The internet is increasingly becoming a hostile place for the privacy-minded. Big tech corporations are super interested in your data and will track your online activities. Internet service providers (ISPs) can now sell your browsing history no thanks to a Congress voting in 2017. The Government can also spy on you while cybercriminals are looking for ways to obtain your private information for fraudulent purposes.
VIrtual Private Networks (VPN) represent an avenue for people to fight back against the several parties after their data. A VPN will encrypt your internet traffic and reroutes it through a secure channel on the internet. This hides your online activity from your ISP and other parties.
There are several reputable VPN providers today and all of them claim to improve your online privacy. However, your budget and the features you are looking for will largely determine the VPN you go for. Then you choose one and download VPN app for your device.
How to Choose a VPN app
VPNs may vary in the features they offer, so not all of them will be a good fit for you. Below are steps you should take to choose the right VPN for you:-
- Identify important features
VPNs can do a lot more than just encrypting your internet traffic. They can be used to change online location and access geo-restricted content such as streaming services especially when you are abroad or in a location where the content isn’t available.
Streaming VPNs should have unlimited bandwidth, fast internet speeds, and enough servers. So, you should look for VPNs that meet these criteria if you need a VPN for streaming.
VPNs may or may not log your data. If your privacy is very important to you, you should go for VPNs that don’t log users’ data. Also, check the number of devices that a single plan covers as well as the level of encryption if these features are important to you.
- Decide on your price
The prices of VPNs vary among providers and can be as cheap as $3 or as expensive as $20. However, you can expect to spend up to $10 on average. Yearly and bi-yearly subscription plans are usually cheaper than paying on a month-to-month basis.
A VPN may offer $10 for a month-to-month and reduce the monthly price to $5 or $3 if a user signs up for a year or 2 years. So, decide on how much you are willing to spend on a VPN and find reputable VPNs that fall within your budget.
- Use third-party research
While you can find the features and pricing of VPNs on the provider’s website, you should learn more about the VPN by reading unbiased reviews by security experts. It’s common to see security experts researching different VPNs and providing information about the pros and cons of each of them.
- Take Advantage of Free Trials
Some VPN providers offer free trials to let customers test out their features and you should always take advantage of this. If you like the services of the VPN, you can then commit to a longer plan.
- Free Vs Paid VPNs
There are several VPN services and you may wonder why you should pay for a VPN when you can get one for free. However, free VPNs defeat the purpose of using a VPN.
Remember the old saying that says, “if it’s free, then you are the product.” This also applies to free VPNs as many of them sell users’ data to make money. We can’t really blame them for this since they have to make money somehow. Even if they don’t sell your data, you’ll have a bandwidth limit and a slow internet connection. This makes free VPNs unsuitable for streaming.
Expect annoying ads with free VPNs. It’s part of the package as they have to make money. You may not be paying for free VPNs out of your pocket but you’ll pay for them through other means. Some free VPNs use weak encryption that is easy to break by cybercriminals.
Conclusion
Choosing a VPN becomes easier when you know the features you are looking for. It’ll now be a matter of finding a VPN that has all the features you need while being within your price range. If you are unsure about the capability of the VPN to do what you need, you can take advantage of the free trial to have a feel of what to expect.