VPN vs Proxy vs Tor: What's the Difference?
All three stand between you and the internet and pass your traffic along from a different address — but they differ wildly in what they encrypt, what they cost and who can see what. Here's the honest comparison.
What they all have in common
Your IP address identifies your connection to every site you visit, and it reveals your approximate location and provider. Proxies, VPNs and Tor all answer the same wish — let the site see someone else's address instead of mine — by relaying your traffic through an intermediary. Where they differ is what happens to your data on the way, how much of your device they cover, and who operates the relay.
The proxy: a simple relay
A proxy server receives your request, forwards it to the destination with its own address, and passes the answer back. That's the whole trick.
- Covers: usually one application at a time (a browser configured with a proxy, for instance) — the rest of your device keeps using your real IP.
- Encryption: often none. An unencrypted HTTP proxy hides your address from the site but not your traffic from anyone on the path.
- Speed: typically fast — that's why "residential proxies" are popular for automation and scraping.
- Trust: the proxy operator sees your real traffic. Free proxies are the worst deal of all: you are the product.
The VPN: an encrypted tunnel
A Virtual Private Network creates an encrypted tunnel from your entire device to a VPN server. Everything — browser, apps, background services — leaves through that tunnel bearing the server's address.
- Covers: the whole device, all applications, always on.
- Encryption: strong (WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPsec) — your ISP sees only an opaque connection to the VPN.
- Speed: near line-rate on good providers; the encryption overhead is small on modern hardware.
- Trust: the VPN provider replaces your ISP as the party who can see your traffic metadata. Choose one with independent audits and a no-logs policy you can actually read.
Tor: three hops and a crowd
Tor (The Onion Router) routes your traffic through three volunteer relays, wrapped in layers of encryption like an onion: the entry node knows who you are but not your destination, the exit node knows the destination but not you, and no single node sees both. Traffic mixes with that of thousands of other users, which is Tor's real protection.
- Covers: the Tor Browser's traffic (or configured apps) — not your whole device by default.
- Encryption: layered end-to-end inside the network; exit traffic to plain-HTTP sites is still unencrypted.
- Speed: noticeably slower — the price of three hops and crowding.
- Trust: no single operator, but exit nodes are volunteers; never send passwords over plain HTTP through Tor.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Proxy | VPN | Tor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | One app, usually | Whole device | Tor Browser / configured apps |
| Encryption | Often none | Yes, full tunnel | Yes, layered |
| Speed | Fast | Fast | Slow |
| Hops | 1 | 1 | 3+ |
| Operator sees your traffic | Yes | Provider (no-logs ideally) | No single node |
| Easily detected by sites | Very | Usually | Always (public relay list) |
| Typical use | Quick task, geo-spoofing per app | Everyday privacy, public Wi-Fi | Maximum anonymity |
How websites detect all of this
Relay addresses are known: Tor's exit list is public, proxy and VPN endpoints get catalogued by detection databases, and hosting ranges behave differently from home connections (no mail servers, odd traffic patterns). That's how the Proxy & VPN check can tell you, in one click, whether an address is flagged as VPN, proxy, Tor exit or datacentre — and what its recent risk score looks like.
For site operators, this is screening, not judgement: fraud teams flag anonymising traffic because it correlates with abuse. For users, it means a VPN is a privacy tool, not an invisibility cloak — expect the occasional CAPTCHA or blocked stream.
Verify your setup: turn your VPN on, then run its address through the proxy check. If the tool sees a VPN, so can the websites you visit — that's the point.
Learn more
- Weighing whether to hide at all? Read the six practical ways to hide your IP address.
- Check any address right now with the Proxy & VPN check or the homepage.
- Flagged addresses often live on blacklists too — see the IP blacklists guide.
VPN, proxy and Tor questions
Is a VPN better than a proxy?
For most people, yes. A VPN encrypts all of your device's traffic and is much harder to leak; a proxy usually handles one application at a time and often without encryption. Proxies are lighter and fine for quick, low-stakes tasks; VPNs are the right default for privacy.
Does a VPN make you completely anonymous?
No. A VPN hides your IP address and encrypts the path to the VPN server, but the provider knows who you are and can see which server you connect to, and websites can still fingerprint your browser, cookies and behaviour. Anonymity requires much more — Tor is closer, and even it has caveats.
Can websites tell that I am using a VPN or proxy?
Often yes. Detection databases track IP addresses known to belong to VPN exit servers, proxies and Tor relays, and datacentre ranges stand out from residential ones. That is exactly what our proxy check reports: whether an address is flagged as VPN, proxy, Tor or hosting.
Is Tor illegal?
No. Using Tor is legal in the vast majority of countries and it is ordinary technology — journalists, researchers and ordinary users rely on it. What you do through it is subject to the same laws as anything else online.