But are paid VPNs any faster than their free counterparts, or is there little to no difference here?

Free vs.

Paid VPNs: Which Is Faster?

screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test result

VPN apps are no exception to this rule.

Some VPN apps are entirely free, some are paid only, and some offer both options.

There are additionalconcerns relating to the use of free VPNs, particularly surrounding data logging.

screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test results

But here, we’ll discuss whether free VPNs are slower than paid VPNs.

A quick overview of the results received can be seen below.

Both the download and upload speed results for each test are shown.

screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test results

These include a 2GB data limit, limited gadget usage, and limited server locations.

But what about speed?

The Tunnelbear free VPN was connected to a remote server in France for each speed test.

screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test results

Here’s what we found.

While the download speed fell by 2.82 Mbps, the upload speed fell by 7.71 Mbps.

But what if we go beyond browsing?

screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test results

So, how does the paid VPN measure up?

These variations are only a few Mbps, which shouldn’t affect loading times much.

Are Paid and Free VPN Speeds Different?

screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test results

In this example, no.

Tunnelbear uses the same VPN service in its paid and free versions.

Screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test results

screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test results

Screenshot of speedtest.net connection speed test result