Up to 6 users, unlimited devices (source: tailscale.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: $8 per user a month (source: tailscale.com)
Start free at TailscaleTerms read on tailscale.com on Tailscale: the free allowance and how to start Tailscale for Startups: what startups get - 6
OpenVPN Access Server
A very small team with two connections
The OpenVPN Access Server Free plan is free forever with 2 simultaneous connections and needs no card. Growth is $7 per connection a month.
- Users and devices
- 2 simultaneous connections (source: openvpn.net)
- Payment card
- No card required (source: openvpn.net)
- First paid plan
- Growth: $7 per connection a month (source: openvpn.net)
Start free at OpenVPNTerms read on openvpn.net on OpenVPN Access Server: the free allowance and how to start - 7
ZeroTier
Hobby and home networks, not a company
ZeroTier's Personal plan is free for 10 devices on one network, for personal, non-commercial use only. Essential is $18 per month with a commercial license.
- Users and devices
- 10 users, 10 devices (source: zerotier.com)
- First paid plan
- Essential: $18 per month, commercial (source: zerotier.com)
Open-source VPNs you can self-host
Run your own VPN or mesh network on your own servers, free.
- 1
Netmaker Community
Teams that want open source under Apache 2.0
Netmaker's Community edition is always free and open, under Apache 2.0, with community support. Its Team plan starts at $2 per active connection a month.
Start free at NetmakerTerms read on netmaker.io on Netmaker Community: the free allowance and how to start - 2
NetBird self-hosted
Teams that want to run their own control server
NetBird is distributed under a permissive BSD-3 license and can be self-hosted on your servers. You run it on your own infrastructure.
Start free at NetBirdTerms read on netbird.io on NetBird self-hosted: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Headscale
Hobbyists and small open-source teams
Headscale is an open source, self-hosted Tailscale control server. Its scope is one tailnet, suited to personal use or a small open-source organisation.
Start free at HeadscaleTerms read on headscale.net on Headscale: the free allowance and how to start - 4
WireGuard
Engineers who want a small, auditable VPN
WireGuard's kernel components are released under the GPLv2. Key distribution and pushed configurations are out of scope, so you manage user access yourself.
Start free at WireGuardTerms read on wireguard.com on WireGuard: the free allowance and how to start - 5
Pritunl
One VPN host with unlimited users, free
Pritunl's Community plan is free and open source, for a single host with unlimited users and no card. Premium is $10 per host a month.
- What's free
- Free and open source (source: pritunl.com)
- Main limit
- One Pritunl host (source: pritunl.com)
- Users and devices
- Unlimited users (source: pritunl.com)
- Payment card
- No card required (source: pritunl.com)
- First paid plan
- Premium: $10 per host a month (source: pritunl.com)
- 6
OpenVPN Community
Teams that run their own OpenVPN server
OpenVPN's open source community edition is listed on its own downloads page. The site presents Access Server and CloudConnexa as the commercial products businesses use.
Start free at OpenVPNTerms read on openvpn.net on OpenVPN Community: the free allowance and how to start
Security startup programs
Programs from security companies that give startups credits or discounts on paid plans.
Also useful for authentication and security
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers business VPN and zero trust access tools a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each service's terms. Every term comes from the service's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on users or devices, single sign-on or access policies kept for paid plans, a free plan for personal use only can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these services pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a service appears, and no service pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free business VPN?
It depends on team size. By the terms each provider states, Cloudflare Zero Trust is free for teams under 50 users, Firezone for up to 6 users, NetBird Cloud for up to 5 users and 100 machines, and Twingate for up to 5 users.
Is Tailscale free for business?
Tailscale's free plan covers up to 6 users with unlimited devices, but it is for non-commercial use only; its Standard plan is $8 per user a month.
Is Cloudflare Zero Trust free?
Yes, for teams under 50 users, with logs kept up to 24 hours; beyond that it is $7 per user a month, pay as you go.
Is there an open-source business VPN?
Yes. NetBird (BSD-3), Netmaker Community (Apache 2.0), Headscale, WireGuard (GPLv2), Pritunl and OpenVPN Community are open source and free to self-host.
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