r/VPNReviewHub

Let's face it, most free VPNs come with a catch. Slow speeds, data limits, endless ads, or questionable privacy practices.

But running a reliable VPN isn't free either. Servers, bandwidth and maintenance all cost money.

So I'm curious: what would you actually be willing to do in exchange for free, unrestricted VPN access for a period of time?

For example:

- Refer a friend who signs up.

- Share something on social media.

- Complete small tasks or challenges.

- Watch an optional rewarded ad.

- Something else entirely?

Assume the VPN itself is reliable, with no artificial speed restrictions, data caps or forced ads.

Would you be happy doing something in return for 7, 15 or 30 days of access? Or would you rather stick with a traditional free VPN that has limitations?

Genuinely interested in what people would consider a fair exchange, and what would immediately put them off.

It seems to me that paramount has blocked most of the locations. But I was able to get a Denver game week 2 of the NFL season on there. Just curious if anyone is familiar with what ones work and don’t work, so I don’t waste my time every Sunday. Hahaha thanks in advance.

I am currently studying at a boarding school where they forces us to log in with a unique username and password in order to connect to the wifi, forces us to download securly certificate or else the wifi cannot do anything. The school somehow can "detect" it whenever someone uses a VPN in our school and my friends around me recently got a "warning" email saying how the school knows that we're using a VPN and we have a really bad punishment for VPN use. Because of this, even outside of lesson time and where securly "shouldn't" be blocking video games, I still can't play online games such as sf6 multiplayer or even clash royale, and noting that Tiktok is banned in leisure time too even though it is theoretically allowed! Is there anything I can do in this case to "bypass" this without my network administrator knowing?

I am on the fence between the two... Can somebody explain the protocols? I made a little table for myself trying to pick out the best. More servers means better accessibility but what of the other functions?

specifics	expressvpn	nordvpn
servers	3,000+ servers	6,000+ servers
multiple connections	up to 8 devices	up to 10 devices
protocol	lightway (???)	nordlynx (they made it?)
extra security features	basic ad blocker, password manager	double vpn, dedicated ip, threat protection, meshnet
jurisdiction	british virgin islands	panama

Oh and could anyone explain to me like im five what are the jurisdictions? Like if I log in to a server from the UK, how does the jurisdiction having no data tracking policy work? Do I need to manually avoid specific servers? Five eyes societies on Google made me more confused...

I'm based in Germany and wanted to use Gamdom, but ran into some annoying restrictions trying to access it directly. Figured a VPN for Gamdom was the easiest fix, but I didn't realize how many providers would get flagged or just not work.

I tried ProtonVPN on my Windows 11 desktop first, connecting through a few different Netherlands servers. After that didn't work, I switched to a Romania server instead and that's when things started working properly.

speed-wise it was fine, no crazy lag or bugs, deposits went through and the site loaded normally. The weird part was that two of the Dutch servers I tried either timed out completely or threw a generic "connection error" on the Gamdom login page, so it's not like every server location works the same.

before proton, I also tried a free VPN extension on chrome for gamdom just to test it. that was a disaster, constant disconnects and the web wouldn't even load the homepage half the time

anyone else using a VPN for Gamdom right now in 2026? Curious which server locations are actually working for people and whether certain providers are getting blocked more than others lately

I’ve been looking at quite a few VPNs that offer a free version alongside their paid plans, and I’m curious what actually makes people uninstall them or decide they’re not worth using.

Is it things like:

- Constant upgrade pop-ups?

- Too many ads?

- Very low data limits?

- Slow speeds / deliberately throttled speeds?

- Only one or two locations being available?

- Having to create an account before trying it?

- Not being clear about what the free version actually includes?

- Being pushed towards a subscription rather than being able to buy a small amount of access/data?

I’m particularly interested in things that seem reasonable on paper but are really annoying in actual use.

And on the other side, what restrictions do you think are completely fair for a free VPN?

I am using PIA for 2 years now and have never had issues since recently. Some countries I use just vanish for a while and it really bothers me. That‘s where I decided to maybe try Proton since it seems to cover a lot of countries too. I compared them by googling a bit, but user experiences are more accurate, than what google will tell me. What I wanna know from people who used both or mainly use one of these, what are your own pros and cons for these two. For me PIA is nice for having unlimited devices for 1 subscription and it is fairly cheap. Proton seems to be a little bit pricier, but the price is not bothering me if I can get a good service for it. If I decide to get Proton, I would get the paid tier without their password managers, E-Mail and so on. The free Tier would not be enough for me so it wouldn‘t be a fair comparison to a paid PIA sub I think.

Hi guys,

My Surfshark VPN has stopped working completely over the past few weeks, and I’m running out of things to try.

I’ve been using Surfshark for about two years, so I’m familiar with the "basic troubleshooting" steps. At first, only US servers were failing to connect, but now no server connects at all. The app just keeps trying to connect and eventually fails, while my internet works normally without the VPN.

Here’s everything I’ve already tried:

• Reinstalled the Surfshark app
• Restarted my phone
• Restarted my router
• Tested multiple Surfshark protocols, including WireGuard and IKEv2
• Tried different Surfshark server locations
• Tested both Wi-Fi and mobile data (LTE)
• Tested different networks/SIM connections
• Cleared the Surfshark app cache
• Logged out and back into my Surfshark account
• Turned Kill Switch on and off
• Turned CleanWeb on and off
• Checked Android’s VPN and network settings
• Checked that Surfshark has unrestricted battery/data access and is allowed to run in the background
• Reset network settings on my phone, including Wi-Fi, mobile data/LTE, and Bluetooth
• Restarted the phone again after the network reset
• Checked that there isn’t another VPN actively connected
• Tried the connection with my normal internet connection, which works perfectly without Surfshark

I also followed several troubleshooting steps suggested by Surfshark’s support articles and ChatGPT, but nothing has fixed the problem.

What makes this particularly strange is that the problem started with specific server locations and then gradually became a complete inability to connect to any Surfshark server.

I’d really appreciate a deeper diagnosis rather than repeating the basic troubleshooting steps, since I’ve already gone through those extensively.

Thanks

Hey everyone, just wanted to give a massive heads up to anyone looking into KeepSolid (VPN Unlimited), especially if you are looking at their "Lifetime" deals on discount sites.

They have quietly rolled out a new "Lifetime Plus" tier. To force existing users to upgrade, they have actively stripped away core security features—like the Kill Switch and manual protocol selection (including WireGuard)—from legacy Lifetime accounts that were explicitly promised these features forever.

A Kill Switch isn't a premium add-on; it's basic, essential privacy infrastructure. Taking away features we already paid for years ago just to squeeze an extra $2/month or a tier upgrade out of us is a massive bait-and-switch. Avoid this company.