“If something’s free, you are the product”.

Corporations aren’t charities. When they offer you a free service, there’s almost always a catch. This catch usually manifests in the form of data mining, where your online activity is not only tracked but also sold to ad agencies for targeted advertising. They’ve got to make money somehow, right? This isn’t a secret, either. Most people are fully aware that they are being tracked to some extent. That’s the price of free software, after all.

Where this becomes especially concerning is when software that’s used specifically for the express purpose of avoiding tracking itself tracks your activity. And that’s one of the many issues with using free VPNs.

Paid Is Always Better, Right?

While there is no denying that free VPNs are certainly functional, it’s always better to stick with a reputed, well-known, and paid VPN service, especially if you value your privacy. However, it’s also important to remember that just because particular software is paid doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better or even effective on a fundamental level. We can’t stress this point enough: Do your research — read plenty of reviews and use free trials whenever possible to test these services out for yourself.

The Freemium Problem

Free VPNs are plagued by the same problems as most free apps: advertisements, paywalls, and privacy concerns. Most “free” VPNs aren’t completely free, either, usually following a freemium model where the base package features reduced performance, speed, inadequate privacy protections, and a severely limited ability to bypass content restrictions. You’re expected to pay for a subscription to unlock higher performance. At that point, if you are considering paying, why not just opt for a more well-known paid VPN service with a proven track record?

Free Doesn’t Mean Risk-Free

Running a reliable VPN service demands a significant investment of resources. It involves setting up a large global network of VPN servers to ensure seamless service delivery, regardless of the location of the user. These servers must be equipped to handle heavy traffic loads and comply with strict privacy standards while also being able to bypass content restrictions, as several content providers and websites actively detect and block VPN usage.

Free VPNs, lacking a steady revenue stream, often don’t have the resources to maintain and upgrade a vast server network. This results in a subpar user experience — slower speeds, inconsistent connections, and, more concerningly, weaker security. Even worse, free VPN services have been caught leaking private user data. Such service providers may also resort to tracking and selling your data to third-party ad agencies, which defeats the entire purpose of using a VPN in the first place. As we’ve already mentioned, they’ve got to make money somehow, right? So, with these risks in mind, it’s worth asking: Are free VPNs really worth it?

Do Your Due Diligence

As with any software, especially one involving sensitive data like a VPN service, it’s important to do your due diligence before choosing an option. Don’t just install the first free service you find on the app store. Because, despite the many issues with free VPNs, there are still a few decent options out there (such as ProtonVPN, which has a relatively effective and feature-rich free tier). And it’s only when you do your homework that you’ll come across such services. But the point still stands: Paid VPN services are always an improvement over their free counterparts in terms of speed, security, and effectiveness, and we’ll always recommend going paid.