From the outside, proxy and vpn services appear to be doing the same thing: re-route your web traffic through a secure server in order to disguise your online identity. However, there are a few key differences between the two services that you need to consider in deciding which one is the best choice for you.
The main difference between a proxy and a VPN is that a proxy does not encrypt data. This means that any information transmitted through the proxy could be intercepted by a threat actor and used to track your behavior. A premium VPN service, on the other hand makes use of strong encryption in order to ensure that information sent through its servers is inaccessible by hackers.
In addition to encryption of information, VPNs also safeguard users from threats that are malicious, such as malware, phishing and other forms of attack. A premium VPN service is constantly monitoring and update its systems to prevent these types of attacks. Free proxies on the other hand, usually use outdated systems which are vulnerable to these types attacks.
VPNs are also more user-friendly. Download the VPN app and connect to the server of preference. This is in contrast to proxy services that require you to enter a specific IP address and port number into an application. Proxy servers are often overloaded with traffic, which can cause slowing down of the performance. However, most premium VPNs can solve this issue by providing stable and fast connections.
