What are the major disadvantages of free VPNs {updated 2025}

Using unlimited data and a free VPN forever may sound very appealing but without recalling their advantages and disadvantages you can’t call them good. There’s a basic habit of humans chasing free software and services, neglecting all the negatives they face afterward. You right now may have some free VPN apps and software on your device.

This short yet effective article will change your perspective on free VPNs. So read it until the end to get acknowledged. What are the major disadvantages of free VPNs? But first, let’s talk about the advantages of using a free VPN.

Advantages of free VPN

Here’s a quick overview of why people use free VPN services Here are the highlighted pros of using a free VPN.

• Free service: Free VPN that provides users with a few countries’ servers and unlimited data downloads and uploads.
• Budget-friendly: as this is a free service anyone can download and use this service quite easily.
• Trending topic: Free VPNs are very popular among people who want to experience a VPN-like atmosphere to feel that their devices are protected.
• Wide availability: free VPNs offer their services around the world and are easily available in any browser or app store.
• Single-time use: Free VPNs are also very easy to access for single use, and you can delete them afterward.

Hence as you can see, people commonly use VPNs if they’re using them once or to experience a VPN service. However, if you are using free services like Proton VPN, Turbovpn, or many other apps daily, this can lead to data theft and privacy monitoring. Your reaction is like what but VPNs are supposed to protect your device and overall your IP location. That’s where people fail to understand why they sell their service for free. Let’s have some hidden insights about companies preserving their secrets from you.

Disadvantages of free VPN

As you already know, seeing “free” can make an item or service more popular than others. However, these products and services can be a little off when it comes to privacy and security. That’s why I am mentioning reasons why free VPNs are not as good as you might think.

• Privacy threat: it’s the main reason this blog was even made. disadvantages of free VPN and providing full data security sounds very uneasy to digest, right? That’s correct; they do sell your data to Google or Facebook. There are also some examples of popular free VPN services selling their users’ data for $2!
• Slow speed: Free VPN services provide their server speed at a very slow ping rate. That’s why people are concluding that paid VPN is also slow, which is a hoax.
• Lots of ADs: popular apps like Turbovpn welcome their users with unskippable ADs. One ad if you open the menu, one for turning on and off the VPN. However, people are still using their services even if they have lots of ads and slow servers. All they have is a free interface which makes these apps a magnet to attract users.
• Buggy interface: if you’re using these free VPNs for surfing restricted content or streaming, it’s over for you. Governments or hackers can easily breach these free VPN security as they offer the weakest security.

That is why they always say “If something’s for free, you’re the product”. Therefore use a VPN service that is beneficial for you and your device. In the market, there are thousands of VPN services you can get attracted to but only a few of them are reliable. That’s why I am here mentioning some of the Best VPNs in 2025 with my detailed review to help you out. 

Best VPN for 2025 (January update)

Here is the list of the best VPNs you will be using in Jan 2025 for gaming, streaming, and browsing restricted websites. Here is the recommended list as follows:

NORDVPN

Nordvpn provides its best service from Panama, Netherlands. You may have heard of this name because it’s widely used throughout the world. As they’ve been providing their best for a decade now. Their affordability and fast-speed servers are commendable. Now for the review, I tried gaming and streaming while using this VPN service simultaneously. I played CODW and was amused because during my gameplay with VPN on I was getting a low ping around 30-45 which never happened while I use normal wifi. The reason why it happened is that Nordvpn introduced its new extension called Nordlynx which makes VPN server speed up to 400x. For the streaming, I watched Netflix and had no complaints at all.

I suggest you at least try this service as they have a 30-day money-back guarantee if users aren’t satisfied with their service.

ExpressVPN

Express VPN is highly recommended for daily day-to-day tasks with no network issues. I use this service for research and complete protection of my device. This service shows me no complaints meanwhile other platforms like Nord and others have trendy UI. This service gives me a minimalistic app interface with VPN on and server selection options. If you’re a beginner or a veteran of knowing VPN you should try this service at least once. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and an easy-to-understand interface.

Moreover, you might be thinking that if it has an easy interface, what is the difference between EXPRESSVPN and a free VPN? Let me get it straight, Express VPN has a clear background and trusted feedback from millions of users. It’s an affordable and well-organized service to keep your private data from the government and hackers. As I mentioned before, a free VPN is just free, free for the government to monitor your data, and free for hackers to hack your emails and personal data. Let’s just head on to the next VPN.

Surfshark

Surfshark has been the fastest and the best-selling VPN service in the USA for many years. Just like Flash, they offer an ultrafast server. It’s like a big brother to Expressvpn where Express had an easy interface but this one is similar and with many advanced features. It’s all up to your taste on which ui or feature you find useful. This is also the best VPN for the Tor browser as it includes real-time protection as well. However, I conclude Surfshark is the best VPN for streaming as it has the fastest servers in the list.

I find their pricing a quite premium than others. Anyway, let’s talk about the pricing in the table where it’s better to understand.

CyberGhost

Now live your best experience by using restricted websites with CyberGhost. You can become an online ghost in the eyes of hackers and the government. This is the most well-protected and dedicated to restricted browsing. This one comes at the most affordable rate throughout the list. Meanwhile, when I used this VPN service I was fully secure throughout the period. Moreover, you can also avail a 45-day money-back guarantee because they know you will be satisfied in no time.

LIST OF PRICING

Here is the list of starter pricing of these popular vpn service.

NAME	MONTHLY PRICE	1-YEAR PLAN PRICE	2-YEAR PLAN PRICE	Features
NORDVPN	$12.99/mo	$4.99/mo	$3.39/mo	NordLynx up to 400x speed.
EXPRESSVPN	$12.95/mo	$6.67/mo	$4.99/mo	Minimalistic UI
SURFSHARK	$15.45/mo	$3.19/mo	$2.19/mo	Fastest Vpn
CYBERGHOST	N.A.	Comes with 6months- $6.99/mo	$2.19/mo	Max Security

CONCLUSION

Concluding don’t use these devices if your work is to use them daily. A VPN is a very good tool to protect and secure a user’s device. Do proper research or read blogs like these to gain knowledge. Always be aware and protected. Use only genuine services just like I mentioned before because prevention is better than cure. Share your thoughts on whether a free VPN is beneficial or not.

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