VPN vs proxy vs Tor

Three tools that move where your traffic appears to come from

Every website you visit sees an IP address, the number that identifies your connection, and from it a rough location and your internet provider. Proxies, VPNs and Tor all put a different machine between you and the site, so the site sees that machine's address instead. The differences are in who you have to trust, what gets encrypted and how much it slows you down.

What a proxy does

A proxy is a server that forwards your requests. You point a browser or app at it, and websites see the proxy's address. Many free web proxies don't encrypt the connection between you and them, so your network and ISP can still see what you send.

The Tor Project's own documentation describes the main weakness of a simple proxy: it's a single point of trust and failure. The operator can see who you are and what you browse, and the Tor Project notes that a proxy provider could watch your traffic, inject advertisements or record your details. The same page says a simple proxy can be fine if you don't need privacy or anonymity and you trust the provider.

What a VPN does

A VPN (virtual private network) creates an encrypted tunnel from your device to the VPN company's server. All your device's traffic goes through it, not only the browser. Your ISP and anyone on the same Wi-Fi see only encrypted data heading to the VPN server. Websites see the VPN server's address. For a fuller explanation, see what is a VPN.

Structurally, a VPN is like a proxy in one important way: one company sits in the middle and could, in principle, see both your real IP address and where you go. That's why a VPN's logging practices, ownership and audits matter so much. See no-logs policies explained, who owns your VPN and our audits tracker.

What Tor does

Tor (The Onion Router) is free software and a network of volunteer-run servers called relays. The Tor Project explains that your traffic goes through at least three relays, with a separate layer of encryption for each. The first relay can see that an IP address is using Tor, but not where the traffic is going. The last relay, the exit, sees the traffic heading to the website but not who sent it. The Tor Project says no individual relay knows the complete path.

That design removes the single trusted middleman. It also has costs:

• It's slower, because traffic takes several hops through volunteer servers.
• The exit relay can see unencrypted traffic. The Tor Project points out that HTTPS adds protection between the exit and the site. Use HTTPS sites.
• Torrenting over Tor is a bad idea. The Tor Project says it's unsafe and not recommended: most torrent clients reveal your real IP address to peers anyway, and the traffic burdens volunteer exit operators.

The simplest way to use Tor is Tor Browser, the Tor Project's own browser. The Tor Project also offers a VPN-style app it calls Tor VPN, which its support pages label as beta software that may leak information and shouldn't be relied on for anything sensitive.

Which should you use?

• On café, hotel or airport Wi-Fi: a VPN, or simply sticking to HTTPS sites, covers most needs. See public Wi-Fi safety.
• To keep your ISP from seeing which sites you visit: a VPN or Tor. With a VPN you're trusting the VPN company instead.
• If being identified could put you at risk: Tor Browser, because no single company can link you to your browsing. Combine it with careful habits; logging in to your own accounts identifies you whatever tool you use.
• To change your location for one app: a proxy may do, but streaming services usually block proxies and VPNs, and using them can break the service's terms. See why streaming services block VPNs.
• In a country that blocks these tools: check the law first. See are VPNs legal. Tor offers bridges for censored networks.

Can you use a VPN and Tor together?

You can connect to a VPN and then open Tor Browser. Your ISP then sees VPN traffic rather than Tor traffic, and the VPN company sees that you're using Tor but not what you do inside it. It adds a party you must trust and doesn't make Tor itself stronger. Whether it helps depends on whether you'd rather your ISP or a VPN company know that you use Tor.

What none of them do

• They don't stop tracking by sites you log in to, or by cookies and fingerprinting in an ordinary browser. Our browser privacy check shows some of what a site can see.
• They don't protect you from malware or phishing.
• They don't make illegal activity legal, including copyright infringement.