Free isn’t always great, especially when it comes to VPNs. Free VPNs may compromise your online privacy and security by logging and selling your data, using weak encryption, and providing limited server infrastructure. Those are things that a premium VPN would never do. Read the article to learn the difference between free and paid VPNs.
Free VPNs explained
Free VPNs are, well, free, which makes them very tempting, which is perfectly understandable. They promise military-grade security, the most advanced encryption, and unlimited bandwidth to attract new users, but they do not always keep these promises. Because free VPNs have no income for product maintenance, the quality of their server infrastructure and encryption algorithms is usually questionable. Such a poor technical foundation might jeopardize your whole VPN session security and put your data at risk.
In addition to being unsafe, free VPNs can make your browsing unpleasant by bombarding you with annoying ads (to monetize the service) that are hard to close or could even contain malware. The worst part is that some free VPNs track and sell user data to third parties, which eliminates the whole point of a VPN.
Paid VPNs explained
Unlike free VPNs, paid VPNs invest a lot of effort into ensuring customer satisfaction. When you pay them money, they invest in infrastructure, server maintenance, new features, and product development.
Online safety and data security are the main points of a VPN, and trustworthy companies will do everything to provide these for their paying users. They always have robust encryption algorithms that scramble your online traffic into gibberish and make it unreadable to third parties. Robust encryption protocols like WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec prevent bad actors from accessing your internet traffic, monitoring your activity, and stealing sensitive information.
To complement the secure experience, paid VPNs typically have a vast server network and make sure that connection speeds will not interfere with your daily tasks. For example, NordVPN has more than 6,200 servers in 111 countries, including servers for different purposes, such as obfuscated, dedicated IP, and double VPN servers.
Specialty servers are just part of a premium feature package that comes with a paid VPN. Most trusted services have additional tools to prevent DNS and IP leaks, reduce the chances of data leaks, block third-party trackers and malicious ads, or even scan your downloads for viruses.
Why is it worth getting a paid VPN?
Even though a paid VPN can be pricey, it’s significantly better at protecting your online security and privacy than a free option. A good paid VPN will shield your IP address by rerouting traffic through its secure servers. It will invest resources into top-notch encryption protocols and protect you from hackers and advertisers. Plus, you’ll get fast speeds, thousands of servers to choose from, and reliable customer support. The best part? A paid VPN service will never log your online activity or sell your data to third parties.
Free VPNs just can’t compare. They usually have limited features and slow speeds and can compromise your privacy by selling your sensitive data to third parties, which is the opposite of what you want from a VPN.
NordVPN offers robust encryption and reliable privacy protection for all your online activities. With servers worldwide, it ensures fast and secure connections wherever you are.
Get 73% Off NordVPN + 3 Extra Months