Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become increasingly popular in recent years. You may have seen ads for VPNs on social media, YouTube, podcasts, or even on TV, claiming to offer privacy and security. While VPNs help protect your online privacy, it’s important to understand how they work and whether they’re right for you. In this article, we’ll explain what a VPN is and what it can and can’t do so you can decide if you need one. In case you do, we also included a review of one of the VPN service providers that stands out, delivering a unique approach to online security and privacy while keeping their prices affordable.
Table of Contents
How does a VPN work?
When you connect to a Virtual Private Network via an app or by setting up a network configuration of your favorite operating system or network router, your Internet traffic is redirected through a remote server. This server then handles connection requests on your behalf, hides your IP address, and creates the impression that you are accessing the Internet from an entirely different location. The information you transmit over the Internet, such as the links to websites you visit or emails you send, is protected by encryption, making it incomprehensible to anyone who might try to intercept it.
This encryption provides additional security for your confidential information, including financial details, passwords, and personal data. Encrypted data cannot be monitored or intercepted by nearby hackers, your Internet Service Provider, and government agencies. Because the VPN server gives you a new online identity by concealing your IP address with its own, it also enables you to bypass any censorship that may be imposed in your region, allowing you to access the restricted content without having to worry about being monitored by your Internet Service Provider or government. VPN is a great online shield that protects you from prying eyes.
VPNs cannot protect against every threat. Your online behavior also matters. For instance, if you don’t want Google to track and profile every activity you do online, don’t log in to your Google account. VPN alone cannot prevent the tracking. Even though you’re not logged in, Google added cookies and fingerprint information from your last visit. When connecting to a VPN, it’s best to delete your web browser’s cache beforehand. Alternatively, you could use a dedicated web browser or your web browser in private mode.
Should I use a free VPN?
Free VPNs may not be the best choice. They often fail to provide the features and the high-quality service a reliable paid VPN can offer. Free VPNs are usually hosted on virtual or low-end servers, have limited bandwidth and overcrowded networks, and you may experience sluggish connections and Internet speed. You may find their customer support inadequate or non-existent, and their security measures may not be strong enough to safeguard your data. The cause for worry is that many free VPNs keep logs of your online activities and may sell these data to third parties for profit, which exploits your privacy and entirely defeats the purpose of using a VPN.
How Much Does a VPN Cost?
Not all VPNs are created equal. When you subscribe to a VPN service, you gain access to its server network, which determines how many devices you can use the VPN with a single plan and what additional features you get.
The length of your subscription also affects the price you pay. Monthly subscriptions usually cost around $10, while longer-term subscriptions, such as a year or two, are much cheaper. The cost of long-term VPN subscriptions can vary significantly, with some VPNs charging as little as $3 per month for a 2-year subscription and others charging between $5 and $9 per month.
A VPN is a must if you want to stay safe and secure while browsing the Internet. But how do you know which VPN provider to choose?
Our research has shown that the price of a VPN doesn’t always determine how secure it is. Some cheap VPNs are secure, while some expensive ones are not, and vice versa. That’s why it’s best to look at each VPN’s characteristics instead of just its price. To make an informed decision, you should consider things like how much personal information you have to reveal to buy a VPN service, how well your data is protected, and what extra features are offered, and decide if some features are necessary for you or if you can save money by opting for a more affordable yet reliable VPN provider that may have fewer features. Extra features may be needed by advanced users, but most people will have no use for them. For example, split tunneling, a feature that lets you define which traffic is encrypted and which travels in the clear, or multi-hop, a feature that forces your traffic to travel via multiple servers.
The key questions you can ask are… How many and which locations do I need? How many devices do I need to connect to? Is there a limit on data I can use? What data does the provider collect about me, and is the provider transparent about the usage of the data they collect, or do they have complex legal policies that make my head spin?
We’ll help you answer these questions in the next part of this article, and to do that, we’ve picked to do an in-depth review of a VPN service provider who strikes the right balance by delivering an uncompromising level of security and privacy, has some unique features despite lacking others, and offers affordable prices so you can browse the web with peace of mind without breaking the bank.
AriaVPN In-Depth Review
PROS
- Connect up to 4 devices with a single plan
- Zero Knowledge Architecture
- Strict no-logs policy
- Full data transparency
- Flexible, affordable pricing
- OpenVPN compatibility
- In-House DNS resolution
- Accepting anonymous payments
CONS
- Offers few server locations
- No branded apps
Why should I trust AriaVPN?
One of the most important characteristics when it comes to a VPN is to look for reasons why should you trust a VPN provider.
AriaVPN is a new and small VPN provider that launched its services in 2023. The service is run by sovereign privacy advocates offering a fresh perspective on VPN services, introducing a unique approach to online privacy and security that sets them apart from other providers.
Unlike many other VPN providers, AriaVPN doesn’t ask for your personal information, such as email, name, or address. To safeguard your identity from unauthorized access or coerced data submission, AriaVPN implemented a “Zero-Knowledge Architecture” which means they don’t collect any of your personal information and that you can buy and use their service anonymously.
This comprises a cryptographic identity solution based on cryptographic proof instead of trust. After you buy a VPN plan, AriaVPN provides you with a private key that is unique to you and only shown to you. You can then use this key to access and manage your
account, which includes adding new locations to your plan free of charge, extending your plan at a discounted rate, adding port forwarding, accessing 24/7 support via anonymous live chat, or optionally email, downloading a full copy of your data, and deleting your payment data or plan data.
The ability to manage your data is important because it gives you control over your own information. As long as you keep your private key safe, no one can identify that you use their services. These measures guarantee that AriaVPN does not retain any sensitive data, and even if they receive a request from law enforcement or government agencies, they cannot assist with information they don’t have.
Of course, as a vital part of the Zero-Knowledge Architecture, AriaVPN has a strict no-logs policy, which means they never log any personal data, such as the websites you visit or your IP address, when connecting to a VPN server or access their website.
In addition, all AriaVPN Servers are equipped with dedicated DNS servers in anonymous mode, keeping no logs. This is also very important because when you access any website, its domain name has to be automatically translated to the IP address of the web server. Without dedicated DNS servers, your request for access would be logged at one of the public DNS services, for example, provided by Google. AriaVPN ensures all your DNS queries are encrypted and routed through the VPN server you connect to. All outside DNS queries are blocked, which prevents potential leaks of your personal information.
Based on our research we believe that AriaVPN is highly trustworthy, thanks to their transparent and privacy-focused approach, which is truly commendable. With AriaVPN, you can be confident that your online activities are kept private and secure.
AriaVPN Servers and Server Locations
AriaVPN runs on “bare metal” high-performing servers. As a recently launched small provider, they offer four locations across three continents – US-West (Los Angeles), US-East (Ohio), Europe (Bulgaria), and Asia (Malaysia). This number is well below the industry average of 51 countries. Having a more diverse selection of server locations gives customers more choices. Understandably, this might be a downside factor in deciding whether AriaVPN is the right choice for you. Our research shows that most people only use up to 2-3 locations, regardless of how many locations a VPN service provider offers. If you also don’t need as many locations, AriaVPN stands out in other areas, and we encourage you to give them a try. It’s worth mentioning that they state on their website that any future location will be added to the plans of existing customers at no additional cost.
What are the benefits AriaVPN offers?
AriaVPN supplies you with OpenVPN certificates, and you are not required to download a specific app. These certificates ensure maximum cross-platform compatibility and can directly be imported into a network configuration of your favorite operating system or used
in any OpenVPN-compatible app, such as OpenVPN Connect, which is available for all platforms, Tunnelblick on MacOS or Network Manager on Linux-based operating systems.
You can choose from 4 locations and protect up to 4 devices, one for each location, with a single plan without any restrictions. In case you need protection for more than four devices and cannot afford to buy additional plans, one of the benefits is that AriaVPN lets you create as many copies of each certificate as you need. However, note that only one connection at a time will reliably work for each copy. For example, you used all four certificates on devices 1, 2, 3, and 4, and you want to protect device 5. If you don’t use one of the first four devices, you can disconnect it from the VPN and connect device 5 instead with a copy of the same certificate.
Who doesn’t hate ads? AriaVPN effectively blocks annoying ads, privacy-intrusive tracking domains, and known malicious domains, so you can benefit from improved web page loading times and minimized risk of phishing attacks.
With AriaVPN, you can also enable port forwarding. This is great because not many VPN providers have this feature. It allows you to set up secure remote access to your device and applications, such as security cameras, game servers, or peer-to-peer file-sharing software.
How Much Does AriaVPN Cost?
AriaVPN is one of the most affordable VPN services available. They have no billing cycles, and their VPN plans can be bought from as short as one day to as long as five years and be extended at any time (with a discount).
AriaVPN offers a range of pricing options, starting with a unique offer – you can get a daily plan for just $0.25 per day. This is a great option if you want to try out their services, or only need short-term protection. The longer the duration of the plan, the more savings you get. Choose VPN plans from $7.50 per month, $50 per year, $90 every two years, or $200 every five years.
Once you become an AriaVPN customer, you can enjoy a loyalty discount for a lifetime! If you decide to extend your daily plan, you unlock a 5% discount on any plan. For monthly plan holders, there’s a 10% discount on any plan. For 1-year plan holders, there’s a substantial 20% discount on any plan. If you’ve opted for a 2-year plan, you’re eligible for a 25% discount on any plan, while the most loyal customers with a 5-year plan get a 30% discount on any plan. But that’s not all. For an even better deal, check out their promo codes at the end of this review. With AriaVPN, you not only receive excellent online protection but also the best value for your money.
For your convenience in understanding the value of their VPN plans, AriaVPN displays the plan prices in US dollars. However, they do not accept or endorse any state-issued currencies. Instead, they are exceptionally privacy-focused and only support payments in
Monero (XMR), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and Bitcoin (BTC). Each of these is a cryptocurrency, a decentralized version of peer-to-peer electronic cash, allowing online payments to be sent directly between parties without the need for a financial institution. Compared to state-issued currencies, using cryptocurrency has advantages such as low cross-border transaction fees and far better privacy.
AriaVPN strongly recommends using Monero for maximum privacy. Thanks to enhanced privacy and anonymity through advanced cryptography, using Monero means that only you can see your financial information and the nature of your transactions. By accepting Monero payments, AriaVPN reinforces its commitment to protecting user privacy beyond its VPN services. If you haven’t heard about Monero yet, we recommend going to the https://ariavpn.net website and checking out their footer to learn where you can get Monero and how to use it.
Let’s summarize our review and get a discount!
- no sign-up, zero personal data collected, and strictly no logs
- one of the most affordable VPN services
- choose locations in Malaysia, Bulgaria, Ohio, and Los Angeles
- all future locations will be included in your plan at no additional cost
- option to delete your payment data or plan data without VPN service interruption.
- block ads, trackers, and phishing websites
- open up to two ports against your VPN plan
- Encrypted DNS service
- pay in Monero, Bitcoin Cash, or Bitcoin
- extend your existing plan and get up to 30% discount
- Earn a 30% sales commission by referring your family, friends, and followers
USE PROMO CODES:
ARIA10vRqA-gk9VPN- 10% OFF 1-YEAR PLAN ARIA15BqX-oRN1VPN – 15% OFF 2-YEAR PLAN ARIA20Kp0-XUa7VPN – 20% OFF 5-YEAR PLAN
Overall, if you’re looking for an exceptional yet affordable VPN service that allows you to browse the web privately and anonymously, look no further and check out https://ariavpn.net. You will experience hassle-free setup and comprehensive multi-device support, access the Internet without fear of being monitored or censored, and be free from mass surveillance.
