[FRANKFURT_ENDPOINT]Free VPN for Germany
VPNmine runs an OpenVPN server in Frankfurt that any VPNmine app can connect to for free. Traffic leaves the tunnel with a German IP address, encrypted with AES on the way there. We record which server you used and when, and never the sites, lookups or content that passed through it.
What people use it for
- Get the shortest path to the rest of Europe from almost anywhere on the continent
- Reach German services and pricing while you are abroad
- Encrypt everything you send over public, hotel and campus Wi-Fi
- Keep your browsing off the record your own internet provider holds
Estimated round trip
- Germany5-15 ms
- Central and western Europe10-30 ms
- US East Coast85-105 ms
Estimates from route distance, not measurements. Your provider's routing decides the real figure, and our speed test measures it in about twenty seconds.
Why Frankfurt is the default European exit
DE-CIX Frankfurt is the largest internet exchange in the world measured by peak traffic, and the surrounding data centre cluster is where a very large share of European networks meet each other directly. The practical effect is that traffic leaving a Frankfurt server usually reaches its destination in Europe in one hop rather than three. If you are anywhere between Lisbon and Warsaw and do not have a specific reason to pick another country, this is usually the fastest server on the list.
Germany and data protection
Germany is the jurisdiction where European data protection is enforced most aggressively, and its own attempt at blanket communications-data retention was found incompatible with EU law by the Court of Justice in September 2022. That does not make a German server magic, but it does mean the legal environment around the hardware is one where indiscriminate retention has repeatedly lost in court. The protection that matters most is still the same one: a provider that does not store browsing data has none to hand over.
What this changes about your connection
With the tunnel up, your own internet provider sees an encrypted stream to one VPNmine address and nothing about what it carries. Sites you open see the Frankfurt server instead of you, and geographic checks treat you as a German visitor. What it does not change is anything tied to your account rather than your address: signing in identifies you no matter which country the packets left from.
Confirm it rather than assume it
Connect to Frankfurt, then check what changed. Our IP checker shows the address and country sites now see. The DNS leak test shows whether your domain lookups are still going to your own provider, which is the most common way a tunnel protects less than it appears to. The WebRTC leak test catches the browser handing out your real address through an API the VPN never sees.
What we store while you are connected is the same in Germany as everywhere else: which server the session used and when, and nothing about the traffic. The full list is in the privacy policy.
Germany VPN questions
How do I get a German IP address for free?
Install VPNmine on your desktop, phone, TV or browser, sign in, and pick Germany from the server list. The app opens an OpenVPN tunnel to our Frankfurt server and every site you open afterwards sees that address instead of yours. There is no charge, no advertising and no card required.
Are VPNs legal in Germany?
Yes. Using a VPN is entirely lawful in Germany and is standard practice for remote work. The tunnel changes how your traffic is routed; it does not change which activities are lawful.
Why is Frankfurt usually the fastest European server?
Because of where the networks meet. DE-CIX Frankfurt is the world's largest internet exchange by peak traffic, so a Frankfurt server has direct connections to a large fraction of European networks rather than reaching them through an intermediary. Fewer networks in the path means fewer milliseconds and fewer places for congestion to appear.
Does Germany require VPN providers to keep logs?
No. Germany's blanket retention regime for communications data was ruled incompatible with EU law by the Court of Justice of the European Union in September 2022, and no general obligation replaced it for services of this kind. VPNmine records which server a session used and when, and does not record browsing, DNS queries or traffic content anywhere in the network.
Connect to Frankfurt in one tap
VPNmine is a free no-logs VPN with its own OpenVPN servers in 19 countries, native apps for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Android TV and Apple TV, and browser extensions. No ads and no card required.