- Perhaps you don't trust VPN companies anymore,
I get that.
Or maybe your threat model doesn't include
entrusting your sensitive data to third-party companies,
which also makes a lot of sense.
Or maybe, and please don't take this the wrong way,
you're simply a cheapskate who doesn't wanna pay
a monthly subscription for a virtual private network.
Whatever the case may be for you,
I'm here to share with you four alternatives to a VPN
that are not only just as safe,
I might argue safer in some cases,
but they're also free or very low cost.
(logo wiring) (logo whooshing)
Welcome to All Things Secured,
My name's Josh and I need to start off by telling you
that what I'm about to say is aimed
at individual VPN users and not corporate IT professionals.
I know this, you probably know this,
but I feel like it needs to be said anyway.
Second, as an individual,
if your primary use for a VPN is streaming content,
protecting your online gaming,
or even just general censorship evasion.
Then a commercial VPN service like ExpressVPN
or Surfshark is still the best way to go, trust me.
Any VPN alternative I'm gonna share with you
in this video is going to be frustrating for you
because they're commonly plagued by slow speeds.
You need both a fast internet connection and fast VPN server
to stream content or to play games online.
So if that's you,
quit being a cheapskate, all right?
Just pay for a VPN service already.
However,
if privacy and data protection
are your primary objectives,
even at the expense of connection speeds,
and pay attention to these next four options.
Let's dive into the easiest alternative to a VPN,
your mobile hotspot.
In the past, you may have heard about the dangers
of connecting to the internet at an internet cafe,
an airport, or any public wifi network.
And the internet has come a long way since then.
And has been noted in the New York Times,
this isn't a huge risk anymore.
However, if you're dealing with sensitive data,
you work in high-risk fields
or you just wanna be extra careful.
Most people forget that one of the easiest ways to stay safe
on public networks is just not to use them.
Use your own.
If you didn't know, most phones nowadays
can act as mobile hotspots.
Allowing you to connect your computer or your tablet
through your encrypted cellular network on your phone.
Simply enter your Settings, find Personal Hotspot,
turn it on, and then connect to the new hotspot
on your computer like you would a regular wifi network.
Now Android devices look slightly different
depending on the model,
but you'll be looking for wireless and networks
within the settings
and it's sometimes called tethering instead of hotspot.
In the end, just make sure that you secure your hotspot
with a good password, and then you're good to go.
No need to fear a public network anymore.
If you're worried about your mobile data limits
or you need a more long-term solution,
you can always consider something like Tor
or a Tor-like service that I'll explain in a moment.
Now comparing Tor and VPN is really comparing
apples to oranges.
And I've already gone into detail
in another video explaining the differences.
I'll link to that here and in the description of this video.
Now, Tor isn't a perfect privacy solution.
Frankly, nothing is, but it's the most popular solution
for journalists, activists,
and those who need to protect the connection
between their data and their identity.
It works by bouncing your connection through multiple nodes
that each don't know the full picture
of either where the data came from or where it's going.
And as you can imagine, though,
this multi-hop connection makes a noticeable difference
in your internet speed.
And you can do this in a couple of different ways.
The first is to download the Tor browser,
which routes everything through the Tor network,
at least whatever you do in the browser.
Now I prefer something like Brave, though,
which is a privacy focused browser
that gives you the option to access the internet normally.
Although, without the hassle of ads, cookies,
or other trackers.
And then for even more privacy,
you can open the private window with Tor.
Now, if you're used to a browser like Chrome or Firefox,
which I still use Firefox all the time,
moving over to something like Brave
is going to feel the most comfortable,
so this is the Tor option that I would recommend.
The last thing I'll mention here is a Tor-like service
that you'll find on new Apple iPhones called Private Relay.
And it only comes with paid iCloud subscriptions.
And instead of describing this whole thing in detail here,
I'll just point you to this video that I published
explaining Private Relay and how to use it.
You can click there or find the video link
in the description again.
Now before we move on to the final two alternatives to VPNs,
you're obviously somebody who values your privacy
and security online,
this whole all things secured brand exists
to help you find
better ways to do that.
So make sure you like this video and subscribe
so that you'll be able to see more of these kinds of videos.
If you've never heard of a decentralized VPN before,
you're not alone.
The best way I can describe
it is, it's kind of like Bitcoin.
In the same way that Bitcoin offers financial value
without decentralized bank.
A decentralized VPN or dVPN for short,
offers VPN value without decentralized VPN company.
Does that make sense?
Essentially, you're just crowdsourcing
a peer-to-peer VPN server network,
which makes it much harder to track.
And I've already talked about decentralized VPNs
in this video here.
And there are a number of options out there,
but I'm really impressed most with both Mysterium,
which I use, and another popular one called Sentinel.
I'll provide links to both of these services
in the description below.
And if you're looking for a more longterm alternative
to a VPN service,
this is the one that I think is most likely
to completely disrupt the entire commercial VPN industry.
The last option is also the most technical
and not for the faint of heart.
It is possible to setup and run your own VPN,
and for free no less,
but the process isn't nearly as easy as just downloading
and connecting to commercial VPN, not by a long shot.
As part of my research for this video,
I went through the entire setup process
for my own VPN server.
And by the end of it,
I decided that it deserved its own video.
So instead of going into the specifics
of how to set up your own VPN here,
I'm gonna be publishing another video next week
that goes into more detail about this.
If you're watching this in the future,
again, you'll find a link in the video description.
If you found this video helpful,
please give this video a thumbs up
and leave any comments with questions, feedback,
or to share other alternatives that you think I've missed.
Remember, when it comes to your privacy and security,
you need to be proactive not paranoid.