Anonymous Proxy VS Anonymous VPN Services
In this era of technology, the internet and secure online browsing have become a need for a large percentage of the world population. With highly frequent occurrence of data breaches and profile hacks along with the increased use of spyware, malware, adware, sophisticated tracking and data collection, it is no wonder that many people wish to be anonymous on the internet these days.
Choose the Right Tool
Nearly every week, there is news about leaked data, encryption or other online privacy issues. With such news, we are told to improve the security of our internet connections by using proxy servers and VPN (Virtual Private Network) connections. However, we are not given any other important information, such as the selection of the right tool and how these tools work.
In order to improve your security to be safe from digital threats, it takes a lot of time and energy, and if you are going to invest so much into this, you have to be sure that you are choosing the right tool in a particular situation. For that, you need to understand how anonymous proxy and anonymous VPN services differ from each other.
Even though VPN connections and proxy servers are very different, they have one thing in common, i.e. the ability to make the user appear as if they are connected to the internet from a location different than their actual location. Both, anonymous VPN and anonymous proxy, direct the internet traffic to a separate server (or computer) before it goes on to its targeted destination.
Apart from this, almost everything about the two tools is different. Primarily, it is their mode of action, encryption and the level of anonymity and security they offer that make anonymous VPN and anonymous proxy different from one another. Also, they both have their own pros, cons and usage.
Before we compare anonymous proxy and anonymous VPN services with each other, you must study each term individually in order to understand their similarities and differences.
Anonymous Proxy Service
Basically, an anonymous proxy service, commonly known as proxy, is a bridge that links the user's system to the final destination of the internet browsing traffic. By typing an address directly in the webpage interface of the proxy, a user can access an anonymous proxy service via a browser. If not that, a user can access an anonymous proxy service via a stand-alone program or browser extension. No matter which path you choose, all HTTP or HTTPS internet browsing traffic is covered by an anonymous proxy service when it is active.
Anonymous proxy services aren't limited to web surfing only. However, different types of proxy services are available to use for file sharing (such as torrent based file sharing), online gaming and many more. Generally, these other types of proxies are less common than the one used for web surfing, and these services are usually more complex and paid. Therefore, when people talk about an anonymous proxy service, they typically mean an anonymous web proxy.
When you're using a proxy service, the internet traffic goes from your system through various servers to the proxy server all before going to the destination website. The proxy server rebroadcasts the traffic to the destination server in such a way that the traffic appears to the destination server as if it's coming from the proxy's IP address, not yours.
On its way back, the traffic comes from the destination to the proxy server, which directs the traffic to your actual IP address. Apart from the proxy, none of the servers you access know your true IP address.
All proxies alter your IP address and provide anonymity in the same way mentioned above. An added benefit of using a proxy server based in another country is that you can get around some geo-restrictions on sites and content. This is because destination servers use the IP address to determine the location of the user in order to block content based on their country.
Anonymous VPN Service
As far as features are concerned, anonymous VPN services are a little more complex compared to an anonymous proxy service. Usually, anonymous VPN service providers offer applications or clients for a variety of operating systems, tablets, smart phones, etc. The user downloads the client/app and uses it to get connected to a server on the VPN network.
After getting connected, all internet services, ranging from web browsing over HTTP/HTTPS to FTP and even gaming, can be run anonymously using the VPN. A VPN provides anonymity to you by either encrypting the traffic between your system and the VPN server or rendering the traffic into gibberish. This is mainly done using military-grade encryption protocols.
As a result, ISP monitors or even the government can't interpret the traffic and, thus, can't see what you're accessing. All they can understand is that you're transmitting data back and forth to a specific VPN server before the trail goes cold.
The mode of action of a VPN server is similar to that of a proxy server. After receiving the traffic, the VPN server starts by decrypting the traffic and deciding where to direct it. Then, it sends the traffic to the destination server, which can only see the IP address of the VPN server, keeping the user invisible and secure.
On its way back, the traffic goes from the destination server to the VPN server, which processes it and encrypts the data before sending it back to your system through an encrypted tunnel. Then, your system decrypts the data.
Usually, VPN clients and apps have extra security features to provide some added layers of privacy for the user. A good VPN service provider allows a user to access additional internet services, such as video streaming peer-to-peer file sharing, etc.
Anonymous Proxy Services vs Anonymous VPN Services
As mentioned earlier, you must know the similarities and differences between anonymous proxy and anonymous VPN services. This information helps you to decide which service you need to go for in order to do a particular task. The following section gives a comparison of the two types of security systems.
1. Protection
The first and foremost expectation of a user from these systems is security. When it comes to security, VPNs are better than proxies. This is due to the encryption used in VPNs, which provides a highly secure cover to your traffic. The increased protection prevents your information to be tracked or stolen, which further saving you from the risk of getting hacked. On the other hand, none of this is possible with proxies.
2. Protocols
As far as protocols are concerned, VPNs give an improved experience. This is because VPNs are used to hide all types of internet traffic; however, proxies are only designed to work for web browsing traffic.
3. Restrictions
Many countries have bans and restrictions on different websites and internet services. As mentioned earlier, proxy and VPN services connect a user system to a foreign server. Therefore, both anonymous proxy and anonymous VPN services can be used to get around many region based content restrictions.
4. Price
Cost is a factor that can never be ignored. When it comes to cost, proxy services are more affordable as they are usually free or very cheap. This is because a proxy doesn't have much processing power due to fewer functions, i.e. mainly web traffic rerouting. In contrast, a VPN service is mostly paid for, costing about $5 to $15 usually. Charging for VPN services is understandable as the security provided, processing load and server infrastructure is much higher than a proxy.
5. Speed
Having only a few functions and a simpler mode of action where no encryption is involved, proxies are much faster than a VPN. On the other hand, because a VPN provides many features and tighter security, speed is often compromised. However, the reduced speed is barely noticeable if you're using a high-quality VPN.
