"VPNs are expensive, I'll just use a free one" — that decision might be handing your data to advertisers, data brokers, or criminals.
Some free VPNs monetize by selling user data, reselling bandwidth, or bundling malware. This article examines the risks with real incidents and numbers, then shows you how to choose safely.
The Reality of Free VPNs
The numbers paint a clear picture.
Top10VPN 2024 Study
Security research firm Top10VPN investigated the top 100 free VPN apps on Google Play (2.5 billion cumulative installs):
- 88% leaked data (IPv4, IPv6, DNS, or WebRTC)
- 71% shared user data with third parties
- 10% had encryption failures
The majority of popular free VPNs on Google Play fail at the basic job of a VPN.
CSIRO Academic Study (2016)
Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) conducted a peer-reviewed study of 283 Android VPN apps:
- 38% contained malware (adware 43%, trojans 29%, malvertising 17%)
- 18% used tunneling with no encryption
- 84% had IPv6 leaks; 66% had DNS leaks
- 75% used third-party tracking libraries
- 82% requested access to sensitive data (contacts, SMS)
This study is from 2016, but Top10VPN's 2024 findings show the situation has barely improved.
Real Incidents
Not hypothetical risks — documented events.
911 S5 Botnet (2024 — Largest in FBI History)
In May 2024, the FBI dismantled what the Department of Justice called "likely the world's largest botnet ever."
- Scale: 19 million unique IP addresses across 190+ countries
- Method: Six fake free VPN apps distributed on Google Play (MaskVPN, DewVPN, PaladinVPN, ProxyGate, ShieldVPN, ShineVPN)
- Losses: Operators earned ~$99M. Victim losses estimated at "several billion dollars"
- Criminal uses: Financial fraud, identity theft, child exploitation, bomb threats, cyberattacks
- Arrest: YunHe Wang, a 35-year-old Chinese national, arrested in Singapore
Users installed a "free VPN" and their devices became part of a criminal infrastructure — without their knowledge.
SuperVPN Data Breach (2023)
SuperVPN, downloaded over 100 million times on Google Play, leaked 360,308,817 records.
- Exposed data: Email addresses, real IP addresses, VPN servers used, websites visited, device info, geolocation
- Contradiction: SuperVPN advertised a "no-logs policy" — the leaked data proved that was false
- History: Similar breaches occurred in 2016 and 2020
A "no-logs" claim without independent verification is just marketing.
UFO VPN + 6 Services Breach (2020)
Seven free VPN services — UFO VPN, FAST VPN, Free VPN, Super VPN, Flash VPN, Secure VPN, and Rabbit VPN — leaked data from 20 million users simultaneously.
- Cause: All seven shared the same backend infrastructure (Hong Kong-based white-label operation)
- Exposed data: Passwords in plain text, VPN session tokens, user IPs, connection timestamps, ad injection domains
- Contradiction: All seven services claimed a "strict no-logs policy"
Different brands, same company behind the scenes — a common pattern in free VPNs.
Hola VPN Bandwidth Selling (2015)
Hola, a free VPN with 50 million users, sold users' bandwidth through its sister company Luminati at $20/GB.
- Discovery: Exposed when Hola/Luminati infrastructure was used to launch DDoS attacks against 8chan
- Response: Hola's founder admitted the practice, saying it was in the terms of service
- Aftermath: Luminati rebranded to Bright Data in 2021. Valued at ~$200M when a majority stake was sold in 2017
Users' devices were turned into DDoS attack nodes without their knowledge.
How Free VPNs Make Money
Every free service has a business model. For VPNs, there are four main ones.
1. Selling Data
User browsing history, source IPs, and location data are sold to data brokers and ad networks. Top10VPN found that 71% of free VPNs share data with third parties.
2. Ad Injection
JavaScript is injected into the browser to display ads. The CSIRO study specifically named Hotspot Shield. The UFO VPN breach data also contained ad injection domains.
3. Bandwidth Resale
Users' internet connections are sold as commercial proxy services. Hola VPN/Luminati is the most famous example. The 911 S5 botnet in 2024 used the same approach.
4. Malware Distribution
The VPN app itself contains malware. In 2024, 18+ infected VPN apps were removed from Google Play, and detections surged 2.5x in Q3.
Technical Problems
Beyond business model issues, free VPNs have systemic technical flaws.
Weak or Missing Encryption
Paid VPNs use AES-256-GCM or ChaCha20 as standard. Some free VPNs use no encryption at all, or rely on PPTP — a protocol that has been broken for over a decade.
No Kill Switch
When a VPN connection drops, your real IP address is exposed. Paid VPNs block all traffic until the connection is restored. Most free VPNs lack this feature entirely.
DNS and IPv6 Leaks
DNS queries and IPv6 traffic escape the VPN tunnel. Top10VPN's study found leaks in 88% of free VPN apps tested.
No Independent Audits
Top paid VPN providers undergo regular independent audits. Almost no free VPN has ever been independently audited. There is no way to verify their "no-logs" claims.
Are There Trustworthy Free VPNs
Not all free VPNs are dangerous. Free tiers offered by reputable paid VPN providers are relatively safe.
ProtonVPN Free
- Data cap: None (the only free VPN with unlimited data)
- Servers: 10 countries
- Simultaneous connections: 1 device
- Encryption: Same AES-256/ChaCha20 as the paid plan
- Audit: Independent audit by Securitum (2023)
- Company: Proton AG, Switzerland. Founded by CERN scientists. No ads
- Limitations: No P2P, no streaming optimization, slower speeds during peak hours
Windscribe Free
- Data cap: 10 GB/month (with email registration)
- Servers: 10 countries
- Simultaneous connections: Unlimited
- Features: R.O.B.E.R.T. (ad/tracker blocker), Split Tunneling, firewall
- Limitations: 10 GB is insufficient for video streaming
Why These Two Are Trustworthy
Both ProtonVPN and Windscribe have a business model based on paid plan upgrades. They do not need to sell data or inject ads to generate revenue. This is the fundamental difference from other free VPNs.
Free vs Paid VPN Compared
A feature comparison between a typical free VPN and NordVPN.
| Feature | Typical Free VPN | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From $2.99/mo (2-year plan) |
| No-logs audit | None (self-claimed only) | 6 independent audits by Deloitte |
| Servers | Tens to hundreds | 7,000+ across 118+ countries |
| Encryption | AES-128 or lower, sometimes none | AES-256-GCM / ChaCha20 |
| Protocol | Outdated (PPTP, etc.) | NordLynx / OpenVPN / IKEv2 |
| RAM-only servers | No | All servers |
| Kill Switch | No | Yes (Internet + App) |
| Split Tunneling | No | Yes (Windows / Android) |
| Malware protection | No | Threat Protection Pro |
| Data cap | 500 MB–10 GB/month | None |
| Simultaneous connections | 1 | 10 |
| Business model | Data selling / ads / bandwidth resale | Subscription fees |
| Jurisdiction | Unclear or high-risk (Hong Kong, etc.) | Panama (outside Five Eyes) |
At $2.99/month, a paid VPN costs less than a cup of coffee — and the price of a free VPN is your data.
Wrapping Up
A summary of free VPN risks:
- 88% leak data, 71% share data with third parties (Top10VPN 2024 study)
- The largest botnet in FBI history was built using free VPN apps (911 S5, 2024)
- 360 million records leaked from a "no-logs" free VPN (SuperVPN, 2023)
- Free VPNs monetize through data selling, ad injection, bandwidth resale, and malware distribution
- The only trustworthy free VPNs are ProtonVPN Free and Windscribe Free (funded by paid plan upgrades)
The cost of "free" is your data. If you need a VPN, choose an independently audited paid service or a trustworthy free tier like ProtonVPN Free.
Related articles:
- NordVPN Review: Pricing, Security, and Performance Tested
- Is NordVPN Safe? A Technical Security Analysis
- NordVPN vs ExpressVPN vs Surfshark: An Honest Comparison
- VPN Protocols Compared: WireGuard vs OpenVPN vs IKEv2 Under the Hood
References:
- Top10VPN — Free VPN App Investigation (2024) — comprehensive free VPN app study
- CSIRO — An Analysis of the Privacy and Security Risks of Android VPN Permission-enabled Apps (2016) — peer-reviewed academic study
- US DOJ — 911 S5 Botnet Dismantled (2024) — FBI press release