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Key Takeaways

  • Proxy servers are quick and easy for unblocking websites, but they can't offer long-term privacy or protection.
  • VPNs provide secure and anonymous connections and are ideal for sensitive actions such as managing finances or sending personal information.
  • The best choice between proxies and VPNs depends on your browsing habits and what you want from an anonymizing service.

People use VPNs and proxy servers to hide their privacy, but what's the difference between them? In the proxy vs. VPN debate, which one is the best for you?

VPNs vs. Proxy Servers

First, it's best to explain why we're comparing proxies and VPNs in the first place. The reason we compare them is that they both achieve a common goal: they hide your IP address from the websites you visit.

When you visit a website, it can get a rough idea about your location from your IP address. Proxies and VPNs will hide this information by giving the website its own IP address rather than your own.

As for why people want to hide their IP address, it depends on what the user wants to achieve with their anonymity. This is where the proxy vs. VPN debate comes in; while both achieve a similar goal, how they perform it decides which is best for you.

What Is a Proxy Server?

A proxy server is a "middleman" that sits between you and the websites you're visiting. Typically, you find proxy servers online on a website. You click on them, enter the website you want to visit, and it'll take you there. Proxy servers take the web address you give it, then connect to that website and load its content. It then passes these details on, so you can browse the website.

The main benefit of proxy servers is that you don't connect directly to the website, so it doesn't see your home IP address. Instead, it sees the proxy server's IP address, keeping your location a secret.

If you visit a proxy service site, they'll often ask what country you want the proxy server to come from. This is more than just a novelty; it can fool websites and services into thinking you're viewing from that country. If you want to access a website, but it's blocked in your country, you can use a proxy server located in that website's country instead. When the website checks what country you're from, it sees the proxy server's location instead of your own. It then grants the proxy server access to the website and gives it the details, which are passed onto you.

There are numerous types of proxy servers. Most of the time, you'll use a forward proxy to access content, but you may need to call on the other proxy types from time to time.

Type of Proxy Server

Description

Forward Proxy

Sits between a client and the internet and retrieves data from the internet on behalf of a client. Used for anonymity, access policy enforcement, and bypassing censorship.

Reverse Proxy

Sits in front of web servers and directs client requests to these servers. Used for load balancing, web acceleration, and additional security.

Transparent Proxy

Intercepts client requests without requiring client configuration. Used for content filtering, caching, and enforcing network policies.

Anonymous Proxy

Enhances privacy by hiding the user's IP address from websites and internet services. Helps in maintaining online anonymity.

Distorting Proxy

Hides the user's IP address and provides a false IP address to internet services, making it seem like the request comes from a different location.

High Anonymity Proxy

Hides the user's IP address and does not identify itself as a proxy to the destination server. Offers a high level of privacy and security.

SOCKS Proxy

Handles any type of traffic, not just HTTP traffic. Commonly used for handling traffic from applications like torrents.

Residential Proxy

Uses IP addresses assigned to real residential addresses, less likely to be blocked or flagged by websites. Often used for web scraping and ad verification.

The Benefits of Proxy Servers

If you just want to unblock a website, a proxy server can do this simply and quickly. There is no need to install anything; just visit a free proxy website and choose one in the country you want to visit from. This is a great short-term solution for that one website that gives you trouble.

Because proxy servers can be found online, you can use them from any operating system. There's no need to install any software; just hop online and find a server!

The Drawbacks of Proxy Servers

Unfortunately, if you want to achieve more than just visiting a website anonymously, a proxy server can't help you. Even if you only use proxy servers for web browsing, you'll find that any long-term usage will be slow and aggravating. If you want to anonymize your connection for more than a few websites, you should give proxy servers a miss.

What Is a VPN?

On the surface, VPNs work very similarly to proxy servers. Your data goes to a server, passes onto the destination, receives a reply, and hands it to you. However, the main difference between a VPN and a proxy server is how your data is passed to the server in the first place.

When you use a VPN, you first install VPN software on your PC. When you switch it on, the software will encrypt the data you send to the VPN server, making your data unreadable to prying eyes. This is called a "tunnel," and it helps to imagine it like a physical tunnel in the real world.

If you drive your car on the open road, anyone on the side of the road can see who's in your car, its model, and the number plate. If you drive to your destination through a tunnel the entire way, nobody outside the tunnel can tell who's driving the car or what model it is.

The Benefits of a VPN

As you can imagine, VPNs are fantastic for masking your activity online. In contrast, a proxy server doesn't anonymize your activity until your data reaches the server itself, meaning anyone looking at your data beforehand (such as hackers or your ISP) can see what you're doing. Because a VPN establishes a tunnel from your PC, nobody—not even your ISP!—can see what you're sending.

This means you can have a secure, encrypted connection wherever you like. You may already know about how hackers can steal people's identity over public networks, but with a VPN, you don't need to worry about that. If someone does monitor your connection, they'll see useless encrypted garbage.

The Drawbacks of a VPN

Unfortunately, this luxury doesn't come cheap. There are free VPNs, and if for basic tasks, they can get the job done. However, there are reasons why free VPNs don't cut it, so if you want only the best, you'll need to pay for it.

Not only that, but your PC does need to encrypt all of your data as it leaves. This means you must install software on your PC to use a VPN. During use, you may notice a dip in performance as your computer works to encrypt the data before sending it.

Proxy vs. VPN: Which Is the Best for You?

Both technologies are useful for protecting your identity, but which is best for you?

The Advantages of Proxy Servers Over VPNS

If you want to access a website blocked in your region, and you're not trying to hide your data from anyone, there's nothing wrong with using a proxy server. The basic options are free, and you can use them on almost any computer or device.

While they're not the best for privacy, they're great if you're not performing any sensitive actions, for example, watching another country's Netflix shows.

The Advantages of VPNs Over Proxy Servers

As soon as you want to do long-term browsing or perform sensitive actions, a VPN is the way to go. These offer a secure, anonymous connection with added layers of protection to keep you safe.

Managing your finances or sending personal information over a public Wi-Fi connection is usually dangerous, but a VPN gives you free rein to do as you please, no matter where you are. The ones worth using aren't cheap, but if you're serious about keeping yourself hidden online, you'll find a VPN is a worthy investment.