3 Factors to Consider When Choosing a VPN

We currently live in a world where, with each technological advancement made, there are unscrupulous elements always poised to take advantage of it and use it against others.

With hackers growing in their numbers and the number of vulnerable people on the increase, it's no wonder different security solutions have been developed to protect people from data theft, data loss or being spied upon/monitored.

It's most likely one of the reasons you're reading this post too: you want to know how to identify which VPN will help you to stay safe while using the internet.

A VPN (virtual private network) is a private and secure solution within the wider internet itself that allows users – both businesses and individuals – to send and receive data while maintaining the privacy and secrecy of a private network.

When you use a VPN service, it will hide the IP address on your device and replace them with IP addresses from one of their servers, which can be located anywhere in the world.

So, you may be the surfing the internet somewhere in Brazil but be connected to a VPN server in Europe.

That being said, how can you, out of the several choices available, choose the perfect VPN services for your use? Here are 3 factors to consider:

1. VPN server locations

Also called Exit Locations, this is one of the most important things to look out for before you select a VPN to use. The location of the VPN server you use determines what content you'll be able to have access to.

For instance, most people in Internet-censoring countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc, subscribe to VPN services to bypass the restrictions imposed by local firewalls. This means they can get around a location restriction and get access to content in countries – say the UK – provided the VPN server is in the UK.

This will be impossible if the provider has only got servers based in the same country whose restrictions they're trying to bypass.

2. Price

Before you subscribe to any VPN service, you have to be sure about what they charge and how often the payment is. Do you pay monthly for the service or yearly?

What kind of payment system is acceptable? Consider the various packages of reputed vendors. Do they meet your needs and fall within your budget?

You need to get answers to these questions before you commit your hard-earned money.

3. Privacy

The main purpose of using a VPN is to create a safe channel through which you can use the internet. You’ll, however, be trusting the VPN service provider with your data.

While all your activities may be secure from eavesdropping, how about the other systems and operators on the same VPN? Are your activities secured from them too?

Be sure to make all necessary enquiries about your provider’s privacy policies before signing up.

While there are many more factors that can help you to choose a good VPN, I’ve touched on some of the basic ones in this article. Using these factors mentioned above, you can be sure you'll end up with the best available VPN service around.