A few months ago, we covered five great VPN services that you can use without having to pay a single cent. If you're new to Virtual Private Networks, you should check out that article as it has a quick crash course on what they are and why people find VPNs useful. But for those of you who are acquainted with VPNs, did you know that they aren't only for computers? There are VPNs for mobile devices as well, and they are just as important.

In the Google Play Store, you'll find a whole lot of VPN clients for Android devices, but few of them are as up-to-date and robust as SurfEasy. The same goes for iOS. All that's required of you is to download and install this single app, toggle it on, and you'll be good to go. But SurfEasy isn't only a mobile VPN - it's also available for Windows and Mac computers - so, really, there's no reason not to be interested.

SurfEasy offers a 3-tier account structure: Free, Mobile VPN, and Total VPN (more on that later). The Total VPN plan is available for USD $49.99 for a 1-year subscription covering 5 devices, but we've got an offer for you: we're giving away 10 1-year subscriptions for SurfEasy's Total VPN plan worth a total of $500 for FREE! Keep reading to find out how to take advantage of this offer.

Review of SurfEasy VPN

Note: Again, SurfEasy is available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, but the majority of this review will be dealing with the Android VPN. For more information on the other clients, check out the SurfEasy website.

android-surfeasy-setup

SurfEasy VPN is a great client for Android, but what can you do with it? What good is it? How can you benefit from it? Well, a lot of the benefit in VPN technology is tied in with notions of privacy and security, but it can also be a feature of convenience depending on how you choose to use it. SurfEasy can do the following:

  • Masks your IP address, location, and identity for anonymous browsing.
  • Encrypts all incoming and outgoing data on your device.
  • HotSpot Shield protection when using public WiFi hotspots.
  • Access region-locked content on the web.
  • Unblock sites like Facebook, Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, and more.
  • Unblock VoIP services like Skype and Viber.
  • SurfEasy does not log any data regarding your network usage.

To get started, all you have to do is create a SurfEasy account, log in to the app, and grant it permissions when it asks for them.

The SurfEasy interface is about as simple as they come. On one page, you get to choose which SurfEasy VPN location you want to use. The "Optimized" option will choose the network that SurfEasy thinks is best according to your current location, but if for whatever reason it's not good enough for you, you can manually select one of the other options.

The other page shows you your connection status for SurfEasy with a quick toggle button for turning it on and off. This page will also tell you where in the world SurfEasy thinks you are (for determining the "Optimized" server above) and how much of your monthly bandwidth allotment you've used so far.

Honestly, the most frequent action you'll be doing with SurfEasy is toggling it on and off. Everything else only requires a first-time setup and you're good to go. There isn't much to the interface; most of the goodness of SurfEasy is in what it does with your network connection (protection, privacy, proxy, etc).

android-surfeasy-dashboard

If you pop onto the Internet, you can go to the SurfEasy website and sign in to your account there. You'll then be presented with a web dashboard which you can use to control and manage your SurfEasy account: managing the devices attached to your account, bandwidth usage overview, and billing information for non-Free users.

Speaking of which, let's return to the 3-tier structure for SurfEasy accounts:

  • Free accounts receive 500 MB of bandwidth every month to share between up to 5 devices attached to the account. This is a good choice if all you do is check email and lightly surf the web. Sign up for a free account here.
  • Mobile VPN accounts cost USD $2.99 per month and are limited to a single device that is either a smartphone or a tablet. With it, you get unlimited bandwidth and unlimited data protection for that device only.
  • Total VPN accounts cost USD $4.99 per month and provide unlimited bandwidth and unlimited data protection for up to 5 devices attached to the account.

Again, we're giving away 10 1-year subscriptions for the SurfEasy Total VPN plan to all of our loyal and beloved MakeUseOf fans and readers. Remember that SurfEasy works on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices and you can have up to 5 devices per plan. Download the SurfEasy Android client now.

How do I win a subscription for SurfEasy VPN?

You may enter by submitting your name and email address. You'll receive one entry simply by doing so.

After that, you'll also be offered various methods to earn additional entries. They range from sharing a link to this giveaway on social networks; to commenting or visiting a specific page. The more you participate, the higher your chances of winning! You will receive 5 additional entries into the giveaway for every successful referral via your shared links.

The giveaway is over. Here are the winners:
  • Gary Callaghan
  • David Phok
  • Sobia Jabbar
  • Trillina Palemi
  • Kenson Martz
  • Donna Kolody
  • Markus Klyver
  • Mark Lynch
  • Eric Yacoub
  • Sean McKnight
Congratulations! If you were selected as a winner, you would have received your license via email from jackson@makeuseof.com. If you require any assistance, please get in touch with Associate Editor Jackson Chung before August 11. Enquires beyond this date will not be entertained.

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This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, August 2nd. The winners will be selected at random and informed via email.

Submit your apps and software to be reviewed. Contact Jackson Chung for further details.