Advertiser reference

The free VPN lie – more risks than benefits

Free VPNs – a smart way to save money or unpredictable risk?

The growing popularity of VPNs has also led to an increase in the number of VPN providers. Some VPN providers lure users with free trials. What sounds like “too good to be true” at first, turns out to be an unpredictable risk upon closer inspection.

 

Your PC becomes a server for anyone to use

As a rule, free VPN providers do not operate their own servers. Users do not connect to a VPN server as they would normally do, but to other users of the service instead (peer-2-peer approach). For example, if a user wishes to access a video from an American provider, the free VPN tool will connect them to another user located in the United States. And so, your PC is being shared with unknown users when you use free VPNs, and it will act as a VPN server. The absence of powerful VPN servers also leads to slow connections that make video streaming impossible.

Free VPNs provide third parties with free access to your internet connection.

Streaming is not possible with free VPNs.

 

User shocked about warning costs.

Free VPNs: good idea – but risky in practice.

 

Additional risks instead of protection

Sharing your internet connection with other users leads to an increased exposure to offense against the law. Third parties can commit crimes through your internet connection. Evidence that a crime was committed by a user of a VPN tool is virtually impossible in practice. When using free VPNs, there is a considerable risk of being held responsible for crimes committed by third parties. Furthermore, the provider of the free VPN Hola admitted that it leases the internet connection of its users to companies.

Free VPN users are subject to the risk of being held responsible for crimes committed by third parties.

 

Protect yourself!

If you really want to navigate the Internet carefree, you should use professional VPN providers. These providers allow you to connect directly to a VPN server. Third parties do not use your internet connection. In addition, professional providers encrypt the internet connection according to military security standards.

VPNs hide your IP address using their servers.

VPN’s hide your IP address with using their servers.

 

Find the best VPN provider

The VPN market is growing fast and so is the number of options. This makes it difficult to find the right VPN provider. Established all-round providers, such as Private Internet Access, are recommended for both beginners and advanced users. The software can be used on up to 10 devices simultaneously, whether it’s a PC/Mac, a tablet, a smartphone, or a game console. Our test winner also runs on Linux computers and is compatible with almost all streaming providers. The data transfer is encrypted to the highest security standards.

Last updated: April 2024

Provider
Specials
Rating
Information
Best rated 2024

Ultra-fast and secure all-round VPN with extra Malware protection. Excellent Full-HD streaming and live chat support.

  • From $2.25/month
  • Unblocks over 35 streaming services, among them Amazon and others
  • Over 7000 servers worldwide
  • Up to 7 devices simultaneously
  • High secure VPN with OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP and 256-bit encryption protocols
  • Up to 45-day money-back guarantee
Available on:
9.8
  • 5400+ Servers in 59 countries
  • Military great security level
  • High-speed, unlimited bandwidth
  • Up to 6 devices simultaneously
  • 30 days money-back guarantee
Available on:
9.4
  • Fast and simple commissioning
  • Runs on an unlimited number of devices and multiple platforms
  • High speed
  • Over 500 servers in 50 countries
  • Regular updates
Available on:
9.1
  • Try it with a 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Outstanding reliability with 35000 + servers in 75 countries
  • Up to 10 devices simultaneously
  • Unlimited P2P/Torrenting
  • Fast HD/4K streaming (Disney+, BBC iPlayer, HBO, Kodi, …)
  • Simple installation and easy to use
  • Owner has a controversial past
  • Live chat support is only available during certain hours
  • No specialized servers
Available on:
8.6
  • 1700 servers all over the world
  • Up to 3 devices at the same time
  • Highest anonymity
  • 30 days free trial
  • P2P/Filesharing/Torrenting is possible
  • Very expensive
  • Partial blocking of websites & email providers
Available on:
8.2