Free vs Paid VPN: The Battle for Your Privacy

Free VPNs compromise your privacy. Get PIA VPN to bolster your anonymity online.

  • Protect your browsing data with a strict No Logs policy
  • Stream buffer-free with a blazing-fast VPN connection
  • Connect to NextGen servers in 154 locations worldwide
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Free vs Paid VPN: The Battle for Your Privacy

Why Are Some VPNs Free but Others Aren’t?

Running a VPN service is expensive. VPN companies need to maintain extensive global server networks, hire developers to optimize the system for the best performance, and offer round-the-clock customer support to resolve problems.

Most free VPNs meet these costs in a rather sneaky way — collecting and selling your browsing data. Instead of charging you, they make you their product. This defeats the purpose of using a VPN in the first place.

Why Are Some VPNs Free but Others Aren’t?
You Pay for Free VPNs with Your Privacy

You Pay for Free VPNs with Your Privacy

Free VPNs are under more pressure to keep costs under control, and when they do, if it’s often at the expense of your privacy. Most can’t afford to offer advanced features such as a Kill Switch, leaving your data vulnerable to snoops and cybercrooks.

Free VPNs apps usually offer zero transparency, meaning you have no way of knowing whether they’re fit for purpose. Free VPNs are known to sometimes contain malware, so it’s a good idea to think very carefully before using one.

Free VPNs Are Usually Slow

If you want to use a free VPN for streaming movies or online gaming, you’re out of luck. Free VPNs don’t usually have the resources to offer anything other than slow, laggy, and unreliable connections on overcrowded servers.

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Free VPNs Are Usually Slow

Set Up PIA VPN in 3 Steps

Follow these simple steps to connect to PIA VPN. It’s super easy and quick! 

Step 1

Sign up for Private Internet Access

Step 2

Set up PIA on any device

Step 3

Choose a server & click to connect

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Complete Protection on All Devices

Complete Protection on All Devices

  • Download PIA apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices
  • Secure unlimited devices simultaneously with just one subscription
  • Install PIA on your router to secure every device on the network
Connect Any Device

Open Source Transparency

  • Browse in confidence with our 100% open-source apps
  • Verify our VPN app source code for yourself on our GitHub repository
  • Protect your sensitive data with secure open-source OpenVPN and WireGuard® protocols
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Open Source Transparency
Ultimate Privacy and Security

Ultimate Privacy & Security

  • Obfuscate your internet traffic and conceal your VPN use with multi-hop technology
  • Protect against data leaks when the VPN connection drops with our Kill Switch
  • Use PIA’s secure DNS servers to prevent your ISP from snooping on your browsing data
Hide Your Digital Footprint

Select Your Virtual Location

Some public Wi-Fi, school, and work networks block access to certain apps and websites. You may also lose access to your favorite sites when traveling overseas. Connect to a server from PIA’s vast global network and regain access securely.

Hide Your Digital Footprint

PIA’s Top VPN Features

From unbreakable encryption to blazing-fast speeds, PIA surpasses free VPNs with all the features you need to secure your data on any network.

No Logs Policy
Unlimited Bandwidth
Strong Encryption
Fast Speeds
PIA MACE
24/7 Customer Support

PIA VPN vs Free VPN

FeaturesPIA VPNFree VPN
Military-grade encryptionYesYes
IP spoofingYesYes
Number of server locations154Limited server locations
Unlimited bandwidthYesNo
Fast 10 Gbps serversYesNo
No Logs policyYesNo
Open-source appsYesNo
Multi-device supportYesNo
24/7 Customer SupportYesNo
Kill SwitchYesNo
Split tunnelingYesNo
Multi-hopYesNo
AutomationYesNo
DNS leak protection YesNo
Advanced VPN protocolsYesNo
Configurable encryption settingsYesNo
PricePaidFree
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FAQ

It depends on how you define safe, but generally speaking, you should only use a free VPN if you trust it with your data. Running a VPN service is expensive, and most free VPNs sell your data to meet their operational costs.

It’s much safer to use PIA VPN instead. Our strict No Logs policy keeps your sensitive data truly private.

Buy PIA VPN today and enjoy unlimited simultaneous connections on a single subscription to secure all your devices.

A VPN replaces your IP address with its own server address to improve your anonymity. It also encrypts your connection to secure your data from prying eyes. Free VPNs may provide basic features like these but they often come at a hidden cost.

Many free VPNs are mere facades for malware and malicious scripts. They also typically lack important features like a Kill Switch, Split Tunneling, and DNS leak protection — essential for meaningful privacy.

Free VPNs are generally useless for streaming movies and TV shows as they have heavily congested networks. If you’re looking for a lightning-fast VPN that works seamlessly with streaming services, choose PIA VPN.

Yes! PIA offers a 7-day free VPN trial on our iOS and Android VPN apps. We also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for you to try all PIA VPN features risk-free. If you decide PIA isn’t right for you for any reason, you can get a full refund within 30 days.

Yes, you pay for every VPN you use. Even for the so-called free VPNs, you pay for with your data. Running a VPN service is expensive, and free VPNs usually log your browsing data, then sell it to third parties to meet these costs.

Many free VPNs use other ways to generate revenue too, like monitoring your browsing data and inserting targeted ads. This a blatant invasion of your privacy.

Use PIA VPN to secure your browsing data. We have 100% open-source VPN apps for greater transparency so anyone can check and verify our source code.

Yes, PIA works great with Netflix. Our VPN consistently delivers speeds in excess of the 15 Mbps Netflix recommends for 4K streaming.

When you travel overseas, you can lose access to your Netflix subscription, or some movies and shows might not be available in the region you’re traveling in.

Connect to a PIA VPN server in your home country to instantly get back to streaming securely. Our global server network spans 91 countries all around the world.

VPNs are legal in the US and most other countries. Generally speaking, your right to protect your privacy online is protected by law. However, a few countries limit or even ban VPNs, so it’s a good idea to check the local regulations before connecting.

However, using a VPN to break the law online is still illegal, and it won’t protect you from any associated consequences.

If you have any questions about protecting your privacy online with PIA VPN, contact our 24/7 Customer Support team via live chat or email.

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Disclaimer: Per our Terms and Conditions, using PIA VPN for illegal purposes is not encouraged.

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