VPN or Virtual Private Network- a tool for a truly free and secure Internet. It is a virtual private intermediary network between the end user and the World Wide Web. The technology allows you to access the network from a foreign IP address, which is required to access resources blocked in your home region. In addition, VPN should be used in public Wi-Fi networks to anonymize and protect against interception of transmitted data. VPN applications are the easiest way to evaluate all the advantages of the technology, about them below the cut.
Opera VPN- a client from the well-known Opera Software, created after the takeover of SurfEasy, one of the leaders in this field.
The appearance of the application is at the proper level: it looks modern and works smoothly. I was pleased with the mascot - a Scandinavian warrior, who symbolizes the security of VPN networks and notifies about the status of the application.
Connecting to a secure network is done in one click. By default, the nearest VPN server is used. The list of available regions is as follows: Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore and the USA.
A separate section is devoted to the security of Wi-Fi connections. The developers recommend activating VPN on public Wi-Fi networks to anonymize and prevent traffic interception.
An interesting feature of Opera VPN is that it blocks ad trackers that collect users' online activity for use for advertising purposes.
The service is provided absolutely free, without restrictions on the amount of traffic. There are no paid plans. The application has built-in unobtrusive advertising.
To test the service, we used a recommended VPN network located in the Netherlands.
Speed measurements were carried out using the Speedtest.net service in two stages. First of all, the speed was tested to the server closest to the VPN network, located in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Afterwards, the connection speed was measured to the server closest to the actual location.
Connection speed without VPN.
Testing in real conditions is much more interesting. Here Opera VPN shows itself extremely positively. Connecting to the network hardly affected the responsiveness of web pages and applications, however, from time to time the access speed drops, this manifests itself in noticeable delays. At the same time, through a VPN you can watch online videos up to 1080p.
Hola is one of the most common VPN services. In addition to the Android application, plugins for various browsers are available.
The application interface is designed in a modern flat style. Unlike other clients, the VPN connection is opened for a specific application. At the same time, other programs continue to transmit data directly.
In addition, the Hola client app comes with a built-in browser that allows you to visit web pages at your desired online location without creating a system-level VPN connection.
The list of available regions is the widest among free VPN clients. Among them are the usual Netherlands, Germany, the USA, and Angola, Indonesia, Italy, Estonia and others.
The service is provided free of charge and without restrictions on the amount of data transferred.
There are no banner ads in the application, however, unlike other solutions, Hola works on the principle of a peer-to-peer network. Each connected smartphone is used to transmit traffic to other participants. This approach allows you to reduce the cost of maintaining the main VPN servers by placing part of the load on users.
Connection speed was tested when connecting to a Dutch server. The VPN network exhibits excellent latency performance, especially when working with the server closest to the actual location.
When other regions connect to the network, the trend continues. Germany.
USA.
Hola is a service originally designed to work with services: hulu, Netflix, Pandora, Spotify. Thanks to this, streaming video is played without problems, including 1080p. There is nothing to say about the web pages; they work as expected.
CyberGhost- VPN service with an unusual client application aimed at the average user.
The main menu is divided into 4 banner sections with pre-configured modes of use.
The first one is Secure Wi-Fi Hotspot designed to work on public networks. After its activation, the ability to intercept traffic, as well as malicious sites, is blocked. Changing the region is not possible; the most optimal one is used by default.
I liked the ability to automatically activate protection when connecting to selected networks.
Safe streaming- catalog of services with regional reference.
The corresponding online location is used to connect.
Anonymous navigation - connect to a VPN network with options to ensure anonymity and security. The service can compress data on the fly to save traffic on mobile networks.
By default, the optimal VPN server is used, the list includes Germany, Canada, the Netherlands and Ukraine.
The last tab is connecting to a VPN with the ability to select a server manually, based on load data.
Anonymization and protection against malicious sites can be activated separately.
The free plan includes unlimited traffic and access to VPN servers in 30 regions. For 229 rubles per month you can get a higher connection speed.
The application has the function of automatically selecting a suitable server; during testing, a recommended server located in Ukraine was used. The service demonstrates high connection speed.
The remaining regions show comparable figures. Netherlands.
In real operation, the service shows itself positively. Web pages load quickly, but there is a slight delay due to high ping. Video content is provided without problems.
Turbo VPN- an alternative service that provides access to a secure channel without traffic restrictions.
The application interface is made in Material Design and looks modern. There was no need for a mascot; the developers used a hare.
There are no additional functions other than the VPN itself. Servers located in the following countries are available for connection: Germany, Canada, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, the United States, India and Singapore. By default, the most optimal server is selected.
Using the service is absolutely free, the amount of traffic is not limited. There are no paid plans. The application is filled with advertisements, including full-screen ones.
In everyday use, the experience is similar: web pages load without significant delays. Online videos in 1080p work; delays when rewinding are comparable to connecting directly.
TouchVPN- free VPN service without traffic restrictions from North Ghost.
The client's style is reminiscent of MIUI. The interface is focused on connecting in one click.
An unusual feature is statistics of the current session. The application also draws graphs, but their information content and usefulness are questionable.
The list of available servers includes 19 countries, including: Germany, Russia, Hong Kong, Italy, Sweden and Japan.
Among the additional options, noteworthy is the warning about connecting to an unsecured network, which is triggered when using public Wi-Fi networks.
The service is provided absolutely free of charge without restrictions on traffic and connection time. There are no paid plans. The client uses full-screen advertising.
The client considers the Russian server to be optimal; it doesn’t make much sense. Therefore, a VPN server located in France was used for testing and speed measurements. The connection speed was a pleasant surprise! However, Speedtest.net is unstable on the network, and it was not possible to get speed results to the server closest to the actual location. Changing the region does not change the situation.
The unstable operation of the speed measurement service does not affect normal web surfing in any way; even heavy sites load normally. There were no problems with online videos.
Hideman Free VPN- a free version of the well-known service, unlimited in the amount of data transferred.
The application interface looks minimalistic, the main menu is to select the region to connect to. Available in the free version: Canada, Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria.
An interesting feature is support for the UDP protocol. It is faster than the usual TCP, although the latter is more reliable. Additional options include protection against malicious and spy sites, and Anti-DPI to bypass government firewalls.
In the free version of the service, only 6 regions are available. There are no restrictions on the amount of data transferred. The client uses unobtrusive banner advertising.
Along with other services, Hideman performed well in everyday use. Internet surfing and video streaming are provided without any noticeable problems.
About anonymity in public networks
Like any business, public VPN networks should not be unprofitable. At the same time, enormous amounts of money are spent on maintaining and supporting servers. If the service is provided free of charge, the monetization mechanisms are unclear, and it is unlikely that the advertising built into clients can recoup a significant part of the costs. Therefore, it is recommended to trust really important data to paid services that value their reputation and the anonymity of users. Free services are nothing more than a means of bypassing regional restrictions. That is, they are provided as is, without responsibility for users’ private data. You should take developers' claims about data security with skepticism.In 2015, there was a scandal with the above-mentioned service, which was caught selling traffic to third-party companies. In one episode, users turned out to be unwitting participants in a botnet. After the scandal, the company changed the user agreement, and those who do not want to share device resources were offered a paid Hola Premium subscription.
