Free VPNs may seem appealing but it’s a dated cliché with a good reason: «You get what you pay for.» While some free VPN providers are trustworthy and reliable, other providers are not. They employ shady practices to earn profits and compromise your privacy. For example they sell your data or bombard users with ads. Many free VPNs also operate in unregulated jurisdictions, which are hard to control.

Free VPNs provide you with shady advertisements that eat up your data and slow down your internet connection. This is a method for them to make money and pay for the cost of their servers and services. This can be frustrating and even more so when you’re using a corporate VPN for work, since the slow internet can adversely impact productivity.

Additionally that many VPNs free of charge offer your personal information to advertisers and inject spyware to track your actions and send you targeted ads [*]. This could lead to wikipedia reference malware or phishing attacks, as well as other security risks. One example of this is when the free VPN Hola was used to create an attack botnet on 8chan.

Paid VPNs are able to invest in improving the quality of servers and introducing new features and improving security and privacy since they have a loyal client base. A higher reputation can help you avoid fraudulent operators, and also trust a business that values its customers’ privacy very seriously. A reputable VPN service provider will offer an array of low-cost plans with secure encryption protocols and advanced features as well as dependable customer support.