Is Your VPN Safe? Learn How To Pick the Good From the Bad

A virtual private network (VPN) is a piece of software used to encrypt your online traffic. VPNs should transmit data across the internet without revealing personal information about you or the device you’re using, your internet connection, IP address, or other sensitive data. If you frequently use shared Wi-Fi in places like hotels or coffee shops, it’s an essential tool to keep your phone, tablet, computer, or other device from being hacked.

There’s some negative sentiment online regarding VPNs, including the idea that using one can slow down your online speeds. Since many VPNs can be used to watch out-of-region sporting events or geo-restricted streaming platforms, the rumor that VPNs slow speeds couldn’t be further from the truth. That is, unless you get a low-quality VPN that can’t perform and leaks your data.

So, how do you know if you have the best VPN? We test and retest popular VPNs for speed, security, streaming efficiency, extra features, and more. Below, we’ll walk you through how to evaluate your VPN and give you suggestions for the best ones we’ve tried.

How do I know if my VPN is safe?

The first step in determining whether a VPN is safe is looking at the reviews it's gotten on trustworthy websites that offer firsthand product testing reviews. Digital privacy and security websites like ours test VPNs for security, speed, features, usefulness, compatibility, and overall quality.

In addition, you want to look at sites like Trustpilot, where real customers give real reviews, and Reddit, where the internet goes to collectively discuss everything. Bad products will have bad reviews. If you see that people are saying it’s not working, believe them.

However, individual assessments of a VPN’s validity aren’t all you should rely on when choosing one for yourself. You also need to look at the features and functions offered with the product.

Good VPN providers should be using the most modern forms of encryption protocol, including plain language privacy policies, privacy-forward policies like not keeping logs, and privacy-focused features like a kill switch, double VPN, and other ways to protect your data.

Top qualities to look for in a secure VPN

• Clear brand trust: Is this a well-known VPN with third-party audits and extensive reviews? Many good VPNs don’t just claim to be excellent; they have hard data backing it up.
• Encryption protocols: A VPN's encryption protocols are its bread and butter. You can feel safe using it if it uses modern protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard or has built its proprietary protocols based on these.
• Strict no-logs policy: Logs keep track of everything you do online and can be shared or sold. You don’t want a VPN that keeps logs. Make sure your VPN has a strict no-logs policy and an independent audit showing it does what it says.
• Transparency: The privacy policy should clearly state if data is collected about you, what data is collected, and what’s done with it. Ideally, a worthwhile VPN won’t collect any data; the privacy policy will reflect this in plain language.
• Kill switch: A kill switch is a tool that severs your internet connection if, for any reason, the VPN drops. A working kill switch is a security measure to keep your personal data from leaking.
• Available support: You may run into troubleshooting issues when using a VPN in situations like unblocking streaming or torrenting. A quality VPN agent will have support that’s easy to reach and responds quickly.

How to tell if a VPN is bad

First of all, a bad VPN is going to have terrible reviews across third-party sites like ours and consumer sites like Trustpilot and Reddit. Even the app store for your mobile device should show poor ratings for the VPN. There might be the odd person who has no issue, but if the majority of reviews are bad, you can trust the collective.

You can also tell from a product’s website how professional it is just by the layout. For example, SlickVPN has a site riddled with coding errors. When we tried downloading it, our antivirus software kept flagging it as malware. Similarly, if the VPN agent itself looks dated or cheaply made, like in the case of BolehVPN, it’s likely not a good product.

You may not feel confident evaluating a VPN’s worthiness on your own, so we’ve created a list below to help you.

1. Read consumer internet reviews

Do an internet search to see what consumer opinion is regarding this particular product. Check the VPN’s rating in the app store and on review sites like Trustpilot and Reddit. Look up if it has an independent third-party audit that can attest to the software doing what it claims.

2. Check out the VPN’s website

Check out the language on the site. Is it normal and easy to understand? Has the information been updated recently? Does anything look dated or out of place? Scam VPNs might be advertised in broken English, have outdated or cheap-looking websites, or have broken code that makes the site look or act strange.

3. Read the privacy policy

Usually, if you scroll to the bottom of the VPN’s website, you should be able to see a link to the privacy policy. Read it to determine how data is collected and shared, and whether all of this is written in plain, easy-to-understand language. Anything overly legal or confusing is likely meant to be. You shouldn’t need a law degree to keep yourself from being taken advantage of by a corporation.

4. Read reviews from cybersecurity experts

Read expert reviews that underscore firsthand testing. For example, our cybersecurity experts run VPNs through extensive rounds of testing multiple times a year. We’re customers of some of the best VPNs available, and know how a good VPN should behave. We also test them on a variety of devices with different operating systems.

5. Avoid big promises

If a VPN claims to have invented something new or states that it’s infallible, you should be wary. Some VPNs are creating their own technology, like the proprietary protocols you’ll find with NordVPN and ExpressVPN, but those also come with lots of consumer and third-party reviews and evaluations to tell you how good they are. Anything making outrageous claims is likely to be a scam.

6. Check for stagnant features

Online security is constantly evolving as threats and hackers evolve. Any worthwhile VPN is going to be able to show that it’s actively updating itself. If the features described are vague with no further explanation, if they look outdated, or if the site itself doesn’t look like it’s been refreshed, it’s best to just move on.

7. Consider the price

A good VPN usually has a monthly or annual fee. While there are some worthwhile free VPNs, most free VPN software is meant to steal from you. Whether it’s mining your data, depositing malware, or tracking you across the internet, a poor-quality free VPN is more harmful than good.

Is it safe to use a VPN?

If you’ve installed a quality VPN, it’s safe to use. A quality VPN actually enhances your security by safeguarding your personal data and encrypting your internet traffic. It can also speed up your connection, unblock geo-restricted content, and help you bypass unfair censorship laws.

A free VPN, on the other hand, is likely a security risk and has serious disadvantages.

The best free VPNs are few and far between, so we suggest double-checking them with the methods we’ve listed above. Unless they come highly recommended, we suggest avoiding low-quality or free VPNs.

Why use a VPN?

A VPN can do a lot. First and foremost, it’s meant to protect your personal information while using the internet. This is especially important if your internet connection is shared, like at a coffee shop or hotel. If you’ve connected to free, city-wide Wi-Fi, there’s no telling who else could be logged in. Shared internet connections make it easier to see what a device is doing, and a quality VPN stops that.

Additionally, VPNs can help you torrent or game without glitching or marring your download. Streaming restricted regional content, like an out-of-market football game, is easily achievable. You can also bypass censorship restrictions in U.S. states that ban certain content or countries like Turkey or Russia that heavily censor the internet.

Benefits of a VPN

1. Enhanced security: A VPN hides the information about the device and systems you’re using. It’ll shield your IP address from prying eyes and keep login credentials safe by encrypting data.
2. Online privacy: VPNs encrypt your data, which essentially scrambles it so anyone trying to access your device won’t be able to see what you’re doing.
3. Access to geo-restricted content: You can’t watch Netflix U.K. while in Texas because the streaming service knows where you are, based on your IP address. A VPN changes your IP address to the area where the server is located, allowing you to trick the streamer into giving you access.
4. Safe file sharing: Sharing files between computers or other devices has the potential to reveal information like your domain name, IP address, and other data specific to you. A VPN shields this data from view.
5. Remote network access: Remote workers may need a private tunnel to access the company server. A VPN sets up a private and secure connection.
6. Lower latency while gaming: Latency is how much time it takes for you to type in a request and have that request granted online. By creating an encrypted connection, VPNs can block out processes that slow down the exchange of information and reduce latency.
7. Protection against cyberattacks: VPNs have built-in protections against hackers and attacks — like a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) or evil twin (which is a fake Wi-Fi connection that opens a door to a hacker). The protections can sense when your connection is malicious and can switch you to a different server if a DDoS attack is recognized. For evil twin attacks, the encryption provided helps shield you from the hacker’s prying eyes.

Our tested top VPNs for privacy and security

We run a lot of tests on VPNs to make sure they work as advertised, as well as evaluating each one’s unique features. Below are our top three recommendations for privacy and security.

Each one has outstanding privacy policies, passed DNS leak and WebRTC tests with flying colors, and is a dream to use. Plus, they each have additional security features for protection.

FAQs

Bottom line: Do VPNs really work?

Yes, VPNs are fantastic tools for protecting your personal information, enhancing your streaming or gaming experience, unblocking streaming, and hiding your online traffic, just to name a few benefits. Good quality VPNs do work the way they’re advertised. Staying with verified products is important to avoid scams that can steal your data, deposit malware, or track you online.

The best VPNs have multiple positive reviews, are verified by independent third parties, are recommended by experts, and present themselves as being valid. If you know what to look for and use the tips we’ve listed above, you’ll find the right VPN for you.