Do VPNs Cost Money?

                

Does A VPN Cost Money?Do VPNs cost money? Yes, VPNs cost money. The servers and other infrastructure involved in providing a VPN cost money and the VPN provider has to find ways to pay for that. There are some VPNs that offer a “free” service but they always find a way to make money through their users.

Anything free usually comes with a catch and the same applies to VPNs. There are some decent free VPNs out there but there is no free VPN that can match up to a commercial VPN.

These so-called free VPNs won't charge you a fee upfront but they find ways to charge you. A well-known example is Hola VPN. It will actually hijack your internet connection and sell it whilst endangering your online privacy and security at the same time. Other free VPNs even track and monitor your online activity and then sell that data to the highest bidder.

You set out to use a VPN to improve your online privacy and security but end up doing the opposite when you use some free VPNs.

VPNs that claim to be free usually have various restrictions. Some of them are:

• Limited bandwidth
• Limited speed
• Poor customer support
• Limited server locations
• Cannot unblock streaming services like Netflix, Disney plus, Hulu and others

Commercial VPNs on the other hand provide most of these features or even more. 

There are however a few good free VPNs out there that do provide a reliable service. They may still have limited features such as data caps or limited bandwidth but they get the job done. Here’s a list of some of them:

1. Windscribe
2. Privado
3. Hotspot Shield
4. ProtonVPN
5. Hide.me
6. TunnelBear
7. Speedify

How Do Free VPNs Make Money?

1. By Offering Limited Features

Most free VPNs actually use the freemium pricing model. They offer the most basic features on their free plans and keep all the great features on their paid plans. The aim is to give you just enough of a taste of the feature so that you can choose to buy the paid plan. 

Standard practice is to put a monthly data cap on your use of the VPN. For example, Hotspot shield gives a maximum of 500MB you can use daily. That’s quite small given the data-hungry applications and websites that exist today. You’ll quickly exhaust that and need more.

Others like ProtonVPN will give you unlimited data on the free plan but the catch is that you can only select very few servers and the speed is limited.

The three most vital features that most VPN users look at are:

1. The choice of server locations. 
2. Speed of the service
3. How much data you can use.

And because of this, those are the three features that are most likely to be limited or throttled when you use a free VPN.

2. Tracking Your Online Data And Selling it

It is of the utmost importance to know that most free VPNs actually track your online activity and use cookies and other trackers to keep tabs on you. They’ll later sell that information to advertisers and third parties. The information could include personal details such as your email address, name, and address.

It’s therefore very important to scrutinize the fine print in their privacy policy when you consider a VPN especially if it is free, Sure, the VPN could provide you with some anonymity and privacy but they could easily turn around and sell your data to the highest bidder.

Free VPNs are also quick to give up your information to government agencies(both local and foreign)  when they request it. Your best bet is to go for a paid VPN service that not only gives you all the best features but also protects your data and employs a no-logs policy. A good VPN is also quite affordable as there are plans that even start at about $2 per month. 

3. Your Computer Used As An Exit Node

The average commercial VPN will assign you an IP address after you connect to its server and encrypt data going back and forth between your device and the server. This gives you online privacy and security.

When you use free VPNs, some of them will use your device as an exit node. This means they route internet traffic through your internet connection. Someone viewing your connection will see this traffic as though it were yours. This is very risky and adversely affects your online privacy and security. 

Imagine if some of that traffic was from someone engaging in criminal or illegal online activity. The aim is not to scare you but educate you on the possible risks of using a free VPN service so that you can make an informed decision.

4. Invasive Advertising

This is one of the top ways for free VPNs to make money. The main aim is to push ads of products and services with the hope that you will purchase them. They’ll usually team up with other companies to display their ads for them.

However, free VPNs go overboard when it comes to advertising.  They’ll push to you ads that you are forced to view and cannot close or opt-out of.  You’ll have no choice but to bear with these ads if you want to use the service.

Overall, if you just use your internet for simple tasks such as checking mail and browsing the internet and need simple security and privacy on a public wifi hotspot then a free VPN could be just the thing for you. For extra security and peace of mind spend a few bucks a month and get a reliable paid VPN. It's worth it and will be a decision you won't regret.

How Much Does A VPN Cost Per Month?

VPN plans start at about $10 per month on average. It gets cheaper if you opt for long-term plans. Some 2-year plans average out to about $3 - $4 per month on average.

Is There A 100% Free VPN?

No. There are free no-fee VPNs but most find ways to make money off of you using them. They may sell your browsing activity, monitor your usage, apply bandwidth or speed limits and even hijack your internet connection in order to make money or get you onto a paid plan.

Is VPN Free Or Paid?

There are both free and paid VPNs. Free VPNs offer limited features whilst paid VPNs are best for those who are serious about online privacy, anonymity, and security.

Is Nordvpn Really Free?

Yes, and you can get full access to it with all its features during the 30-day free trial that they offer. All that is completely risk-free. 

Is Surfshark Free?

Yes, Surfshark has a 7-day free trial where you can evaluate it and experience the VPN with all its features. This offer is online available on the macOS, Android, and iOS platforms.

Is Hotspot Shield Completely Free?

Yes. Hotspot Shield has a free plan that offers military-grade encryption and is perfect for the average user. For extra features, there is a premium plan that costs about $3 per month and comes with the following:

• No Ads
• Unlimited Bandwidth
• Over 3200 servers in more than 70 countries
• Around the clock live tech support
• Multiple device support. You can connect up to 5 devices.      

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Do VPNs Really Hide Your IP?
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