Switch To A Faster VPN
Theres a chance, though, that despite tinkering with settingsor wisely not doing anything with them at allthat your VPN is still slow. In that case, it could very well be that you picked a poor service, in which case, we recommend that you make use of the VPN services money-back guaranteeif it offers oneto get a refund.
The fact is that most decent VPNs get good speeds with their default settings. Why settle for one that needs you to get under the digital hood?
There are a few VPN services that we like, but when it comes to speed, we recommend ExpressVPN. Many of us here at How-To Geek have used it for years. Its a speedy VPN with a large number of servers, and its backed by a trustworthy company thats been around for years. If you dont like it, you can always get your money back within the first 30 days.
Provide Freemium Limitations And Restrictions
In most cases, free VPN providers will also offer paid services. The free VPN option will provide limited features and capabilities. The developers will lock the advanced features so that users have to pay to use them. Therefore, the free option acts as a lure to convince you to pay for the other elements.;
Some service providers will tell you from the beginning and ask you to upgrade to the paid options. However, if youre unlucky, your service provider will manipulate you into getting the premium version. Most limit the internet speed, server choice, and data use for users on the free plan so they can pay for a better browsing experience.;
For example, Hotspot Shield limits traffic to 500 MB per day, despite being among the best free VPN providers. On the other hand, ProtonVPN offers unlimited data with slow speeds due to fewer server locations.
What A VPN Won’t Do
A VPN is a simple and powerful tool for protecting your privacy online, but the truth is that if someone targets you specifically and is willing to put forward the effort, they will almost certainly get what they’re after. A VPN can be defeated by malware on your device, or by analyzing traffic patterns to correlate activity on your computer to activity on the VPN server.;
Even with a VPN, things like cookies allow companies to track your internet usage even after you’ve left their sites. Fortunately, we have a handy guide to pruning cookies on your browser. We also recommend using a tracker blocker, such as the EFF’s Privacy Badger, which can help keep advertisers blind to your movements. Many browsers, including Firefox, ship with privacy features that will improve your privacyparticularly when it comes to defeating browser fingerprinting.
VPNs also only do so much to anonymize your online activities. If you really want to browse the web anonymously, and access the Dark Web to boot, you’ll want to use Tor. Unlike a VPN, Tor bounces your traffic through several server nodes, making it much harder to trace. It’s also managed by a non-profit organization and distributed for free. Some VPN services will even connect to Tor via VPN, making this arcane system easier to access.
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Sell Your Bandwidth To Other Users
Most of the ways through which these companies make money exploit the users on the free plan. However, this has to be the most extreme since they make free users suffer for the benefit of the paying ones.;
This problem is common with VPN providers that have free and paid services on the same platform. Free users will sign up for an unlimited internet connection without having an idea of the catch that benefits the paying users.;
The most common technique is having the companies limit the free users processing power, which they then transfer to the paying subscribers. The companies make a profit by selling your bandwidth to the paying users.;
Most of the time, VPN companies wont let you know if they plan to do this. The only way to avoid this problem is by signing up for a reliable paid VPN plan.;
The Bad Guys Selling Your Data
Weve covered the two most common ways free services make money. Reputable services will provide a limited feature set in hopes you will register for the paid version, and showing ads is common because it means the VPN works reliably but provides a revenue stream.
Then there are the bad eggs. Without explicitly stating this, some VPN services make money by selling your user information. This might be as simple as selling email addresses so that you receive more spam.
In other cases, it might be far more nefarious – a VPN might sell all of your private information including your location, address, email, and profile info as a way to make money. Those who purchase this info will then start showing you ads and sending more spam. When the VPN makes it clear and you agree to this arrangement, thats one thing. More often, you sign-up for the free service and use what seems like a legitimate product that is not so legitimate.
- Don’t settle…make sure you download only the best free VPN
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How To Save Money With A VPN
You can save a tonne of money using a VPN, and perhaps one of the biggest areas this really shows is the travel industry.
When youre booking a flight, your IP address plays a big part in how much you pay. If you use a VPN to browse the website from a less affluent country, you will probably find that your flight prices come up much cheaper. This is because the airlines know that they cant charge their top amounts here, people just wont be able to afford it.
Its also worth trying to access the site from the flight providers own country, this often works well too.
Create Basic Documentation For Your VPN
One thing that I was expecting was VPN Resellers to give us documentation, but as they said, they didn’t want 100s of resellers using the same documentation which would reveal the source of the network to your customers if lots of people rank for the same search terms.
WHMCS is great in that it offers a built in Knowledgebase, and I recommend creating some awesome articles on basic topics such as:
- How to login to the billing portal
- How to download and install VPN software
- How to reset VPN password
- How to enable/disable kill switch;
- How to setup tunnelling
- How to do a speed test
- How to check for any DNS leaks.
The apps actually offer lots of features, and are really good as they don’t leak any DNS records, which is crucial when running a VPN network. If you spend time creating a kick-ass knowledgebase, not only will these articles rank well in Google, they’ll stop your support requests.;
I recommend going to the FAQ page on the reseller portal and using all their questions and answers to create extensive knowledgebase articles from.;
19. Add Support Methods
WHMCS offers a built-in ticketing platform, and I’d recommend turning this on right away. You can also create an email address with your web host, and automatically pull emails into tickets via WHMCS.
If you’re using LightningBase, you must open a ticket and request email for your domain is enabled.
- Support Team
Your users can then choose these departments to log a ticket too via the client area.;
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No Speed And Bandwidth Limitations
The last thing you want is buffering speeds and slow downloads when youre using a VPN service. Most free VPNs will have you struggling with this, but premium VPN service providers let you browse without any data caps.;
If youre using the VPN for gaming, stream, or other P2P activities, youre better off with a premium service. Additionally, the best providers offer customized servers for any of these activities, making your browsing experience even better.;
How Do Free VPNs Make Money
A VPN makes for a more secure and private internet connection by hiding your IP address and encrypting data sent to and from your computer. And, while there are some decent free VPN providers out there, its important to realize theyre still making money off you, and you may not like just how its done.
Many of the best VPN services like ExpressVPN enable you to avoid these issues for just a few bucks per month, so make sure you understand how no-fee VPNs make money using your data before signing up.
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Why Do VPN Companies Charge Fees
VPN companies provide different services. However, the best service providers will allow you to bypass censorship and geo-restrictions and keep you completely anonymous while maintaining fast browsing speeds. If you think about it, itd be ridiculous to get all these incredible services for free.;
The VPN companies incur certain costs to provide these services. For starters, running a reliable VPN service requires that you manage a global server network, provide user support and bandwidth, among other things that cost quite a fortune. Therefore, it only makes sense that these companies need to make money.;
So, how about free VPN companies? How do they generate their money?
For a free VPN company to offer reliable services, they need to find other ways to earn money from their customers. Some of these ways compromise your security and privacy when using the VPN. Heres a list of seven of these ways:
There Has Never Been A Better Time To Brand Your Own VPN
Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are quickly growing in popularity, particularly in countries like the UK and Australia where internet freedoms are beginning to be stepped on by paranoid governments. That means the market is growing, and youre in the perfect position to take a chunk of it even if you dont yet have the equipment to do so yourself.;
There are a host of services worldwide which offer potential connections in bulk rather than selling to the little guy. If youre willing to put the money in for a big chunk of network bandwidth, you can resell it to individual users and use the profits to pad your own bank balance. Its not going to be easy, and youll need some capital, business acumen and marketing effort to see a good return on that investment. But as well discover, youre not short on options.
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Selling Your Connection/ip Address
This is 1 of concern but yet another way how free vpns make money!
You may see streaming apps now ask if you would like to get an ad free version and in return; it will use your devices idle resources. When you allow, you connection is sold to companies such as Luminati. That company will then use your connection and ip address and sell as a residential proxy.;
A residential proxy means somebody can access the internet from your location. You may see that vpn servers can be blocked by websites and apps, but by using a residential proxy this isnt an issue as its a personal connection and not a server. So things such as fraud can take place as it looks like its been done from a legitimate address.
The free vpn app itself can also be used as a way for somebody to gain access to your device. This meaning somebody can access the internet using you mobile data and do as they please. The more I read into this, the more concerned I was. The app can be used as a backdoor for harmful malware, connections etc to enter you device
Here are just 5 ways of how free vpns make money, but you can bet there are many more. You can check out our VPN Reviews section for full honest reviews of the numerous vpn services out there.
Unexpected Ways To Save Money With A VPN
Almost everyone these days knows that VPNs are great for keeping your online activity private and secure. But did you know that you could be using your VPN to save you literally hundreds on your favorite activities?
Weve compiled a handy list of the most fun ways you can use your VPN to your advantage, saving you money and meaning you can go the extra mile whether youre a shopaholic, movie buff or a travel addict.
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Remove The Unwanted Whmcs Emails
This looks dreadful in my opinion. The client area can show them their invoices, so I remove all but 2 of these emails. They get a payment confirmation and an email with their VPN details.;
To do this, head over to your WHMCS email templates again.;
I recommend removing the following ones:;
- Order Confirmation
- Invoice Created
- Invoice Payment Confirmation
This will ensure the only email that is sent is the ‘Welcome Email’ with their VPN login details.;
They Offer Genuine Protection For Your Private Data Online
When you disconnect from the web, your session data should disappear, and it will with a premium VPN. While some top VPN providers keep partial connection logs, usually for diagnostic purposes, none of them track your activity or share your data, ever.Even better, our most highly rated VPNs dont keep any logs at all, so your activity online is truly anonymous as it should be.
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When Can You Use A Free VPN Service Provider
So, are all free VPNs a no-no?
Despite all the disadvantages they come with, you dont have to write-off free VPNs completely. Most of the free VPNs come in handy when youre only interested in some light browsing. You can use these VPNs to remain anonymous on public Wi-Fi or access a geo-blocked site while on vacation.;
Choosing a free VPN provider can seem scary, especially now that you know your privacy and security will be in jeopardy. However, there are some decent providers you can choose from, especially if you dont mind the limitations. These simple tips will help you separate the wheat from the chaff.;
- Stay away from free VPNs that claim to offer unlimited services.;
- Find providers who offer restricted free plans.;
Most of the plans that offer restricted free plans usually offer their paid services on the same platform. Although these companies will limit your server access, bandwidth, and speed, they will provide better privacy and security services than free stand-alone VPNs.;
As expected, these companies cannot meet all your needs, and youll probably have to upgrade for better services.
To be on the safe side, always go through the fine print in the privacy policy. Most users dont bother to read it, which gives the VPN companies an upper hand.;;
Are Antivirus And VPN Ads Still Profitable In 2021
In a word, yes. According to research carried out by the antivirus software market is set to increase by 10.8% from 2020-26. It has always been a profitable vertical in affiliate marketing with some antivirus and VPN providers paying some of the highest commissions per customer in the affiliate industry.
In fact, this vertical has been considered to be an evergreen niche, meaning that you can rely on it to give you a solid return on your investment all year round if you know what youre doing.
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They Offer Customer Assistance
Free VPN service providers need to cut costs, and one of the ways they do this is by excluding customer service. Setting up your VPN may be an uphill task, especially if you are a beginner. You may need some technical assistance at some point, and your free VPN provider cant help you with that.;
Premium VPNs have to keep their customers happy, which is why they must have a customer desk. The most reliable ones offer 24/7 assistance and different ways to get in touch with the support team. You can either use live chat, emails, and ticket systems to contact the support team. In this way, premium VPNs are more convenient.;
Which VPN Should I Use
Our roundups of the best VPNs and the best cheap VPNs are excellent places to research the top choices, but below is a quick list of our top picks if you just want to get started with online privacy protection right now.
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They Set Limits On Purpose
Remember the free VPNs that also offer paid services ? The good ones will tell you outright that theyre only offering limited free services in the hopes that youll eventually upgrade to the paid subscription .
On the other hand, there are those that dont warn you at all. They limit your data, bandwidth, and even disable peer-to-peer connections on purpose to manipulate you into upgrading to their premium service.
Why Do Free VPNs Use Such Tactics
For some VPNs out there, making money comes before their users safety and privacy. Selling user data, using it for advertising or blatantly breaching their security and privacy are just some of the ways free VPNs make money. But, before we get into the details, its important to talk about all of the important aspects and understand why some free VPNs abuse their customers trust. Here are the biggest reasons why they do this:
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