Back in the wild days of the internet, you didn’t typically find VPNs being used, however, given how the landscape has shifted and changed over the past 20+ years, a VPN in this day and age is more important than ever.
I have been using a VPN consistently for all my online activity for probably 7 or 8 years at this point, and I think you should too.
Why?
This is a great first question to ask, and I think the answer comes down to privacy. In 2025 (as of writing this) you’re tracked often and frequently by the majority of popular websites you visit these days. These websites thrive on knowing information about you to help direct the appropriate advertisements your way.
You should care about your privacy, and obscuring a vital piece of information makes it harder for companies, and it makes you safer as long as you’re sensible. A VPN is only a piece of the puzzle, you should have a DNS provider that is reputable and have good data hygiene online.
Which VPN Provider?
VPN Providers are a dime a dozen these days, you’ll often see YouTubers mention the hottest new VPN provider off the block, but in my opinion you should be looking at VPN providers that Do Not Keep Logs.
I do not recommend free VPNs. I tend to find the old adage of if you’re not paying for the product, you/your data is the product. They wouldn’t offer a free version if it wasn’t beneficial to them in some capacity.
I should preface this as I’m not sponsored by any VPN company, these are simply my experiences with providers in the past.
Mullvad VPN
Mulvad VPN is my current VPN provider and I have nothing but good things to say. The price is affordable, they’ve been audited in the past, and it has been proven they don’t keep logs. I don’t see myself moving away from Mullvad unless something drastic happens with how they operate.
iVPN
iVPN was one of the first VPN providers that I used, and I’ve been using them for around 2 or 3 years before moving away. Much like Mullvad, they have a great price, and it has been proven they don’t keep records, however, I moved away from them due to connection issues with macOS at the time. This has likely been resolved by now.
What happens if I don’t?
This is yet another great question to ask. Without a VPN, websites will be able to piece together your online activity, and you’ll be more easily tracked by both your ISP and any government agencies that, however unlikely, may be interested. This is only a notable concern if you live in a country where this is likely to happen.
Other Perks I’ve Noticed
Aside from privacy, I’ve found VPNs handy in general.
For example, when traveling, knowing my connection is encrypted gives me peace of mind.
It’s not all rainbows though — there are minor annoyances. Some websites don’t play nice with VPNs and throw up CAPTCHA walls or block you entirely via Cloudflare. But for me, the trade-off has always been worth it even if you hit a bump sometimes.
Final Thoughts
I’ve said this before to friends, and I’ll say it here too. Using a VPN doesn’t make you untraceable, but it does give you a little bit more control. In a world where giving up our data has become the default, I think reclaiming even a little bit of that is a good thing and more people should use VPNs.
For me, using a VPN isn’t about hiding, it is about choosing what I share and when. If you care even a little about your digital footprint, I think it’s worth your time.
And if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading.