Proxy vs VPN: what’s the difference and what works better

In this article, I will break down what a proxy and a VPN are, what the difference is, and what is the better choice for your privacy, if I may say so…If you are interested, let’s sort it out. You might want to use one of them.

For users, working on the Internet is indeed often insecure. To protect your data, hide your IP address or just check a link forwarded via a tracker that limits the user’s GEO, you should use some kind of service to leak your traffic. Proxies and VPNs have the same goal – to keep the anonymity of the user on the Internet. But regardless of this, proxies and GNP have many differences, which we will talk about in a moment.

What is a VPN and what does it stand for?

A VPN (a virtual private network) is a secure connection between the user and the server. The information is encrypted and is not available to anyone outside this network.

I will try to explain in simple language how a VPN works. VPN technology masks you and keeps you anonymous. You are hidden in encrypted data and securely hidden behind another IP address. VPN technology encrypts all your online activities. Everything you send and receive. If you only log in through a VPN, one of the many VPN routers is visible.

Some apple devices users may wonder what does VPN mean on iPhone. The VPN protects your mobile devices as well as computer from online dangers. With this service, no one can find out who you are, or what you do on the Internet: not the Internet service provider, not hackers, not government agencies.

Advantages of using a VPN:

• A VPN can help you bypass geographical blockages and watch what you like from anywhere in the world;
• Ability to play games with geographically restricted access from anywhere in the world;
• Secure torrenting;
• Improved internet connection and speed;
• And most importantly, your privacy, all your activities remain secret.

Unfortunately, even the best service always has disadvantages, this also applies to the VPN service.

• The first drawback is that the best ones cost money. It is also free but prepares for the fact that you will encounter many limitations. No one will build a rather complicated and expensive server infrastructure for free VPNs, you have to understand that;
• Some sites block VPNs. Some sites (like Netflix) are very good at identifying situations where you use a VPN and blocking you from it;
• In some countries, using a VPN is illegal. These countries include China, Turkey, and Iraq.

We’ve figured out the VPN service, now I’m not going to talk about whether it’s worth it or not. We will also take apart an equally interesting service and after that determine.

What is a proxy and how does it work? Its benefits

Proxy is a networking technology that works a little bit differently. It’s like an intermediary or your proxy. It takes your request to its server, processes it, and sends it where it needs to go. And the information that’s collected goes back the same way.

Most often the corporate sector uses proxy connections. It is for him that such benefits are important, such as:

• controlling access to the Internet;
• traffic accounting and filtering;
• secure information exchange;
• compatibility with all browsers and operating systems.

Based on the functions performed, proxies are divided into:

1. HTTP and HTTPS are universal proxies. The protocol allows you to download any files, browse web pages, and so on.

2. Socks – allows you to work with any type of information, works like HTTPS, but with a greater level of encryption. Requires a special program to be installed in your browser.

3. CGI – works through a browser. This type of proxy is called an “anonymizer”.

4. FTP – suitable for corporate clients, designed to exchange information between the local computer and the web server, protecting from external threats.

Again, it is better to buy paid proxies – then you get a guarantee of anonymity, and you can configure the server in detail. Paid proxies for example Blazing Proxy can help you bypass blocking and parsing.

Now let’s summarize

As the saying goes, there are as many people as there are opinions. Some people use proxies exclusively, while others find more advantages in VPN. What to choose: VPN or Proxy – you decide. If you need to secure your data, then the VPN is unambiguous. It offers a lot of options for increased reliability, security, and protection.

While the proxy just hides the IP address and spoofs the location, that is, in theory, the data it transmits can get everyone who is not lazy. But it has a big plus: repeated use of proxies will save the spoofed IP address, which is useful when you don’t want to be spotted by FB, Google, and other advertising platforms.

Proxies are a great option. Proxies are also more flexible. You can restrict proxy use to specific domains or applications. In addition, users can connect multiple proxies at once. If you have doubts about the right choice of proxy, you can use the Proxy checker, it will allow you to determine the performance and anonymity level of your personal server. The speed of proxies in working conditions is often higher than that of a VPN. This is because proxies have their TCP buffers and this ensures excellent performance. If you want security, anonymity, high speed, torrents, streaming, and bypassing censorship restrictions, a VPN is better.