There are several VPNs out there and the choice of which one you install on your devices will have a significant impact on your user experience. Every VPN promises users the best experience, including those that don’t have the capacity to do what they promise.
Yes, there are reliable VPN service providers that usually fulfill whatever they promise to their users. However, we also have a good number of VPNs that over promise but end up under delivering. That is why it is important to choose a reliable VPN application that doesn’t have the red flags we are about to share.
These are some of the red flags you need to look at before choosing a VPN to install on your device.
1. Totally free VPNs
Most VPN applications have a free package that usually comes with limited features. The aim of this free package is to give users an idea of what the experience would be like if they unlock the extra features through subscribing. However, there are VPNs that claim to be totally free.
It is no easy job to maintain a VPN infrastructure and pay the team that maintains the service up and running 24/7. Most of the VPNs that claim to be free usually gain through stealing user information that they later sell to the dark web. Anyone that values their privacy and security should never use a VPN that claims to be absolutely free.
2. Bad privacy history
The main reason people use VPNs is to privately and securely browse the web. So, it doesn’t make sense to trust a VPN that has been involved in privacy scandals such as data breaches and sharing of user activity logs. Most free VPNs are usually the culprits of privacy scandals since they opt for other income alternatives instead of charging subscription fees from users.
Some of the subscription-based VPNs that have a good privacy track record include Surfshark, Express VPN, CyberGhost, and Hotspot Shield VPN.
3. Slow speeds
One of the main factors that affect the speed of any VPN is the number of servers they use and their respective locations. VPNs that have a limited number of servers will often experience slow speeds as more people join their service. As you choose which VPN to install on your device, it is best to first look at the number of servers it has and their distribution.
Most of the top-rated VPNs like Surfshark or ExpressVPN have thousands of servers located in several countries across the globe. Having many servers reduces congestion, which in the end leads to better connection speeds for all users.
Limited technical details
Any VPN service provider that is proud of its services will give its users all the technical details they need to make an informed decision. Some of the details that any VPN ought to share with its users include the encryption standard they use, the number and locations of its servers, logs policy, and bandwidth of their servers.
Any promises that a VPN service makes should be backed up by such technical information. For instance, if a VPN claims to have high connection speeds, it should back this up by sharing details of its server bandwidth.
