Whether you like it or not, price is a huge factor when choosing a Virtual Private Network (VPN). You know that VPN is the best way to surf the Internet anonymously and to bypass strict web filters. But still, you also would want to save money as much as possible. With so many VPN providers available today, you are confident that you can find free VPNs that can provide you the best service in the market. However, it is important that you know what is at stake when you choose free or a paid VPN service.
But first of all, you must understand that there are regions in the world that implement very strict Internet censorship. China and countries in the Middle East are only some of them. If you are living in a country where the government has full control over the Internet Service Providers (ISPs), you need a very reliable way to block the restricted websites. Different VPN providers offer different security protocols. For example, Open VPN currently offers 256-bits encryption, the highest level of encryption so far.
Free VPN vs Paid VPN
Obviously, you don’t need to pay for a free VPN. But because there is no such thing as ‘free lunch,’ there are more cons than the pros. On the other hand, some paid VPNs are expensive because they include extra features that you don’t really need. Assuming that the VPN provider is legitimate and not scam, here are pros and cons if you choose a free VPN instead of a paid one.
- Most free VPNs are only capable of offering PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol), which has a standard encryption of only up to 128-bit. This means your security level is very low. On the other hand, most paid VPN providers offer different types of VPNs including Open VPN.
- With a free VPN, don’t expect a good customer service that you did not pay for. On the other hand, most premium VPN providers immediately provide you a new IP address once the earlier one is blocked. They also offer different bandwidth options to choose from.
The last but the most annoying disadvantage of a free VPN is ads. Obviously, the provider of free VPNs needs money to maintain his service. And because you are not paying anything, you can expect tons of ridiculous advertisements while using the VPN. With a paid VPN, no single ad will disturb you.
- If there’s one good thing about free VPNs, it’s the anonymity feature. With a free VPN, you don’t need to sign up or give any personal information. And if it is required, you can easily use a fake identity. However, keep in mind that all VPN providers (free and paid) can still log your real IP address.
It also follows that paid VPNs offer a consistent, faster, and a more secured Internet connection as compared to the free ones. But then, it’s still your choice if you want to take the risk. As a final note, paid VPN service providers are only for those who are serious in protecting their identity.