In today’s digital age, the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has become increasingly common. However, one of the most common questions users have is whether VPNs can slow down their internet speeds. To answer this question, we conducted a series of tests and gathered insights from a recent article on the topic.
https://apn-mostly.com/faq/does-vpn-slow-down-your-internet-speed/
The article, published on April 13, 2024, by Aman Kashyap on apn-mostly.com, delves deep into the impact of VPNs on internet speeds. The results were quite telling. When using a free VPN like Turbo VPN, the download speed plummeted from the expected 30 Mbps to just 4.29 Mbps, and the upload speed decreased to 4.17 Mbps. This represents a staggering 10-fold decrease in performance, which the author described as “not cool, man.”
However, when the author tried Turbo VPN’s premium service, the results were much more promising. The download speed was around 21 Mbps, which is still a bit lower than the plan’s advertised speeds, but a significant improvement over the free VPN option.
The article also includes a table summarizing the key findings:
- When using a free VPN like Turbo VPN, the download speed plummeted from the expected 30 Mbps to just 4.29 Mbps, and the upload speed decreased to 4.17 Mbps. This represents a staggering 10-fold decrease in performance.
- However, when the author tried Turbo VPN’s premium service, the results were much more promising. The download speed was around 21 Mbps, which is still a bit lower than the plan’s advertised speeds, but a significant improvement over the free VPN option.
Based on these results, the author concluded that free VPNs can significantly impact internet speeds, while paid VPN services tend to deliver much better performance. The author recommends investing in a reputable paid VPN if you want to maintain lightning-fast downloads and uploads.
To further corroborate these findings, the article also includes a section on testing the same scenario on a Samsung M33 5G smartphone. The results were similar, with the free Samsung Max VPN causing a decrease of around 5 Mbps in download speed, but an increase in upload speed. The VPN also increased the ping latency by around 20-30 milliseconds.
In conclusion, the evidence presented in this article suggests that the use of a VPN, especially free options, can indeed slow down your internet speed. However, the impact can be mitigated by opting for a paid VPN service with fewer users on its servers. Ultimately, the tradeoffs and performance impact will depend on your specific needs and the VPN provider you choose.
If you’re concerned about the impact of VPNs on your internet speeds, this comprehensive article provides a valuable starting point for understanding the potential implications and making an informed decision.