Free vs. Paid VPN – Which Is Better

In search of a trustworthy provider that will reliably protect data on the Internet, users face a difficult choice between a paid and free VPN (Virtual Private Network) service. At first glance, it may seem that a free VPN does not differ from a paid one, so it is not worth spending your money on. But it isn’t true.

Let’s find out the fundamental differences so that you, as a user, can make a smart choice and get a reliable VPN vendor. 

Learn more about what is a VPN

Free vs. paid VPN – the key difference

In some cases, free and paid VPN services may deliver almost the same set of features. Nonetheless, there are some crucial differences that you should keep in mind before opting for each one. 

• Free VPN providers need to integrate some sort of revenue stream into their products. Due to this fact, many provide a free service with limited functionality as a promotion for the paid version. Other VPN vendors sell ad space to obtain revenue, which is guaranteed to decrease your experience. Last but not least, some free providers extract and sell your data to advertisers or inject spyware to monitor your activity. Talking about such providers, we recommend you avoid them the most.
• Paid VPN vendors comprise a solid base of customers who are charged for the service and, consequently, bring in more income to reinvest in their services. As a result, paid VPN services have financial support for maintaining server quality, feature advancement, network expansion, infrastructure development, and online security and privacy reliability. With paid VPN vendors, you are sure to get top speeds, efficiency, access, and security in parallel with a customer-oriented approach and solid support.

What is a free VPN?

Free VPN service is a service that offers you a basic level of virtual private network features for free. Such VPN providers can provide some level of online anonymity by masking IP addresses. However, they tend to have lower efficiency and security than their paid VPN counterparts.

Free VPNs are still gaining popularity, even though security has been reduced due to their immediate zero cost. Many users do not need the advanced high-end features paid vendors offer; they are looking for a straightforward, two-click-easy way to camouflage their online activities. Still, free services’ simplicity and ease of use may seem attractive at first glance, but you risk unknowingly sacrificing your privacy and security due to potential data logging and less robust encryption protocols.

The pros and cons of free VPNs vs. paid

Widespread demand has led to the proliferation of free VPN services, but along with this growth has come increased risks. Often, users are pleased to get the service for free and do not explore the fact that there are major risks, such as security vulnerabilities or potential data privacy issues.

Another problem you may encounter with free VPNs is that servers can become overcrowded due to their popularity and the number of customers using the service simultaneously, resulting in slower connection speeds. Robust VPN scalability requires significant resources, and financial ones at that. However, free providers often fail to allocate sufficient bandwidth to each user, leading to unstable performance and outages during peak periods.

The only thing that makes free VPN better is the signup process. Most free VPNs don’t request personal information; even if they do, you can easily use fake names and information. On the other hand, when you use a paid VPN service, you must share your correct personal information and use payment services like PayPal or your credit/debit card. However, if you do proper research and opt for a VPN service provider that is respected and popular, you can rest assured that your anonymity is always preserved and that your information is in good hands. For instance, ZoogVPN respects confidentiality and user anonymity, allowing you to ensure your online safety without having to reveal your real name or email address. You can pay for the service with cryptocurrency, have absolute anonymity, leaving no digital footprints.

How do free VPNs make money?

As it was already mentioned, free VPNs generate revenue with many ways, and some of them may compromise your online privacy and security. Here are the strategies used by free VPN providers to generate profit.

• Advertising. Free VPNs often rely on advertising to generate revenue. They allocate a place to post in-app ads to users while they employ the service, similar to how many free apps and websites do.
• Data selling. Some free VPN providers that we highly suggest not to use may collect your data concerning your browsing habits and sell these details to any parties or corporations that research your data to make personalized promotions. They may share and sell aggregated data or even individual user information to advertisers.
• Data usage. Monitoring and analyzing users’ online activities and gathering valuable data are shared among free VPNs. They might use this data for various needs, such as enhancing their services, examining user behavior, or selling insights to other companies.
• IP address utilization. Free VPNs can also make use of users’ IP addresses in various ways, such as completing targeted advertising or selling access to users’ IP addresses to other businesses.
• Data limits and premium plans. Many free VPNs impose data limits on users, motivating them to upgrade to paid subscriptions for unlimited browsing. They often deliver basic services for free and entice users to purchase premium plans for advanced features and better performance.

It’s essential to be conscious when considering free VPNs, as their business models often compromise user privacy and security.

Is a free VPN better than no VPN?

Yes, a free VPN is better than no VPN, particularly if you’re using a reliable protocol and a trustworthy provider. While it may not guarantee the same level of features and security as a paid VPN, free service still equips you with some degree of encryption and security. This can help protect your online privacy from various threats and make your web surfing experience relatively safer. 

At ZoogVPN, we offer a service version that is absolutely free to use, guaranteeing solid digital privacy and security for clients all over the world. You can sign up for our free VPN service to experience the benefits of our robust protection without any cost. Protect your online activities with ZoogVPN today! Sign up and safeguard your online anonymity with a reliable VPN service vendor.

The cons of free VPNs

There is a range of reasons that make free VPNs a less beneficial option, let’s briefly consider them:

• Insufficient performance and reliability due to overcrowded servers;
• Limited features and configurations, often providing the cheapest options;
• Lack of qualitative customer support, making it complex to resolve issues;
• Frequent restrictions on access to content, decreasing the user experience;
• Insufficient protection of user data and privacy, posing risks of malicious activity and data leaks through unreliable services;
• Limited bandwidth and slower connections, especially affecting streaming and downloads;

Proving the prior facts, the statistics speak for themselves. Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler stated that more than 360 million user data records have been leaked in a breach with the free VPN service SuperVPN, as The CyberGuy claims. 

In October 2021, free VPN provider Quickfox suffered a data breach by accidentally exposing over a million users’ personally identifiable information (PII). The hack put 500 million records and 100GB of data at risk. The PII at risk included personal email addresses and phone numbers, according to WizCase.

These are just a couple of incidents that show that free VPNs come with many risks and emphasize why it is vital for you to do your research and ensure that free VPNs are safe to use. Be vigilant to avoid falling victim to such misfortunate incidents.

Do free VPNs sell your data?

For some free VPNs, selling user data to third parties is a key element of their business model and profit stream. Therefore, they assemble data about users’ browsing habits, device details, and other data points, which are then anonymized and sold to advertisers or other companies for targeted marketing or investigation.

It is still worth mentioning that not all free VPNs adopt this practice, and some genuinely prioritize user privacy and security. You can find out the terms of your private data processing and handling by carefully reviewing the privacy policy of any VPN service.

What is a paid VPN?

A paid VPN is a service that you subscribe to for securing and encrypting your Internet connection. In contrast to free VPNs that often deliver limited features or are supported by advertisements, paid VPNs provide more powerful and reliable security features, better performance, and trustworthy customer support.

The pros and cons of paid VPNs vs free

Let’s go through the more extended list of values introduced by a paid VPN vs a free one.

• Enhanced security. Paid VPNs traditionally adopt powerful encryption protocols and security strategies to protect your online activities from hackers, ISPs, and other malicious parties. Strong safety converts to your well-safeguarded sensitive data, such as passwords, financial details, and personal communications.
• Privacy protection. Paid VPN services ensure strict no-logs policies. This is an excellent benefit as such VPN vendors don’t assemble or store your browsing history or personal information. Your online activities remain private, untracked, and anonymous.
• Server network. Premium VPN providers can equip you with a more extensive and richer server network spread across a range of locations worldwide. You are free to access content limited in your geo position, handle censorship, and make use of faster connection speeds.
• Reliability and performance. You can experience consistent and reliable performance, comprising boosted connection speeds and minimal downtime. If you adopt a VPN for activities like streaming, gaming, or downloading large files, your customer experience will be top-tier.
• Customer support. You get dedicated customer support channels with paid VPN services covering live chat, email, or phone assistance. Whenever you face tech issues or may seek help configuring your VPN, they’re available to help you.
• Advanced features. Paid VPNs often comprise extra functionality, such as split tunneling, kill switch, DNS leak protection, and ad-blocking capabilities, offering users more control over their online experience and security.

Let’s now move on and consider the existing disadvantages:

• Cost. Obviously, the primary drawback is the fact that you need to pay for the VPN services. A subscription fee can range from a few dollars to several dozen dollars per month based on the provider and the features offered.

• Limited features. Some lower-tier paid VPN services may have limited functionality compared to more expensive options. To illustrate, it may be a smaller server network, slower speeds, or restrictions on simultaneous connections.

• Logging policies. Not all paid VPNs have a strict no-logs policy. Some may extract specific data about your usage and connection history, which could potentially be a privacy concern.

• Performance. With the generally better performance you receive on a paid basis compared to free VPNs, you may still experience slowdowns, especially during peak usage times or if you connect to servers that are geographically far away from your location.

• Reliability. Not all VPN vendors ensure equally transparent and fair terms of use; some may not be as trustworthy or reliable as others. Researching and choosing a reputable provider with a track record of protecting user privacy and security is essential.

• Compatibility and usage intuitiveness. Some paid VPN services may be more complicated to set up and use, especially for non-tech-savvy users. Moreover, not all VPNs are compatible with every device or operating system, so you must ensure that your chosen service works with your specific devices.

You should keep in mind that each of these cons can be eliminated when you do your in-depth research and opt for a genuinely credible VPN service provider on a paid basis.

The benefits of using a paid VPN

Without a doubt, the benefits of using a VPN on a paid basis offer significant benefits that outweigh cost-efficient prices. A paid VPN not only masks your IP address but also provides strong protection against online threats, a wide range of server networks, faster speeds, and enhanced support. Buying a VPN in today’s reality is a decent investment in increased security, privacy, and convenience when working or spending leisure time online.

In the all-around scheme of personal security, the cost of a paid VPN is negligible compared to the potential losses caused by a security breach. With the growing threats of cyber-attacks, identity theft, and online fraud, the nominal monthly fee for a quality VPN becomes a small price to pay for peace of mind about your sensitive data.

Why are paid VPNs better than free?

As we have defined, there are many downsides to choosing a free VPN, especially when you consider how inexpensive a paid VPN can be. Let’s sum up the critical reasons to invest in your online privacy. 

• Solid encryption protocols and powerful security features of paid VPNs safeguard your online actions effectively. Free VPNs may lack reliable security measures, making your data vulnerable to breaches and leaks.
• Privacy assurance provided by strict no-logs policies ensures that your browsing history and personal details remain confidential. As was mentioned, VPNs may collect and sell your data to external parties, eliminating your privacy.
• The reliable performance of paid VPNs is facilitated by their high-speed servers and minimal downtime, delivering consistent and safe connections. Free VPNs, in contrast, may suffer from bandwidth limitations, resulting in slower speeds and frequent disruptions.
• Comprehensive support is a core part of paid vendors, providing dedicated customer support channels to address any technical issues or inquiries promptly. When adopting free VPNs, you’re unlikely to receive the same level of responsive assistance.
• Access to exclusive features provided by paid VPN subscriptions offers extra perks, such as access to a broad range of server locations, support for multiple devices, and ad-blocking functionalities. Limited features of free VPNs typically have restricted server options.

Also, don’t confuse a free VPN with a trial period of the functionality of a paid VPN. In a trial period, you have access to all the features of a paid service, but for a limited time, with the same high standard of security, privacy, and flawless user experience. Thus, with certain unreliable providers, a free service can become a risk than a step towards improving your online security. This once again proves that you can and should pay to protect your privacy and for a small amount of money.

Full comparison of free and paid VPNs

Let’s sum up all the facts we’ve discussed in one table, describing the comparison of free vs paid VPNs.

When choosing between a free and paid VPN, consider your online needs, security priorities, and budget: whether you require advanced server features, unlimited devices, or budget considerations. Also, consider your usage goals. Maybe you’ll use a VPN for online shopping, telecommuting, and increased internet security, or perhaps you’ll use it for gaming, streaming your favorite content, and accessing any websites during web surfing. Be sure to read the terms of use and reviews for each VPN provider to make sure they are reliable and that you can trust them to handle your personal data.

Experience the rich spectrum of advantages brought by the reliable ZoogVPN vendor, using our free of charge or paid service. Sign up today.

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  Diana Bestaieva

  Content Writer at ZoogVPN. Diana deeply explores the newest technologies and shares valuable insights engagingly and comprehensively. Keeping up with the tech news, she makes in-depth content, explaining complex concepts with ease.