Over the past few years, the rise of VPNs has been meteoric, and there are quite a few reasons behind it. One reason for this popularity is COVID-19 because the lockdown revived the idea of working remotely, and VPNs played a crucial role in allowing people to work remotely. Other than that, the primary reason why the world shifted towards using VPN services is the increasing number of cyber threats in recent years.
A virtual private network or a VPN is a simple and effective way to protect your online privacy. Since VPNs have become so popular, their demand has also increased. So, to fill this gap, numerous players have jumped into the market, providing various VPN services with varying qualities and features. These services vary to such an extent that some require a subscription while others claim to be free.
We used the word claim because nothing is truly free, which is true with free VPNs. This means VPNs that have no price often come at the cost of hidden risks to your online privacy and security. Today, we will outline why free VPNs should be avoided and why premium or paid VPNs should be used instead.
The Free and Freemium Model
Before discussing why you should avoid free VPNs, let’s look at the different VPN-selling models.
Free Model – The first one is the free model; this allows you to use the VPN for free, requiring you not even to pay a single penny. However, this category is the most dangerous and should be avoided at all costs; we will soon discuss why.
Freemium Model – The second one is the freemium model; this category is mostly risk-free and even used by some of the most popular VPN sellers. Although freemium VPNs are not dangerous, they have certain limitations, such as monthly data caps, minimal server options, and throttled speeds.
Premium Model – The premium model is the best option for any VPN user; it is like an all-you-can-eat buffet as there are no restrictions on it, and is entirely secure.
Why Free VPNs Should be Avoided?
Despite being cost-effective free VPNs come with an extremely high risk, lets’s take a look at the potential risks of using a free VPN.
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Prone to Failure
Though most of the time, free VPNs work just fine, there are times when a free VPN fails to protect your privacy by stopping abruptly. Moreover, there are some cases where the VPN app shows that you are connected to the VPN server, but you’re not.
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Annoying Ads
One of the most frustrating things about a free VPN is that they come with countless annoying ads. These ads don’t usually directly interfere with your online activities, but they still are bothersome. These ads are often part of the tradeoff because since the company is not charging you anything, they will earn money from these advertisements.
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Personal Information at Risk
The primary purpose of a VPN is to protect your data from being stolen, but with a free virtual private network, this purpose dies. The most important reason you must avoid free VPNs at all costs is that numerous free VPN companies protect your data from the internet but collect it for themselves. These companies then go on to sell your data to third party advertisers and other interested parties.
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Malware Exposure
Another reason free VPNs should be avoided at all costs is that many contain malware, and you could be at risk of downloading the malware by accident while starting the VPN service. Hackers then use these ransomware and malware attacks to steal sensitive data such as your social security number and account details.
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Limited Access
Almost every free VPN has some limitations. For example, you can not access services like Netflix and Amazon while using free VPNs.
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Slow Speed
While using free VPNs, it has also been noted that these kinds of VPNs can drastically affect your internet speed and make your activities slower; this usually happens because free VPN servers are not that powerful.
How Do Free VPN Companies Make Money?
Now that you know all about free VPNs, you must wonder how these companies make money and keep their businesses afloat. Well, here are some ways a free VPN service makes money:
Advertisements – As mentioned, a free VPN company uses ads and allows other companies to market their products on their service for a small percentage.
Giving Away Email – One other way free VPN companies are said to make money is by selling your email address to their business partners or third parties for promotions.
Selling Your Data – Now let’s talk about the most dangerous way a free VPN company makes money: by selling your personal information to all parties, even the government.
Now that you know the dangers of using a free VPN, consider getting a premium VPN instead. If you are looking for a reliable and trustworthy VPN, you need not look further than AngelVPN. AngelVPN offers true internet freedom without compromising your privacy and security online. Most importantly, AngelVPN has a zero-logs policy ensuring your data remains your own.
