VPNs Versus Private Proxies: The Full Pros and Cons

We often use VPN services as the ideal tools that provide added security when browsing online. We trust that our VPN service will protect our privacy and devices and keep us anonymous so that we can deter hackers with malicious intent. 

These services claim to have no-logging policies that protect us from being exposed. However, this is not always the case. We conducted some research to find out what the actual pros and cons are when it comes to using private proxies compared to a VPN. Read more about location-specific private proxies, like a German proxy here.

The Pros and Cons of VPNs

VPNs are a popular tool to encrypt your internet connection and give users access to restricted content. However, are they as secure as we believe them to be?

Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of VPNs.

Pros:

Protected Browsing 

Browsing is safer when you use a VPN as opposed to browsing without any protection, especially when you need to use a public WiFi network. A VPN provides protection from prying eyes and possible attacks since it makes you invisible to hackers.

Enhanced Privacy

A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and removes any direct contact between the internet and your device. When you access or visit a website, a third party can’t follow any of your online activities, thereby enhancing your privacy.

Bypasses Regional Restrictions

With a VPN, you can access blocked or restricted content from other countries. For example, a VPN is ideal if you want to see what programs video streaming services like Netflix offer in other countries.

Protection Directly on Your Device

VPNs provide protection on a device level. So it can be configured on your router, tablet, mobile phone, or computer to ensure that everything is protected.

Cons:

Anonymity Isn’t 100%

No VPN is 100% safe and secure. Users need to ensure that the service they’re installing is trustworthy and reliable since it’s pretty easy for third parties and even the provider to peek over your digital footprint if they wish. Most VPN services promise no logging of IP addresses, but this isn’t always the case, and most of us take their word for it. 

Should you decide to buy a dedicated VPN through your provider, your dedicated IP address can be monitored, and your profile can be kept on record. Additionally, some VPN services have been exposed to keep records of IPs assigned to users, local IP addresses, physical locations, session times, browser information, operating system, and users’ online activity. 

What’s most concerning is that there seems to be a play on words in agreements with VPNs. The ‘No Logs’ policy doesn’t mean the VPN provider refrains from collecting your personal data. Apparently, it only applies to a ‘Zero Logs’ agreement.

Doesn’t Protect Against Malware

VPNs are powerless against trojans and malware. Many believe they’re safe against these attacks when using a VPN and, unfortunately, throw caution out the window.

The Pros and Cons of Proxies

There are three main types of proxies: private, semi-dedicated and shared. Private proxies are exclusive to one customer, semi-dedicated proxies (with different access points to a few number of users at a time), and shared proxies can have multiple users connecting simultaneously. 

Below is a summary of the pros and cons of private proxies.

Pros:

Bypassing Country and Regional Restrictions

A German proxy is a location-specific type that will allow you to access blocked content from another country. The most popular reasons for using private proxies are to access location-based streaming content, online access to shopping offers globally, or overcome internet censorship measures. 

No Installation of Special Software

Whether you’re using a manual or web-based proxy, you won’t need to concern yourself with installing software on your OS or browser. 

Enhanced Security and Legitimacy

Private proxies are more trustworthy in providing complete security protocols and lower all possibilities of someone accessing your data and sensitive information. Additionally, it’s more legitimate since the IPs can’t get banned by anyone.

Increased Connection Speed

A private proxy, such as a German proxy, ensures increased connection speeds since the server can’t get overloaded by other users, ensuring the performance speeds remain stable.

Protection Against Attacks

Proxy servers allow for certain email addresses and websites to be blocked that are known to have unsafe content. In this manner, proxies reduce your susceptibility to ransomware, malware, trojans, and hacking attacks, which are the most prevalent cybersecurity attacks used today.

Get a Proxy for Optimal Security

It’s not common for VPN services to advertise that they’ve got the most secure VPN protocols that don’t log users’ information. It’s clear that proxies’ pros far outweigh the pros of VPNs. We recommend that you get a proxy in order to be 100% safe, private, and secure online.