Why I still pay for a VPN even though Google gives me one for free

Google provides a free VPN built into newer Google Pixel devices. When I tried Google’s VPN after my Google Pixel 8 arrived, I came back feeling underwhelmed by that experience.

A trusted VPN service will often require a subscription to use. Great VPNs like Surfshark, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN all have premium plans.

Free VPNs, if trusted, often lack many core features. The free VPN from Google is no exception.

While I do appreciate Google’s inclusion of a free VPN with the Pixel 8, it is not enough to get me to cancel my NordVPN subscription.

The pros and cons of using Google’s free VPN

It at least does what it is supposed to do

A full-fledged VPN can do much more than just mask your connection. As a result, Google’s free VPN service could hardly be called a full-fledged one.

It’s already a limited experience when Google’s free VPN is only available on newer Pixel devices (you need a Pixel 7 or newer to use it). For someone who owns six other non-Pixel phones, it already isn’t helpful.

Previously, Google offered a VPN service as part of the Google One subscription. However, that service retired on June 20, 2024.

Now, if you wish to use a free VPN service authorized by Google, you must use VPN by Google (formerly Google Fi VPN).

VPN by Google is solely used to encrypt your internet traffic.

What that means is that it hides your activity between the start and end points by routing your internet traffic through Google’s VPN servers.

It protects you from being tracked by ISPs or by attackers on public networks. It is essentially an extra privacy layer to prevent people from snooping on what you are doing.

This also includes Google. Google uses a technique called blind signing to enhance privacy. Blind signing is how Google separates your Google account from the VPN servers.

Essentially, your connection is assigned a one-time token after user authentication. That token is used to establish a connection to the Google VPN server.

The token is anonymous and can’t be used to link your personal information (such as your internet traffic and IP address) to Google.

Google states that it does not track or sell your browsing activity, but it does log some data to improve its “service quality.” So this is not a zero-logs policy.

Google also conducts third-party security audits and makes its core system open source to be transparent about what it offers. So anyone can check it out and read about it publicly before trusting it.

However, despite its privacy offerings, it still does not work like a traditional VPN. You don’t have any control over the servers you are assigned to, and it doesn’t necessarily help you get access to content remotely.

As a Canadian who uses US-oriented services and products, I need some way to access content I otherwise couldn’t. The VPN by Google doesn’t give me that. The server you connect to is a generic one.

Google uses automatic location detection to determine the closest server in its network. So, unless you are planning to spoof your location on your Android phone, you won’t be able to control anything about the location that routes your traffic.

Even if Google’s VPN is about privacy, it lacks critical features

VPN by Google doesn’t offer a kill switch

Being able to use a VPN to trick your location so you can access content you couldn’t, like a new catalog on your signed-up streaming services, isn’t possible with Google’s built-in service.

I’ve had my fair share of horror stories trying to use free VPNs similarly. I realized no trusted free VPN service will actually provide solid speeds and let you freely pick any country without a trade-off.

At least, VPN by Google makes it obvious that it won’t help you bypass geo-restrictions. Instead, it focuses on masking your privacy. That’s fine, except it doesn’t really offer much beyond that.

For example, since I’ve been using NordVPN, I’ve begun deep-diving into the importance of its extra features, the ones that enhance privacy when I need it.

I didn’t understand how vital a kill switch can be until I looked into how VPNs can still be exploited, even if you’re using one with solid security.

A kill switch is used as a safety net. A kill switch will cut the internet connection if your VPN connection suddenly drops or can’t be detected.

Your internet connection only re-establishes itself after it detects that the VPN tunnel is back up and your connection is encrypted.

The kill switch is used to remove any vulnerable moments of exposure. This prevents your IP address, your online activity, or other sensitive data, such as your login credentials or financial information, from being seen if your VPN connection suddenly drops.

It’s especially important to have it if you are ever using an unstable network. When you use public Wi-Fi, for example, your data can be susceptible to hackers.

A VPN connection encrypts it, but if it drops without warning, it becomes vulnerable to interception (think of the dangers of man-in-the-middle attacks).

Though, understandably, not everyone will be worried about their connection being completely insecure, as not everyone will access or use public Wi-Fi.

If you don’t need the airtight privacy a paid VPN offers and want extra speed, you can also enable split-tunneling.

What this does is route some of your internet traffic through the encrypted VPN tunnel, such as your work credentials, and leave other traffic unrouted. Unfortunately, split-tunneling is also absent from Google’s free VPN.

Try a VPN while on a budget

VPNs are great tools for privacy, as they allow you to hide your VPN traffic from prying eyes, such as your ISP, and give you peace of mind that all your browsing activity isn’t fully being logged and tracked.

Full-fledged VPNs can give you more control over your virtual server, which helps you unlock more content when you’re in a different location.

All these features are great, but sometimes paying for a subscription is expensive and isn’t entirely worth the commitment if you barely use it. Or maybe you don’t know how well a VPN works and want to try without paying up front.

I’ve mentioned before that free VPNs can sometimes feel like a downright scam; some steal your data, while other, reputable ones (like Proton VPN) have heavy restrictions.

But that’s where keeping your eyes peeled for limited-time offers like free trials or money-back guarantees can be the best way to see which brands you like and which features are worth paying for.

While I wanted to like Google’s free VPN a bit more (I already knew it would be limited before trying it), it wasn’t even close to a real VPN experience.