Opera VPN review: the free browser VPN and VPN Pro

Why this review lives on operavpn.com

This domain once belonged to Opera's standalone VPN app. Wayback Machine captures from 2017 show operavpn.com promoting Opera VPN, a free app for Android and iOS. The page credited the technology to SurfEasy, and its footer read "Made in Toronto, © OSL Networks". A capture from spring 2018 carries a notice that Opera was discontinuing the Opera VPN app for iOS and Android on April 30, 2018. It offered Opera Gold subscribers a free year of SurfEasy Ultra VPN and other users a SurfEasy discount.

That app is gone. Opera's VPN now lives inside its browsers, which is what this page reviews. Tunnelcheck runs this domain today as an independent review site.

The short answer

Opera now offers two different products under the VPN name, and they protect different things:

• Free VPN is built into the Opera browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It's free, needs no account and has no data cap, according to Opera. It encrypts traffic inside the Opera browser only. Opera's own comparison table lists its coverage as "Opera Browser only".
• VPN Pro is a paid service that protects the entire device, every app included, on up to six Android and desktop devices. Opera says a third-party provider owns and operates its servers.

The free VPN is fine for keeping your browsing private on café or hotel Wi-Fi. It is not a full VPN for your device, and its audit claims are hard to check. Nobody at Tunnelcheck has tested either product. This review uses Opera's own pages, its privacy statement and transparency report, and its filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), all listed under Sources. Our methodology page explains our approach.

What the free Opera VPN actually is

Opera launched the built-in VPN for desktop in April 2016, describing it as a free, unlimited VPN client inside the browser. Opera's help pages explain it this way: normally your browser connects straight to websites, but with the VPN on, it connects through a VPN server, and the link from your browser to that server is encrypted.

The key word is browser. A regular VPN app creates a tunnel for your whole device, so your email app, games, torrent client and system updates all go through it. Opera's free VPN covers only what happens inside Opera. In practice it works like an encrypted proxy for the browser: a middle server that relays one app's traffic. Opera itself calls it a VPN. Opera's FAQ says VPN Pro is the upgrade that extends protection to all applications. Our VPN vs proxy vs Tor guide explains the difference.

Opera says the free VPN uses AES-256 encryption and runs through three physical server hubs: the United States (Ashburn), the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and Singapore. In the browser these show as America, Europe and Asia, plus an Optimal setting that picks the fastest. Opera's help page notes that websites can still recognize you through cookies, so a VPN alone won't make you anonymous.

Who owns Opera?

Opera is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and Opera Norway AS in Oslo is the data controller for its browsers and services, according to its privacy statement. The parent company, Opera Limited, is incorporated in the Cayman Islands and listed on Nasdaq under the ticker OPRA. It listed in July 2018.

In July 2016, Opera's browser and privacy apps business was sold for $600 million to a consortium of Chinese investors that included Kunlun Tech and Qihoo 360, after an earlier $1.2 billion deal failed to win regulatory approval in time. Opera's annual report for 2024, filed with the SEC in 2025, lists Hong Kong Kunlun Tech Holding Limited, part of Beijing-based Kunlun Tech, as holding 68.8% of voting power. The report says Opera is a controlled company under Nasdaq rules and that its chairman, James Yahui Zhou, is Kunlun's controlling shareholder.

Ownership doesn't prove anything about how VPN data is handled. It does tell you who ultimately controls the company you route your browsing through. Our VPN ownership page shows the same information for other providers.

Does Opera VPN keep logs? What Opera says about audits

Opera's privacy statement says that for the free VPN, Opera does not log any personal data or other data related to your browsing and originating network address. Its FAQ goes further, saying a data-logging function was never coded into the VPN software.

For VPN Pro, the privacy statement says a third-party service provider owns, operates and maintains the infrastructure. It says neither Opera nor the provider collects or stores records of pages you visit, and that Opera shares only a random subscriber ID with the provider, not your email or name. Opera doesn't name the provider.

On audits, Opera's FAQ says the no-log setup is independently audited by Deloitte and that Cure53, a Berlin security firm, tested the code. Opera's transparency report also says the VPN was audited by Deloitte. On the pages we read, Opera gave no date, scope or report for either audit. Other providers publish the auditor's report or at least its date and scope, and that's what makes a claim checkable. Until Opera publishes those details, treat the audit as Opera's claim. Our audit tracker explains what a published report should contain.

Opera's transparency report covers January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026 for Opera Norway AS. It lists law-enforcement requests in every six-month period, from 2 in early 2023 to 20 in the first half of 2026, and zero cases where user data was disclosed.

Security features and protocols

Opera doesn't name the protocol behind the free VPN on the pages we read. It cites AES-256 encryption. VPN Pro uses Lightway, which Opera describes as an open-source protocol built on the wolfSSL cryptography library and suited to mobile devices. See VPN protocols for background.

Opera pairs the VPN with a built-in ad blocker and tracker blocker. We found no kill switch described for either product on Opera's pages. A kill switch blocks traffic if the VPN drops, so your real address isn't exposed. Our kill switch guide explains why it matters. Use our WebRTC leak test and leak test guide to check what a browser reveals.

Opera VPN's track record

We found no reported breach of Opera's VPN servers on the pages we read. The main points on the record are structural: the shutdown of the standalone app in 2018, the 2016 sale to a Chinese consortium, Kunlun's continuing control, and audit claims without published reports.

Streaming and torrenting with Opera VPN

Opera says the free VPN can be used to stream and download with no throttling. VPN Pro's page says it can access content only available in certain countries. Be realistic: watching another country's catalog usually breaks the streaming service's terms, and services block VPN addresses. See why streaming services block VPNs.

Because the free VPN covers only the browser, a separate torrent app won't go through it at all. Opera says VPN Pro covers all applications, including file sharing, but it publishes no P2P policy that we found. A VPN hides your traffic from your internet provider. It does not make copyright infringement legal. See is torrenting illegal?.

Apps and devices

The free VPN is part of Opera on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. On desktop you turn it on from the VPN badge left of the address bar. On mobile it's in Settings. VPN Pro covers up to six Android and desktop devices. You sign in to an Opera account on each. Opera's VPN Pro page doesn't list iPhone or iPad.

Is the free Opera VPN worth using?

For browsing on public Wi-Fi, it's a reasonable layer: free, no account and no data cap, according to Opera. Opera says it pays for the free VPN through search engine partnerships, browser features and paid products such as VPN Pro. It isn't a substitute for a device-wide VPN, and its no-logs claim lacks a published audit. Our guides to whether free VPNs are safe and public Wi-Fi safety cover the wider picture, and Opera VPN vs a real VPN compares it directly with full VPN services.

VPN Pro price and refund

On 2026-11-13, Opera's VPN Pro page showed these US-dollar prices:

Opera offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on VPN Pro and a 14-day withdrawal form. Availability depends on where you live, according to Opera's privacy statement. Check the official VPN Pro page before you buy. Opera says VPN Pro offers 3,000+ servers in more than 30 countries. The same page lists both 47 and 48 locations.

Who Opera VPN suits, and who should look elsewhere

• Suits: Opera users who want quick, free encryption for browsing on public Wi-Fi without signing up for anything.
• Suits: people who want a cheap device-wide VPN for Android and desktop and are comfortable with an unnamed infrastructure partner.
• Look elsewhere: if you need protection for every app on a free plan. Proton VPN offers a device-wide free plan with no data cap.
• Look elsewhere: if you want audits you can read or a provider with disclosed infrastructure. Mullvad and IVPN publish theirs.
• Look elsewhere: if ownership by a Beijing-based majority shareholder concerns you.