Do You Actually Need a VPN? An Honest Guide (and Two Good Picks)
VPN ads promise total security. The truth is narrower. Here's when a VPN helps, when it doesn't, and two trustworthy options, including a real free one.
If you've watched YouTube in the last five years, you've been told that without a VPN, hackers are reading your bank details over café Wi-Fi. It makes a great ad. It's mostly not true anymore.
So let's be honest about what a VPN does, who actually needs one, and which ones are worth trusting.
What a VPN really does
A VPN sends your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the VPN company. That means:
- Your internet provider and the Wi-Fi owner can't see which sites you visit. They just see you connected to a VPN.
- The websites you visit see the VPN server's location and IP address instead of yours.
And here's what it doesn't do:
- It doesn't make you anonymous. Logging into Google or Facebook still tells them who you are.
- It doesn't stop viruses, phishing or scam sites.
- It doesn't protect a weak password.
- It moves your trust from your internet provider to the VPN company. Which is why choosing a trustworthy one matters so much.
The café Wi-Fi myth
Ten years ago, public Wi-Fi was genuinely risky. Today, almost every website uses HTTPS (the padlock in your browser), which encrypts what you send to the site even on open Wi-Fi. Someone on the same network can't read your passwords or card number.
A VPN on public Wi-Fi still adds privacy, since it hides which sites you visit. It's just not the emergency the ads make it sound.
When a VPN is genuinely useful
- You travel and want to use services from home that are blocked or different abroad.
- You don't want your internet provider (or a hotel, school or employer network) seeing which sites you visit.
- You're on networks you really don't trust, often in places with heavy internet monitoring.
- You're a journalist, activist or researcher who needs to hide your location from the sites you visit.
If none of that is you, a VPN is optional. Spend the time on a password manager and two-factor authentication instead. Those protect you far more.
Two VPNs worth trusting
Proton VPN: the best real free option
Most free VPNs pay their bills by selling your data or showing you ads, which defeats the point. Proton VPN's free plan is the rare exception. It comes from the company behind Proton Mail and has:
- No data cap and no ads
- One device at a time
- Servers in a handful of countries
- No streaming unblocking or P2P on the free plan
The paid plan adds faster servers, more countries and more devices. Like most VPNs, it's much cheaper per month on longer plans.
Mullvad: the privacy purist's choice
Mullvad is loved by privacy people for one reason: it barely wants to know who you are. You don't sign up with an email. You get a random account number, and you can even pay in cash by post.
The price is refreshingly simple: €5 a month, whether you pay for one month or a year. No "87% off" countdown timers, no auto-renew tricks.
It's not the best for streaming services, and the apps are plain. For straightforward privacy, it's hard to beat.
Red flags in a VPN
- "Lifetime" deals for a one-time fee
- A free VPN from a company you've never heard of
- Huge discounts with countdown timers
- Vague privacy policies, or no independent audits
- Apps that ask for permissions they don't need
Our verdict
- Curious, or need one occasionally: Proton VPN free.
- You want strong privacy with no account details: Mullvad at €5 a month.
- You just want to be safer online: password manager and 2FA first. Then decide if you still want a VPN.
