A friend has asked me about setting up a VPN with a view, I gather, mostly to streaming stuff. I use Express VPN*, which costs a few quid but does, reassuringly, have “Express” in the name. I notice there are a few free VPNs available as extensions on Google Chrome*, and was wondering whether they would do the job just as well. I don’t want to commit my friend to an unnecessary expense, but I also don’t want something inadequate. If it was just for me I could employ trial and error, but this job involves making a trip and I want to do it right first time.
Do The Massive use these free extensions and are some better than others? Any thoughts appreciated..
(Other VPNS/ Browsers are available)
Your Thoughts On Free VPN Extensions
by 15 Comments
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Further complicating matters, I noticed recently that at least one virus protection package “free” VPN facilities…
I use Tunnelbear. I pay for it but it works across all of my devices. It seems pretty good (It’s never not worked). I use it for security on public networks and it saves me £5 every time I stream a Leeds match (overseas rates are £5 rather than £10) so it broadly pays for itself.
I’m not sure I trust free things to do the things they are supposed to do (this is different from included things). I can’t work out what a free VPN get will get for their troubles other than a good look at your data.
I use TunnelBear @Leedsboy too. Are you able to see BBC iplayer content while using the UK as your location?
I did work but I haven’t been abroad since for a couple of years so can’t say for sure. It certainly worked for Sky when I was in Italy two years ago.
I meant faking it whilst being in the UK and accidentally having the VPN turned on and pointing at the UK. There is an issue with some VPN’s servers being blacklisted by clever BBC (and no doubt other) code. I think tunnelbear have been rumbled.
I will check.
Trust ye not “free”. Nord VPN if you sign up for a couple of years is laughably cheap
Yup. I use Nord and it’s extremely good value as long as you commit to 2/3 years or more. it’s also very fast, with little degradation on speeds from my normal connection. Works on many devices.
You have to work on the presumption that if something is free then YOUR data is the cost to you. Any free service will have to sell on your data, even if it’s anonymised, to make money and the less scrupulous they are the less anonymous it will be
Thanks guys. My first instinct was “only the best” for my friends (and golly if Nord isn’t rather cheap) so I will go that route..
I’ve used both free and paid for. The free ones (I use the one built in to the Opera browser) are useful for getting round geolocator blocks and keeping your real IP away from sites who will track your visists and push prices up if they see you returning for several looks (i.e lots of travel sites). There’s no security as such, just something to hide behind.
Of the paid for ones, few are able to fool IPlayer or Netflix to think you are in a country you’re not (I used PIA but it turned out to be usless for streaming) or don’t allow torrents (Tunnelbear). I think Nord can still avoid most streaming sites detection. Nord suffered a data breach back in 2018 which spooked a few people but from what I can make out didn’t compromise individual accounts.
I use Firefox as my browser and they have just marketed a free Mozilla VPN.
Any comments on the Mozilla doodad?
“Free” is never ever free. The BBC spend an awful lot of time (and money?) detecting VPN servers. Nord constantly changes its servers so if one you are using today will not work tomorrow then simply clear your cookies, pick another server and away you go. All the other UK TV channels don’t give a monkeys about VPNs so as long as they “think” you are in the UK everything is scooby dooby
ExpressVPN reliably works with BBC iPlayer from Oz. I sometimes have to restart to clear the cache, that’s all.
Yeah but, in France as opposed to some faraway colony Express VPN is unreliable. Nord is the one. (And remember, every new subscriber gets not only a ticket in the draw to win a zillion pounds but also contributes to the “Lodey Deserves A Proper Pension” fund. Go on. You know it’s right!)