Are Free VPN Browser Extensions Actually VPNs?

The Chrome Web Store is full of 'free VPN' extensions with millions of installs. Almost none of them are VPNs.

What an extension can and can't do

A browser extension can only route the browser's own traffic — technically it configures a proxy, sometimes encrypted, for that one application. Everything else on the device (mail clients, other browsers, system updates, games) keeps using your real IP. A real VPN app operates at the system level and covers everything.

When an extension is enough

If the goal is just to view a website from another country inside your browser, a reputable extension from a real VPN company (Windscribe, NordVPN, Surfshark and Proton all ship extensions as companions to their apps) does the job with less overhead.

When it's dangerous

WebRTC can leak your real IP inside the browser even with the proxy active, unless the extension explicitly blocks it. And standalone 'free VPN' extensions with no parent VPN company have been caught logging browsing history and injecting affiliate codes — the extension permission model ('read and change all your data on all websites') makes them perfectly positioned for it.

The safe pattern

Use extensions only from providers whose desktop VPN you'd trust, prefer ones with WebRTC-leak blocking, and use the full app whenever anything beyond casual browsing is involved. The VPNUS device pages list which tracked providers ship browser extensions.