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Level 0 · Basics3 min readUpdated October 17, 2026

VPN vs proxy: what is the difference?

What a proxy and a VPN have in common, how they differ in encryption and in the apps they cover, which one fits which job, and how to check the result yourself.

Illustration: a two-column icon in a rounded tile, with the title VPN vs proxy

Key points

  • A proxy and a VPN both send your traffic through another server. Websites then see that server’s IP address instead of yours.
  • A VPN usually covers every app on your device and encrypts the connection to its server. A proxy usually covers one app, such as the browser, and many proxies do not encrypt anything.
  • Neither makes you anonymous. Both move trust to whoever runs the server.

VPN vs proxy at a glance

ProxyVPN
What it coversusually one app, often only the browserusually every app on the device
Encryption between you and the serveroften none; it depends on the kind of proxyyes, an encrypted tunnel
Your IP address, seen by websitesreplaced by the proxy’s address, in that app onlyreplaced by the server’s address, in every app
Who runs itcompanies, schools, free services, often unknown operatorsusually a VPN provider
Typical useone website or one app, filters in company networkspublic Wi-Fi, privacy from your internet provider, travel

Two paths, side by side

Proxy, set in the browser

  1. Your browser
  2. Proxy serversees what is not encrypted
  3. Websitesees the proxy's address
Only the browser takes this path. Your other apps still connect directly, with your own address.

VPN

  1. Your deviceall apps
  2. VPN serverends the tunnel
  3. Websitesees the server's address
encrypted by the VPN not encrypted by the VPN
Every app's traffic goes through the encrypted tunnel to the VPN server. From there, it travels on like any other traffic.

Kinds of proxies you will meet

  • HTTP(S) proxy: set in the browser or in the system settings. For sites that use HTTPS, the proxy sees which site you open, but not the page content. For the rare sites without HTTPS, it sees everything.
  • SOCKS5 proxy: works for more kinds of traffic, for example in some download apps. SOCKS5 itself does not encrypt.
  • Web proxy: a website that opens other websites for you. It sees everything you do through it.
  • Browser extensions: some extensions sold as a “VPN” only route the browser’s traffic, like a proxy. Check what the provider says the extension covers.

The glossary has a short definition of each term.

Which one should you use?

  1. Public Wi-Fi, or privacy from your internet provider: use a VPN. It covers every app and encrypts the connection to its server.
  2. A different address for one website only: a proxy can be enough. Pick one whose operator you know, because it can see your traffic.
  3. Free proxies from unknown operators: avoid them for anything with a login. You cannot see who runs them or what they record.

A VPN can also leave single apps out, with split tunneling. The guide VPN features explained shows how.

Check it yourself: the IP check shows the address your browser uses. Open it with the proxy or the VPN on, and the address should change. Remember that a proxy set in the browser changes only the browser’s address.

If you choose a VPN

This archive compares 13 VPN services by what can be checked: where their servers are, what they cost after the first term, and who runs them. The VPN finder narrows them down to the points that matter to you, and the provider pages show the details for each one.

Next step

Level 1 starts with How to choose your first VPN, a checklist with seven points.

The figures in this guide come from the archive and change with every data update. As of October 17, 2026.

Check it with the archive's data

Read next: How to choose your first VPN: a 7-point checklistAll guides