Opera Automatically Enables Free VPN on Public Wi-Fi, But Only in the US and France

Opera is among a few browsers that offers free built-in VPN to make your everyday browsing seamless. Now, the company is making its built-in VPN a little harder to forget for users in the US and France.

Opera wants VPN protection to become part of basic browsing hygiene

Opera today announced that the latest feature can automatically activate its free browser VPN when the browser detects a public or unsecured Wi-Fi network. The new feature removes one of the biggest problems with VPN protection, which is remembering to turn it on.

Opera says the feature is strictly opt-in, so users can decide whether they want automatic protection and can disable it through settings. As you may know public Wi-Fi aren’t always secure, so browsing can be more exposed to snooping and data interception.

That’s where Opera’s new approach makes difference. The built-in VPN automatically turns itself on when users connect to networks it identifies as public or unsecured. That means someone working from a cafe, studying on campus or browsing at an airport would not need to manually activate the VPN every time.

Opera says the feature can protect activities including browsing, managing finances and working online without adding another step. Speaking on the matter, Arjan van Leeuwen, Head of Opera One Engineering at Opera, says, “From the very start, all the way back to 2016, we believed that online privacy should be effortless and straightforward – especially when connecting to public networks while out and about. Ten years later, our thesis still holds: VPNs are a vital part of users’ digital hygiene. That’s why we continue supporting and improving our free browser VPN, making sure that Opera users always have the tools they need, when they need them.”

Image credit: Opera

Opera continues to offer its VPN without a subscription

Opera says its browser VPN has been free, unlimited and account less since 2016, while the company also maintains that its no-logs policy has been independently audited. The VPN is part of Opera’s wider privacy tools, sitting alongside its native Ad Blocker and Tracker Blocker. Opera says the service operates under GDPR requirements and has been independently audited by Deloitte.

The company further points to research from We Are Social’s Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update Report, which found that 23% of internet users worldwide used a VPN as of Q4 2025. That means most internet users still weren’t using a VPN at that point, according to the cited report.

If you are someone who travels a lot or work on the go and use Opera as your default browser, you shouldn’t worry about public Wi-Fi anymore.