Factors to Consider Before Buying a VPN

Of all the things you could buy to protect yourself from online dangers, nothing comes close to the virtual private network. And you don’t have to put in any extra effort to defend yourself like Creed in the stellar Creed II movie if you hook up with a VPN.

Until a few years ago, a virtual private network was used only by large businesses who needed to protect their sensitive data transmitted over the internet every day.

A Bit Expensive

VPN technology was also very expensive back then and not easily accessible by individual users. But as the list of online dangers kept growing, the anti-malware solution was not enough anymore to keep a device safe.

That’s why an increasing number of people around the world have started to use virtual private networks as the ultimate internet security solution.

A VPN is based on the technology that was developed in the late ’90s to keep corporate data safe. For a long time, large organizations were the only ones to use VPNs because this was the only large-scale security solution available to corporations.

But as the internet progressed and newer technologies started coming in, the number of people using the internet for unethical purposes also increased by leaps and bounds.

At first, security threats were limited to a virus attack or someone hacking into another person’s email account. But today, cybercrime has become more dangerous than ever, with criminals pulling off wide-ranging crimes that affect big organizations.

Big Retail Giants Were Targeted

Companies like Yahoo, Google, Walmart, and Target have all experienced massive data breach incidents in the past, with the passwords and credit card information of millions of their customers stolen. All these incidents prove that the internet can be an unsafe place. That’s why you need a VPN.

Advantages of VPN

Using a virtual private network can have so many advantages. In fact, with all the dangers that exist online, it is quite risky to surf the internet without one.

The best VPN services do not come cheap. They can cost you more than $10 a month. But if you look at the wide range of benefits they offer, the price is actually worth it.

The first and most important advantage offered by a virtual private network is anonymity.  A VPN hides your original IP address and replaces it with another one from a server of your choice.

This makes you virtually untraceable on the web. When you’re anonymously online, you can safely carry out transactions, bypass censorship, access geo-restricted content, and protect yourself from all sorts of online threats. This is something that only a VPN makes possible.

How to choose a VPN

Virtual private networks are very easy to get, but the VPN providers don’t offer their services for free. If you want top-of-the-line features, you have to caugh up the cash. But since the market is flooded with so many VPN brands, Picking one can get a bit confusing.

Each provider offers a different set of services, from security protocols to privacy policies. There might also be a price difference between various VPN providers. Purchasing a VPN is also a trial and error, so if you aren’t satisfied with one service, you can cancel it and choose another.

When choosing or purchasing a VPN service, the following factors should be considered.

Payment Methods

Paying subscription fees to a VPN service is done online, and even though the VPN is supposed to keep you safe, the VPN provider still gets to know your credit card information when you make the payment.

In fact, whenever you make a payment through a VPN, your IP address may be hidden but not your credit card information.

Even though no third party can hack into your payment details, the entity you are paying still gets to see your payment information. Therefore, before you purchase a VPN, make sure you understand how anonymity works. 

Security

The most important reason why people use a virtual private network is security. If a VPN service uses an outdated tunneling protocol, then you can be certain the encryption it provides to your internet traffic will be weak.

That’s why you must always make sure that your VPN provider uses a secure protocol and strong encryption to keep your data safe. You wouldn’t want to pay monthly subscription fees for bad services.

Privacy

Another important factor you should consider is privacy. You have to choose a VPN brand that keeps your personal data private and anonymous.

Cheap and ad-based VPN services can sometimes log user data and sell it to third-party advertisers for revenue. For maximum privacy only stick to high-ranked VPN providers that offer outstanding services. 

Advertisements

A virtual private network that is ad-supported must be avoided at all costs. If this is a free virtual private network service that relies on advertisements to run the business then steer clear of it completely.

When a free or ridiculously cheap VPN service is ad-based, it means that your data will not be safe and will be collected and sold off to third-party advertisers for revenue. For maximum security and privacy only stick to reputed, paid VPN services that don’t rely on ads for money.

Lifetime Free Subscription

No VPN can afford to offer a free subscription for a lifetime, because it’s a costly business maintaining VPN servers around the world. Therefore, when a service tries to tempt you with their lifetime free subscription offer, ignore it.

Best VPNs

There are several VPN providers that you can trust, but the one that stands out from the rest is ExpressVPN. This provider has over 1,000 servers scattered across 160 cities. It carries out a strict no-logging policy, which means that ExpressVPN doesn’t log traffic data, DNS queries, or anything. So if you want to keep your matter private, this brand is perfect for you. It might be a bit pricey compared to other providers, but trust me, it’s worth every penny. 

For the a full review of ExpressVPN‘s features and benefits, check out our ExpressVPN Review 2019.

Of course there are other VPN brands for you to consider before you make up your mind. The list below features the best VPN providers in the business:

 

Factors to Consider Before Buying a VPN – Final Words

VPNs bring a lot of benefits to the table, making them a must-have for every internet user. Of course not all VPNs are created equally, and the best brands tend not to offer their services for free. So it’s very important to consider every aspect before settling on a VPN. So we hope this guide provided you with the sufficient information that you need to get the best VPN that suits your taste.