In this article, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of using for a free VPN vs paid VPN service Compare before you decide and learn what you need in a VPN.
The scope and power of the internet enables people to access valuable data, carry out business transactions, find high-quality media content, and interact with friends and peers. The world is filled out billions of different devices – from mobile handsets to tablets, iPods, e-readers, and music players – and they can all be used to access the net.
There are endless benefits, but there are also a lot of dangers, which is why users should exercise caution when working or playing online. For example, VPNs (virtual private networks) create online connections that are secure, safe, and entirely private. They are an effective way to take back control and mitigate these risks.
There are two main varieties of VPN; free and premium. The vast majority of users opt for free VPNs, because they don’t want to pay to use the internet. However, while free services are easy to find and use, they are almost always of a poor quality. In contrast, the premium services tend to be a lot more robust and less prone to outages and meltdowns.
- Outsourced VPNs Lots of free VPN services are based on an outsourced relationship; the vendor pays another company to write its codes, monitor its systems, and operate the servers. This makes it difficult to tell how reliable the service is or whether user data is really being protected. This is just another reason why premium VPNs are the better choice. They safeguard user interests, protect sensitive data, and provide much better speeds.
- IP Addresses
Every time that a user connects to the web using a VPN, they are doing so on the back of a specially provided IP address. It is common for free services to include lots of limitations and rules regarding the number of choices. On the other hand, a premium vendor is unlikely to do this. They provide an unlimited variety of IP address choices. - Restrictions on Usage
While free services tend to come with a modest data quota (you can’t use any more after this has been filled), premium vendors rarely do this. They give their users an unrestricted, unlimited amount of data transfers. - Internet Speeds Purchasing a VPN service leads to more reliable, better quality internet speeds. The free services rarely offer users the resources needed to guarantee a quick connection and speedy browsing. You can also read a previous blog post where I explained 3 factors affecting VPN speed.
- Encryption Features With free services and the most basic paid for VPNs, users get only a 128-bit data encryption. On the other hand, the higher quality services provide much more secure 256-bit data encryption and a host of additional safety options.
- Switching Servers
It is common for free services to provide servers in a range of different regions. This means that they can be a suitable choice for lots of different people, all around the world. However, as already discussed, they come with some major downsides. The premium services often charge users if they want to swap to another server, but it is possible to find trustworthy vendors who do not do this.
- Protocol Choices The free VPNs provide only a basic VPN link. There are protocol choices given to users. In contrast, premium services usually come with a minimum of three VPN protocol choices. They are L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and OpenVPN.
- Customer Service When it comes to customer service, free VPNs can’t really be counted upon to provide valuable information or assistance. The amount of help that they offer is very small (sometimes non-existent). Whereas premium providers give their users advice and assistance every day of the week. They respond to user enquiries quickly and solve problems with practical, logical techniques.
Summary
This article discussed the main advantages of both free and paid VPN services. It focused, in particular, on the weaknesses of free services, as compared with more premium products. Paid for VPNs provide better protocol choices, more customer service, faster internet speeds, and unrestricted data usage.