Free VPN might be coming to a Chromium-based browser soon, but it’s not Edge

Or Chrome or Safari or Firefox for that matter

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Vivaldi has brought a new stack of features to its eponymous challenger browser, Vivaldi browser. The fifth iteration of the browser brings theme sharing to the fore as well as Vivaldi Translate, one that doesn’t useMicrosoftorGoogletechnologies and will live in a dedicated Translate panel on the desktop browser.

Vivaldi on Android will get two-level tab stacks for extreme browser users, while Chromebooks/tablet users will get a side panel to optimize screen space better. The browser has historically shunned many of the tracking and data collections techniques used by rivals as it aspires to be one of thebest browsers for privacy and anonymity.

Is Vivaldi VPN next?

Speaking of which, a source close to Vivaldi has confirmed toTechRadar Prothat they are actively looking for the right partners to launch their ownVPNservice, one which is likely to cost nothing given that Opera, which was founded by Vivaldi’s CEO Jon von Tetzchner, has integrated afree VPNin its browser for several years.

Our source cheekily added: “You never say never, we may come up with our own solution, just the way we’ve got Mail, Calendar, Feeds (in beta currently). Having our own VPN is not trivial so it would be premature to make a headline of sorts. But yes, we are looking at potential partners.”

Mozilla went the other way by havingMozilla VPNthat sits alongside its popularFirefox browseras a paid for service.SafarideveloperApple, on the other hand, offers aPrivacy Relay,which is similar to a VPN Lite service as part of iCloud+ subscription.

Google Chrome doesn’t have any VPN attached to it although Google has started to roll one as part of its Google One subscription. That leaves Microsoft as the only big browser outfit without a consumer facing VPN or privacy product but for how long.

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled inwebsite buildersandweb hostingwhen DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.

Is it still worth using Proton VPN Free?

Mozambique VPN usage soars as internet restrictions continue

Your doctor may have an AI assistant taking notes during your next Zoom call