Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and the Tor network are very different technologies created to fulfil the same purpose: keeping a user’s online privacy safe. However, their characteristics make VPN vs Tor use cases different, even if they supposedly perform the same essential task.
Of course, VPNs and Tor also have a few things in common. For example, both redirect internet traffic through proxies. This masks a user’s IP address (and hence, their location) from any third parties, thus preventing external tracking. Likewise, encryption is also a common feature. It scrambles every piece of data coming in and out of a user’s device so that any external observer sees nothing but white noise and cannot figure out what the user is doing online.
These two features (IP hiding and encryption) are the most basic functions that every VPN must perform. While any other feature is a plus, you can’t call it a VPN if it fails at these two. Yet, Tor performs these two functionalities equally well.
So what is the difference? Which one should you use? This guide answers this question by comparing VPN vs Tor in detail.
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