Are you using your smartphone or another mobile device to browse the Web? It’s highly likely that you do as over 52.2% of all global traffic is coming from mobiles today (Statista) and this number has been steadily growing over the last years. Unfortunately, the risks to your online safety grow even faster. Using a VPN can protect you from some major cyber threats, so you should consider investing in a good app as soon as possible.

A VPN (a virtual private network) is a solution that allows you to maintain a high level of online privacy using a combination of encryption and rerouting of your data through various servers. Due to this, VPN apps are able to offer benefits that go beyond additional cyber security.

Advantages of Using a Mobile VPN App

• Increased privacy.
  They say there is no online privacy today, and partially it’s true. However, a VPN is one of the most efficient tools for regaining a measure of it. Encrypting the data before it leaves your device, it makes it exponentially harder to spy on you through digital means. Of course, a highly dedicated hacker who focuses on breaking down the encryption on this particular stream of traffic can succeed. However, cybercriminals mostly prey on the weakest unprotected channels. Therefore, a good VPN gives you as much protection as you can get today.
• Access to the locked content.
  Are you fond of Netflix shows or other online streaming services? It’s sad that the best shows and sports games streamed by those are only available in a handful of countries because this content is locked based on geographical location. A VPN reroutes your data streams through various servers, it can send it to the one located within the ‘approved’ country. This makes it seem as if you are located in the area where the content is accessible, thus you get to enjoy the show you love no matter where you really are.
  Note that this particular benefit of VPNs allows you access to all kinds of locked online services, like websites blocked by your government.

As you can see, a VPN app gives you a lot more freedom in exploring the Web and enjoying all it has to offer. It’s also excellent protection against common cyber threats, which often lurk in public networks. However, if you want to enjoy these benefits to the fullest, you need to understand the difference between free services and subscription paid VPN apps. The truth is that an efficient VPN is a very complex solution that requires careful maintenance and management. Therefore, these services are never free. Like many businesses today, leading VPN app providers offer a free version of their solution. But the purpose of this offer is to show you a glimpse of the benefits you can get because a free VPN app can never measure up to a full-fledged version.

Mobile VPN App Costs: Should You Fall for ‘Free Cheese’?

The leading mobile VPN apps today include Express VPN, VyprVPN, HMA!, SaferVPN, and a dozen others. One thing all these solutions have in common is that all of them cost money. And they should because they are made and managed by people who earn their salaries by making sure you enjoy excellent service.

Now, free VPNs exist, and they are also created by people who also need salaries. So, if the app is free, how do they get paid? Many of those free apps make the majority of their revenue from advertisements, which are so numerous that using an app becomes a struggle. However, some companies take it further and do the despicable thing of selling your private information to third parties, which means putting you at serious risk.

You also shouldn’t forget that free solutions are always very limited and therefore slow and unreliable. There is no avoiding this for apps that are completely free as they are usually low-funded, to begin with. Therefore, their creators cannot afford to set up the good technical base this solution needs.

The majority of VPN plans cost about $3-5 a month and you can get a bargain if you buy a yearly plan from the start. The benefits that a premium plan offers are definitely worth this kind of investment.

Protecting Your Mobile Device with a VPN App: Final Thoughts

Today, the number of cyber threats is growing at a terrifying pace. Kaspersky Lab reports that the number of Asacub attacks on mobile devices went from less than 25,000 to over 250,000 incidents in less than six months in 2018. And that only includes people with the Kaspersky Lab software installed on their mobile devices.

Therefore, it’s essential to take every possible precaution in order to protect your device and information stored within. A VPN app will be a great help when upping your cybersecurity, especially when you need to use public Wi-Fi. However, remember that only a reliable subscription VPN mobile app can provide adequate protection.