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A VPN also encrypts your data, which keeps it hidden from third parties.
There are countlessVPN providers on the market.
But are paid VPNs really better than free VPNs?
Some free solutions may even jeopardize your online safety.
But there are some decent free options out there.
Well help you decide by explaining the pros and cons of free vs paid VPNs.
They often make money through ads or even by selling your data to third parties.
These restrictions are designed to tempt users to sign up for a paid subscription without limitations.
As you might expect, the longer you sign up for, the cheaper it works out per month.
So if you only sign up on a one-month rolling basis, it can get pretty expensive.
Otherwise, youll find the monthly cost is pretty reasonable.
So you might want to consider a paid-for subscription if you want to protect your data while youre online.
We would recommend avoiding using a VPN that only comes with PPTP.
Its much safer if you could use a free provider that usesOpenVPN.
But theyre still nowhere near as secure as most paid-for options.
Furthermore, youre likely to get much stronger encryption with a paid-for product.
Most reputable paid-for providers use the nigh-on unbreakable 256-bit data encryption.
But free VPNs tend to use 128-bit encryption, which is far less secure.
Having said all this, premium VPNs arent always bulletproof.
Plenty of the biggest providers on the market have experienced security breaches.
However, it only impacted less than 1% of its customers who used theWindows 12version of the app.
So youre likely to have your browsing interrupted by plenty of targeted ads.
Whats worse, it means that your data isnt completely private.
Its being viewed and shared by your VPN provider.
Free VPNs have to find ways to reduce their overheads, as theyre not making money from subscriptions.
Therefore, one thing they hardly ever provide is any form of customer support.
The speeds you get are often throttled, which can make streaming or gaming almost impossible.
Paid-for VPNs, however, generally give you access to thousands of servers across hundreds of locations worldwide.
So, youre far less likely to experience slower speeds as a result of an overloaded server.
Youll also have no end of options when it comes to unblocking region-restricted content.
Besides all this, paid VPNs are almost always a lot more robust than their free counterparts.
Streaming
Streaming services have to comply with licensing rules and copyright laws in each country they operate in.
This is where a VPN can help you out.
But not all VPNs are powerful enough to successfully unblock region-restricted content.
Most streaming services can identify and block most VPN traffic.
So youll need a tried-and-tested solution that can successfully bypass the geo-blocks on the content you want to watch.
So its vital you do your research before you sign up for a paid VPN.
Alternatively, read our guide on thebest VPNs for streaming.
This means that they wont keep any records of any of your activity.
BothExpressVPNandNordVPNhave been independently audited in the last year or so and both have passed with flying colors.
Instead, always opt for one that has an independently audited zero-logs policy.
VPN FAQs
Is a paid VPN better than a free VPN?
They also struggle to bypass region restrictions on geo-blocked content, so theyre usually not worth using for streaming.
They may also impose a data cap, which would restrict you to light browsing.
Paid VPNs, on the other hand, dont have these restrictions.
However, there are some free VPNs that are worth considering.
Take a look at ourroundup of the best free VPNsto find out more.
Should I pay for a VPN or get a free one?
Is a free VPN better than nothing?
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses.
For example: 1.
Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).
Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services.
Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
