Is a VPN really worth it?

(Image credit: ExpressVPN)

In tech circles we spend a lot of money, only there are some decisions that are easy and a few that are hard. We know that a smartphone is an essential present, so paying up to $100 a month or more for the latest model isn't something we generally anguish over.

We invest in loftier-speed net, powerful laptops, high-stop earbuds, vocalisation-controlled speakers, mirrorless cameras, glowing keyboards, VR headsets... The tech aristocracy will always want the fastest and almost functional option possible, so that's why when information technology comes to getting the best VPN (Virtual Individual Network), it's most a no-brainer if you care about privacy, security, and anonymity.

Unlike some of those other products, the cost of a VPN is rarely astronomical, fifty-fifty if y'all cull the premium commercial options and add all of the perks (every bit explained below). Nowadays, there are fewer downsides too, and with the introduction of tech like the WireGuard protocol, the loss of connection speed that many fear is all simply negligible. And, the truth is that a VPN provides a layer of encryption for all your internet traffic that'due south generally worth the cost and trouble.

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Adding upwards the costs

You lot might not be totally convinced a VPN is worth it, and as always, it'southward smart to evaluate the pros and cons. From a purely unbiased perspective, a VPN ranks up there with an antivirus customer in terms of how you are protected online from a data breach or unethical hacking.

To empathise the actual costs, it'due south a practiced idea to investigate the levels of service bachelor. For case, Hotspot Shield offers a costless VPN that allows 500MB of data use per solar day. That'll work fine for many online activities such equally browsing websites and checking email, but it won't last long if y'all start watching videos or sending attachments – and that'due south earlier you start to consider restrictions with services like Netflix.

Thankfully, the costs just become upward a small amount if you choose paid-for options. For example, ExpressVPN (our acme-rated provider) tends to charge but a picayune over $5 per month for unlimited admission at faster speeds – plus y'all'll have more than 3,000 servers all over the globe to choose from.

Moving upward to enterprise clients for business purposes, choosing products from Cisco or Microsoft will be much more expensive, only at that place will likewise be more than assurances about service level agreements, technical support, encryption level, and reliability.

The master bespeak to brand here is that the determination is oftentimes not whether you should use a VPN (since at that place are so many free and low-toll options), information technology's how much you should pay. And this depends on what level of protection y'all demand and what you're doing online.

Read our comprehensive guide on how to setup a VPN

Level of protection and service

Assuming you lot tin can justify the low toll of a VPN, the next conclusion is related to how much protection and security you lot need. Let'due south brand one matter clear here – a VPN is a smart choice for those who need extra security, privacy, and anonymity online because yous don't want to be a pawn for advertisers serving you ads, yous don't want to go hacked, and y'all like to protect your identity. Information technology does not imply yous are stealing software or streaming illegal movies. A VPN is a justifiable security measure for anyone who uses the net.

And so, on to the level of protection of protection you need. A gratuitous service will usually provide encryption for ane device, and often for only one land where you will access spider web servers. The speed will besides likely exist throttled, and then you won't be able to download 4K movies in a affair of minutes.

It's also worth noting that a VPN is not a argent bullet. One of the important realizations to make is that your Isp (Internet service provider) still knows your identity and location no matter what since the VPN creates a tunnel from your existing, established connection.

Here'southward an case of how that works. Let's say you are connecting at dwelling house using a cable modem. When you lot connect to Wi-Fi or directly to the modem, your ISP gives you lot an IP address that is tied to your location and identity. That IP address can exist tracked by the Internet service provider. And so, the bodily connection itself, the power to even scan the spider web or download files, is traceable.

A VPN forms a secure connectedness over the existing cyberspace feed. When active, your Internet service provider tin't see which websites you are visiting or what yous are downloading, but they can see the bandwidth level yous are using, and they still know you are using an IP they provided to connect. A skillful analogy here is to driving a automobile. An Internet service provider knows which motorcar you lot are driving and at what speed, but they don't know where you're going or what you've got inside.

Determining whether a VPN is worth it should at least involve some thought process well-nigh that fact – that the Internet access provider still knows that you continued and handed yous an IP address.

Identity and location

Some other factor to consider is that in that location are other ways to make up one's mind your identity and location. Your bodily cyberspace feed is encrypted and your location is obfuscated, merely that'due south only true if y'all never blazon in any location data or personal data. If you fill up out a course online and type in a name, address, phone number, and credit card, you have revealed your identity.

A VPN protects your internet travels, but y'all should also exist enlightened of the fact that there are other means to determine your location and identity online. For case, it's possible to reveal your location based on GPS data, and Wi-Fi signals can be used to triangulate your position too. A VPN certainly provides robust encryption and protection, only it's only for the cyberspace – non for other signals you might transmit unknowingly from a phone or laptop.

This does not rule a VPN out past whatsoever means. In fact, it should prompt you to consider i fifty-fifty more. It's fortunate y'all tin can utilise a VPN to protect your online activity. The costs are low compared to other services nosotros know are important and valuable, and the level of protection and service, fifty-fifty for free clients, provide more privacy, good protection, and peace of mind.

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Mo is VPN Editor at Tom's Guide. Twenty-four hours-to-twenty-four hours he oversees VPN, privacy, and cybersecurity content, and also undertakes independent testing of VPN services to ensure his recommendations are authentic and upwards to engagement. When he's not getting stuck into the nitty-gritty settings of a VPN you've never heard of, you'll find him working on his Peugeot 205 GTi or watching Peep Show instead of finally putting up those shelves.