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3 Key Differences Between VPNs and Proxy Servers

You might think that you are safe as you browse the internet on your smartphone or laptop from the comfort of your home until you get attacked and you become vulnerable to all sorts of problems.

To avoid this, you might consider getting secure VPN solutions or a proxy server. But which one should you choose? How are they different? Radio IP discusses their main differences:

VPN and Proxy Defined

VPNs and proxy servers can be used to ensure that all the activities you do online remain private.

Proxy servers act as a gate that separates you and a server. To get to any website or video-streaming app, for instance, you’d have to connect to a proxy first. This makes proxies an excellent solution if you want to hide your identity as the sites you’re visiting only see the IP address that belongs to the proxy server instead of your address.

A VPN works similarly to a proxy but it works with all the sites and apps you visit instead of single ones. Your identity is protected and it will remain so no matter what you do online. There are free VPN providers online but paid ones are more likely to keep your data safe from third parties.

What Are Their Key Differences?

Safety

Proxy servers, while they hide your identity from whatever website you are visiting, do not encrypt your connection with the server itself. So, in a way, you may even end up using a less secure connection than when you connect directly using your browser.

In comparison, most commercial VPNs are safer to use because they load and encrypt the data before sending it to the client on your computer. That means even the network or the ISP won’t know what data you are loading. What they know is that you are loading encrypted data coming from a VPN. So not only is your identity protected but so is your data. No malicious hackers, employers, or even the government could see your data. Moreover, your IP address is also kept protected. And the best thing? All that protection happens in seconds or less.

Connection Speed

Connection speed is another key difference between a VPN and a proxy.

When you are using a public proxy server you might find it difficult to get even a megabit/second. On the other hand, there are VPNs that offer connection speeds of 50 Mbps or even higher. A VPN’s encryption might add a second or less of latency but that’s hardly noticeable. In some instances, the use of a VPN may even speed up your connection.

Cost

As mentioned above, you’ll find that most proxies are free for public use, while VPN services often cost anywhere between $5 and $12 for a month’s use. Of course, there are premium services available for proxy servers as well. That said, VPNs still offer more security and give you more value for your money.

Can You Use Both VPN and Proxy at the Same Time?

Technically it’s possible, however, that’s unnecessary and won’t make any significant improvement on the security you’ll get. It could even actually slow down your connection and affect your whole browsing experience.

Conclusion

For security, privacy, and speed, an encrypted VPN trumps a public proxy server. It may cost you more to enjoy the benefits of VPN solutions but they’re worth every penny. Ensuring the security of your web traffic is not just about accessing streaming content that may be blocked in your location. The risks of gathering and sharing data unprotected are high and the repercussions may be huge.

When you’re ready to enjoy the benefits of innovative mobile VPN solutions, Radio IP Software is here to provide them to you. Contact our team today so we can talk to you about our mobile security solutions!