VPNInfobaseNot everyone needs a VPN, but most people who use the internet regularly would benefit from one. This guide helps you decide based on your actual situation.
When you definitely need a VPN
Public WiFi is the clearest case: hotel, airport, and coffee shop networks are often unencrypted and easy to eavesdrop on. You also need one for streaming content from other countries, protecting your browsing from your ISP, secure remote work access, and travelling to countries that block websites and social media.
When a VPN is helpful but not essential
General privacy from advertisers. Preventing your browsing habits from being used for ad targeting. Downloading legally distributed content via torrents without your ISP flagging the traffic.
When a VPN will not help
Hiding your activity on services you are logged into: Google and Facebook track you within their platforms regardless of IP. Preventing cookie tracking or browser fingerprinting without additional steps. Protecting you from malware on your own device.
The case against VPNs
A VPN can slow your connection a little; how much depends on the provider, the server and the protocol (see does a VPN slow internet). There is a monthly cost. And free VPNs are often more dangerous than no VPN at all; many sell the data they were supposed to protect.
The verdict
If you use public WiFi, value privacy, want international streaming, or travel frequently, yes. Prices vary by provider and billing term; the Surfshark review shows price by term.
VPN vs incognito mode
Incognito mode stops your browser saving history, cookies and form data. It does not hide your activity from your ISP, your network or the sites you visit.
What incognito mode does
Prevents your browser from saving history, cookies, and form data locally. When you close the window, that session’s local data is deleted. That is its complete list of protections.
What incognito mode does not do
Your ISP can still see every site you visit. Websites still see your real IP. Your employer or school can still monitor your traffic. Google still sees your searches. Advertisers can still fingerprint your browser.
What a VPN does
Encrypts all traffic before it leaves your device. Replaces your real IP with the server’s IP. Works across all apps. Not just the browser. Prevents ISP, employer, and network-level monitoring.
Using both together
Incognito prevents local traces, useful on shared computers. A VPN prevents network-level tracking. Using both simultaneously is the strongest combination.
The bottom line
Incognito mode is a local history cleaner, not a privacy tool. For genuine online privacy, a VPN is what you need.
What your ISP can see
Yes. By default your ISP has a detailed view of your online activity.
What your ISP can see without a VPN
Every domain you visit. How long you spend on each site. When you connect and disconnect. How much data you transfer. Every DNS query. Your real IP at all times.
What HTTPS hides
HTTPS encrypts page content: your ISP cannot read what you type or see specific pages within a site. But they can see the domain. They know you visited a medical site, news outlet, or bank, just not the specific content.
What ISPs do with this data
In the US, Congress repealed the FCC’s broadband privacy rules in 2017 (S.J.Res.34), so ISPs are not bound by those rules. Some ISPs also manage traffic such as streaming or torrenting, and in many countries they can be required to provide data to authorities.
How a VPN stops all of this
A VPN encrypts all traffic before it leaves your device. Your ISP sees only that you are connected to a VPN server and how much data you use. They cannot see which sites you visit or read the content. DNS queries also route through the VPN, invisible to your ISP.
VPN vs proxy
Both route your traffic through an intermediary server. They differ in encryption and in how much of your traffic they cover.
How a proxy works
A proxy forwards browser requests using its own IP. Websites see the proxy’s IP instead of yours. Proxies only cover browser traffic. There is no encryption.
How a VPN works
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel covering all traffic from every app on your device. All data is encrypted before leaving your device, routed through the VPN server, and forwarded to the destination.
Key differences
Encryption: a VPN encrypts the tunnel, a plain proxy does not. Coverage: VPN covers all apps, proxy covers browser only. Privacy: VPN is strong, proxy is minimal. Speed: proxies have no encryption overhead. Cost: proxies are often free, VPNs are usually paid.
When to use each
Proxy: quick temporary IP change in a browser with no security requirement. VPN: any situation involving privacy, security, public WiFi, torrenting, or full-device protection.
SOCKS5 proxy
Some VPN providers also offer a SOCKS5 proxy, which handles non-HTTP traffic such as torrent clients. Check the provider’s own help pages to see whether yours does.
Staying safe on public WiFi
Public WiFi at hotels, airports, and coffee shops is one of the biggest everyday security risks.
Why public WiFi is dangerous
Most public networks do not encrypt traffic between your device and the router. Anyone on the same network can capture your data using freely available tools. Evil twin attacks create fake hotspots with names identical to legitimate ones. Man-in-the-middle attacks position an attacker between you and the router to read and modify traffic.
Six rules of public WiFi safety
Always connect through a VPN before doing anything else. Verify the network name with staff before joining. Avoid banking or email on public WiFi without a VPN. Use only HTTPS sites and never proceed past certificate warnings. Disable auto-connect to open networks in your device settings. Enable your device’s built-in firewall.
How a VPN covers this risk
When connected to a VPN on public WiFi, all your traffic is encrypted before it leaves your device. An attacker capturing the entire network’s traffic collects only encrypted data they cannot read. Man-in-the-middle attacks and packet sniffing are much harder to carry out.
Auto-connect on untrusted networks
Many VPN apps can be set to connect automatically on untrusted WiFi networks, which covers you if you forget to switch it on. Look for the setting in your app.
Staying anonymous online, layer by layer
Online anonymity takes more than a VPN. The layers run from basics that cover most people to extra steps for high-threat situations.
Layer 1: Audited no-logs VPN
Choose a VPN with a verified no-logs policy and a privacy-friendly jurisdiction. Enable the kill switch. Use WireGuard. The audit tracker and the reviews show which providers have audits and how they differ.
Layer 2: Privacy-first browser
Firefox with uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger. Some browsers, such as Brave, block trackers by default. Browsers differ in how much tracking they block by default, so compare their privacy settings.
Layer 3: Private search engine
Some search engines, such as DuckDuckGo, Brave Search and StartPage, say they do not track your queries; read each one’s privacy policy.
Layer 4: Encrypted email
Providers such as Proton Mail and Tutanota offer end-to-end encrypted email; check what each encrypts, since metadata can differ.
Layer 5: Tor for maximum anonymity
Tor routes traffic through several relays and is built for anonymity at the cost of speed; the Tor Browser review covers it. Reserve it for sensitive activity.
What anonymity cannot protect
Accounts you are logged into. Browser fingerprinting on standard browsers. Physical surveillance. Legal requests to your VPN provider, which is why an audited no-logs policy in a strong jurisdiction is the foundation.
If you decide to buy, Surfshark’s owner, audits and price by billed term are in the Surfshark review.