For most people, a VPN’s advantages outweigh its drawbacks. It hides your browsing from your ISP and from public Wi-Fi networks, and its servers in other countries unblock streaming services and sites limited to those countries.
The trade-offs are speed and price. Every VPN slows your connection somewhat, and the low monthly rate on a VPN’s pricing page applies only to the first term. A VPN also doesn’t make you anonymous, and it won’t stop phishing or malware unless it includes a separate blocker.
VPN Pros and Cons at a Glance
Advantages
- Browsing hidden from your ISP
- Safer public Wi-Fi
- Streaming services and sites from other countries
- Access on restrictive networks
- IP address hidden from torrent peers
- Ad and malware blocking on some plans
Disadvantages
- Slower speeds, especially on distant servers
- Higher ping in online games
- Some sites detect and block VPNs
- Renewal prices much higher than the first term
- Free VPNs limit data or locations
- No anonymity and no antivirus on its own
- Restricted or banned in some countries
Advantages of a VPN
Your ISP Can’t See What You Browse
A VPN encrypts traffic between your device and its server, so your ISP sees a connection to the VPN and nothing about the sites you visit. Websites see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours, and DNS requests, which reveal each site you look up, go through the VPN as well. Leak tests on NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN found no exposed DNS requests or IP addresses.
That privacy depends on the VPN company keeping no record of what passes through its servers. No-log VPNs promise exactly that, and NordVPN and Proton VPN back the promise with independent audits, NordVPN’s by Deloitte and Proton VPN’s by Securitum.
Safer Connections on Public Wi-Fi
Hotel, airport, and café networks are shared with strangers, and many are open or use a password printed on the wall. Other people on the same network can try to read unencrypted traffic, and a fake hotspot with a convincing name can capture the traffic that passes through it.
Most sites already use HTTPS, which protects page content, but the network can still see which sites you visit. A VPN encrypts the whole connection before it leaves your device, so neither the network owner nor other users can read it.
Streaming Services and Sites From Other Countries
A server in another country provides an IP address from there, and services that filter by location treat you as local. A US server unblocks the American channels on Pluto TV, a UK server lets you watch BBC iPlayer abroad, and an Australian server does the same for Australian TV channels.
Results depend on the VPN. In our streaming tests, NordVPN and ExpressVPN unblocked all 14 services we tried, while Proton VPN unblocked 10 of them.
Unblock Streaming With NordVPN
Access on Restrictive Networks
Schools, offices, and some governments block websites, apps, or VPNs themselves. A VPN works around site blocks, and obfuscation disguises the VPN as ordinary web traffic where VPNs are blocked too.
ExpressVPN obfuscates every connection automatically, NordVPN offers NordWhisper and obfuscated servers, and Proton VPN has its Stealth protocol, which cost under 2% of its speed in our tests. That’s why travelers and residents use a VPN in the UAE, where FaceTime calls are restricted.
Torrenting Without Exposing Your IP Address
Every peer in a torrent swarm can see the other peers’ IP addresses, and copyright monitoring firms collect them. With a VPN, peers see only the VPN’s IP address, and your ISP sees encrypted traffic instead of torrent downloads.
NordVPN allows P2P on every standard server, so there’s no special server to find. A VPN doesn’t make downloading copyrighted material legal, though.
Lower Prices in Some Regions
Some stores and services charge different prices by country. Sony’s PlayStation Store lists games at regional prices, which is why some players switch their PSN region. Some airline and booking sites also quote different fares depending on where the visitor appears to be, as our guide to cheaper flights with a VPN explains. Savings aren’t guaranteed, and a store can require a local payment card.
Ad and Malware Blocking on Some Plans
Several VPNs now bundle a blocker for ads, trackers, and malicious sites. On a public ad-block test page, Proton VPN’s NetShield blocked 93% of the test requests, compared with 76% for NordVPN’s blocker and 71% for ExpressVPN’s Advanced Protection. NordVPN’s Basic plan includes none of this, and its blocker and malware scanning start on the Complete plan.
Disadvantages of a VPN
A Slower Connection
Every VPN costs some speed, because traffic is encrypted and passes through an extra server. On our 190 Mbps connection in Europe, NordVPN and ExpressVPN lost 7.8% of their speed averaged across UK, US, and Japanese servers, and Proton VPN lost 10.2%. Distance changes the figure: NordVPN lost 3% of its speed on its UK server and 16% on its Japanese one. Weaker VPNs and phones lose more.
TunnelBear lost 42.5% of its speed on the Japanese server, and on our Android phone, NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Proton VPN lost 20% to 27% of their speed. Our list of the fastest VPNs covers the full figures. Ping rises too. Every VPN added roughly 30 to 40 ms on a nearby UK server in our gaming tests, so a VPN rarely lowers ping. Our guide to VPNs for gaming covers the cases where one helps.
Some Sites Detect and Block VPNs
Streaming services, banks, and some shops keep lists of IP addresses that belong to VPNs, and strong VPNs are detected too. Prime Video detected NordVPN and ExpressVPN at times in our tests. Proton VPN couldn’t unblock ITVX, Pluto TV, or Hulu, and CyberGhost failed on Netflix Japan despite having a server for it.
Many users share each VPN IP address, so sites see heavy traffic from it and respond with CAPTCHAs and extra sign-in checks.
Renewal Prices Climb After the First Term
The monthly rate on a pricing page covers only the first term, usually about two years. Here’s what happens after it:
- NordVPN, Basic plan: about $3.50 a month across a 27-month first term, then around $139 a year
- Proton VPN, VPN Plus plan: about $3 a month over two years, renewing at around $84 a year
- ExpressVPN, Basic plan: below $3 a month through a 28-month term, then about $100 a year
A month-to-month subscription costs roughly $10 to $15 with NordVPN, Proton VPN, or ExpressVPN. Totals for a first term plus a renewal are in our cheap VPN rankings.
Free VPNs Come With Limits
A free plan’s main limit is data. PrivadoVPN’s free plan lost only 9.5% of its speed on UK and US servers. However, Windscribe and PrivadoVPN limit free accounts to 10 GB of data each month, enough for about five hours of HD streaming in our tests. Proton VPN’s free plan removes the data cap, but it assigns the server, allows one device, and couldn’t unblock Netflix US.
No Anonymity, No Antivirus
A VPN hides your IP address, but sites still recognize you through accounts, cookies, and browser fingerprinting. Signing in to Google or Facebook tells them who you are, VPN or not. A VPN also can’t stop you from opening a phishing link or installing malware, beyond the blocker it includes.
You Have to Trust the VPN Company
A VPN sees the traffic your ISP no longer can, so its logging policy determines how private you are. Some privacy policies allow logging their homepages don’t mention. The notice covering Hotspot Shield and Betternet, for example, allows anonymized logs of the domain names users visit. Look for a no-log policy confirmed by an independent audit. NordVPN, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN have published several.
VPNs Are Restricted in Some Countries
A few governments limit VPN use. China and Iran allow only state-approved services, and Turkmenistan and North Korea ban VPNs. The UAE allows them but penalizes using one to commit or hide a crime. Our guide to where VPNs are legal lists the rules by country.
Some Devices Don’t Support VPN Apps
Samsung and LG TVs, along with PlayStation and Xbox consoles, don’t support VPN apps. NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer Smart DNS for them, while Proton VPN has none, so its users have to set up the VPN on a router.
Who Benefits From a VPN
A VPN pays off for:
- Travelers who rely on public Wi-Fi or want their home streaming services abroad
- People who torrent or use other P2P apps
- Students and employees on networks that block sites
- People in countries that filter the internet
It adds little for:
- Gamers chasing lower ping, as a VPN usually adds latency
- Home browsing on a trusted network, if hiding it from your ISP isn’t a priority
- Users looking for anonymity, which a VPN alone can’t provide
Our guide on why use a VPN covers each case in more detail.
VPNs With the Most Pros and Fewest Cons
These three kept the drawbacks smallest in our speed, streaming, and kill switch tests:
- NordVPN: Best Overall, losing 7.8% of its speed and unblocking all 14 streaming services we tried. Its renewal, around $139 a year, is the main catch.
- Proton VPN: Best for Privacy, with a no-log policy audited every year since 2022 and the Stealth protocol on every plan. It offers no Smart DNS for TVs.
- ExpressVPN: Best for Simple Setup, with automatic obfuscation and a kill switch enabled by default. Advanced settings are few.
Our NordVPN review goes into more detail, and our full VPN ranking covers more VPNs.
VPNs to Avoid
- Hola VPN: the free version shares your connection with other Hola users
- Urban VPN: free, with a privacy policy that allows collecting browsing data, as our Urban VPN review explains
Verdict
The pros come out ahead for most people. Keeping browsing private from the ISP and public networks, and unblocking services from other countries, costs some speed and a yearly subscription. On any network you don’t fully trust, that’s a fair exchange. Most of the drawbacks can be managed once you know them.
Choose the closest server that unblocks what you need, check the renewal price before paying for the first term, and enable the strictest kill switch setting your VPN offers. Free VPNs work for light use, but their data limits are small, and the ad-funded ones can log the browsing a VPN is supposed to protect.
FAQ
What are the main advantages of a VPN?
A VPN's main advantages are privacy and location. Encryption keeps browsing hidden from the internet provider and the local network, while foreign servers unblock streaming services and websites restricted to other countries.
What is the biggest disadvantage of a VPN?
The biggest disadvantage is a slower connection. Traffic passes through the VPN's server before it arrives at a website, so speed drops a little on nearby servers and more on distant ones.
Is it worth paying for a VPN?
Yes, for people who stream abroad, torrent, travel, or use public Wi-Fi often. Paid VPNs such as NordVPN and Proton VPN offer unlimited data, more server locations, and audited no-log policies.
Does using a VPN all the time have downsides?
Yes, a few. Speed drops slightly, and some banks and streaming services flag VPN IP addresses. Split tunneling lets those apps use the regular connection while the VPN stays on.
Are free VPNs safe?
Yes, some are. Proton VPN's free plan follows the same no-log policy as its paid plans, but ad-funded free VPNs such as Hola and Betternet can log usage data or share connections.
Can a VPN make you anonymous?
No, a VPN hides the IP address and encrypts traffic, but websites still identify users through logins, cookies, and browser fingerprinting. Anonymity requires changing those habits as well.