This is most common with mobile-only free VPNs. Other free VPNs generate income by running advertisements in their apps. These companies don’t have to monetize their free applications directly. Windscribe, TunnelBear, and ProtonVPN are good examples. It’s safer to choose free VPNs that are subsidized by paid VPN services. Being subsidized by a paid service (another VPN or security software).These are most common ways free VPNs make money: As the saying goes: if you aren’t paying for a product, then you are the product. How a free VPN makes its money is really important. It isn’t really possible to run a VPN for free. There are development, infrastructure, and staff costs, to list a few. At the very worst, some actively harvest your data. Most popular free VPNs on the App Store or Google Play Store belong to companies that do not prioritize user privacy. We investigate which companies and individuals are behind a VPN service.įor example, our past research revealed how 60% of popular free VPNs had suspicious links to China, as well as serious privacy flaws. Basically, free ‘VPNs’ like these are proxies that don’t encrypt your data. We see many popular free VPNs like YogaVPN and TurboVPN leak DNS and IP address information. Many free VPNs are poorly maintained – as a result, they simply aren’t secure. Strong encryption and a secure server network cost money. If you are using a VPN to use the internet privately, avoid those that have advertising. Some free VPNs even log your web data and sell it to third-parties. Free VPN apps with ads have third-party code that can send personal data back to the ad platform. Here are the potential dangers of using an unverified free VPN: Data Logging & Advertisingįree VPN services need to make money to support their business. What’s more, many popular free services are simply proxies. Most have a reduced server network, and many limit your speeds or cap your data usage. It’s tempting to use a VPN without a long-term commitment, but be aware that even safe free VPNs have limitations.įor example, it’s rare for a free VPN to support streaming services or P2P traffic.

Some free VPNs are very good for small and specific tasks like browsing safely on public WiFi or accessing a short geo-blocked video on YouTube. Sources: 1 Global Mobile VPN Report, 2 Free VPN Ownership Investigation, 3 Free VPN Risk Index: Android Apps

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