VPN stands for “Virtual Private Network.” Through VPN, your internet traffic goes to a VPN server before reaching the final destination. By using a VPN, you give up a little bit of internet speed in exchange for multiple advantages which we will dive into later.
Although the original purpose of using VPN is to connect and use various business networks safely from anywhere, in today’s world, it’s being used for much more. We will focus on talking about personal VPNs today, which are widely used by normal internet users like you and me.
Personal VPNs overcome internet censorship and can access geographically restricted content. A personal VPN provides great benefits that everyone should get one.
There are multiple VPN providers in the market. Click here for a quick preview.
How Does a VPN Work?
When you are connected to a VPN, all your internet traffic will be encrypted and routed to a VPN server before reaching the destination. This prevents your Internet Service Provider (ISP) from spying your internet activities and even selling your data to third party advertisers.
In this way, your ISP can only see that you are connected to a VPN server. You are essentially browsing the internet with another IP address.
Why Should You Get a VPN?
Here are some reasons why should you use a VPN:
· Hiding Your IP Address, Your Location
The best VPN services have a large number of VPN locations throughout the world. This way, you can opt to appear in any part of the globe you want to, hence, hiding or changing your place and IP address.
· Preventing Spy Activities
VPN prevents agencies, ISPs, governments, corporations, and other agents from accessing your personal information and internet activities by traffic encryption. Thus increases your internet privacy.
· Finding Discount offers and Codes to Save your money
Many websites charge differently based upon your location. You can use a VPN to change your location and save your wallet from extra charges. Sometimes finding one good deal (Eg: Flights/Hotels/Rental Cars) can save you a good amount of money, which could be enough to cover the cost of purchasing multiple years of VPN services.
· Accessing Websites with Censorship or Geographic Restrictions
Many websites, such as YouTube, Twitter and Netflix, have geographic restrictions or are censored by governments, which means that you cannot access these websites or some of their content from some specified locations. If you want to use this website from a restricted area, a VPN can help you out. By concealing your location, VPN assists you to browse any website you want.
· Blocking Infuriating ads and Malware
Although not all VPNs serve this function, some of them, like NordVPN, protects your device from viruses and malware if you turn on its CyberSec function. It will also block online ads which are usually very exasperating for most users.
Free VPN VS Paid VPN
1. There is a saying “If you are not the customer, you are the product.” Operating a VPN costs money and free VPN providers have to make up for it. They usually make profits by selling user’s data to third parties. This defeats the original purpose of using a VPN. In comparison, paid VPNs make money from their services and usually have strict no-logging and privacy policies.
2. Free VPNs usually don’t provide an exceptional speed as bandwidth cost much to the provider. On the other hand, paid VPNs invest a generous amount of their profit in infrastructure, ensuring a remarkable internet speed for their customers.
In short, Paid VPN wins. There is no free lunch. Going with paid VPNs, you get a lot more in terms of security, internet speed, encryption and support. So, I highly suggest going for a paid VPN service for better services and privacy.
Our recommended VPNs:
✔ Audited No-Log VPN by PwC
✔ 5000+ servers, 60+ countries
✔ CyberSec — Block viruses and Ads
✔ Connect 6 devices on different platform types
✔ Cryptocurrency and cash both accepted for payment
✖ The app is somewhat slow
✖ Low price but only available for long subscriptions
Click here to check out details of NordVPN
✔ 3300+ servers, 30+ countries
✔ 10 Devices simultaneously
✔ No-Log VPN verified by a US court case
✔ Block ads, trackers, and malware
✔ Great Price-Performance ratio
✖ Some users complained support is mediocre
✖ Based in the US
Click here to check out details of PrivateInternetAccess
✔ Wide range of platforms
✔ 3000+ servers, 94 countries
✔ No-Log VPN verified by a Turkey court case
✔ Very active customer support
✔ Good connection speed
✖ Premium price
✖ Rumors saying it’s associated with China
Click here to check out details of ExpressVPN
✔ First publicly audited no-log VPN
✔ 700+ servers, 60+ countries
✔ Extremely user-friendly
✔ Solid security and encryption
✔ 30-day money-back guarantee
✖ Provides only a few payment options
Click here to check out details of VyprVPN
✔450+ servers, 30+ countries
✔ Swiss-based
✔ Strict no-logging policy
✔ Top over VPN
✔ 10 Devices simultaneously
✔ DNS leak protection
✖ Slow for this price
✖ Doesn’t support TOR
Click here to check out details of ProtonVPN
Conclusion
I hope this article helps you know what exactly a VPN is and how it provides multiple benefits to its users. If you find this article informative, please leave a clap and get your VPN now!