Why VPN Is Safer Than Proxy: 4 Reasons
Why VPN Is Safer Than Proxy: 4 Reasons
The swelling dangers from cyberattacks, malware, and other online threats are prompting more & more of us to take the privacy and security of our information into our own hands. Proxies and VPNs came up soon after since they promised secure and anonymous browsing along with freedoms like no more geographical restrictions.
While similar on the surface, VPNs and proxies are not the same. In fact, VPNs are an objectively more secure solution. Here are four compelling reasons why that is so.
Lack of encryption is the primary reason proxies aren’t as secure as VPNs. Both operate similarly, interposing themselves between you and the internet and hiding your IP address. That’s where a proxy’s abilities to safeguard your privacy and anonymity stop, though.
Someone not knowing your IP becomes irrelevant if you’re connecting from a compromised network like public Wi-Fi. Accessing the internet through one or a rogue hotspot designed to look like public Wi-Fi exposes everything you do to anyone monitoring the connection. You could end up giving them your email info, account logins, or even banking details if you’re unaware of the danger.
Encryption uses sophisticated algorithms to make your internet traffic undecipherable without the proper decryption tools. A hacker who monitors public Wi-Fi may register a new connection and the fact that there’s traffic. Still, they can’t access any information you send or receive while the VPN’s encryption tunnel is active.
That being said, not all VPNs on the market have the same level of encryption standards. In this case, you might benefit from the Reddit VPN comparison table to measure the providers’ differences in encryption.
Proxies would still lag behind VPNs even if they started offering the same encryption features. That’s because most proxies only cover browsers or a limited selection of programs if they use the SOCKS5 protocol.
The encrypted tunnels VPNs are famous for affect the entire connection. VPN clients still need to connect through your internet service provider, but the encryption they provide hides whatever you do from the ISP, advertisers, and bad actors alike.
Such all-encompassing protection means any program or action that requires internet access gets to benefit. You can watch shows, play games, or collaborate on projects without exposing any information you share in the process.
They might hide your traffic from snoops and ISPs, but proxy & VPN providers still see what you’re doing. They might keep logs of your activity and need to hand such logs over to the authorities when subpoenaed.
To be fair, high-quality paid proxies adhere to no-logging policies like VPNs do. That means there’s nothing to expose since they don’t keep records. However, the likelihood that a proxy provider will log your activities is higher, especially if the service costs nothing.
Everything has a price, and your browsing data is it in the case of sketchy free proxies. They’ll steer you towards unencrypted versions of webpages (ones that start with http instead of https). It’s easy to track, collect, and sell any valuable info you divulge to cybercriminals from there.
VPNs have proxies thoroughly beaten in terms of feature richness.
Some proxies can act as firewalls, which makes them useful for restricting access to harmful sites and increasing productivity. VPNs aren’t firewalls, but they have advanced features that make the trade-off worthwhile.
Kill switches are a good example. Even the best VPNs experience downtime or have unforeseen technical difficulties. The VPN client will terminate the entire internet connection in that case rather than risk exposing users to malware or compromising their anonymity.
Encrypting your internet traffic takes up more bandwidth and can impact overall connection speeds. That’s why VPNs offer split tunneling. Turning it off lets you specify which activities and applications need a VPN’s heightened security, while others can connect regularly through your ISP.
Remote work is a scenario where this would be particularly useful. You can set the VPN up so that connecting to your company network or any related services comes with its full benefits while leaving regular traffic alone to enjoy optimal speeds.
Using VPNs and proxies disrupts advertisers’ tracking attempts, so you won’t get targeted ads when either is active. However, only VPNs come with integrated ad-blocking features that eliminate most ads outright. You’ll never want to go back once you experience how much more efficient and quieter the internet can be without all the advertising noise.