Wondering why free VPN can be dangerous for your privacy? This article will reveal some ugly truths about free VPNs and why it is worse than using no VPN.
In 2020, privacy is has become almost nonexistent in the internet world. To get a little privacy, users have to enforce some difficult techniques. A hidden eye is always watching you. So, VPN has been so much popular these days. At least, It can help you to hide your online activities from some parties.
Nowadays, anyone can use a VPN service even without a single cent. Good VPNs cost you an amount. But, there are some free VPNs too. These are becoming popular more and more. But, It’s a problem. Not for the business owners. For the users.
Index:
- Reason Behind the Popularity of Free VPN
- Security and Privacy Risks of Free VPNs
- Few More Downsides
- Alternatives to Free VPNs
Table of Contents
Why Free VPNs have been Popular?
Having a VPN without any cost can be a good thing. But, Is it that good? I will discuss this part in another section. But, Don’t your curious mind ask you why free VPNs are popular among a class of people?
1. It’s Free:
There are absolutely some common and technical reasons behind it. Definitely, the most common one is it doesn’t cost you any money. In this world, most people love free things. Especially, When it is software, VPNs or any intangible products. So, You will see so many businesses are based on the freemium model. They offer you something free. But, To get the full benefit, users must pay them. It’s good business. But, there are VPNs that don’t cost users any money at all. In developing or under-developed countries, these have become so much popular.
2. Unwillingness to Pay for Intangible Products
In some countries, people are not willing to pay for intangible products like software or services. Their cultures have been developed in this way over the past few decades. Most free VPNs are popular in these countries. So, When you look at the reviews on Play Store or App Store, You will find most of these people are from developing nations.
3. High Cost of Premium VPNs
It has another reason. Many top premium VPN providers charge users a significant amount. Again some premium VPNs fail to provide good services. So, Some users don’t feel the necessity to pay money for a VPN service.
4. High Internet Bandwidth Cost
After paying a monthly internet bill, many users don’t like to pay for another service. This is another reason. In some countries, the Internet bill is higher than usual. For even a 10 Mbps connection, users have to pay a good amount. After that, users lose interest to pay more for a VPN.
These are the major reasons why free VPN has been a thing nowadays. There are many other minor reasons behind it. But, Is it a good sign?
Why Free VPNs are Serious Threat for Your Security?
If you consider only money, some VPNs are free. But, If you think technically, it can’t be free. It costs your privacy. In some cases, You are sacrificing your security by using free VPNs. That can bring serious problems in the future. In this post, I’m pointing out a few things that will make you realized some ugly truth about free VPNs.
1. Free VPN Providers Collect and Sell Your Data
Nothing in this world comes free of cost. To get something free, you are sacrificing something other than money. Free VPNs ain’t different. Most users who use free VPN, they often don’t read the privacy policy. Else, the privacy policy page is incomplete or unclear in free VPNs. In google play store, you will find so many popular free VPN providers who haven’t even a branded email address or a website. If you visit their privacy policy page, you will see there are very few lines. I have often found a line in free VPNs’ privacy policy page. That is –
We may disclose information we collect from you: To the law enforcement organisations, if we obliged to, and Information required in suspect of breach of the law. To the employees and Technical specialist working with us. We have procedures and agreements in place that all information is strictly confidential.
Some providers claim they don’t collect your traffic or monitor your activity. But, In reality, they monitor and collect your data and sell it to the third-party. This is one of the ways they earn their revenue. Some may claim that they monetize their free VPN apps by showing you ads. It’s not true. When you simply connect to the VPN, you instantly minimize the app. It means you may see one or two ads. It doesn’t cover their server and maintenance costs. So, They often sell your data.
2. Free VPNs Contain Malware
Why you use a VPN service? One of the reasons is to get protection against hackers. But, What if the VPN itself is malicious? Yes, Most free VPNs contain malware. In a recent study, researchers have found most free VPNs contains malware. They are seriously risky for your security. It includes SuperVPN, OneClick VPN, CrossVPN, Beternet, etc.
3. Shows Ads
When premium VPNs contain built-in adblockers, free VPNs show ads. What’s the problem with ads? Ads contain trackers. So, If you use a VPN for your privacy, what’s logic of being tracked by another party? Else, Those ads often are malicious which can be a serious threat.
4. You are Being Watched
It is an open secret that free VPNs monitors your activities and collect your information. But, The ugly truth is they might be connected to foreign intelligence groups. In a recent study, researchers found that most of the free VPN providers are based on a specific country. In that country, VPNs are banned. So, It is possible that they are operating businesses by getting approval from the Govt. intelligence groups. Again, Most of the providers have no official websites. It’s like they are hiding their identity. In my own research, I have seen a free VPN provider has placed its privacy policy on a free WordPress website. SuperVPN has no website. They have hosted their privacy policy from an IP address which is based on Hongkong. It clearly indicates there is something wrong. Most security experts believe you are being watched by various secret parties through so-called free VPNs.
5. Your Device is Being Used
Some free VPN and proxy providers use your device resource power and bandwidth for profit. Just imagine, if criminals get access to your device, what they could do? If a free VPN provider is hacked, it can bring even more danger. All the devices in their network will be infected and used by hackers. By searching on Google, you will find tons of examples.
6. DNS Leak
You may think that you are hiding your IP address by using a VPN. But, In reality, most free VPNs suffer from DNS Leak. They often expose your IPs. Else, Most of them come with bandwidth restrictions. After crossing your limit, for example, 500 MB, your VPN connection will be disconnected automatically. It automatically exposes your IP to the website you are visiting.
Here, I have mentioned a few bad sides. But, If you study by yourself, you will find more ugly secrets about free VPNs.
Why Using Free VPN is Worse than Using No VPN
So, What is the final answer? Using a free VPN brings no good rather than unblocking a few geo-restricted contents. But, You are sacrificing your entire privacy and exposing yourself to so many parties including criminals.
If you use no VPN at all, you are just unable to unblock some restricted websites. Your ISP may or may not monitor your activity. They may or may not share it with your government. In most cases, they do it. Your IP address may be revealed to any website you visit. But, This is one type of problem and you know what you are doing. But, when you use free VPNs, you are literally giving access to so many unknown agencies that you don’t even know. They may collect your information, monitor your activity, use your device bandwidth and so many things. Isn’t it worse than using just an internet connection without a VPN?
A Few More Downsides of Free VPNs
If you put these security threats on one side, you will find many other cons on the other side of a free VPN. In fact, you can find so many. But, here I’m mentioning a few.
1. Terribly Slow Connection
All free VPNs are terribly slow. Sometimes, You may see the speed on new free VPN. But, Overtime, It becomes terribly slow. Whatever they provide you, it costs your data. Streaming is terrible. You can’t even stream properly using a free VPN.
2. Free VPNs Don’t Unblock Netflix or Similar Streaming Services
Many users use VPNs to unblock Netflix regions. Many premium VPNs do it smoothly. But, Free VPNs can’t unblock Netflix or any similar services.
3. Limited Bandwidth
Most free VPNs come with limited bandwidth. They offer 200mb-1000mb free. It can be for a single session or always. After that, they offer to watch video ads to increase your quota. Some demand you to pay for unlimited bandwidth.
4. No Limit of Ads
Another annoying thing is, free VPNs show tons of ads. As you always minimize the apps, some providers even show ads on the lock screen, notification centers.
So, after considering the security risks and those annoying things, what you can say? Using a free VPN is worse than using no VPN.
What’s the Solution? – Quality VPNs at Cheap Rate
Now, It’s time for solutions. If you already have understood the risk of having free VPNs, you may want an alternative. Yes, there are alternatives. Many users may not want to use a premium VPN as they cost you a significant amount of money. But, there are some providers who provide top-class services at a cheap rate. Here are a few of them.
1. Ivacy VPN
Ivacy VPN is a very good choice for people who want fast performance, security, no-log policy, Netflix unblocker, etc. at a reasonable price. This VPN often comes with a significant discount. Right now, It is providing 5 years VPN service at just $59.99. That is just 1 USD/mo. I have a great experience with Ivacy VPN. There is already a review article on this website. So, You can read that before making your choice.
| Pros | Cons |
| Very Good Speed | Number of Servers is a bit Limited Comparing to Some Industry Leading VPNs |
| Unblocks Netflix and Other Streaming Services | No Free Trial |
| Multi Logins | |
| Excellent Performance in Gaming | |
| Strong Security, No-Log Policy |
2. Fastest VPN
If you want a very cheap but privacy-focused trusted VPN service, Fastest VPN is a perfect choice. It costs even lower than other top-class VPNs. Speed is satisfactory and streaming on it is great. You can also consider using this VPN.
| Pros | Cons |
| Great Speed | No Dedicated Netflix Region Support |
| 10 Simultaneous Logins | Limited Servers |
| Cheap Price | No Split Tunneling |
| Strong Security and No Log Policy | No Free Trial |
3. PureVPN
PureVPN is a top-class VPN provider that supports Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and other premium streaming platforms. It also comes with a significant discount and good pricing. In addition, it has a large userbase and number of servers. You also can consider it a choice.
| Pros | Cons |
| A large number of Servers | Sometimes Speed May Drop in Some Locations |
| Multiple Security Layer | No Free Trial |
| Multi Logins | |
| Supports Various Netflix Regions, Hulu, Disney+ and other Premium Streaming Platforms |
4. ibVPN
The ibVPN is another privacy-focused VPN service that comes at a very cheap rate. It is extremely privacy-focused. If security is your high priority, ibVPN is a very good choice. Else, It allows torrenting and comes with multiple benefits.
| Pros | Cons |
| Good Speed and Stability | Limited Number of Servers |
| Smart DNS | No Free Trial |
| Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, and 300+ Channels | |
| Privacy Focused | |
| Offers Free Trial |
5. NordVPN
These are basically the top VPN providers who offer great service at a low cost. However, If you want to use an industry-leading VPN with even more benefits, you can consider NordVPN.
Note: This list doesn’t represent the ranking of VPNs. We will publish a ranking in the future. It is a list of the least expensive but quality VPN providers.
So, You already have got your answer regarding free VPNs. These are terribly risky for your privacy. Free VPN providers sell your data to third-party. Some of them are related to some foreign government intelligence agencies. So, It is better not to have a free VPN than using them. But, In 2020, you may need to use a good VPN. But, You should not use the VPNs that don’t cost you money. Alternatively, You can consider some paid but cheap VPNs.
agreed… free ones are not trustful and probably selling your data, but I’m a student so I can’t afford an expensive service. So I’ve chosen Noord VPN as it offers great deal for a decent price, a service itself is reliable. But you can also look up for other articles or forums to find comparisons of vpns…