Why should I use a VPN? That is a good question and one that many newbies to the world of Virtual Private Networks ask. In fact, anyone who uses a computer can benefit from the services offered by a VPN provider. A Virtual Private Network pays for itself in the security and peace of mind alone that it offers.
However, a Virtual Private Network offers much more, and here, we are going to look at the top five main uses.
So, without further ado let us move on to the five great reasons why you might want to use a Virtual Private Network.
5 Main Reasons to Use a VPN
Whereas, in the beginning, VPNs were only used to access remote network, their use cases have massively changed over the last few years.
Nowadays, many people use them for other reasons and this is what we’ll see in this article.
We’ll go through 5 of the main uses of a VPN. Why should you use one?
1. The first reason will be to surf the internet anonymously. With the encryption and the new IP address you’ll have, you’ll be like a ghost online!
2. The second one will be overcoming censorship. Do you want to keep access to your favorite websites in China, UAE, Iran, and other censored countries? No problem, a Virtual Private Network can help!
3. The third one will be remaining secure on the internet. With a VPN you can protect yourself from hackers or any other people/entities that can steal your private information.
4. The fourth reason will be related to torrenting. Downloading torrents in P2P is safe and secure if you use a VPN.
5. Finally, the fifth use of a VPN could be to unblock restricted websites. At school or at work, if a website is blocked, you’ll be able to unblock it with no hassle!
Surf the Internet Anonymously
Is there really a need to surf the internet anonymously? Actually, there are many reasons why you might want to remain anonymous online. In fact, this is one of the main reasons when answering the question of why should I use a VPN.
Disturbingly, freedom of speech is something of the past in some parts of the world. Say the wrong thing, even if you did not mean it to be derogatory, and you can be faced with lawsuits and even jail time in some countries.
Even though you might use a pseudonym when online and an ad hoc email address, people can still find out who you are. This is due to the IP address of your device.
Get an alternate IP address with ExpressVPN >
Anyone without any skills can find out your location using websites specifically designed to find out information about IP addresses. If the average person can do this, imagine what a hacker can do.
Taking the above into account are you still asking – why should I use a VPN?
To be able to browse the internet anonymously, you can sign up with a Virtual Private Network provider and connect to a server anywhere in the world. When you do so, your IP address is masked and you take on one from the server to which you connected.
When this happens, no one, not even your own ISP, can track down your actual location and browsing activities.
Overcome Censorship
Why should I use a VPN to overcome censorship?
If you are asking this question, you are obviously blind to the plight of people living in such countries as China.
China is not only known for the Great Wall but also the Great Firewall.
Hundreds, if not thousands of websites and apps are blocked in China. These are apps and websites millions of people around the world use on a daily basis and take for granted.
Censorship is usually down to governments, at least in China. Any websites or apps that are seen to have content the government does not approve of are blocked. Along with this, the government also restricts the use of Virtual Private Networks.
Use ExpressVPN to beat censorship >
A VPN can help anyone visiting or living in a country with high censorship overcome any restrictions. However, the sign-up and installation process should be undertaken outside of the country imposing censorship.
Therefore, the answer to the question “why should I use a VPN to overcome censorship?” is plain and simple – to be able to get around strict censorship in countries such as China.
One Virtual Private Network provider highly recommended for overcoming censorship is ExpressVPN. The provider is one of very few that still works in the country. Of course, China is not the only country where censorship is high.
As you can read in our review, Surfshark is also a good match for this task.
With ExpressVPN or Surfshark, you can connect to any of the thousands of servers available outside of the restricted country and take on an alternative IP address to beat the censorship.
Remain Secure
One question that is frequently asked is why should I use a VPN to remain secure online when I have virus and malware protection installed.
With virus and malware protection installed, it should be enough for anyone to remain safe and secure online, right? RIGHT? Well, you might think so, but in fact, this isn’t true, although they do help.
Virus and malware software can help to protect against malware and viruses getting into your computer and doing damage. However, they do not offer protection against hackers gaining access to your personal data.
Every time you send information from your computer out over the internet, that information is at risk of being exposed. While this can apply when using the computer at home, it applies more so if you connect to a public Wi-Fi network when out.
With a Virtual Private Network such as ExpressVPN, you not only take on an alternate IP address from a server halfway around the world but you also benefit from military-grade encryption.
Protect yourself against hackers with ExpressVPN >
A Virtual Private Network provides the tools needed to put a virtual tunnel between your computer and the internet.
You enter data on your computer, for instance, your credit card details, name, and date of birth, and before it goes out onto the World Wide Web, it goes down a VPN tunnel and is encrypted.
The data goes out onto the internet, to its destination, and even if it was intercepted before arriving, no one can read it. When it reaches its destination, it is unencrypted.
This means your information is totally secure and kept away from prying eyes.
Download Anonymously
You might be asking – “why should I use a VPN to download anonymously?” The answer is that your ISP sees what you are doing online.
You might not realize it but every time you connect to the server of your Internet Service Provider, your provider has eyes on you.
Yes, your ISP knows every site that you browse online and what you download.
If you like Torrenting, you need a Virtual Private Network in place because if not, the provider will know that you are visiting such sites and downloading copyrighted content.
While you can use a torrent client to download files and music that is not copyrighted, using it to download the latest copyrighted movies or music is illegal.
Use ExpressVPN to download anonymously >
Eventually, your Internet Service Provider will send out a warning.
Should you ignore them and continue downloading illegally, your internet service may be limited or stopped. Worst-case scenario, you could end up in court and receive a hefty fine or even jail time.
Now, you have the answer to the question of why should I use a VPN to download anonymously. The answer is to keep yourself away from the prying eyes of your ISP by connecting to a server from around the globe and taking on an alternate IP address. This way, you can even download copyrighted files from torrent sites with no consequences.
DISCLAIMER: We do NOT condone violating any copyrights or downloading copyrighted files from P2P or any other type of website!
Unblock Restricted Websites
There is a wealth of content to stream online but not all countries have access to the same catalog of content. Along with this, not all countries can access all websites.
If you use the internet daily, you will have surely have visited at least one website that has nothing but a notice telling you that content is restricted in your country.
So, let’s answer your question of why should I use a VPN. In this case, it is to gain access to websites that are restricted. Of course, you also gain all the benefits above too.
For instance, Netflix is offered in a wide range of countries but they do not all offer the same catalog of content.
Unblock websites with ExpressVPN >
You might not realize it but only people located in certain countries (the US, Canada, Japan, …) get access to the entire Netflix catalog of content and this includes thousands of movies and shows. The UK only has access to half this content and worse still if you are located in Italy, you can only watch a fraction of the content offered.
A Virtual Private Network provides the tools needed to overcome the restrictions and anyone anywhere in the world can overcome those restrictions and gain access to the entire US Netflix catalog – or any other catalog for that matter.
All that’s needed is to connect to one of the servers based in the respective country via a VPN provider and you have an IP address from that country.
Of course, the same applies to overcoming any geo-restricted websites, not just streaming from Netflix. You can watch channels only available to residents of the UK and USA such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, HBO, ABC, and many more.
Which VPN Provider to Choose?
After asking the question “why should I use a VPN?”, your next question might be – which Virtual Private Network provider should I choose? We highly recommend ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, or NordVPN, with an emphasis on ExpressVPN that is, after all, a superior option.
All three are great all-around providers with ExpressVPN offering 3,000+ blazing-fast servers, making it a perfect choice for streaming HD content and unblocking geo-restricted content. We also like ExpressVPN’s level of performance. It’s the fastest VPN you can get and if you don’t want to stream, you can, for example, enjoy high-speed torrenting.
ExpressVPN is also among the few providers that still work in countries with heavy censorship such as China. Along with NordVPN, ExpressVPN is a great option for bypassing censorship, unlike CyberGhost that won’t work for this purpose.
All three provide military-grade encryption to keep you safe and secure online whether browsing or streaming, along with a no-logging policy that guarantees complete privacy. If you want to get ExpressVPN, you can use some of the buttons above. Or perhaps, if NordVPN and CyberGhost seem better to you, just click on either of these names and get their cheapest possible deals!
In Conclusion
So, as you can see, there are numerous answers to the question of why should I use a VPN.
You can take a single subscription with a Virtual Private Network provider such as ExpressVPN and use the connection to undertake any or all of the following:
- Surf the internet anonymously;
- Overcome censorship;
- Remain secure online;
- Download anonymously;
- Unblock restricted websites.
Yes, with a single subscription, you can surf the internet in complete freedom, avoiding any censorship and without your ISP knowing what you are doing.
At the same time, you remain safe and secure online and your personal details remain yours. Of course, you can also overcome any geo-restrictions on any websites and streaming portals.
So in fact, the answer to “why should I use a VPN?” is simple! You can use it for just about every online activity you undertake and always gain benefits – isn’t that splendid?
A professional writer with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since his youngest age, he loves everything related to internet, technology, fitness, games, and dogs! He joined our team in order to bring his deep knowledge in security services, among which VPN is of course a key component.
