Guide
Free VPN vs paid VPN
A free VPN is fine for occasional use on public Wi‑Fi, as long as you know how it's funded. Paid VPNs make sense for all-day protection, more locations and several devices. Every VPN is paid for somehow: by subscriptions, ads or your data, so check which before you trust one.
Running a VPN costs money
Servers, bandwidth and apps cost the provider money every month. So every VPN is paid for somehow. The question is how.
| How it's paid for | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Your subscription | The provider earns money from you, so protecting your privacy is the product. |
| A free tier funded by paying users | Limited but honest: a way to try before you buy. |
| Ads | Ads in the app, sometimes tracking you to target them. |
| Your data | The worst case: your browsing is the product being sold. |
When a free VPN is fine
- An occasional session on café or airport Wi‑Fi.
- Trying a VPN before deciding whether you need one.
- When you only need one location.
When paying makes sense
- You want protection all day, every day.
- You need a specific country or many locations.
- You want to cover several devices or your family.
- You want to know exactly who you're trusting with your traffic, and why they don't need to sell it.
How to check a free VPN before installing
- Who runs it? Look for a real company name and contact address.
- What does the privacy policy say about logs, in plain words?
- How is it funded? If you can't tell, assume it's your data.
- What permissions does the app ask for? A VPN doesn't need your contacts or photos.
How Privalune does it
Privalune has a free plan with one location (Frankfurt, Germany) and free protected time every day, with no account and no ads. Premium, which pays for the network, unlocks 70 locations in 55 countries with no time limit, for up to 10 devices: $59.99 a year on our website. See pricing.