The Difference Between TOR and VPN: Which One is Right for You?
The Difference Between TOR and VPN: Which One is Right for You?
All of us who want to stay anonymous online probably have at least some knowledge of Tor and VPNs. Most of the times what happens is that we do not find any difference between these two methods or get confused again and again. So today's tune is to remove all your confusion.
What is the difference between the two tools? Before giving this answer, let's understand the two things in a simple way. If I think of Anonymous as a journey then its two transports would be Tor and VPN. You can compare VPN to airplane which is very fast and fairly expensive whereas Tor can be compared to bus which is relatively slow and cheap or free.
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If you are going somewhere by bus you can pick up from home but if you are going by plane you have to go a bit further, just like Tor is free you can use it anytime and VPN is paid so you need to spend some time to verify it to determine the right VPN. .
But both work to keep you anonymous on the internet and keep your data location private. Both mediums act as a middle-man between you and the network connection.
When to use Tor?
The main purpose of using Tor is to remain anonymous on the Internet. It hides your location from third-parties through several encryption layers. It sends your data repeatedly over the Tor network and back again so you don't have a specific IP address.
One thing you need to remember is that Tor encrypts your connection and not your data. Even though your connection is encrypted and decrypted at the last layer, your data remains unprotected and can be accessed by anyone. You can of course use HTTPS connection for that.
So avoid sending your important information like personal data through Tor without encryption.
Tor is used when one needs to hide one's location. When you want to leak some company secret information and you don't want anyone to track you. At the same time, Tor is the best option for you if you want to not let anyone know where you are sitting and what you are doing.
Although Tor is not the most secure for this, it is very difficult to trace someone's activity on the Tor network. Even agencies like the National Security Agency find it difficult to identify anyone on the Tor network.
When using Tor to hide your presence, you must compromise on internet speed. Tor is naturally very slow. Tor is never a good option for people who usually download or torrent pirated content from the Internet. The main reason for this is slow internet connection.
Tor can be used to collect information from static pages, but you must use a VPN to secretly download movies or stream videos from the Internet.
When to use VPN?
If you read my previous VPN related tunes, you must know that VPN creates an encrypted connection through which your data passes safely through the servers. VPN prevents private data leaking through public connections in various cases.
With a VPN you can download movies, watch YouTube videos and torrent very well. But one thing to keep in mind with VPN is that your connection will be encrypted and not your data. Use SSL Protocol for data security.
Free VPNs may collect your personal data or logs, although popular VPNs claim they do not save user logs. However, they may also be obliged to provide your data to the country's government in any legal case. That's why VPN cannot be called the highest medium.
You can use VPN in low risk situations like torrenting, downloading pirated content etc. You can also use VPN to protect yourself from various internet tracking. Most of the time various companies also use VPN for remote work of their employees.
Many people also use VPNs to access websites or internet services blocked in certain countries. If certain websites are blocked in a country, you can easily access all those websites by changing location through VPN.
Both Tor and VPN have their pros and cons but they are never in competition with each other. Both of them are designed for the same purpose, i.e. to keep the user anonymous, so these two services cannot be considered as competitors. They can outperform each other in many cases so I can't definitively say which one is the best. Both can be useful depending on your needs.
All of us who want to stay anonymous online probably have at least some knowledge of Tor and VPNs. Most of the times what happens is that we do not find any difference between these two methods or get confused again and again. So today's tune is to remove all your confusion.
What is the difference between the two tools? Before giving this answer, let's understand the two things in a simple way. If I think of Anonymous as a journey then its two transports would be Tor and VPN. You can compare VPN to airplane which is very fast and fairly expensive whereas Tor can be compared to bus which is relatively slow and cheap or free.
If you are going somewhere by bus you can pick up from home but if you are going by plane you have to go a bit further, just like Tor is free you can use it anytime and VPN is paid so you need to spend some time to verify it to determine the right VPN. .
But both work to keep you anonymous on the internet and keep your data location private. Both mediums act as a middle-man between you and the network connection.
When to use Tor?
The main purpose of using Tor is to remain anonymous on the Internet. It hides your location from third-parties through several encryption layers. It sends your data repeatedly over the Tor network and back again so you don't have a specific IP address.
One thing you need to remember is that Tor encrypts your connection and not your data. Even though your connection is encrypted and decrypted at the last layer, your data remains unprotected and can be accessed by anyone. You can of course use HTTPS connection for that.
So avoid sending your important information like personal data through Tor without encryption.
Tor is used when one needs to hide one's location. When you want to leak some company secret information and you don't want anyone to track you. At the same time, Tor is the best option for you if you want to not let anyone know where you are sitting and what you are doing.
Although Tor is not the most secure for this, it is very difficult to trace someone's activity on the Tor network. Even agencies like the National Security Agency find it difficult to identify anyone on the Tor network.
When using Tor to hide your presence, you must compromise on internet speed. Tor is naturally very slow. Tor is never a good option for people who usually download or torrent pirated content from the Internet. The main reason for this is slow internet connection.
Tor can be used to collect information from static pages, but you must use a VPN to secretly download movies or stream videos from the Internet.
When to use VPN?
If you read my previous VPN related tunes, you must know that VPN creates an encrypted connection through which your data passes safely through the servers. VPN prevents private data leaking through public connections in various cases.
With a VPN you can download movies, watch YouTube videos and torrent very well. But one thing to keep in mind with VPN is that your connection will be encrypted and not your data. Use SSL Protocol for data security.
Free VPNs may collect your personal data or logs, although popular VPNs claim they do not save user logs. However, they may also be obliged to provide your data to the country's government in any legal case. That's why VPN cannot be called the highest medium.
You can use VPN in low risk situations like torrenting, downloading pirated content etc. You can also use VPN to protect yourself from various internet tracking. Most of the time various companies also use VPN for remote work of their employees.
Many people also use VPNs to access websites or internet services blocked in certain countries. If certain websites are blocked in a country, you can easily access all those websites by changing location through VPN.
Both Tor and VPN have their pros and cons but they are never in competition with each other. Both of them are designed for the same purpose, i.e. to keep the user anonymous, so these two services cannot be considered as competitors. They can outperform each other in many cases so I can't definitively say which one is the best. Both can be useful depending on your needs.
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