With numerous options available, it can be quite difficult to choose the right VPN for you. Not only are there many paid options out there, but also free VPN services. The choice may sound like an obvious one. In the end, why pay for something you can get for free? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. While “free VPN” might sound great, they often come with some serious downsides.
In order to offer a functional VPN service, the company has to make money to cover its costs. And if they are not charging for the service, you can be sure they are profiting in some other way. But there are many methods they can do this. In most cases, you probably don’t want things to be that way with a service that is supposed to help you.
No-one is saying that all free VPNs are bad. Considering all the possible bad sides, it can be very difficult and time-consuming to find a decent free VPN option. Likewise, no-one’s saying that there can be no wrongdoing with paid VPNs. However, such actions would seriously damage the provider’s reputation if they were caught. With a paid VPN you are more likely to know what you get.
Ok, so what are the bad sides of free VPN services then? Well, let’s have a look.
Everybody loves ads – not
Ads are a typical way to profit from free services. Free VPNs are not different. If you are using a free VPN, don’t be surprised when your device is filled with annoying ads. Instead, paying for a VPN not only gets you an ad-free service, it has many other benefits as well.
Free VPN – not so fast!
Everybody likes free stuff. But if something is free, it’s probably quite popular. Free VPN servers tend to get a lot of traffic, which slows them down. Additionally, free VPN providers might have a very limited number of servers available. That’s why the connection speed of free VPN service providers’ servers is often slower when compared to paid options.
Paid VPN providers usually have more server options to choose from. If a server seems slow, you can just switch to another one. Paid VPNs also tend to have more money to invest on the quality and quantity of the servers. They are more able to offer faster surfing speeds.
Malware? No thanks
Many free VPNs have been caught of infecting devices with malware, mostly adware or spyware. This is one way to make money, since they get revenue from the ads. It would be scandalous if a paid VPN would do the same. It’s safe to say that paid VPNs are significantly less likely to contain malware.
Free VPN can harm your privacy
Most likely you want a VPN as a tool to improve your privacy in the internet. Unfortunately, many free VPNs have been caught of selling your browsing data for marketing purposes. This negates any privacy benefit of using a VPN service. The privacy tool you wanted can actually do more harm than good. If you want to improve your privacy, no VPN is often a better choice than a free VPN.
With a little help from nobody
Having a problem with your free VPN? Too bad. Customer service costs. To cut costs, free VPNs usually don’t want to or can’t use money on such things. But if you pay for your VPN, some of the money can be used to run customer service. And if you pay for it, you should be able to get service.
Free VPN is made in… Where, actually?
A very important factor with VPNs is where the service provider is located. The companies must follow the laws of their home country. These laws can require them to collect, store and provide data to authorities when asked to do so. This can potentially eliminate any privacy gained with the use of VPN. It’s also important to notice that the lack of laws controlling the collection and handling of user data can also be risky. Without any legislation, the user has to simply take the provider’s word.
Due to this it’s important to know where your VPN provider is based and under what jurisdiction they operate. Not only that, it matters also where their servers are located and who runs them. Many VPN providers rent servers from all over the world. Especially if they offer tons of server options. This means that they may have less control of their whole server network. Additionally, not all server locations are necessarily real. However, a very small number of servers can be bad for performance.
Free VPNs don’t always state where they are based. Such is not the case with paid VPN options. Or at least it shouldn’t be.
F-Secure FREEDOME VPN
F-Secure’s FREEDOME VPN is not free, and that’s a good thing. With a decent price you will receive access to a safe and fast VPN network with many servers around the world to choose from. FREEDOME VPN does not contain ads or malware and you have access to free support in multiple languages.
FREEDOME VPN is provided by F-Secure, which is based in Finland. Finland has some of the strongest data protection laws in the whole EU. Additionally, Finland is not part of the 5, 9 or 14 Eyes Surveillance Alliances. In Finland the government can’t force companies to spy on citizens.
FREEDOME is a very effective and easy-to-use tool to enhance your privacy in the internet, secure Wi-Fi networks, decrease tracking and hide your IP address. FREEDOME VPN is also included in F-Secure TOTAL premium cyber security package, which also includes award-winning internet security, password manager and more.
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