To pay or not to pay? Nearly 1 in 4 TechRadar readers say they use free VPNs despite the risks

The VPN market has boomed over the past few years. Ever-sophisticated privacy threats and increasingly more online geo-restrictions have turned these services from software reserved for nerds and businesses to a tool for the masses. In the process, many companies have entered the market to meet this high demand. At TechRadar, we do our best to regularly test most of these services to recommend only the very best VPN out there. In May 2025, we ran a survey to better understand how our readers see and engage with this world. Among the results, one stands out - nearly 1 in…