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VPN

gpixel
Mayor / Maire

What are the best VPN services and are any of them free?

27 REPLIES 27

TheGx
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

Not all free VPN or free things are bad, but definitely do research before using free things. All the apps and VPN it listed are among the most trusted in the worldwide privacy movement and can be verified by looking up there companies on Wikipedia etc.

The free VPN on the above list seeking private info are definitely not from trusted companies that are committed to the worldwide privacy movement.

oscarraven
New in Town / Nouveau en Ville

I wouldn't recommend a free VPN, they are usually pretty slow, have very few servers and are known to sell your private data. Most of the paid services are reasonably priced, I personally use nord vpn, but I heard good things about SurfShark and Express vpn.

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Anonymous
Not applicable

@will13am wrote:

Folks, you might want to think again about those free VPNs.  Privacy by policy is not fully trustworthy.  

 

https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/report-free-vpns-leak/


Wow. Brutal. At least the site does mention that SOME free VPN's are so far fine. Unfortunately, the paid VPN I use didn't make the cut. Dang. But there are many of them out there and it was a list of 10.

will13am
Oracle
Oracle

Folks, you might want to think again about those free VPNs.  Privacy by policy is not fully trustworthy.  

 

https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/report-free-vpns-leak/

TheGx
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@TheGx wrote:

I like the free VPNs like Proton and OpenVPN and Tunnelbear, I also use the $15 plan with 250MB data, I don't use any apps except Duck Duck Go for browser and Signal Private Messenger for text and ProtonVPN and Tutanota for email - I use public wifi when out and never use more than 100MB mobile data per month just using these apps, I don't watch video obviously but do use Signal Voice calls and it uses the least data compared to other apps.


All the above apps are free, but TunnelBear is only free for 500MB per month,which is more than enough for me.

TheGx
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

I like the free VPNs like Proton and OpenVPN and Tunnelbear, I also use the $15 plan with 250MB data, I don't use any apps except Duck Duck Go for browser and Signal Private Messenger for text and ProtonVPN and Tutanota for email - I use public wifi when out and never use more than 100MB mobile data per month just using these apps, I don't watch video obviously but do use Signal Voice calls and it uses the least data compared to other apps.

pjmac177
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

I used to use NORDVPN but found the service to be spotty and frankly the on line respondents quite surly. 

 

I use PIA  for several years now and find it excellent.  Up to five machines for about $40. per year IIRC.

 

 

Providers can always work around any VPN technology.

 

It doesn't take long for them to map all the server IPs, to figure out where all the entrance-points and exit-points for "their" data interface with the rest of the internet. And all commercial VPNs are required to abide by local laws, most countries require submission of logs and records as requested (by a court order). Many countries (including Canada) maintain various overlapping international legal agreements relating to internet privacy, internet crime, DMCA law, etc. So the reality is that if "they" really, really want to track your activities then known VPNs are not going to offer much legal or technical protection.

 

The real value of a VPN is that it causes the provider to work if they want to track you. If you're not an interesting offender on somebody's list then it's just not worth their time to batter through all the extra legal barriers, phone calls, emails, etc.

And, of course, a VPN can translate your browsing experience into one entering the internet from a different country, so you can access region-specific content which might be inaccessible from wherever you are physically located.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@CFPartDeux wrote:


Things have been going strong for years.  It has been running wireguard for nearly a year while the popular brands are still stuck on old protocols and are just starting to change.  


PIA runs Wireguard.


@CFPartDeux @will13am there are others, too, according to https://restoreprivacy.com/wireguard/.  They list several.  They also talk about some of the privacy issues inherent in Wireguard and how some providers work around that.


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CFPartDeux
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville


Things have been going strong for years.  It has been running wireguard for nearly a year while the popular brands are still stuck on old protocols and are just starting to change.  


PIA runs Wireguard.


@srlawren wrote:

@will13am wrote:


The key is trusted commercial VPN service.  Which is trusted?  I don't use a VPN much but when I do, it is hard to trust privacy by policy.  


@will13am your concern is valid of course, and boils down to how do you know who you can trust?  Here's the thing: the big (popular) commercial VPN services are under a lot more scrutiny (from customers, reviewers, good- and bad-intentioned hackers, etc.) than your self-managed VPN server.  This of course is a double-edged sword:  if there's fewer people trying to exploit your server, it's less likely someone will be successful in doing so; however, if there's a problem with your configuration, you may never know.  Do you know how to configure intrusion detection and monitoring?  Do you know best practice (which is an ever-moving target) around hardening your configuration?  Do you have the time and energy to spend keeping up with the latest exploits, the latest software updates, etc.?  If you do, then all the power to you.  Personally, I'd rather pay the professionals a few bucks a month to do that all for me. 


Things have been going strong for years.  It has been running wireguard for nearly a year while the popular brands are still stuck on old protocols and are just starting to change.  

Free VPNs are bad news. You might actually have your online "privacy" protected from some entities ... but all the information these VPNs track and collect about you is instead sold to other entities (who often just end up selling the valuable bits to the entities you might wish to anonymize from anyhow). Competition is fierce so products basically price themselves and customers basically get exactly what they pay for.

 

You can subscribe to Nord for just $3.99 per month or $35 per year. Not free but you get a lot for a little.

 

TunnelBear, Surfshark, Proton, and ExpressVPN are utter garbage (in my opinion).

 

Just google "best VPN" or "best free VPN" to get a list of offerings.

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@will13am wrote:


The key is trusted commercial VPN service.  Which is trusted?  I don't use a VPN much but when I do, it is hard to trust privacy by policy.  


@will13am your concern is valid of course, and boils down to how do you know who you can trust?  Here's the thing: the big (popular) commercial VPN services are under a lot more scrutiny (from customers, reviewers, good- and bad-intentioned hackers, etc.) than your self-managed VPN server.  This of course is a double-edged sword:  if there's fewer people trying to exploit your server, it's less likely someone will be successful in doing so; however, if there's a problem with your configuration, you may never know.  Do you know how to configure intrusion detection and monitoring?  Do you know best practice (which is an ever-moving target) around hardening your configuration?  Do you have the time and energy to spend keeping up with the latest exploits, the latest software updates, etc.?  If you do, then all the power to you.  Personally, I'd rather pay the professionals a few bucks a month to do that all for me. 


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@srlawren wrote:

@will13am wrote:

@srlawren wrote:

@will13am wrote:

Commercial brands = privacy by policy.  Roll your own = privacy by design.  


@will13am If I'm reading this correctly, it looks like you are advocating setting up your own private VPN service?  Have you done this?  Curious for more info. I guess you'd have to have an always-on, always-connected PC available to host, and a quick home internet service with plenty of bandwidth?  What are the pros and cons?  I'm guessing one con is that since your host PC is in one country (probably Canada), you can't do things like mask your location to work around geofencing? 


There are many hosting sites that sell capacity.  Set up a VPN server and that's it.  Since it is a DIY, you can trust yourself that there will be no privacy related concerns.  


@will13am so, yes, there's tons of cloud hosting options out there.  However, aren't you then responsible for maintaining your VPN server in every way: OS patching, VPN service software patching, configuring the server securely, etc.?  If you're paying a fee for a hosted VM to run your own VPN (PaaS), why not go full SaaS and use a trusted commercial VPN service?  Then you can trust that they have staff dedicated to configuring and maintaining everything to remain secure, rather than having to do that all yourself.  


The key is trusted commercial VPN service.  Which is trusted?  I don't use a VPN much but when I do, it is hard to trust privacy by policy.  

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@will13am wrote:

@srlawren wrote:

@will13am wrote:

Commercial brands = privacy by policy.  Roll your own = privacy by design.  


@will13am If I'm reading this correctly, it looks like you are advocating setting up your own private VPN service?  Have you done this?  Curious for more info. I guess you'd have to have an always-on, always-connected PC available to host, and a quick home internet service with plenty of bandwidth?  What are the pros and cons?  I'm guessing one con is that since your host PC is in one country (probably Canada), you can't do things like mask your location to work around geofencing? 


There are many hosting sites that sell capacity.  Set up a VPN server and that's it.  Since it is a DIY, you can trust yourself that there will be no privacy related concerns.  


@will13am so, yes, there's tons of cloud hosting options out there.  However, aren't you then responsible for maintaining your VPN server in every way: OS patching, VPN service software patching, configuring the server securely, etc.?  If you're paying a fee for a hosted VM to run your own VPN (PaaS), why not go full SaaS and use a trusted commercial VPN service?  Then you can trust that they have staff dedicated to configuring and maintaining everything to remain secure, rather than having to do that all yourself.  


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TigerKing
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

if privacy is the main focus I would go with Mullvad VPN. It’s based in Sweden and requires no information at all. There’s no username or password, just a unique number that you input and you’re good to go. They also offer a variety of ways to pay to increase privacy, even allowing you to send cash is an envelope. I use it and it’s about $7 US per month.


@srlawren wrote:

@will13am wrote:

Commercial brands = privacy by policy.  Roll your own = privacy by design.  


@will13am If I'm reading this correctly, it looks like you are advocating setting up your own private VPN service?  Have you done this?  Curious for more info. I guess you'd have to have an always-on, always-connected PC available to host, and a quick home internet service with plenty of bandwidth?  What are the pros and cons?  I'm guessing one con is that since your host PC is in one country (probably Canada), you can't do things like mask your location to work around geofencing? 


There are many hosting sites that sell capacity.  Set up a VPN server and that's it.  Since it is a DIY, you can trust yourself that there will be no privacy related concerns.  

srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@will13am wrote:

Commercial brands = privacy by policy.  Roll your own = privacy by design.  


@will13am If I'm reading this correctly, it looks like you are advocating setting up your own private VPN service?  Have you done this?  Curious for more info. I guess you'd have to have an always-on, always-connected PC available to host, and a quick home internet service with plenty of bandwidth?  What are the pros and cons?  I'm guessing one con is that since your host PC is in one country (probably Canada), you can't do things like mask your location to work around geofencing? 


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srlawren
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@gpixel just remember that with most things, if you're not paying for the product, you are the product.  I'm not sure if that holds true for free VPN services as well, but they have to pay for the servers an bandwidth somehow, right?  Free for a limited time trial is one thing, but ongoing free is another.

 

I haven't looked seriously at VPN services for a while, but I believe the free ones also tend to be slower than paid alternatives (on average), and offer less included traffic.  I would say if you're in the market for a VPN, try to pick a paid one that suits your needs.  

 

There's lots of round-ups out there that compare popular services.  Here's some links you may find helpful:

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-vpn-service/

https://www.androidcentral.com/best-vpn

https://www.androidcentral.com/best-vpn-apps-android

https://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-vpn-apps-577594/

and many, many more.


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Anonymous
Not applicable

I'm with Ivacy. Maybe buck fifty - 2 bucks a month iirc. I think I prepaid for 2 or 3 years.

Yes. You set up the phone VPN connecting to your vpn of choice. baddabing...vpn.

@CFPartDeux nice, thanks for the suggestion. I'm downgrading my plan to the $25. so I just want a little more protection if I decide to connect to a wifi hotspot

will13am
Oracle
Oracle

Commercial brands = privacy by policy.  Roll your own = privacy by design.  

CFPartDeux
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

@gpixel wrote:

@CFPartDeux Personally, I use PIA (Private Internet Access), and have zero complaints.

 

what is the cost for the subscription?I see a setting in my phone for vpn, can I set this up as a VPN profile on my phone? 


Check it out: PIA 

 

Do some reading on their site - out of the several VPNs I checked out, they had the most servers, most locations, really good price, and they support a LOT, if not the most, different devices. As for using it with a phone, yes, for sure..... they have tutorials on their site to walk you through how to set up their VPN on various devices.

 

IF you decide to try them out, you can probably get a discount code via the Linus Tech Tips site.

@CFPartDeux Personally, I use PIA (Private Internet Access), and have zero complaints.

 

what is the cost for the subscription?I see a setting in my phone for vpn, can I set this up as a VPN profile on my phone? 

CFPartDeux
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

@Luddite wrote:

@gpixel wrote:

What are the best VPN services and are any of them free?


Try Windscribe (10 gb/month free) or Tunnelbear (0.5 gb/month free). Both very easy to use. 


I don't know about that 1st one, but Tunnelbear is probably not a good choice.... I'd have to go looking for the info again, but they used to be a regular sponsor of the Linus Tech Tips Youtube channel, but they got dropped due to, IIRC, being bought out by some other company that has some shady privacy practices.

 

Personally, I use PIA (Private Internet Access), and have zero complaints. Although they're not free, they're actually pretty cheap, especially if you sign up for a longer period of time. I don't know if PIA does this, but some of the paid services (NordVPN is one, I THINK) have free trials that you can use for a few days, or up to a week.

Luddite
Oracle
Oracle

@gpixel wrote:

What are the best VPN services and are any of them free?


Try Windscribe (10 gb/month free) or Tunnelbear (0.5 gb/month free). Both very easy to use. 


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