COMPARISONS
VPN comparisons, decided in one sentence
9 comparisons, each opening with the verdict and then the distinction that actually matters: VPN against proxy, Tor, Smart DNS, antivirus and incognito; free against paid; extension against app; WireGuard against OpenVPN; and VPNmine against the rest of the free field.
- VPN vs proxy: what is the difference?A proxy forwards one app's traffic, often unencrypted; a VPN encrypts everything the device sends. When a proxy is enough, and where an extension sits.
- Free VPN vs paid VPN: which should I use?Free vs paid VPN is not about price but about how the service is funded. Ads, data sale and peer bandwidth are the usual hidden costs. How to tell.
- VPN extension vs VPN app: which one do I need?An extension routes the browser through the VPN; an app routes the whole device. When the browser is all you need, when it is not, and how VPNmine does both.
- VPN vs Tor: which is more private?Tor is for anonymity, a VPN for privacy and speed. Tor uses three relays so no one party sees both ends; a VPN is one trusted party at full speed.
- VPNmine vs free VPN services: what is different?Most free VPNs pay for servers with ads, data or your bandwidth. VPNmine runs its own servers, shows no ads, sells nothing and names its operator.
- WireGuard vs OpenVPN: which is better?WireGuard is faster, smaller and reconnects better; OpenVPN is older, bigger and can run over TCP 443. Which to pick, and why VPNmine's apps use WireGuard.
- VPN vs Smart DNS: what is the difference?Smart DNS reroutes only the lookups that decide your apparent location and encrypts nothing; a VPN encrypts everything and changes your address. Which for what.
- VPN vs antivirus: do I need both?A VPN protects traffic in transit; antivirus protects the device from what you download and run. Neither does the other's job. What each covers.
- VPN vs incognito mode: what is the difference?Incognito stops the browser saving history and cookies on your device. It hides nothing from your network, ISP or sites. A VPN does the opposite. Use both.
Every answer above is also true of the apps: free, no ads, no card, your own WireGuard tunnel to a server VPNmine runs itself.
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