Free vs. Paid VPN: Which is Better for Security Management?

As we progress further into the future, the technological advances that we make put the internet as our daily routine. Going online and surfing the web is not strange to any of us, but do we think about our safety while on the internet?

Well, since the internet keeps expanding more and more people have been turning to VPN in order to protect their privacy and personal information. This software has increased security management for many users and the possibilities it provides are expanding each day.

What is VPN?

VPN or Virtual Private Network is an important tool that provides safety and anonymity while using the internet. By providing a shielded connection between the user and the selected server it ensures that no third-party viewer can intercept or miss-use any leaked information.

When we are online, everything we do, from our internet history to download history can be viewed by the government, the ISP (Internet Service Provider) and possibly by hackers. VPN encrypts the internet traffic sent from the user’s device and blocks the real IP address which can be used for tracking.

Security Management with Paid vs Free VPN

Now, when we are talking internet security VPN is the first thing that comes to mind. Online we can find a lot of VPN services, both free and paid versions. It is important that we know the difference between the two and how they can help us with security management.

So, without further ado, we will go through some basic pros and cons of having both free and paid VPN:

Pros of Using Free VPN

As we mentioned above, VPN provides safety and anonymity while online and this is one of the main features of this software. But are free VPN services good at protecting your identity? That depends on what you use it for. Here are some of the main reasons you should use a free VPN:

• Traveling abroad – Using a free VPN service can come in handy if you happen to be traveling and need to check a website that is geo-blocked or censored.
• In need of extra protection – It is worth the mention that this is good only for short-term use. In case you need some extra protection while browsing from your home internet or a public one.
• Trial version – Note that the top-notch VPN service providers will always offer users a trial version of their software so the user can confirm that that software suits its needs.

Said above, free VPN versions are great for a short term use and can provide short term security management for the user. It is also worth noting that you should avoid free VPN services that offer unlimited features.

Read More: Best Netflix VPN 2020: Watch Unlimited Movies & TV Shows

Cons of Using Free VPN

The main question we have to ask ourselves is “If a company is providing this free service to me, what do they know that I do not?” In the following list we will name some of the main things free VPN providers do to turn in some profit:

• Online tracking/Data Selling – Many free VPNs will harvest the user’s data and sell it to third-party companies. This is due to the fact that the company will blitz users with ads while using the free VPN service. When these free VPN providers apply this method they are breaking the first and strongest feature of VPN – internet security management.
• Weak encryption methods – This means that the internet traffic that the user is sending from its device will not have good quality encryption which means that it can easily be intercepted or tracked.
• Slow internet speed – If you are opting for a VPN to watch videos, movies and shows or even play video games then you will be highly disappointed with using a free VPN service. This is mostly due to the slow encryption protocol applied. Note that this is mostly a nuisance and more annoying than it is something that will endanger your security management or privacy.
• Service limitations – There are free VPN services that will provide a good quality service to users but the problem will appear once you face the limitations that are set. These boundaries are usually made so they would make the user pay for the VPN service instead of using the free version.

Paid VPN

Now, we have come to realize that no free VPN will offer us full service with no limitations but considering paying for a VPN service can bring you more good than you think. Actually, paying for VPN service is not as expensive as one might assume.

These internet security softwares are getting popular each day and people often wonder what makes them special so they would pay for it. Well, here are some of the main reasons you should buy VPN:

• Genuine protection and data security – One of the biggest features of VPN is that once you disconnect from the server all logs are deleted. This is a common action that prevents further following and tracking. Online protection is the main priority of VPN and paying for it secures that priority.
• No bandwidth or speed limits – We talked about how every free VPN sets limits to their features. Well, paying for VPN will allow users to enjoy full speeds and no bandwidth limitations from the server.
• Wide spectrum of servers – There is a genuine rule when it comes to VPN and that is that the more servers it has the better it is for unblocking websites and bypassing censorship. Top notch providers allow their users to connect to multiple servers in every country around the world. This comes in handy when traveling and needing to access certain blocked websites.

So, if VPN is something you will be using constantly we suggest you go for the paid version. It has no downsides and will provide great security and privacy for the users. On the other hand, using a free VPN version can come in handy from time to time but it is definitely not something you should opt for in the long run.