Common questions
Short answers. Where a number comes from a provider, it is the figure that provider publishes, and their site is the place to confirm it.
What does a VPN change about my connection?
Your device sends traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server the VPN company runs. Websites see that server's address. Your internet provider sees a connection to the VPN company, not the pages inside the tunnel.
Does a VPN make me anonymous?
No. The VPN company can see that your account is online. A site you log into still knows the account is yours. Anonymity would mean neither of those, and a consumer VPN app does not provide it.
Does a VPN replace antivirus?
No. A VPN does not scan files, block malicious downloads, or stop a fake website from loading. Some companies sell antivirus beside the VPN. That is a separate product.
Should I use a VPN on public Wi-Fi?
It is a reasonable habit. Connect the app before you sign in to mail or a bank, so the shared network sees the VPN server rather than those visits. Still read the Wi-Fi name and the site address. The tunnel will carry you to a fake page if you go there yourself.
Can my internet provider tell that I use a VPN?
Yes. They can see that you connected to a VPN server, and how much data moved. They do not see the sites inside the tunnel. The VPN company is the one that can see which of its servers you used.
What is a no-logs policy?
It is the company's statement of what it does not record about your activity, such as the sites you open. Read the statement for what they do record, including timestamps or bandwidth. The interesting part is the list, not the headline.
Why do independent audits matter?
An audit is an outside firm's report on a stated scope: the apps, the servers, or the logging setup, on a stated date. It is evidence about that scope. It does not cover changes made after the report, and an app audit is not a logging audit.
Is a free VPN safe to use?
Some companies publish a real free plan. Proton VPN does. Safety is not decided by the price. Check that the store developer matches the company website, read the logging policy, and decline an app that asks to read your messages or photos. A VPN needs permission to create the tunnel, not permission to read your files.
What should I look for in a money-back guarantee?
The number of days, whether it applies only to the first purchase, and whether an app-store purchase is excluded. CyberGhost publishes 45 days on longer plans and 14 days on a 1-month plan. The others in our table publish 30 days, with those kinds of exceptions.
Will a VPN let me stream a show from another country?
Sometimes. The service sees the VPN server's country and may offer that country's catalogue, or it may block the server. Providers cannot honestly promise a particular show will play. If that show is why you are paying, use the refund window.