The VPN market is flooded with services costing as little as a few rand per month. Some are genuinely useful. Others are barely better than using no VPN at all — and a few are actively dangerous. Here’s how to tell the difference.
The Problem With “Free” VPNs
If a VPN service isn’t charging you for the product, you are the product. Free VPNs often make money by selling your data, injecting ads into your browsing, or logging your activity and selling it to third parties. A free VPN is frequently worse for your privacy than no VPN at all.
What Makes a VPN Worth Using
A genuinely useful VPN should have:
- A clear no-logs policy that’s been independently audited
- Strong encryption (AES-256 is the standard)
- A kill switch that stops internet traffic if the VPN drops
- Good connection speeds — a VPN that slows you to a crawl isn’t useful day-to-day
- Servers in locations you actually need
Cheap VPNs That Are Actually Okay
Some budget VPNs do offer genuine privacy protection — they just cut costs by having fewer servers, less customer support, or a smaller feature set. Services like Mullvad (flat fee, no personal info required) and ProtonVPN (limited free tier, strong privacy) are honest operators at reasonable prices.
VPNs to Be Wary Of
Be cautious of VPNs that make extravagant claims (“military-grade encryption!”, “complete anonymity!”, “unstoppable!”) — these are marketing phrases, not technical descriptions. Also be wary of VPNs owned by large advertising or data-broker companies, as the business incentives conflict with your privacy.
The Bottom Line
Not every cheap VPN is bad, and not every expensive VPN is good. Look for independent audits, read privacy policies carefully, and remember that a VPN is one tool in a broader privacy strategy — not a magic solution.