{"id":94372,"date":"2017-10-09T15:27:42","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T15:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=94372"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:45:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:45:45","slug":"this-is-why-you-should-always-pay-for-a-vpn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/this-is-why-you-should-always-pay-for-a-vpn\/","title":{"rendered":"This is why you should always pay for a VPN"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are many reasons why you should use a VPN<\/strong>. There is security<\/strong>, for example. A VPN can stop even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from monitoring your online traffic<\/strong> and strong VPNs can even block the government and shady cyber-criminals<\/strong> from knowing your browsing habits. Another reason is speed<\/strong>. ISPs have the power to throttle your access to the internet but VPNs can prevent them from doing this<\/strong>. VPNs put you in charge of your connection to the internet.<\/p>\n

With so much at stake then, it is clear that you need a VPN, if you take your security seriously<\/strong>. To go one further, however, if you’re serious about your secuirty, it is important that you don’t take chances with free VPNs<\/strong>. Here is why:<\/p>\n

Why you should pay for a VPN:<\/h2>\n

1. Your security is a premium issue<\/b><\/h3>\n

Almost all free VPNs use a very old and outdated protocol<\/strong> called PPTP (Point-to-Point-Tunnelling-Protocol). It\u2019s super easy to set up, but infamous for its security flaws<\/strong> \u2013 <\/span>some of which were discovered back in 1998 by Bruce Schneier, tech blogger and IBM Resilient\u2019s CTO<\/span><\/a>. You don\u2019t need much fancy software or hardware to do it either \u2013 anyone with a laptop and evil intent can have a go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paid-for VPNs use a selection of far more robust protocols<\/strong>, such as HMA! Pro VPN<\/a>, VyprVPN<\/a>, and Zenmate VPN<\/a>. <\/span>\u00a0I don\u2019t know about you, but I\u2019d rather pay a little upfront than expose all my data (and dollars) to some opportunistic hacker.<\/span><\/p>\n

\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"HMA!\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n HMA! PRO VPN<\/span>\r\n DOWNLOAD NOW<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path>10<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Hide My Ass! Pro VPN is a fantastic VPN app that has earned a good reputation thanks to the myriad of options available: speed, broadband and unlimited server changes; the most secure protocols, compatibility with any service (including Netflix) and up to 5 connections per license. <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"VyprVPN\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n VyprVPN<\/span>\r\n DOWNLOAD NOW<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path>10<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Another highly recommended option is VyprVPN, a service backed by the Swiss company Golden Frog, seasoned experts in the tech world who advocate for an open internet. VyprVPN boasts of 73 servers in 64 countries, with a NAT firewall that gives you an extra security layer<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Zenmate\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Zenmate<\/span>\r\n DOWNLOAD NOW<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path>10<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Zenmate is another great option for secure browsing. This VPN doesn\u2019t store any of your data and uses the latest encryption systems.<\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

2. Then there\u2019s the slow connection speeds<\/b><\/h3>\n

Everyone loves free stuff, so chances are your free VPN will have hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of subscribers<\/strong>, each with their own drain on bandwidth. And because free VPNs don\u2019t charge a fee, they\u2019re less likely to have the servers to cope with demand<\/strong>, and that\u2019ll slow your connection. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also increasingly common for free VPNs to share servers with other providers. While this saves them money, it could slow your internet access during busy times. Paid-for VPNs can usually afford their own servers<\/strong> and can optimise them to work with their network, apps, and hardware.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. That leads us nicely to the third problem with free VPNs \u2013 your privacy<\/b><\/h3>\n

Since you\u2019re not paying for their service, they\u2019ve got to make money another way. This could be in the form of annoying adverts, or worse, <\/span>selling your usage data to third parties<\/b>. Scarily, not all VPNs tell you about this. Just finding out whether they\u2019ll log your use is hard enough \u2013 it\u2019s normally buried somewhere in your terms and conditions. <\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>2016 review of VPN services for Android devices<\/span><\/a> concluded that 75% of those studied tracked your data<\/strong> \u2013 whether they said they would or not. While they won\u2019t always sell this data on, you won\u2019t know for sure, and a free VPN has to make money somehow. You might want to check out that VPN you\u2019ve been thinking of on <\/span>this comparison table<\/span><\/a> from That One Privacy Site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, <\/span>free VPNs won\u2019t have as many servers, in as many countries, and as many support staff operating them<\/b>. You\u2019ll have fewer options to mimic geolocation, and fewer people to talk to (if any!) when things go wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

So it makes sense to choose a well-reviewed, well-respected, and honest VPN provider that charges you a fair price for a good service. We\u2019ve put together a list of our <\/a>favourites to help you choose. And while they might not be free, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll agree they\u2019re worth spending on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other VPNs to take into consideration<\/h3>\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Hotspot\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Hotspot Shield<\/span>\r\n Download<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path>8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Panda\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Panda VPN<\/span>\r\n Download<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path>8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Avira\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Avira Phantom VPN Pro<\/span>\r\n Download<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path>8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \"Avast\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n Avast SecureLine VPN<\/span>\r\n Download<\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/path><\/path>8<\/text><\/svg>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n <\/span>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many reasons why you should use a VPN. There is security, for example. A VPN can stop even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from monitoring your online traffic and strong VPNs can even block the government and shady cyber-criminals from knowing your browsing habits. Another reason is speed. ISPs have the power to … Continue reading “This is why you should always pay for a VPN”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2040,"featured_media":101364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-94372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2040"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94372"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328522,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94372\/revisions\/328522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94372"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=94372"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=94372"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=94372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}