The cost-of-living crisis is in full swing, and people are understandably worried about their food and energy bills.

Rising costs are driving consumers to cancel subscriptions as bills continue to mount.

While budgeting alone is no panacea for spiraling inflation, there are tools available that can lessen the financial strain.

A VPN is a “virtual private network” that helps you change your location and unlock geo-restricted content by hiding your IP address. Traveling, working on public Wi-Fi, or simply enjoying US Netflix can be done more securely with one than without.

Here we’ll show how a VPN can help small business freelancers and why you don’t need to break the bank to get one.

Streaming blocked content on a budget

A VPN is a popular app for remote workers, gamers, and streamers. By using one, you can unlock better content, avoid DDoS and bandwidth throttling, and watch movies at home instead of paying for theater tickets.

By connecting to a VPN server, it will mask your real location, so, for example, it will look like you’re in Venice, California, when you’re actually in Venice, Italy. 

With your IP address hidden, you can watch live sports, comedy shows, and access streaming services unavailable in your region. 

Unlocking opportunities for small business freelancers

It’s not just films and TV series that are more accessible with a VPN. You can download international forecasts and regional data points as well. 

Accessing quality information is an integral part of any business strategy so ask yourself:

1.  If you can’t source data on demand, will this mean losing clients or customers? 

2. Will you miss out on opportunities if you don’t have instant access to news, stories, and videos?

3. Can you risk a hacker subverting your phone and stealing your customer data, files, or photos?

As a business owner or freelancer, you must prepare for all eventualities so you don’t get thrown off course when storms arrive.

Protecting your devices while working remotely

If you’re self-employed, another benefit of a VPN is being able to work securely in coffee shops and co-working spaces. 

Since smartphones live in our pockets, you’re more likely to use them on public Wi-Fi and increase your exposure to cyber threats. 

With a VPN, you will receive an extra layer of protection as it encrypts all the data you send over the Internet, so no one sees what you do online.

It’s like a game of hide and seek — but this time you win.

Get the best VPN price available

Whether you plan to use a VPN on public Wi-Fi or watch Netflix on vacation, you will need one that provides excellent value for money.

FastVPN by Namecheap offers the best price on privacy, security, and unblocking with access to 1,000+ servers across 50+ locations.

How much does FastVPN cost?

For less than $1 per month, you can protect all your devices with one account, and it’s quick and easy to download. 

Yes, free VPNs are available, but they are best avoided, even during a recession. 

Companies that provide free services need to make money and want something in return. 

So what’s the catch with free VPNs? Well, they will not only spam you with ads but also track your logs and sell your data to the highest bidder.  

However, paid VPNs won’t track your logs as they will respect your privacy. If you enjoy streaming movies or online gaming, you will need one that offers unlimited bandwidth and data. 

Virtual private network security features 

FastVPN also supports key connection protocols, OpenVPN and IKEv2, and offers military-grade encryption with AES-256, making it virtually unbreakable, so you don’t need to worry about cybercriminals.  

Other key security features include:

Kill Switch – If your VPN connection drops, FastVPN will block all traffic to guarantee that none of your data is unencrypted.

DNS leak protection – DNS (Domain Name Systems) is like the Internet’s phonebook, as it can reveal sensitive information about the websites you use. FastVPN prevents your browsing habits from being leaked. 

OpenVPN Scramble – This feature hides or obfuscates the OpenVPN traffic from your device, enabling you to bypass even the most advanced VPN blocks.

Make your business more secure for less

With prices shooting up, people are understandably cutting back and looking to put some money aside.

Gas and grocery payments are going through the roof, and while everyone is looking to make savings, turning off the Wi-Fi is not an option.

As not spending doesn’t mean you will profit long term. Anyone who works in business knows that you need to sell and buy to be successful. In short, you cannot save without a spender. It doesn’t work for very long without both components.

Whether you’re a small business owner or a creative freelancer, you must spend wisely to keep growing.

So if you want to invest in your online protection, a VPN can unblock websites at work, school, and home for pennies on the dollar.

Access geo-restricted content with FastVPN today. It’s available for $0.99 for one month and accepts Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, and Bitcoin.