Having online privacy for people who are surfing on the internet has become a major concern. It was seen that more than 50% of people who have been surfing on the internet were worried about their online privacy.
After looking at this, different type of methods was adopted such as proxy sites, private browser, etc. To make it easier for people to choose, we have created a lead to find which one is better for the two options: TOR and VPN. This guide will also show you how both of them work.
What is TOR?
TOR stands for “The Onion Router”. It is also known as “Onion Router” because it helps in routing your data through multiple layers of security. It also protects you from the “Traffic Analysis” through which you’re personal identity and location can be revealed. When you are using TOR everything you will be doing passes through their network and is kept private.
What Is A VPN?
VPN stands for “ Virtual Private Network”. It is software that helps in changing the IP Address of your device and also encrypts the connection. It establishes a secure and encrypted connection to provide good privacy. VPN allows the user to borrow the IP Address of the VPN server and thus encrypting the connection between user computers and the VPN server.
How Does TOR Works?
TOR uses the theory of “onion routing” in which the data of the user is first encrypted and is transferred through different surfaces present in the TOR network. Thus, creating multi-surface encryption and keeping the identity of the user safe.TOR has different layers of security like the layers of an onion, hence the name. The more you utilize TOR, the more your traffics becomes hidden.
Once you place an appeal for information in the browser, the browser gets in touch with a random TOR node. That node passes your request to another node and this process continues. Each node knows the IP address of the previous node and the upcoming node. So it becomes impossible for any of the servers to catch where the data has come from.
How Does VPN Works?
A VPN has a server located all over the world. When you make your request, it goes through one of the VPN servers before it reaches the internet. Once it passes through this server, your IP Address will be changed. Thus, protects your identity and you will find your device in a different place. With the help of a VPN, you will be allowed to access the local network’s resources securely.
For example, if you are visiting India and you want to play PUBG, you won’t be able to play that because PUBG is banned by the Indian government. So with the help of a VPN, your device will connect to an internet server in a country where PUBG is allowed. After that, you can play PUBG.
Advantages Of TOR:
- User Friendly: The TOR is user-friendly and is accessible to many people making it easy to use.
- Free Of Cost: The TOR is free to use and can be downloaded freely.
- Keeps your IP address confidential: Tor helps to keep your IP Address private to the website you visit.
- Can Visit restricted Websites: With the help of TOR, you can access restricted websites without any problem.
Disadvantages of TOR:
- Slow Speed: The speed of TOR is slow, as your request passes to many nodes so the speed of TOR gets slow down.
- Anyone Can See Your Request At The Last Node: Whenever your request reaches the last node it gets unencrypted thus, allowing anyone to see your request.
- Can Be Accessed By The Application That Has Inbuilt TOR: You can only use TOR whenever your application has inbuilt TOR.
- Risk Of Revealing IP Address: Whenever you download documents through TOR, there is a risk that your IP address can be revealed.
Advantages of VPN:
- Fast Speed: The speed of a VPN is fast as compared to that of TOR. Since you don’t have to travel through many nodes, so you can reach your destination with the help of a VPN.
- You Can Access All The Internet Content: While using a VPN, your location does not matter and you have complete access to all the content.
- You Can Control IP Address: VPN helps you to control your IP Address thus, making it difficult for people to identify you.
- All Your Traffic Is Encrypted: Just like TOR, all your traffic will be encrypted.
Disadvantages of VPN:
- Costly: To use a VPN, you have to pay for it. It is not free to use.
- VPN Provider Can See Your Activity: Most of the VPN companies have access to see all your browsing history.
- Sometimes Get Failed: Sometimes the VPN Software gets failed whenever you haven’t installed it correctly.
Can You Use TOR And VPN Same Time?
Yes, you can use TOR and VPN same time. But it will put a bad impact on the speed of your internet. The simplest way is to connect your device to a VPN and then launch the TOR browser. Doing this will route your traffic to VPN first and then through the TOR network. This thing will make it harder for third parties to track you.
TOR Vs VPN: Which One You Should Choose?
Both TOR and VPN work to protect your online activity. VPN is the best choice if you see it in the terms of security and speed. While using a VPN, just make sure that you have installed it properly and you should know how the company protects your data. Therefore VPNs are fast and secure and can allow you to access internet content all over the world. But if you are using TOR, you can face speed issues, security issues, etc.
Conclusion: TOR Vs VPN
From my point of view, I found that VPN is one of the best options. I had also used a VPN and have seen that it is much more secure than TOR, the speed is also fast. One of the biggest advantages of a VPN from my point of view is that you can access all the internet content from wherever you want. I also found it worth it. TOR is also a good option if you are looking for cost-free services but it is not much secure.