At VPN Picker, we test VPNs all year, we compare them, we score them out of 5. This morning, while re-reading our own archive, an uncomfortable truth emerged: we have been wrong the entire time. A VPN is not a good idea. Here, with full journalistic rigor, are the reasons not to buy one.
Hiding your IP address is deeply unfair to your internet provider
Your ISP has spent years mapping your browsing habits with the precision of a Swiss watchmaker. It knows what time you watch cooking tutorials, how often you search “lower back pain” on a search engine, and which day of the month you suddenly develop an interest in cheap flights. Encrypting your traffic and hiding your IP throws all that hard work away. A little gratitude wouldn’t hurt.
Unblocking geo-restricted content is an unmanageable act of cultural chaos
Without a VPN, you get one Netflix catalog, full stop. A clear, reassuring, almost parental limit. With a VPN, you suddenly gain access to the Japanese catalog, BBC iPlayer, the full US library, and your watchlist explodes into a multi-page strategic document by dinner. Some call this progress. We call it a mental load nobody asked for.
Unprotected public Wi-Fi is a rich social experience in its own right
Connecting to free airport or coffee shop Wi-Fi without a VPN means accepting that, in theory, anyone else on the same network could intercept what you send. A proper VPN with AES-256 encryption stops that cold. The result: no more dramatic tension while typing your banking password on airport Wi-Fi. Where’s the thrill in a life that secure?
NordVPN, for instance, happens to offer exactly this kind of encryption, which, again, ruins the atmosphere entirely.
Independent no-logs audits are simply too much transparency, too soon
Firms like Deloitte or Cure53 audit certain VPNs to verify, on live infrastructure, that they retain no connection data. Seven audits for a single provider, in some cases. Frankly, at that level of rigor, one wonders whatever happened to the simple pleasure of reasonable doubt.
Want to compare all VPNs side by side? Check our full VPN comparison table with scores across 18 criteria.
A kill switch robs the user of a genuine moment of truth
The kill switch automatically cuts your internet connection if the VPN tunnel drops, so you never browse unprotected for even a second without noticing. In other words, it deprives you of the small adrenaline spike that usually accompanies an accidental data leak. Some call that security. We call it overprotection.
The price, or the strongest argument in this entire article
A decent VPN costs between $2 and $5 a month on a 1-year plan. For that money, you could instead have chosen: a takeaway coffee every couple of months, or the peace of mind of never knowing whether someone is reading your messages on hotel Wi-Fi. A genuinely difficult choice, we’ll grant you that.
Working remotely from abroad is a problem nobody had actually reported
A VPN lets you securely connect to your work tools from anywhere, which, technically, makes it possible to work from a beach, a train, or your parents’ garden. This used to be called “being stuck at the office until 7pm.” Some will miss the tradition.
It's April 1st. Everything above should be read in reverse: a VPN genuinely protects your traffic on public Wi-Fi, genuinely unblocks a wider range of streaming libraries, and genuinely costs between $2 and $5 a month for an audited, reliable service. If this article made you smile, the best way to thank us is to go compare VPNs properly: head to our full comparison table, with scores across 18 criteria, no jokes this time.
Keep reading (for real, not for laughs): Best VPN for Beginners: A Complete Buying Guide for 2026 and Best Cheap VPN in 2026: Under $3/Month and Actually Good.