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The difference between a proxy server and a VPN

Proxies and VPNs are web tools that are used by ordinary users and web professionals to gain new opportunities when working on the Internet. They will help you bypass the lock on currently inaccessible sites, hide personal data, and also avoid blocking when managing multiple accounts on one web resource. Of course, there is a certain difference between proxies and VPN.

If you need a quick answer, what to choose for professional work on the Internet is definitely a proxy. VPN is simply not designed for SMM promotion, data parsing, process automation, and other complex professional tasks. Proxies provide a much faster connection, they are more reliable and safer. In more detail about the difference between proxies and VPN is discussed below.

What is a proxy server and why is it needed

A proxy server is a technical intermediary that transfers requests from a user's computer to sites on the Internet. You can configure the proxy action on only one web resource or on all - at your discretion. At the same time, Internet sites will not be able to see the actual data of the device from which the visit to the site is made. Instead of real data, the IP address and geolocation of the proxy server will be displayed. This allows the user to hide all basic information about himself.

Types of proxies are different. There are also many options for their classifications, but the main division occurs in 2 groups: free (public) and paid proxies. The first access is open to any user. Their data are freely available on the Internet, due to which servers are used by a large number of users. Free proxies are short-lived, take a long time to load, and often “crash” due to congestion.

Paid servers are issued to a limited group of users or generally for individual use. Due to this, their Uptime (uninterrupted operation time) reaches 99%. They are reliable and fast, therefore they are suitable for professional work on the Internet.

You can buy personal proxies at YouProxy.

What is a VPN and why is it needed

VPN is a dedicated encrypted connection. It can also help you bypass IP blocking or geolocation on currently inaccessible sites. Another VPN is able to increase your security when working on the Internet since when it is activated, the connection will occur through a secure virtual tunnel. In this assistant for him are PPTP, SoftEther, SSTP, and other protocols.

Proxies and VPNs differ primarily in how they work. When connecting a VPN, the connection is made using a virtual network with traffic encryption. In the case of a proxy, you use a third-party server, which acts as an intermediary for transferring a request from a computer to a site.

What is different from the VPN and proxy - found out. Now we turn to the recommendations for choosing a tool for a specific task.

What to choose for work on the Internet: VPN or proxy

Having understood the principles of VPN and proxy operation, we can conclude that both of these tools are suitable for hiding data (Ip, geolocation) and bypassing blocking on sites. So what is the difference between VPN and proxy? For serious professional work on the Internet, you can use only paid proxies. VPNs are not suitable for this due to a serious drawback associated with the use of public servers to create your own virtual network.

Using a VPN when managing multiple accounts, pages are 100% likely to get banned. Due to the publicly accessible VPN servers, sites will simply determine that you have launched software for mass advertising or interacting with other users. When managing multiple accounts, it doesn’t even make sense to choose for a long time: VPN or proxy. Using a VPN, account lockouts or restrictions on certain actions will soon follow.

By renting reliable private proxies, you can avoid the ban. Due to the fact that the server will be used only by you, it will seem to sites that they are displaying real user data.

What about serious tasks? For them to take a proxy server or VPN? For SMM promotion, web-scraping, advertising, process automation when working on the network, you should use only proxy servers.

What to connect to programs and services: VPN or proxy

To work on the Internet, performing bulk actions automatically, you need to use special software or online services such as Tooligram, Octoparse, etc. If you connect programs directly to your accounts, then very soon the pages will be blocked. Based on this, you need to use a special safety net. VPN will not help here since it does not support connection to third-party software.

And here in the confrontation VPN vs proxy second win again. To secure your accounts when working with automated programs or online services you need to use proxy servers. With them, the software will work quickly and will not lead to blocking promoted pages.

What is best suited to bypass a ban on a site: VPN or proxy

Basically, sites may not be available to you for two reasons:

  • personal ban on IP;
  • blocking access due to your geolocation.

Both of the tools we are considering today will help bypass the lock for the reasons listed above. However, when choosing a VPN for these purposes, the speed of your Internet connection will noticeably decrease. Pages will load more slowly, communication may be interrupted.

proxy and VPN difference if you need to go to a foreign site for 5 minutes. For example, to read foreign news or follow the link sent by a friend. But tasks like watching sports on a foreign channel’s website can already become a problem due to the slow connection. About automated SMM-promotion, parsing and other complex processes where connection speed is important, there is no question about using a VPN.

For serious work on the Internet, it is definitely worth using proxies only. They not only do not reduce the connection speed but even speed up the process by caching data. Plus, private proxies are highly reliable and uninterrupted.

To choose the right secret server for work, learn more about proxy types.