Dropped $200 on a VPN service for 3 years and now I'm not sure it was worth it

I bought a 3-year plan from a big VPN company after reading all the privacy hype. Cost me $200 up front and seemed like a good deal. But after using it for a year, I realized most of my daily browsing doesn't even need it, and it slows down my connection. For sensitive stuff maybe it helps, but for casual surfing I feel like I just paid for a promise. Has anyone else found VPNs useful day to day or are they mostly a waste?

2 comments

2 Comments

benflores26d ago

...that's the thing, people buy them for the promise of total privacy but the reality is most sites are already encrypted with HTTPS anyway. The slowdown is real though, especially if you're gaming or streaming where every little ping matters. I figure if you're not doing anything that's truly sensitive, a VPN is just an expensive way to make your Netflix buffer.

claireo6726d ago

Wait, you actually think most sites are fine with just HTTPS? I mean, look at what happened with that huge ISP selling browsing data to advertisers a few years back. Your connection might be encrypted but your ISP still sees every domain you visit, like when you go to a site about a medical condition or something. And don't get me started on public WiFi where anyone on the same network can snoop on your traffic even with HTTPS. I've had friends who travel a lot and use coffee shop WiFi for work, and the difference a VPN makes there is night and day. But yeah, for just sitting at home watching YouTube, totally agree on the slowdown being a pain.