Between Free VPN vs. Paid VPN – Which is the Best for you in 2022?

If you were wondering where to compare a free VPN vs. paid VPN, then you are at the right place. Here, you will get tipped on which VPN best suits your needs, why there are free VPNs and paid VPNs, and the pros and cons of owning each. You will easily decide which VPN is the best, a free VPN vs. paid VPN.

With the increasing need for a VPN in recent years, choosing the best VPN might be hard. This may be because of the quality they offer, how well they have marketed themselves, or because there are free VPNs and paid VPNs. The prices are a big determinant because they dictate the quality and efficiency of service.

Using VPNs has been recommended for increasing internet activity security, privacy, and maintaining internet speeds. The intended security that is provided by VPNs is to avoid online surveillance by the government or by sites we visit.

Having a trustworthy VPN will ensure that these qualities are provided well. If a VPN provides the exquisite roles it is said to provide, why are some VPNs free and others not?

Free-VPN-vs-Paid-VPN

Why are There Paid VPNs and Free VPNs?

A VPN is supposed to ensure your internet connection is anonymous. Your IP address is kept a secret from sites you are visiting and replaced with an IP address from the servers you have chosen. With a VPN, you also get shielded from online threats such as viruses that may get picked up from the internet.

In addition, you have access to sites that geo-restrict content, such as Netflix and Hulu.
With what a VPN does in mind, then we should think about what is required to fulfill the esteemed roles of a VPN.

A VPN requires multiple high-rated servers around the globe to give you access to content from any region. VPNs also require customer service teams to ensure the smooth running of their service and uphold their customer security.

There is more to running a trustworthy VPN service, such as developing the user apps, marketing and running the global server network at your disposal. With all these costs in mind, it is clear that a VPN provider requires a lot of funds to run.

The funds may get collected from online ads and downloads of their service apps, but the service a VPN gives demands the funds it requires to run.

The maintenance fee determines why some VPNs are free, and others are not. It surely isn’t free for a VPN that provides the required services at a better level. Free VPNs provide the required roles at a smaller scale that is fundable by the organic funds brought by ads and downloads of using apps.

Which One is Worth It? Free VPNs or Paid VPNs

With our internet connections branded as untrusted, the need for a VPN arises to ensure we are untraceable. With that in mind, people take an organic search on Google for the best free VPN vs paid VPN and get multiple options.

To determine which is worth it between a paid VPN vs. free VPN, several factors must get compared to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each.

First is the Pricing

Some are packaged with good deals for the free VPNs of the anonymity they provide and internet security. Security companies mostly recommend them, but they are there to lure you into subscribing to their paid versions to get the best advantages.

It tells you that you get limited advantages with their free version but pay up to get the best version.

Depending on your demand for a VPN service may determine whether you choose the free or paid versions.

For paid VPNs, you get unlimited services of security and anonymity for a relatively affordable price. So the choice here would be selecting between multiple paid VPNs and your expectations.

Free VPN vs. Paid VPN Security

Users also have to consider the security offered. Free VPNs are not reputable in providing military-level security, and there are cases of being identified using them. For a VPN that plugs you with 256-bit data encryption, you will need to pay something to cater to this.

You get around 128-bit data encryption for a free VPN, limiting secure data transfer and anonymous connectivity.

Paid VPN on the other hand, offers 256-bit AES encryption which is the industry standard.

Quality of the VPN Service

When it comes to quality of service on free VPN vs. paid VPN, free VPNs are reputable with setting a limit to the users’ data usage, servers at their disposal before and after paying, and speeds their internet can support when connected to them.

Some are even known to give your information to other sites, and from there, all you get is endless cookies.

Most occasions of cyberattacks have been linked to people allowing free VPN access to their data or connectivity. To maintain the VPNs, free VPNs are characterized by endless ads that interrupt browsing, but with a paid VPN, you get secure ad-free connectivity.

Paid VPNs give users access to thousands of servers in many high-end locations around the globe. Users also get 24/7 customer support aid. Moreover, their internet speeds are maintained even with a bit of lag, thus protecting users’ interests.

FreeVPN vs. Paid VPN Which is Better for Streaming?

Paid VPNs are more reputable in unblocking geo-restricted sites and content with streaming and user privacy. The streaming services unblocked do not have access to the user’s location and cannot switch them off from watching content they offer.

However, not all of us require the explicit use of a paid VPN due to activities online. There are upsides to using a free VPN.

User Privacy

When it comes to user privacy which is better between a free VPN vs. Paid VPN?

When using a paid VPN, you don’t have to worry about your online safety. Most paid VPNs invest heavily in features that make sure you have the privacy you need.

On the other hand, free VPNs struggle to keep up as many don’t have enough resources for such features. Research shows that more than 40% of free VPNs log user data and sell to advertisers.

And as we mentioned earlier, some don’t care about your privacy as they leak it in order to generate income. This is how free VPNs make money.

One such example if of Hola VPN. It is a free VPN that clearly states in its privacy policy that it collects IP addresses, names, email addresses, web pages you visit, and time spent on those pages.

Basically, everything you do online is getting logged, leading to online privacy issues.

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When should you use a Free VPN?

Free VPNs come in handy for light use. These may be weakly geo-blocked sites for limited time or protection when using public wireless connections. However, do not expect unlimited services from a free VPN on android and different devices as well.

You must be ready to accept and be conscious of their limitations. For example, their bandwidth may be less, and their security features may be less encrypted.

Recommended paid VPN

Now that we have the answer to which is better between using a free VPN vs. paid VPN, we can look at the best-paid VPN.

Of course, there are multiple paid VPNs, but one stands out as the best of them all, ExpressVPN. It is the best VPN in the world and the reason we recommend it.

But, there are other good VPNs worth subscribing to. So, how do you decide which VPN to use? Here is a list of three of the best VPNs you can use.

Starting the list is our recommended best-paid VPN, ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN: The Best paid VPN with a 30-day refund policy

Key Features

For the best internet speeds support, military-level data encryption, and privacy, you need ExpressVPN. It is all rounded for any VPN use, from streaming to geo-blocking. So why does ExpressVPN deserve the reputation it has?

First, it provides the best speeds compared to any other VPN tested. Why this is possible because of their dedicated supreme servers. They have over 3000 servers located in 94 countries. Therefore, you get esteemed online locations rich with content.

It also works with plenty of streaming services that are geo-restricted. With ExpressVPN, you can watch IMDB TV, Amazon Prime video US, Paramount+, and Hulu in Canada.

There is a kill switch and leak protection on the security features one gets. It also enables split tunneling, where users can choose what apps to use with the VPN and which not to. It does not collect its users’ data and works on almost every operating system and device. It enables users to use it on up to 5 devices.

However, it has a higher price than its competitors of up to CA$ 9.07/mo (US$ 6.67/mo)(Save up to 49% with exclusive 1-year plans + 3 months free).

Have a look at our thorough guide to ExpressVPN review for Canada.

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Surfshark

Key Features

Surfshark VPN is the best-paid VPN for you when looking for more quality for less price. It gives an almost 80% discount compared to other users, and with only CA$ 3.39/mo (US$ 2.49/mo)- Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee, you get an active subscription that you can use on all of your devices.

In addition, Surfshark doesn’t have a device connection limit. You can connect as many devices as you want with a single account.

Even though it is cheap, you get to keep your data safe as it enables users to disguise their online activity. In addition, because you can use it on almost any device, you get to protect any device that could get targeted for online attacks.

Surfshark VPN has recommendable split tunneling tools for your use and blocks ads directed your way. Surfshark also supports P2P traffic on its servers and is considered one of the best VPNs for torrenting. Surfshark can also unblock instant messaging applications like WeChat in Canada.

It consists of over 3200 servers in 65 countries. It is one of the best-paid VPNs for unblocking geo-restricted sites with them, like Vudu in Canada,. Get to know more about this VPN in our Surfshark review.

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NordVPN

Key Features

For just CA$ 5.43/mo (US$ 3.99/mo)- Save up to 63% with exclusive 2-year plan + 3 months free for a friend, you get access to the VPN with the most servers globally (5200 servers). This means that your connection does not lag due to congestion on a single server.

As a result, your internet speeds are kept in check, and you are guaranteed to feel safe online anywhere.

NordVPN allows you to connect six devices simultaneously and then provides a no-log policy where they do not check your online activities. Let alone allow others to access your online activity.

For your passwords, it generates the most complex passwords for you that hackers cannot crack. Users then get 10GB of private cloud storage subscription to NordVPN.

The connection speeds supported with NordVPN impressively hit 6730+ Mbps. The bandwidth is surely unlimited and goes ahead to work on any device. It then offers outstanding malware protection and a tracker blocker.

The VPN works with all major streaming services and channels that are geo-restricted. With NordVPN, you can watch Rai TV in CanadaCanada CBC, Showtime, and Peacock TV in Canada.

With NordVPN’s no-log policy, you get the ultimate privacy and no ads to disturb your private browsing. You can also unblock CW in Canada with NordVPN.

For details, feel free to read our detailed NordVPN review.

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Is a Free VPN better than no VPN?

Even though free VPNs do not offer as much quality as paid VPNs, do you have to pay for VPNs? No, there are too many risks with using an unprotected network connection. Therefore, even though paid VPNs beat them, we cannot brand them completely useless.

With a free VPN, users get access to up to 50 servers in 20 countries. This is way better than not using a VPN at all. You get data encryption from malware online for the best free VPNs, and your location is kept anonymous to your network provider or hackers around you.

However, your network may lag, and the best solution for this is to select a server closest to you to maintain better speeds.

It is, therefore, right to say that a free VPN is better than no VPN. with no VPN, your connection is public to anyone and can be accessed easily.

Conclusion

In a debate about a free VPN vs. paid VPN, paid VPNs beat free VPNs by 90%. Paid VPNs are the most secure, provide data encryption and unblock content for you. You get the best quality of service and can stream content safely. This does not mean that free VPNs are useless, as they offer great advantages compared to not using a VPN.