Free VPNs can be useful for basic privacy on public Wi‑Fi, but they often come with serious tradeoffs: weaker protections, strict limits, and higher legal/privacy risk if the provider logs or monetizes user data. Studies and security reporting repeatedly warn that many free VPN apps include tracking, have poor security practices, or expose users through leaks and vague logging policies.

What a free VPN does (and doesn’t)

A VPN encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN server, which helps protect against local network snooping (for example, on café Wi‑Fi) and hides your browsing from the local network/ISP in many cases.​

A VPN does not make you anonymous on the internet: websites can still identify you through accounts, cookies, fingerprinting, and other signals even when your IP changes.​

A VPN also does not protect you from malware, phishing, or unsafe downloads—those threats remain even with encrypted tunneling.​

Key risks of free VPNs

Many free VPNs fund themselves through ads, tracking, and sometimes data sharing or data sales, which can undermine the privacy goal of using a VPN.

Research and reporting highlight that free VPN apps are frequently “riddled with flaws” or put user data at risk, so “free” can effectively mean higher exposure to surveillance, profiling, or breach impact.​

Some incidents and analyses describe cases where VPN services (including those marketed as “no-logs”) exposed sensitive data such as IP addresses, activity logs, and even plaintext passwords—showing why trust and verification matter.​

Rules of use (practical and safety)

Use a free VPN only for low-to-medium risk tasks (basic browsing, reducing Wi‑Fi snooping), not for high-stakes activities like sensitive work, activism, or confidential communications unless the provider is strongly vetted.

Follow the provider’s Terms of Service (ToS): many free plans restrict P2P/torrenting, automate anti-abuse controls, or suspend accounts for “prohibited” traffic patterns.​

Do not install “cracked” VPN apps or APKs from unofficial sources, because the combination of network permissions and system-level VPN access makes tampering especially dangerous for user data.​

Technical limitations and what to check

Prefer modern protocols (WireGuard or OpenVPN) and avoid outdated options; many risky free VPNs cut corners on encryption or configuration quality.

Require leak protection: DNS leaks, IP leaks, IPv6 handling issues, and WebRTC leaks can reveal your real identity or location even while the VPN appears “connected.”

Enable a kill switch if available, because if the VPN connection drops, your device may fall back to the normal network path and send DNS queries through your ISP (or expose real IP traffic).

Expect performance restrictions: free servers are often congested and limited in locations, which causes throttling, higher latency, and inconsistent connectivity.​

Legal and jurisdiction limits (including Russia)

Jurisdiction matters: where the VPN company is incorporated and where it runs infrastructure affects what data it can be compelled to retain or disclose.​

Reporting on Russia indicates that VPN use has not been described as a total ban for ordinary citizens at the time of writing, but new regulations and penalties can target certain behaviors (and enforcement can change).​

Multiple reports about 2026 Russian restrictions discuss liability tied to VPN-related advertising and to searching for “extremist materials” using VPNs, which makes “how you use it” as important as “whether you use it.”

User data security: what “safe” looks like

Treat “no logs” as a claim that must be specific: providers can still keep connection metadata (timestamps, source IP, device identifiers) even if they don’t store full browsing history.

Choose services that publish concrete security and privacy details (what is logged, retention periods, who receives data, and under what legal process), because vague policies correlate with higher risk.

Test your setup regularly (IP/DNS/WebRTC leak checks) and confirm the VPN is actually routing your traffic as intended; guides for checking VPN functionality emphasize re-testing after changing settings.