Published 28 January 2026
Free VPN vs Paid VPN: What UK Users Need to Know
The promise of a free VPN is tempting: full online privacy at no cost. But in the world of internet services, if you are not paying for the product, you very often are the product. Here is a thorough look at what free VPNs actually offer, what they cost you in ways you might not expect, and when paying a few pounds a month is the smarter decision.
How Free VPNs Make Money
Running a VPN service is expensive. Servers cost money to rent and maintain, bandwidth has a real price, and engineering teams need to be paid to keep the software secure and functional. When a VPN provider offers its service completely free, the funding has to come from somewhere. Understanding where that money comes from is essential to evaluating whether a free VPN is truly worth using.
The most common revenue model for free VPNs is advertising. Many inject ads directly into your browsing experience, displaying banners on websites or even inserting promotional content into pages that would not normally show ads. Others go further by tracking your browsing activity and selling that data to third-party advertisers and data brokers. A 2024 study by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation analysed over 280 free VPN apps on the Google Play Store and found that 38 percent contained some form of malware or malicious tracking, and 72 percent included at least one third-party tracking library embedded in their code.
Some free VPN providers have been caught selling users' bandwidth. In this model, your idle internet connection is used as an exit node for other traffic, effectively turning your home broadband into a proxy for unknown third parties. This not only consumes your bandwidth but could associate your IP address with activity you have no knowledge of or control over.
The Security Risks of Free VPNs
Beyond the business model concerns, many free VPNs have demonstrated serious security vulnerabilities. Research published by Top10VPN in their annual free VPN investigation found that a significant proportion of the most popular free VPN apps on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store suffered from DNS leaks, WebRTC leaks, or used outdated encryption protocols. Some used no encryption at all, meaning they offered the appearance of privacy without any actual protection.
Free VPNs are also more likely to log your activity. While they may claim to have a no-logs policy in their marketing, their privacy policies often tell a different story. Connection timestamps, IP addresses, bandwidth usage, and even browsing destinations are commonly recorded. For UK users who are turning to a VPN specifically to prevent their ISP from logging their internet history under the Investigatory Powers Act, using a free VPN that logs the same data merely shifts the surveillance from one entity to another, often one with far less accountability.
In extreme cases, free VPNs have been implicated in data breaches. In 2021, data from several free VPN providers was found for sale on the dark web, exposing the personal information and browsing histories of millions of users. These incidents underline a fundamental problem: companies that cannot afford proper security infrastructure should not be trusted with sensitive user data.
What You Get with a Paid VPN
Paid VPN services operate on a subscription model that funds proper infrastructure, security audits, and ongoing development. The leading providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark operate thousands of servers worldwide, employ full-time security teams, and commission regular independent audits of their no-logs policies by firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte.
In practical terms, a paid VPN delivers faster and more consistent speeds because servers are less crowded and better maintained. Unlimited bandwidth is standard, meaning no data caps that cut you off after a few hundred megabytes. Paid services support modern protocols like WireGuard for maximum speed and include essential security features such as kill switches, split tunnelling, and DNS leak protection. They also provide access to servers in dozens of countries, which is critical for unblocking geo-restricted content from services like BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Disney Plus.
The cost of a quality paid VPN has dropped significantly. On two-year plans, NordVPN is available from around 2.99 pounds per month, Surfshark from 1.99 pounds, and even premium options like ExpressVPN come in at roughly 5.32 pounds per month. These prices are less than a single coffee from most high street chains and provide genuine, audited privacy protection.
The Exception: Reputable Free Tiers
Not all free VPNs are problematic. A small number of reputable paid VPN providers offer limited free tiers that are funded by their paying subscribers rather than by advertising or data harvesting. The standout example is Proton VPN, which offers a genuinely free tier with no data limits, no ads, and no logging. The trade-off is that the free tier provides access to servers in only five countries, speeds are lower than the paid plans, and you cannot use it for streaming or torrenting.
Windscribe offers a free plan with 10 GB of data per month and servers in a limited number of locations. This is sufficient for light browsing and occasional use but will not support streaming or heavy downloads. Hide.me provides a similar offering with 10 GB monthly and a single device connection. These free tiers are legitimate because the companies behind them have transparent revenue from their paid subscribers and use the free plans as a way to attract users who may eventually upgrade.
If you are considering a free VPN, take our VPN recommendation quiz at OnlineVPN.co.uk to find out whether a free tier meets your specific needs or whether a paid plan would be more appropriate.
Making the Right Choice for Your Budget
For UK users who need a VPN for streaming, working remotely, protecting financial transactions, or maintaining privacy from ISP surveillance, a paid VPN is the clear recommendation. The cost is minimal, the protection is genuine, and the performance is incomparably better than what any free service can offer. If budget is genuinely a constraint, Surfshark's two-year plan at under two pounds per month represents extraordinary value.
If you only need a VPN occasionally, for example to check email securely on public Wi-Fi once or twice a month, Proton VPN's free tier is a trustworthy option that will not compromise your privacy. Avoid unknown free VPN apps from the app stores entirely. The risk to your data and device security is simply not worth the saving. Use our VPN comparison tool at OnlineVPN.co.uk to compare both free and paid options side by side and make an informed decision based on your actual requirements.
Conclusion
The free VPN market is dominated by services that profit from your data rather than protect it. While a handful of reputable free tiers exist, they come with significant limitations. For the vast majority of UK users, spending two to five pounds per month on a trusted, audited paid VPN is the only sensible choice. Your online privacy and security are worth far more than the price of a monthly coffee.