If you don't pay for something, you are the product. Think about this when choosing a VPN

Before we get to the point, a quick reminder on why you should use a VPN:

- Public Wi-Fi networks in cafes, hotels and airports can be a trap for traffic monitoring. A VPN encrypts all communications so that instead of your data, someone only sees a meaningless string of characters.

- You can also encrypt communication from your Internet provider. It will only see that you are connecting to the VPN server.

- Netflix the same as in the US? Unlimited access to HBO premieres? A VPN allows you to "pretend" that you are where you want to be. This helps when using certain games, sports broadcasts or other services.

Can you get such a solution for free?

An old rule, especially true on the Internet, is: if the product is free, you are the product.

Companies do not maintain server infrastructure for free. Servers, connections and employees cost money. If you don't pay for the service, someone else has to - they use your data instead. And this is the most important currency in the online world.

Take the example of Holi, one of the free applications that sold its users' bandwidth for years, leading to accusations of creating a botnet. Ironically, users were paying with anonymity and security for a service that was supposed to provide that security. Other free VPNs explicitly admit in their terms and conditions that they may share data with third parties "for marketing purposes."

“VPN placebo”, i.e. technical limitations

Even if you find an honest, free VPN, you will have to put up with using a defective product:

- Data limits - what can you do with a 2 GB limit? This is enough for a few low-quality movies, but not for convenient streaming.

- Low speed - paying customers are given priority and bandwidth is throttled for other users.

- No kill switch - this is a feature that blocks the Internet when the VPN connection unexpectedly drops. Without it, users are "exposed" and even a few seconds are enough to reveal the true location.

- Few servers - a few locations are not always enough to bypass geoblocks of a specific platform.

Finally, how do you know that a VPN isn't logging your activity? The best VPNs undergo independent security audits and publish their results. Free VPNs usually have neither a budget nor an interest in anyone looking over their shoulder.

Paid VPNs - what do you actually pay for?

Let's answer this question using the example of two VPNs, which you may have already read about on Spider's Web. NordVPN and Surfshark are services that cost less than one coffee per week with an annual subscription. What do we get in return? First of all, when you buy a subscription, the business model is simple: you have to be satisfied or you won't renew it. The company cares about user experience and does not need to make money on their data.

NordVPN has over 8,400 servers in 167 countries. And these are not empty numbers, because infrastructure translates into:

- speed - servers near you reduce delays, and their availability makes the connection quality difficult to distinguish from that without VPN.

- dedicated streaming servers - NordVPN and Surfshark have servers optimized for Netflix or Disney+.

Plus, Surfshark doesn't limit the number of devices on one account, which means you can protect your entire family with one subscription.

Greater security

NordVPN uses NordLynx, its own implementation based on WireGuard. This is currently one of the fastest and best-tested VPN protocols. Surfshark offers WireGuard natively. Both VPNs also support the OpenVPN protocol and conduct independent security audits. The reports are public, so the promises made in the regulations can be verified at any time.

When using NordVPN or Surfshark, we do not have to worry about losing the connection, because the built-in kill switch will automatically cut off the Internet. DNS disclosure protection works similarly. Prevents queries from leaking to your ISP instead of through an encrypted tunnel.

Let's summarize the comparison in table form:

How much does it cost?

With a two-year subscription, NordVPN costs PLN 12.89 per month. Surfshark costs PLN 8.39/month, which is often one of the cheapest paid VPNs on the market, without compromising on features.

Compare the above cost to the cost of one data breach, one hacked bank account, one month without access to streaming that you pay for and cannot unblock. A paid VPN helps protect your accounts and access much better than free products that make money off your data, or offer such limited functionality that you're left with no real protection anyway.

NordVPN and Surfshark offer a fair deal: you pay for the service, you get the service. No stars, no hidden costs, no situation where protecting your privacy is just another product for sale.