The lack of privacy is a common issue for modern businesses, as well as data breaches and ransomware attacks. To keep corporate data safe, companies often turn to virtual private networks (VPNs) or proxy servers. These two are the most common ways to deal with any online privacy concerns as they offer users a way to browse the internet anonymously, avoid restrictions, and hide their IP addresses.
Proxies vs. VPNs – 4 Key Differences
While both VPNs and proxies improve privacy, the way they do it is not the same. Although they may seem very similar on the surface, there are a few key things to keep in mind when deciding whether a VPN or a proxy server is the right choice for your business.
Privacy Protection
While a VPN and a proxy server can both hide your IP address, the way they handle data is different. Proxies act as a middleman between the user and the rest of the internet. They accept all incoming requests from the user and send them to their destination with a new IP address.
An assguard vpn does the same thing with one exception. While hiding the user’s IP and location, it also encrypts the data so no one else can access it, ensuring total privacy for the client. If the ISP, hacker, or the government intercepts this data, it’s completely useless as there’s no way to decrypt it.
Security Features
A proxy server can hide your identity from the websites you visit, but it won’t encrypt your data in most cases. Using a public proxy is a security risk in itself since there’s no way of knowing who’s using it along with you. If you’re looking for a solution you can rely on, paying for one of the top proxy services can put your mind at ease and ensure your private data stays private.
Most VPN providers claim they’re focused on privacy, but that’s not always the case. Some VPNs will hide your identity, but they’ll gather your data for their own purposes or even sell it to third parties. When looking for a service that’s right for you, make sure you go for one with a no-log policy.
Speed and Bandwidth
This is where things get interesting. While end-to-end encryption is a huge benefit of VPNs, it can significantly impact your internet speed. These slowdowns can negatively affect all bandwidth-intensive tasks such as streaming, video conferencing, and moving large amounts of data.
On the other hand, proxies can still hide your IP and traffic without any impact on your download and upload speed. Of course, this is not the case with public proxy servers, as every client shares the bandwidth. Again, going with a premium provider ensures no one else can use your proxy, so you don’t have to worry about your internet speed.
Pricing Differences
While free proxies and VPN services exist, staying away from them is an excellent idea if you’re serious about your privacy. Whoever offers these services has to make money somehow, so they often gather your data and sell it to whoever is willing to pay.
Premium VPNs and proxies invest significant amounts of time and resources into their infrastructure to provide top-notch privacy for their clients. A rich server pool, 24/7 support, and services that keep improving are worth paying for. Still, it’s important to note that VPN servers require a lot more processing power and bandwidth to deal with any encryption protocols, so a VPN often costs a lot more than a proxy.
Which Option Is Better for You?
If you’re looking to hide your IP address, both VPNs and proxies will do the trick. A VPN would be a better choice for those dealing with extremely sensitive data and who don’t care about the bandwidth impact and the costs. If the price and your internet speed are more important, a premium proxy is the best way to go.
No matter which type of service you decide to go with, make sure to pick a provider you can count on. If you care about your privacy, paying for a premium solution is a must because that’s the only way to ensure your sensitive data stays protected from all sorts of online snoops. Free options might save a few dollars, but they may end up costing a lot more in the long run.
