The potential security threats on the Internet have made virtual private networks (VPNs) necessary for the security of data on devices these days. Using a VPN may not be new to most users as they know a thing or two about it. But some of them believe in myths surrounding VPNs. And they continue perpetuating them out of their confusion about VPNs.
While users have a good understanding of paid VPN options, they are confused about free VPNs. It relates to many aspects, ranging from the definition of a free VPN to its features. Not just average users, even many professionals linked with online marketing, also believe in the myths surrounding free VPNs.
While there is a long list of such myths, here are a few of them that cloud the minds of most online marketers.
Common Myths Online Marketers Hold About Free VPNs
Because free VPN services offer their features free of cost, they draw the majority of users’ attention at the outset. While they may be free to use, certain aspects of free VPNs lead to a few myths. Some such myths include the ones given below.
- Free VPNs are Free
A VPN is a necessity for various reasons. At the outset, a free VPN seems to be free of cost for the obvious reason that one does not need to pay a fee for using its features. However, things would look different if you considered how free VPN service providers provide their services.
Like paid VPN providers, free VPN services also operate to make profits. However, the latter uses a different model for revenue generation compared to the former.
For revenue generation, free VPN providers either run ads or sell data concerning users’ browsing history to third parties. If you consider the case of intrusive ads or the model of revenue generation involving the selling of your browsing data to third parties, it becomes clear that free VPNs aren’t free in the true sense of the term.
- All Free VPNs Work in the Same Way
When it comes to using a free VPN, most marketers believe they work in the same way. The truth is different from this assumption, though. Like the five fingers of a hand, free VPN options also vary from one another.
Urban VPN, for example, provides advanced features free of cost that most paid VPNs offer for a fee. The majority of other free VPNs may not offer the same set of features. Even if they do, they do so with certain limitations. This fact dispels the myth that all free VPNs work similarly.
- All Free VPNs are Equally Unreliable for Business Use
While it is true that most free VPNs have limitations, you cannot say that all free VPNs belong to the same category. Some VPN services offer both free and paid versions. The onus is on users to choose the version of VPN they’d like to use.
Usually, VPN services include additional and advanced features in their paid versions. This means that you would find some limitations in the free versions of such VPN services. But Urban VPN offers most of its features free of cost to users. Some of its features are those that you would generally find in paid VPNs.
Thus, you can say that there are reliable VPN options, such as Urban VPN, among free VPNs. Whether you would get such an option boils down to the method you use for choosing your free VPN.
- Free VPNs Cannot be used in Conjunction with Paid VPNs
Some online marketers think that they cannot use a free and a paid VPN in conjunction with each other. In practical situations, this assumption may not be true. While marketing professionals may not use both VPNs for the same purpose, they can use them (both VPNs) alternatively.
This will become clear if you consider an example. Let us consider the case of Urban VPN, which offers its full set of features free of cost. It provides unlimited bandwidth along with the feature to create multiple connections at the same time. Paid VPNs may offer this feature at an additional fee.
An online marketer can use Urban VPN for additional bandwidth or connections. On the other hand, they can consider using paid VPNs for the features not available with Urban VPN.
This is just one of the examples wherein a marketing professional can use a free and paid VPN simultaneously. They can also choose to adopt this approach for other uses, depending on their needs.
Final Thoughts
So, there you go – these are some myths surrounding free VPNs. If you are an online marketer, it is imperative to know about the above myths. This will not only keep you well-informed but also enable you to know the purposes for which you can or cannot use free VPNs.