What is VPN? How It Works, Types of VPN?

The VPN or virtual private network service allows you to browse the Internet anonymously and more securely by hiding the origin of the traffic we generate through an IP address that may be different from that of our country of origin.

In this article, you will find everything about VPN and a list of the best free VPNs for mobile and computer. Now let’s dive a little deeper into the meaning of VPN and the benefits of using this service that has become popular in recent years.

What is VPN?

To define the VPN network in a simple way, we will say that it is a service that will help you navigate while hiding your true computer identity by using an IP different from yours.

That will keep you more protected from prying eyes and even cyber-attacks. When you connect on the Internet with a VPN provider, the network will not be able to recognize who is on the other side of the screen, as it is hidden in the identity of another IP address. The great question of what VPN is and all the applications it has we will see below.

Benefits of VPN?

Here are some advantages of using a VPN provider to surf the web:

  • You will avoid geographical restrictions on content that was not initially available in your country
  • If your government has restricted a web portal or any online service, with a VPN, you can access that content
  • Access to watch movies online in your country
  • You can enjoy more private browsing, preventing hackers from entering your real network because they will run into the fake VPN connection
  • You will access your online bank account or your electronic wallet with more confidence since the VPN protects your browsing
  • If you browse a public network, you will be safer when accessing your email, opening confidential files, or entering the online platform of your work

How to download VPN?

Whether it’s Android VPN or PC VPN, these programs download just like any other. Be it software for Windows 10 (or another operating system) or an application for the cell phone, and if you want a free VPN, you can download it quickly.

The list with the best VPNs 2021 will leave you the download links for the phone and also a link to download the program on the PC. The operation of most providers is quite simple and intuitive, you only have to press a button to activate the VPN, and your IP address will change immediately.

Types of VPN

Many of the people who have used this service are unaware that there are several types of VPN, each with its specific characteristics and functions. The most popular are Site-to-Site, PPTP, MPLS, L2TP, IPSec, and Hybrid VPN. Below we will explain the functions of each one:

 Site-to-site VPN

This VPN is also known as a router to router, is used mainly at the corporate level. It is used to connect the networks of the same company with offices in various parts of the world, guaranteeing the safety of navigation.

It is also used to connect with other companies, which is known as an extranet VPN. To define it more simply, the site-to-site VPN serves as a link between networks located in different geographical locations, allowing secure communication between the parties.

Encoding, decoding, and addressing are performed by software and hardware routers, being an important difference with the PPTP VPN.

 PPTP VPN

This service develops a tunnel to capture the information and is used remotely to make a connection to the VPN network through the Internet. Used by companies and also at the domestic level, the VPN PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) gives access to customers with a password without requiring the installation of additional hardware or programs. This VPN is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Among some of the disadvantages of the PPTP VPN, we have that it does not offer adequate encryption and that it has a dependency on PPP to offer an optimal level of security to customers.

 IPsec VPN

IPsec (Internet Security Protocol) is ideal for protecting communication on the network through an IP. Entry to your central site is achieved through a tunnel at a remote location, which protects the Internet protocol connection by analyzing all sessions and encrypting the data for the duration of the connection.

This VPN works in tunnel and transport modes to safeguard the interconnection of information between the networks. Tunnel mode fully encrypts the data packet, while transport mode treats the data packet with message encoding.

Those who are not in favor of this VPN claim the high cost of the installations and the complexity in the assembly of the system before it can be 100% operational. However, one of the advantages is that IPsec can work in conjunction with other VPN services.

 L2TP VPN

The companies Cisco and Microsoft were the creators of the L2TP VPN (Tunneling Protocol), which generally works together with other security protocols with the mission of creating a reliable connection. A tunnel is developed between the L2TP network and another VPN in charge of encrypting the information and transmitting it through the tunnels.

The fact that the L2TP VPN does not have its own encryption system – but rather that it depends on other protocols to do so – makes it similar to PPTP. But L2TP offers a higher level of data confidentiality, being widely used by various companies.

 MPLS VPN

The MPLS VPN is frequently used in site-to-site networks because they are more flexible and adapt more easily to other systems. The Multi-Protocol Label Switching VPN (MPSL) is ideal for facilitating the transmission of information and network packets in different protocols, as it is a system adapted to ISPs. This means that multiple sites are intertwined to create a VPN with the same ISP.

But since nothing is perfect, the disadvantages of the MPLS VPN are its high cost, making it difficult to make changes to the system, and its complex configuration.

TLS and SSL VPN

TLS (Transport Layer Security) and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) are protocols that establish VPN connections, with the web browser acting as a client and restrictions on user access to certain applications, but not to the entire network. Both are frequently used by service providers and web portals with purchase options.

Both VPNs offer secure data transfer between the computer’s browser and the application server because browsers can switch to SSL without the user having to take any action. The visible characteristic of the SSL connection is that at the beginning, it has “”https”” and not “”http””.

 Hybrid VPN

What defines a hybrid VPN is the interrelation between an Internet Protocol Security VPN and MPLS, operating independently on different web portals. It is possible to use both services at the same site if you want to operate the IPsec VPN to support the MPLS VPN.

The means to make the connection between both VPNs is a portal that eradicates the IPsec tunnel and transfers it to the MPLS VPN, preserving absolute confidentiality in the transmission of data. The customer must take into account that the IPsec VPN needs to be equipped with a router or other security equipment to create the VPN tunnel and encrypt the data. Companies opt for hybrid VPNs considering that MPLS is not the most suitable option due to its high cost.

VPN providers

The Best VPN Service for 2021

We got to the part you were waiting for: the list of free VPN providers for your mobile phone and computer. You can take it as a comparison to choose the VPN that best suits your needs and preferences.

Although the VPNs we recommend below are free, they also come with a paid service with more features and tools for clients looking for a professional service.

 ExpressVPN

Your identity will be fully protected with ExpressVPN, a provider that does not record the connections made, the activity on the web, the IP address, or the moment you entered the network.

The company based in the British Virgin Islands ensures that a record is not kept of the activities carried out by users, but they retain the power to block abusive traffic that puts people’s identity at risk.

BitTorrent traffic is allowed, and it does not matter if they receive DMCA notifications since the identity of the users is fully protected. The company operates under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, but in no case is information about users disclosed as there is no record stored. Payment options include PayPal and Bitcoin, among others, while AES-256-CBC is used for encryption.

Surfshark

Surfshark VPN is renowned for its rigorous privacy policy that prohibits saving user logs, so network traffic is not stored. Neither the activity carried out on the Internet nor the connection periods are saved, allowing 100% anonymous browsing.

With this provider, VPN tunnels are created using the OpenVPN protocol thanks to the ultra-secure encryption AES-256-GCM. Due to the large number of servers distributed throughout the planet, geographical limitations can be easily avoided, allowing you to view content from any region of the world.

The Kill Switch feature blocks Internet access if the VPN connection is interrupted, thus protecting users’ most sensitive data. Surfshark’sSurfshark’s private DNS servers offer full protection against data leaks and a “”Multi-hop”” function to switch between multiple VPN servers while browsing.

 Private Internet Access

The confidentiality of your browsing is guaranteed with the VPN Private Internet Access, which does not store information related to the connection, the traffic, the DNS, or the identity of the user. Use Google Analytics and Google Apps, but with the demographic data turned off and without revealing the IP address information.

It allows the exchange of traffic in BitTorrent with the same treatment as regular information traffic. In some cases, traffic is routed on a second VPN, but it is never censored. There is also no record of having received a court order, although they could not reveal the data of their users if they were required to do so since they are not stored.

The encryption used is AES-256 + SHA256 + RSA4096, while the payment options it handles are Bitcoin, Google, Stripe, Amazon, and PayPal, without linking user data.

NordVPN

Operating in Panama under the legal name of Tefincom SA, NordVPN does not keep data related to the identity of users and uses an automated tool to restrict the maximum number of connections to six at the same time.

It offers a fast Internet connection and an optimal service in general due to the analysis of the server load; while processing third-party data, it uses Google Analytics, Zendesk, Firebase Analytics, Crashlytics, and Appsflyer. You have a confidentiality contract with these companies to protect customer data.

Email is the only information they have about their users, and they would only have to respond to requests from the Panamanian government. It offers an unlimited base for torrent traffic as the platform has a special configuration for this purpose.

 Hotspot Shield

It is one of the most interesting options among the free VPN providers, offering very fast browsing speeds and secure encryption to protect the identity of users. It is a company policy not to store customer records, whom it serves with a personalized support service in the different operating systems.

Videos and web portals blocked by geolocation can be opened from different devices, with a limit of 500 MB free per day to download torrent content and watch your favorite series on Netflix.

 Windscribe

Windscribe’sWindscribe’s popularity is mainly due to the free 10 GB per month, with the possibility of getting an extra 5 GB by promoting the company via Twitter or an additional 1 GB by inviting your friends.

The most striking features of Windscribe are available for the free and paid versions, including the malware blocker and ROBERT advertising. The company reveals to customers all the information related to the privacy policy, the site where the data is stored and the encryption they use. Torrent downloads are available on almost all Windscribe servers.

If you want to use this VPN on your computer, you can download a program or an extension for the browser, always enjoying an intuitive interface and a wide range of options such as installation guides and personalized chat support.

 TorGuard

Because the privacy of the users is a priority for TorGuard, shared IPs are used, thus reinforcing the security system. The company boasts that its system prevents making a link between the IP address and the identity of the person, safeguarding the privacy of the visited portals and the activity carried out on the Internet.

In the United States, it operates as VPNetworks LLC with customized software that optimizes browsing performance and monitors servers. Google Analytics is also used with anonymous information, while for third parties, it works with Sendgrid and Livechantinc, in addition to having its own system to block abusive traffic in real-time and the number of maximum connections simultaneously.

DMCA notices are processed without delay, although requests cannot be submitted due to a lack of customer data. So it would be impossible to respond to a court order since the IP addresses of the users are completely anonymous.

It has port forwarding through OpenVPN, and P2P or BitTorrent traffic is not restricted. The encryption used is 4096bit RSA, AES-256-GCM, and SHA512 HMAC.

 ProtonVPN

Although ProtonVPN keeps track of the user’s most recent login, the identity is still protected with an anonymous IP address. All internal systems and tools are developed by the company’s own engineers to be successful in blocking abusive traffic and ensuring optimal quality service. The encryption used is AES-256.

There is a strict policy of not storing user data or activity carried out on the Internet. P2P traffic operates in an unlimited way, although they are governed by the laws of the governments where the servers are located, causing the traffic to be transmitted only in countries compatible with P2P.

iPredator

With the VPN iPredator, your IP address will be fully protected, as well as the data stored temporarily when you log in to the platform. It has a security system that immediately fights any hacking or attempted abuse, protecting client traffic on the network with a maximum per server limit for TCP / IP sessions of 10 million.

Also Read: Using a VPN: is it completely legal?

It does not work with a ticket system, third-party products, nor does it track user activity. Using AES256 encryption, iPredator enables file transfer via BitTorrent without the need for port forwarding.

 HideIPVPN

From HideIPVPN, they ensure that the IP addresses of the users cannot be detected, much less make a link with the identity of the client. A single subscription works at the same time for three connections, and port 25 is restricted for outgoing emails. Regarding third-party services, it works with tak.to for chat and Google Apps in the mail.

They cannot respond to DMCA requests by not storing customer data on servers, although they could report on a specific customer if they receive a court order. However, the only data they handle are those related to billing when using shared IP addresses, and there is no information about the registry.

It has no limitations for P2P traffic with the exceptions of servers in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Poland, Australia, France, and Singapore.

 

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