Should Someone Pay for a VPN or is a Free One Good Enough?

Free stuff is great, but when it comes to a VPN service, paying extra is the better option. After all, you get what you pay for.

Here are some differences between a free VPN and a paid VPN.

Security Issues with free VPNs

Unfortunately, free VPNs do exactly the opposite of what an authentic VPN should do. Free VPNs track your activity online— the websites you visit, how long you spend on those websites, etc. It could become worse if these free VPN services decide to sell your data to third parties for profits. After all, their services are free so they should find ways to earn money somehow.

With a paid VPN, you do not have to worry about any security issues at all. A paid VPN does exactly what a real VPN should do— hide your online activity so that your data won’t be available to third parties.

Advertisements

Another way through which free VPN services earn money is by bombarding you with online advertisements, which can be annoying. There is also the possibility of the ads leading you to harmful content, as these ads are not likely screened by free VPN providers.

On the other hand, most paid VPNs come with built-in ad blockers. Not only will you be surfing the internet smoothly, you are avoiding harmful links as well.

Anonymity

Free VPNs expose your location, too. They are not as effective in masking your IP address as their paid counterparts. With a free VPN, the tunnel through which your data passes is not totally secure, which makes you visible to third parties.

Contrary to a free VPN, a paid VPN provider masks your location by changing your real IP address to a dummy one. You cannot then be tracked by any cybercriminal and your real location is protected.

Internet Speed while using free VPN

Using a free VPN can slow down your internet speed because of the encryption process. You also have to know that free VPN providers have few server locations, which means that you have to share using the same free VPN service with other people.

With a paid VPN service, the encryption process is hardly noticeable so your internet speed remains the same. A paid VPN provider also pays for bandwidth and servers around the world to cater to thousands of users so you can browse the internet with a stable speed. 

Customer Support

Free VPNs do not usually offer customer support. If you are a first time user of a VPN, odds are you will be confused as to how things work. In addition, no one will be there to assist you in resolving issues that might come up.

With a paid VPN, you can get excellent customer support to help you resolve issues, if there are any. The customer service offered by paid VPNs is available 24/7, so you can ask for assistance anytime you want.

While a free VPN enables you to save extra bucks, it has its downsides such as decreased security, slow internet speed, absence of anonymity, and lack of customer support. However, with a paid VPN, you do not have to worry about these issues anymore and every cent you pay will be totally worth it.