Switched from free VPN to a paid one after a rude wake-up call

I used to think all VPNs were basically the same so I just used a free one for like 2 years. Last week I ran a leak test on a whim after reading a post here and found out my real IP was showing through the whole time. The free one also logged my activity and sold it to ad companies which I only found out because I dug into their privacy policy for a school project. I switched to Mullvad which is 5 bucks a month and ran the same test with zero leaks. The speed difference is huge too like 80 Mbps vs the 20 I was getting before. Has anyone else here gotten burned by a free VPN or am I just the last person to learn this lesson?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_jackson7d ago

Yeah, you definitely got burned. Free VPNs are almost always the product, not the tool. They have to make money somehow and selling your data is the easiest way. The speed drop makes sense too since free ones are usually overloaded or capping your bandwidth hard. Mullvad is a solid choice though, they keep it simple and don't mess around with logs.

spencer_owens586d ago

Mullvad is what I landed on too after trying four different free ones that all had issues. I had one that straight up didn't encrypt anything, it just routed my traffic through their server with no protection at all. Another one changed their privacy policy six months after I signed up and started collecting browsing history. The speed jump you noticed is exactly what I saw, like going from a dirt road to a highway. Now I just pay the five bucks and don't worry about it, which is way better than wondering who's watching me.

markh857d ago

Congrats on joining the club nobody wanted a membership to. Free VPNs are like free pizza - sounds great until you find out they sold your address to every delivery service in town. Mullvad treats you better than most paid options anyway, so at least you landed on your feet.