Learned the hard way that free VPNs aren't worth it

I signed up for one of those free VPNs last month to save $10, and within a week my browsing got 3 times slower and some random ad network started popping up on my phone. Turns out the free ones often sell your data anyway, so I basically paid with my privacy instead of cash. Ended up spending $48 for a year of Mullvad and it's been solid. Anyone else get burned by a free VPN before?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_tessa2d ago

oh the "browsing got 3 times slower" hit home. i used one of those free ones for like two days and my phone started sending me fake virus warnings every 10 minutes. literally couldn't close the tabs fast enough. learned my lesson real quick when my bank called about some weird login attempt from a different country. never again.

logan_young292d agoMost Upvoted

Did you ever figure out exactly what info they got off your phone? The fake virus warnings are a red flag, they usually mean the VPN app itself is serving up malware. The bank call is the scary part, that means someone had enough to at least try logging in. Free VPNs make money by selling your browsing data to whoever pays, or by pushing scam ads. Some of them install proxy settings that route all your traffic through their servers, letting them see everything. It's not worth the risk for saving a few bucks a month.

the_jennifer2d ago

Those free VPNs are usually the ones selling your data, not protecting it lol.