The excuse was that “no one uses Google One VPN”, but the truth is that the end of the service has left quite a few users unhappy, as can be seen by visiting the pages and discussion forums where it is mentioned. they announced the news. Are you one of these users? Not sure what to replace it with or if there is anything that can be done about it?

The question is legitimate, because VPN from Google was a very interesting addition to the offer of the Google One package, the basic compensation of which is the expansion of the storage space shared between the various services of the Internet giant (Gmail, Google Drive, etc.). This subscription is also one of the cheapest on the market in its category, and Google sweetens it with various extras, such as the VPN in question.

It’s also true, isn’t it Google One VPN was very specific: Like any other virtual private network, it protected the device’s Internet connection with a layer of encryption and a specific IP address to mask the real IP. And that was it because it didn’t offer another VPN option like choosing the geographical location as you wish.

Not that it mattered much: for just €1.99 a month you had a VPN (I repeat: it was an add-on to the Google One plan, not the main product, although it could easily have been), with privacy terms that at least on paper they conformed to the industry standard and with a guarantee of higher speed, so unless you were an extremist, the problem was more than fine. But there are no more and… alternatives?

There are of course many alternatives. The VPN provider sector is booming, and there are well-known ones; but it costs money: usually a few euros a month if you pay in advance for one or two years, which not everyone can or wants to afford. Obviously, at this point you get a full VPN service with everything that Google was missing.

Free VPN? There are also buts I will not recommend any to you. Or yes: for specific cases, you can use Proton VPN with the limitations of a free service that you can trust. But if you’re looking for a service to replace Google One VPN on all your devices to always connect there, spend miles and forget about it, but without spending a cent…

Cloudflare WARP

A year ago on these pages, I talked about Cloudflare WARP, the network giant’s free VPN, which I think is worth doing again because it the best possible alternative to Google One VPN. And yes, it’s free, completely free in terms of the functionality we care about, although if you want more options, there’s also the option to pay.

While we’re on the subject, let’s review a bit of WARP history, because you may have already known and dismissed it, but there’s a long way from what it was to what it is now. In fact, when we heard the news about the launch of Cloudflare’s free “VPN”, I had no choice but to put the term in quotes, even though it was marketed as such, because its traffic was not what one would expect. in VPN at a glance.

what has changed? To start, WARP is no longer an exclusive mobile app: It arrived on PC a long time ago and with all the laws, for Linux, Mac and Windows. Are you a Linux user? Last year we dedicated this introductory article to WARP in MuyLinux, which you might be interested in. This means that the Windows client is much more advanced in form and substance.

On the other hand, WARP already works as a VPN, at least partially. That is, in a very similar way to how VPN Google One did it: you connect to the Internet with a different IPbut without the ability to choose a geographical location, even when connecting to nearby servers: so if you are in Madrid, you will still be in Madrid, although if you are in the outskirts of the city and your connection without a saddle specified it, it is most likely to move you to the main cities.

What about privacy and connection speed? The same as Google, if not a little better, given Mountain View’s history with some of its historical practices: everything is right on paper. Not only that: Cloudflare is one of the DNS providers that pre-installs browsers for DNS-over-HTTPS mode and defaults in Firefox since they implemented this feature years ago.

And when it comes to performance… Cloudflare is not exactly a support player, but a leading player in network services on a global level. So there may be specific moments – as in any other VPN – of network congestion, but stability and speed are generally guaranteed. However, keep in mind that you always, always, always lose connection speed when you connect through “middlemen”whether via VPN, proxy, DNS change…

And speaking of DNS, a key point to understanding how WARP works: DNS, the Domain Name System, is the foundation of the design. What’s more, depending on the client, it’s possible to choose to connect only to Cloudflare’s DNS or enhance it with WARP, an implementation that actually makes the service closer to the classic VPN model (note that dedicated VPNs usually offer advanced features for greater privacy and security).

Which one to use? The optimal option is a combination of both, although the impact on speed will be greater than just changing the DNS. But don’t get confused with this problem, because the default behavior is to use DNS in conjunction with WARP, and the options you find in the applications are very easy to understand (it’s another thing if you want to dive into the technology aspect, which you mentioned on the pages service help).

Without further ado Interested in trying out WARP? Go to the official website and download the corresponding application, follow the instructions of the assistant and that’s it.

WARP in Windows 11

On a final note, you might – should – be asking yourself: why does Cloudflare offer a service like this completely free? Where is the trap? Where it always is: in data analysis, only unlike Google, whose main business is advertising, Cloudflare is a network service for companies.

Yes, Cloudflare will analyze all traffic that passes through its services, but not in a way that affects your privacy, because it is not in the company’s interest… But make no mistake: they can track you. This is an alternative to basic VPN use that will improve your privacy and security on the internet, but does not guarantee you any type of anonymity.