As many are aware, it is preferable to use a VPN instead of not using one at all. However, some VPNs can be quite expensive. Therefore, it is not surprising that many individuals may seek free VPN alternatives. Nevertheless, is opting for a free VPN the most effective solution? Can a completely free VPN be effective? Are free VPNs truly beneficial? Let’s explore this further in the following article.
We aim to help you understand the possible dangers of free VPNs and why they aren’t always the solution to your problem. Included in this VPN free of charge article, we will show the best free VPNs, How we tested and ranked them, our suggestions and lastly, some FAQs to end the article.
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Best free VPN
Here we have a ranking of the top 5 VPNs. If you want a more in-depth look into each VPN ranked below, then feel free to click on each one and read the reviews on them.
How we tested and ranked them
This free VPN service article section will discuss how we tested and ranked each VPN. This can be a tough job as they all have to have similar functions, such as masking your IP or changing your IP address. So it takes a lot of in-depth reviewing to truly see the unique traits of each VPN or what makes it worse or better than another.
We have to agree that VPNs free of charge sound a lot better for our wallets, but what does it mean for our security online? How can you trust that they will not sell your online activity to third parties? Well, you can’t; continue reading to find out more on this, But first, let’s resume discussing how we tested and ranked them.
Speed and ping test
Firstly, what is a speed and ping test? These tests can be done for free using a testing website or an app designed for that purpose. A speed test is done to test the speed of the internet that your device is connected to in Mbps. A ping test shows how long it would take your device to perform a task such as clicking on a new video to watch on YouTube whilst connected to your internet.
When we test VPNs, we perform a test whilst the VPN is off first and then again when it is on. We do this to see if the VPN will slow down or speed up your connection, as a good VPN would speed it up. We are afraid that it will most likely slow down regarding free VPNs. Even the fastest free VPN could not match up to the high-quality speed of a paid one. So when you are using a VPN, we also suggest that you perform numerous speed and ping tests with the VPN turned off, turned on, and a server location that you are likely to use often.
Streaming services and gaming
That brings us to testing speeds for streaming services. One of the things a VPN is used for most is to stream content unavailable in their location. It should be known that the further away you are from the server location, the slower the speed. This means buffering times may be extended. For example, I live in Asia but love to watch content from the UK. Therefore, I use my VPN to connect to that server. However, I use one of the best-paid VPNs and not a VPN free of charge, so my speed usually increases or stays the same.
Gaming is also another thing that you don’t want lagging. Therefore, by choosing a VPN such as ExpressVPN you can increase your speed and have your ping time reduced massively. Whereas if you were using VPNs free of cost, you would encounter more lag, ruining the gaming experience.
So when it comes to ranking this is one of the top aspects that really distinguish a good VPN from a great VPN. As for customers, you do not want to be waiting for things to load when you have paid for something that should help increase the speed levels.
Privacy
One of the biggest things about a VPN is its privacy features. You want to stay anonymous online whilst browsing content from whichever location you like. ExpressVPN and other major VPN brands allow you to do this as they have a no-log policy and will prevent IP and DNS leaks. A VPN free of charge can track and log what you do, then sell it to third parties for their benefit. This leaves you completely vulnerable and taken advantage of. It also defeats the whole purpose of having a VPN.
Most paid VPNs will also use AES 256-bit encryption. This is military-grade encryption and takes hundreds of years to crack; Some may also start to use XChaCha20, which is future-forward encryption. We cannot know what kind of encryption a VPN free of charge uses, which is why it’s possible they aren’t encrypting anything.
Safety and security
Similar to what we have mentioned above, VPNs free of charge often will not have strong encryption or will not encrypt at all. Free VPNs can sometimes be more dangerous than not having a VPN at all because you are letting their software interfere with your device and, in turn, be able to track your online activities. Your safety and security can be compromised, so is it worth risking just to save some money? We don’t think so, as it can actually cost money in the long run. Some VPNs free of charge can give your device malware, which can slow down your computer and compromise your files ending in you needing to buy a new computer altogether.
Usability
Another significant aspect of paid VPNs is their application, how modern it looks and how easy it is to use. This is because they can pay people who are great at designing something that looks and functions well. As for free VPNs, you are not inputting your money into their product; therefore, they will lack in this area and find it unnecessary to improve the design of their app. So using a VPN free of charge will often make it difficult to perform all the tasks you might want to in the app.
Another thing is its features. A paid VPN will allow you to make manual changes to your VPN protocols and allow split tunnelling. What are these protocols, and what is split tunnelling? VPN protocols are instructions told to your VPN that will decide where your data routes through to ensure that it’s encrypted. You can choose to select your protocols or use the default, which is also already good. Split tunnelling is a feature that allows you to select what you want encrypted, as sometimes you may not want to encrypt everything on your device as it could be negatively affected by your VPN such as banking apps. These features are typically only available to premium VPNs like ExpressVPN.
Trustworthiness
Are free VPNs trustworthy? No. My reason for this is because you will end up paying the price one way or another, As your device may start to slow down as it gets infected with malware, or your personal data gets stolen or sold. The days of the internet being a free place is long gone, so you need to keep your personal data that you put on the internet safe.
You don’t want to be tracked online; the internet should be a place where you can go where you want and keep anonymous. With free VPNs this becomes an issue as they are very likely to track your online activities, as mentioned before.
You will be overwhelmed with ads. These VPNs free of charge have to find a way to fund themselves somehow and ads are usually the way they do so. They can also contain malware so if you get a pop-up ad containing it, you could be in for some trouble.
You might be using a VPN free of charge that has a premium version too. Did you know that some will take your original IP address and allow their premium customers to use it? Well yes this is a very real issue as you have consented to it when you created your account and downloaded the software. If there is illegal activity going on whilst your IP is being used, you’re the one who will be at fault. We want to help you avoid these issues with VPNs free of charge.
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Our suggestion
After showing you the bad aspects of free VPNs, what are you to do now? Here’s our solution to this problem. Why not try the best VPN available today! The best VPN is ExpressVPN! They are the best all rounder VPN, Compatible with a whopping 11 device types, and has over 160 servers in 94 different countries. They encrypt and mask your IP address and don’t have any IP or DNS leaks.
Not only that, but they also offer browser extensions, are great for P2P and torrenting, allow 5 simultaneous connections. They also allow you to configure your own protocols and have split tunnelling too! Their bandwidth is unlimited, and they use AES 256-bit military grade-encryption.
And lastly they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee! This means you can try the VPN risk free, no hassle, and if you like their features then you can keep using it. You can also easily change your plan. We suggest the 15-month plan as this has the highest discount and costs the least per month. We highly recommend this VPN and so do many others. If you would like to read our in-depth review before buying, click here, to go straight to the review.
FAQs
In this section we will answer some FAQs about VPNs free of charge that you might have.
Is the best VPN free?
Definitely not. The best VPN that is available at the moment is ExpressVPN, this is because it is the best all rounder and has top-quality features.
What is good free VPN?
We would say that no free VPNs are good, and you should stick to premium VPNs that are in your budget.
Do I really need a VPN?
Yes, it is important to stay encrypted and anonymous online these days and not only can you do that, but you can also access blocked content, so you will never be geo-restricted and can access all types of media you want.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we hope that you are able to steer clear of free VPNs in the future and see the true risk from downloading one. We do not want you to compromise your device’s safety and the safety of your personal information. As mentioned above, ExpressVPN offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee which lets you test out what true online security means. There’s no going back once you’ve experienced all the benefits.
If you have any queries, suggestions or feedback, please do not hesitate to leave them in the comments below, as we are happy to read and answer them.
