How to choose a VPN and not fall for a fake
Why free VPNs from app stores are dangerous, which permissions an honest app should ask for, what a no-logs policy really means and what to look at in a plan.
App stores have hundreds of five-star VPNs. Most of them make money not from subscriptions but from you. Here's what to look at before pressing "Install".
A free VPN pays with you
Servers and traffic cost money. If an app is free, it either shows ads, sells data about where you go, or uses your phone as an exit node for other people's traffic. The last one is especially nasty: someone else's actions online will look like yours.
Permissions
An honest VPN needs two permissions: internet and creating a VPN connection. Everything else is suspicious: contacts, location, reading SMS, file access. Surok asks only for what it needs, and you can see that in the system settings.
"No logs"
Everyone writes this phrase. The difference is what exactly isn't stored. A decent service keeps no log of visited sites or traffic contents, but does keep the account, subscription term and technical device data, otherwise it can't work. Read the privacy policy: if it's all vague, that's a bad sign. Ours fits on one screen.
Protocols
If a service in 2026 offers only OpenVPN or PPTP, in Russia it will work every other time. Ask about modern protocols invisible to the provider and about backup ways in.
The plan
Pay attention to three things: how many devices are included, whether there's auto-renewal and what happens to the price after the "first discounted month". Surok's plan is priced per device, there's no auto-renewal and the price doesn't change for those already paying.
Support
Write to support before buying with any question. If a bot with canned phrases answered, or nobody did, imagine what happens when something breaks.
Short checklist
- Paid, with a clear price and no auto-renewal.
- Asks only for the permissions it needs.
- Privacy policy is short and specific.
- Modern protocols and several ways in.
- Real people in support.