Like most things in the world, VPNs are also available for free. As a human tendency, we are attracted by the free ones first instead of paid ones.
You would be surprised to know that “VPN” is one of the most searched non-branded search terms on Google Play Store and Apple app store.
As people are more concerned with online data privacy and have more fears about mass government surveillance of their online activities, data threats they’re adopting VPNs for security.
Instead of that another most common use of the VPN is to access geo-blocked websites and torrenting.
Everyone enjoys free goods and services all over the place, so people often fall victim to online scams through free VPNs. There is an endless list of such victims.
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Top Reasons to Avoid Free VPNs
These are some of the main reasons why you should never use a free VPN.
Sell your data
Most free VPN service providers simply sell your data to affiliated/partnered companies as they are data-hungry.
The worst thing is, they also sell your data on a dark web where many third-party buyers are always in search of this.
You might be wondering what they will do with your data. Well, instead of asking this, first ask yourself what data they are collecting from you.
The free VPN service providers will collect your name, email address, mobile number, address, credit card information, bank details, personal or private photos from the smartphone’s gallery, and much more.
As you have installed the app and have given permission to access your device, they can steal most of the data. And the cool this is, you would never get any information about it until you are a victim of online scams.
Don’t have a transparent privacy policy
Every service provider has a privacy or policy page where you can find all the information about it. But free VPN service providers don’t have any transparent privacy policy.
On the flip side, the policy pages are long and users usually skip it. When the checkbox appears, we simply mark it and submit our signup request.
If you read the page you would find shocking information. Most free VPNs won’t hesitate to sell your data to affiliated/partnered companies as they pay for this.
If you don’t believe in me then let’s see some real examples.
Take a look at the popular free VPN service provider Hola’s Privacy policy page.
Hola clearly mentioned that they disclose Personal Information to their subsidiaries, affiliated companies.
Won’t you be satisfied with a single reference? It’s OK. I have more to show you.
Take a look at another popular free VPN service provider Betternet’s Privacy policy page.
The more you explore the better you know.
Tracking Your Online Activity
You are using a VPN to protect your privacy. But they are tracking you through the in-built tracker.
These trackers gather your data on online activities. Using this data advertisers can better target you through targeted ads.
Instead of providing you privacy and giving you a secure environment, the free VPNs are doing the exact opposite. They collect your personal information and sell it to the third-parties.
But premium VPNs won’t have any tracking software. When you buy a premium VPN plan, you will get real privacy protection.
They Can’t Unblock Netflix
Honestly speaking, many people use VPNs to access websites like Netflix. Similar to other streaming services, Netflix uses geoblocking technology in various parts of the world.
Currently, there is no free VPN service that can unblock Netflix.
Even many premium VPNs struggle to break through them. Only a few succeed.
You will see an error message like below when you try to bypass the Netflix.
Bypassing Netflix geo-blocks is not an easy task. It requires a huge amount of resources that free VPN providers will not give that away for free.
Many people want to bypass other geo-restricted websites to watch movies and TV shows. If you are one of them then stay away from free VPNs as well.
Not only Netflix, but free VPNs also can’t bypass most of the geo-blocked streaming and torrent sites.
Full of annoying ads
As the VPN service is free you have to be ready for the ads. You are not paying them monthly subscription fees so they have to keep running their business.
But you would be not ready for the annoying ads. Not only annoying ads, but they can also slow down your existing internet speeds or contain malware.
They are already tracking you have all your personal data. So they can show relevant ads.
Contain malware
When you download a VPN app, you give it access to your smartphone and its data. But most of them have dangerous malware.
A research conducted by Metric Labs on the top 150 VPN Android apps on Google’s Play Store. The results are depressing and you would be shocked.
Even you can see the issue on major news websites like Wired and Tech Advisor.
I will list some of the most famous apps having issues below.
Slow down your internet speeds
Poor free VPNs are responsible for the slow internet connection. As they don’t have enough resources to provide you’re the speed, you will always face buffering issues.
They also show you reparative ads. Serving ads is also a heavy task that costs your bandwidth. Speed is a vital factor you should consider before adopting a VPN service. Although internet speed relay on many outside variables, VPN is also associated with it. You would never get a good speed in a free VPN.
No matter how fast the internet connection you are getting from your ISP, you will still face the slow internet issue. Because all your requests will travel through the VPN service provider’s server.
Some free VPN service providers show ads because they have a different strategy. They want to encourage you to upgrade to the premium plan.
Popular Free VPN Services That Can Sell Your Data
We have done extensive research and found a list of free VPN apps that can sell your data. In addition to that, they contain malware, ransomware, key loggers, trackers, etc.
| App Name | Android installs | iOS installs | Security Risk |
| Betternet | 50M | 1M | High |
| Best VPN | 10M | 1M | High |
| Free unblock VPN | 10M | 200K | High |
| Hola | 50M | 2M | High |
| SuperVPN Free VPN Client | 100M | 5M | High |
| Free VPN by vpnify | 5M | 400K | Medium |
| Hotspot Shield | 50M | 2M | High |
| HotspotVPN | 1M | 70K | High |
| Psiphon | 10M | 100K | High |
| Secure VPN | 1M | N/A | High |
| Shield VPN | N/A | 70K | High |
| SkyVPN | 1M | 200K | High |
| Snap VPN | 10M | N/A | High |
| Storm VPN | N/A | 5K | High |
| Super VPN | 5M | N/A | High |
| SpeedVPN | 10M | 400K | Medium |
| Thunder VPN | 10M | 1M | High |
| TouchVPN | 10M | 70K | High |
| TurboVPN | 3M | 300K | High |
| FlyVPN | 5M | 200K | High |
| VPN Master | 50M | 1M | High |
| VPN – Super Unlimited Proxy | 1M | 400K | High |
| VPN Master – Unlimited | 10M | 1M | Medium |
| VPN 360 | 1M | 500K | High |
| VPN 365 | 5M | 500K | Medium |
| Free VPN Proxy | 1M | 100K | High |
| Free VPN Tomato | 1M | 80K | High |
| Melon VPN | 5M | N/A | High |
| VPNhub | 10M | 1M | High |
| VPN Patron | 1M | 200K | High |
| VPN Private | 10M | N/A | High |
| VPN Proxy Master | 1M | 800K | High |
| VPN – ZPN | 1M | 50K | Medium |
| X-VPN | 10M | 1M | High |
| VPN Robot | 10M | 400K | High |
| VPN Monster | 10M | 200K | High |
Important Note: – These are not the only apps that steal your data. You can add most (all the other) free VPNs on this list as well.
If you don’t find the free VPN app you are using in this list, then don’t feel so lucky yourself. The app you are using can steal your data and you would be in trouble.
The Benefits of a Premium VPN
Fortunately, you don’t need to take risk of using a free VPN. You can buy a premium VPN plan at a price of in price of Starbucks coffee.
Here are some of the benefits of a premium VPN.
Bypass Geoblocked websites: The best VPNs can easily bypass geo-blocked sites including Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos, Hulu, etc.
Highest level encryption: Some premium VPNs provide 256-bit military-grade encryption. It will safeguard your personal information and browsing activity.
Unlimited Bandwidth: Premium VPNs don’t have any restrictions on internet usage. You stream unlimited videos from video streaming platforms and download unlimited content from torrent websites.
A strict no-logs policy: The VPN providers we recommend won’t keep your browsing activity. So there is no change of data disclosure or hack. We found NordVPN and ExpressVPN provides strict no-logs policy.
Multiple simultaneous connections: Premium VPN service providers allow you to protect all your devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets simultaneously.
Great value: The premium VPN providers listed below have affordable plans. You can get discounts of up to 70% if you use our special links.
Our recommended VPNs
We have been using various premium VPNs for years. Check out our top 3 VPN recommendations that provide the best VPN service.
1. NordVPN
NordVPN considered the world’s best VPN and won many awards.
Here are some specs highlights.
● 5,800+ servers in 59 countries
● Provides 256-bit military-grade encryption
● Ultra-fast connection
● DNS and IPv6 leak protection
● Unlimited bandwidth
● Strict no-logs policy
● Get a dedicated IP-address
● Streaming and P2P-optimized servers
● Block malware and ads automatically
● Works with: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Sky TV, Disney+, Fox, Hulu and much more
● Compatible with: macOS, Android, iOS, Android TV, Linux, Chrome, and Firefox. It’s also compatible with routers
● No-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee
And more
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is my second choice next to NordVPN.
Here are some main specifications highlights.
● 3,000+ servers in 94 countries
● High-end security features
● Split-tunneling
● Unlimited bandwidth
● Uses 256-bit encryption
● Strict no-logs policy
● P2P-optimized servers
● Up to five simultaneous connections
● Easy-to-use apps
● Works with: Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Fox, Sky TV, etc
● Compatible with: Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, Apple TV, Chrome
● 30-day money-back guarantee
3 – CyberGhost
CyberGhost is another popular VPN service provider having millions of happy customers.
● 6,400+ servers in 90 countries● High-end security features
● 256-bit military-grade encryption
● DNS and IP Leak Protection
● Unlimited data, bandwidth for movies, and TV show marathons.
● Simultaneous connections up to 7 devices
● Works with: Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Fox, Sky TV, etc
● Compatible with: Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, Apple TV, Chrome and routers
● 45-day money-back guarantee
Conclusion
We don’t recommend using Free VPNs. You might save a few dollars each month by using a free one, but this leaves you fully exposed to a hack and risks to your privacy.
Be ready and prepared for hackers. Thinking you don’t have any important information hackers need is living a lie that could haunt you one day.
Be safe and always use a premium VPN instead of free ones. We use and recommend the world’s best VPN service provider NordVPN.