Remember, if a product is free, your information is the product. Most malware is related to advertising, which makes sense considering that free VPNs don't have the apparent revenue source of paid VPNs. Although some VPNs hide that they sell your information, others do admit it in their privacy policy, so watch out for that. So basically, free VPNs do the exact opposite instead of giving you privacy by collecting your information and selling it to the highest bidder. These trackers are usually used to collect information about your online activity to show you personalized ads. That's why it's very ironic that 72% of free VPNs have third-party monitoring software built-in, according to vpnMentor. One of the main reasons you use a VPN is probably to protect your privacy when browsing the Internet. While this can be the case with paid VPNs, it is even more likely with free VPNs.

Services like Betternet, SuperVPN, and CrossVPN contained malware as part of the 38% of the VPNs in the study that showed signs of being infected. Unfortunately, some VPNs themselves are infected with viruses, according to a study of 283 VPNs by the ICSI Networking and Security Group. Therefore, the only way to be completely secure is by paying for a VPN in conjunction with full antivirus software is essential to ensure maximum security. A free VPN is even worse for this type of security, as their encryptions are usually not that strong. If any of these items find their way into your system, they could harm your device regardless of whether you use VPN. When using a VPN, there is still a risk of:

They don't completely protect you-for example, if you visit phishing websites or download compromised files. Although they mask the IP and encrypt your internet history, that is all they can do.

It's important to remember that VPNs do not work similarly to full antivirus software.

Betternet vpn safe