VPN Buying Guide: What To Know + Common Mistakes To Avoid

Recommended VPN Service Providers

If you trust the government has your best interests at heart and have no issues with the practices of big tech companies like Meta and Google, you don’t need a VPN.

Just do your thing, keep on scrolling.

But if you’d prefer to keep your personal data and online activities private, away from the prying eyes of government snoops, your ISP, and big tech crawlers, then a VPN is the simplest and most cost effective way to do this.

But not just any ol’ VPN will do. You don’t want to use free VPNs (more on this below) and you’ll want to ensure that the one you do end up choosing is fit for purpose and actually worth using.

Here’s why…

🔍 If You Play In Big Tech’s Walled Garden, You Need A VPN. Simple As…

Most people are aware that what they do online is tracked and monitored to some extent, but if they actually knew the true extent of what actually goes on, what’s tracked, what’s monitored, they’d probably never go online again.

Ignorance is bliss, right? Not in this context. There’s a near-constant push and pull between governments, internet service providers, big tech companies, and privacy advocates about the extent and level of access someone should have to your data.

Google and other Big Tech companies want unfettered access to everything you do online. Ditto most governments.

Privacy advocates push for ZERO access, encouraging people to switch away from companies like Meta and Google and to instead use privacy-focused tools and services like the Fediverse and DuckDuckGo or Brave.

Most people simply do not care, however; convenience always wins out. But have you ever thought about why Google’s products are free? Or, web browsers? Or email?

The answer is: data. Your personal data. That’s why they’re free; these services and tools are just aspect of a web of connected technologies that are used to extract your personal details and then sell them onto the highest bidder (advertisers).

Would you like to make it a little harder for big tech companies to profile you? Use a VPN; it is by far the easiest and most affordable (and painless) way to limit Big Tech, your ISP and your government’s access to your personal data and online activities.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your internet connection and routes it through secure servers around the world.

This hides your real IP address, protects you from prying eyes (like your ISP or public Wi-Fi hackers), and can even help bypass regional restrictions or censorship.

Without a VPN:

• Your ISP can log every site you visit
• Advertisers can track you across websites
• Your personal data is exposed on public networks

With a VPN:

• Your traffic is encrypted with military-grade protocols (like AES-256)
• Your location can appear anywhere in the world
• You gain an essential layer of privacy, especially if you’re streaming, torrenting, working remotely, or living in a censored region

Key Features to Look for in a VPN

Remember when I said, not all VPNs are made equal? And that you shouldn’t use free VPN services? Now we’re going to look at what makes a good VPN service.

You don’t need any fancy bells and whistles, with respect to gimmicks or added extras and freebies. Instead, what you need to focus on are things like the type of encryption used, the location of the company, its logs policy, and things like whether or not it comes with a Kill Switch.

This section goes through all the most important features your VPN should have, explaining why they’re important, what they do, and why you’ll want to make sure the VPN you end up using has them in place.

🆚 Free vs Paid VPNs: What’s the Real Cost?

A free VPN is like Meta inside the Fediverse; it’s an oxymoron. For something to be “free” online means that revenue is generated by other means. With companies like Google and Meta, these “other means” are harvesting your personal data and selling it onto third parties.

Can you guess how most free VPNs make money? Yep, they do what Meta and Google do: they sell your information onto third-parties and advertisers. As I said, they’re an oxymoron.

Moral of the story? Don’t use free VPNs. Ever. There have been numerous scandals over the years, most of the companies behind them are not legit, and the performance on them is terrible.

Oh, and if you do anything illegal on them, the free VPN service provider will hand you over to the authorities faster than you can say zoot alors!

Best VPNs for Beginners Right Now

🧪 VPN Feature Comparison Table

✅ Wrapping Up, Final Takeaways & Your VPN Buying Checklist

Use this checklist to evaluate any VPN you’re considering:

• 🔒 No-logs policy (audited or proven in court)
• 🛡️ AES-256 encryption with WireGuard or OpenVPN
• 🚫 Kill switch + DNS leak protection
• 🌍 Wide server coverage (especially your region)
• 📺 Unblocks streaming & bypasses censorship
• ⚡️ Fast speeds and minimal latency
• 💻 Apps for all major devices + browser extensions
• 🔁 Split tunneling and multi-device support
• 💰 Accepts anonymous payments (crypto/gift cards)
• ☎️ Reliable 24/7 customer support

I’ve used pretty much every major VPN under the sun in the last 12 years. The big players are all fairly equal, despite what review sites would have you believe, with speedy connections, no-logs policies, and multi-device support.

I’ve been using SurfShark since early-2024. I got a pass to test it out for a month, was actually really impressed with its performance (it’s faster than both NordVPN and ExpressVPN on my devices) and it costs less. It also has all the core protections in place.

The main thing to keep in mind is that if you go with ExpressVPN, NordVPN, SurfShark or Proton VPN, you’re going to be getting rock-solid performance and security. They’re all excellent service providers. I just like paying a little less, so I opted to stick with SurfShark.