Very few VPNs offer a truly free option. Instead, many companies will offer time-limited trials or money-back guarantees.
Some services limit the amount of bandwidth you can use in a given period. Some keep the number of devices you can connect simultaneously low, generally to one or two. Some restrict you to certain servers, meaning you can't jump to a better-performing server, or a server in a particular location.
Performance is an important consideration in choosing a VPN service, especially when you're looking at free tools. While none of these services outright throttle your speeds, limiting the servers you can connect with may have an impact on performance. You don't have the option to jump to a server with fewer people, which would provide more bandwidth. Nor can you find a server that's nearby, which can also affect performance.
Paying for a VPN subscription like APMGs' offer typically unlocks all these features, and often adds additional sweeteners unavailable at the free level. You get all the servers in all the locations, and usually more simultaneous connections. To date, PCMag has yet to review a paid VPN service that limited user bandwidth—this is by far the biggest benefit to paying for a VPN.
Using a Free VPN
VPNs are often used to bypass oppressive censorship by tunneling out to a VPN server beyond the control of despots, but that same ability can also be used to access streaming content that's not available in your country.
The BBC and the MLB, for instance, have different streaming arrangements for different regions. There are numerous other examples and many of them—especially Netflix—will try to block VPN use to enforce those regional streaming deals.
This is particularly tricky for free VPN users. Most free VPNs limit the servers you can use, meaning you have fewer options (if any) to spoof your location. Free users will also have a harder time jumping to a different server looking for unblocked access or better speeds.
Some VPNs offer servers specifically for watching Netflix, but not for free users. Another option to get around a Netflix blockade is to purchase a static IP address, which will almost certainly require a paid VPN subscription in addition to the cost of the static IP.
In short,watching streaming services with VPN is hard, and doing it with a free VPN is even harder.
Trust and Technology
As is the case with most encryption technology, verifying the efficacy of a particular VPN's security is very difficult. True, we could monitor traffic to confirm that it's encrypted, but that really doesn't tell us much. If, for example, the fundamental execution of the encryption scheme is flawed (either in how it is set up or how the math works) there would be almost no way to know it. Nor is it easy to tell if a VPN is honoring its comitment to your privacy, or if it's selling your data behind your back.
Free VPNs definitely have some baggage, since not all VPN providers turn out to be good actors. Some VPNs may have unseemly practices, if not outright unsafe ones. We rely on companies to act in good faith, and for third-party researchers to ferret out the companies that don't.
In general, we prefer providers that use OpenVPN or IKEv2, both of which are comparably new technologies. OpenVPN has the benefit of being open-source, and has thus been picked over for any possible vulnerabilities. IPSec is also acceptable, and is a lot better than the older PPTP. If PPTP is the only option, or you can't figure out which protocol the VPN uses, that's reason for concern.
We also look over the service's terms, conditions, and privacy policy. It's a good way to find out what, if any, information the service collects. Ideally, a VPN company should say that they do not collect any logs on user activity. Make note of where the company is located, too, as location can dictate data retention laws. Our VPN experts highly recommend that you read the review for a free VPN before you commit.
Some VPNs have also undergone extensive third-party evaluations to ferret out security and privacy issues.
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