There is only so much money in any of our bank accounts to go around and you may have priorities that seem infinitely more important than investing in the monthly fee of a paid VPN service. If this is the case, you are probably considering signing up for a free VPN service instead, because surely something is better than nothing, right? Not necessarily. We asked our experts whether a paid VPN service is worth the money and if the disadvantages of a free VPN service mean that it does more harm than good. You might be surprised what they told us.
The Pros And Cons Of A Free VPN Service
The most obvious pro of a free VPN service is that it is, as the name suggests, free. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch – this is a fact that life likes to prove to use over and over again. When it comes to supposedly free VPN services, one has to wonder how exactly the provider is paying for the infrastructure, technology and service that it is then passing on to you. In some cases, they will do so by including constant and irritating advertizing during your browsing experience. In others, they will sell on your information to third parties for promotions, advertizing and perhaps other purposes. Other downsides may include capped bandwidths, because a free service has only so much bandwidth to go around, less protection against hackers and cyber spies and weaker encryption protocols that don’t allow you to bypass firewalls and region restrictions.
The Pros And Cons Of A Paid VPN Service
You get what you pay for, so they say, and when it comes to VPN services that means you can enjoy uncapped bandwidths and the best in security all the time you are using your VPN. You will potentially have access to a range of encryption protocols with the ability to bypass any restrictions and you can be sure that your provider is not selling your information on to a third party. Your service will be more reliable and more secure and there is only one real downside: it’s a service you will need to pay for.
Do I Need A VPN Service At All?
You absolutely need a VPN service if you want to be sure that your web browsing is safe and secure. Our experts believe that a free VPN service is potentially more harmful to your security and browsing experience than it is of benefit and absolutely recommend opting for a paid alternative and avoiding the free ones unless they are a free trial for a paid service. They have investigated the best paid providers available on your behalf to get you started finding the most secure paid VPN providers on offer:
| Rank | Provider Name | Starting Price | Money Back Guarantee |
Visit Provider Site |
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ExpressVPN | $6.67/month | 30 Days |  |
| 2 | IPVanish | $10.00/month | 7 Days | |
| 3 | Hidemyass | $11.52/month | 30 Days | |
| 4 | VyprVPN | $10.00/month | 7 Days | |
| 5 | StrongVPN | $21/ 3 months | 7 Days | |
