How to Use a VPN vs Residential Proxy For Your Tech Needs

The digital business framework and landscape are accustomed to the adoption and amalgamation of new and breakthrough technologies every passing year. IT businesses and the technology industry are focusing heavily on improving user and customer satisfaction. Protecting the personally identifiable and financial information and data of customers is also a top priority of all businesses operating online. However, some businesses can take their customers for granted and use their data for advertising, marketing, and other purposes without even obtaining their permission. Users may also want to mask their identity for other reasons and purposes and are well within their rights to do so. Fortunately, security technologies including VPN (Virtual Private Network) and residential proxy can be used for protecting data online.

VPV or Residential Proxy for Your Tech Needs

Both residential proxy and VPN can be used for protecting data and identity online. Below is a brief description of the two popular technologies that are used in different scenarios.

Residential Proxy

A private residential proxy is a technology that can help you assess the internet anonymously from a location you select. It can also be used by employers to ensure that their employees fail to access social media websites (including Facebook and Twitter) or any other website while they are at work. A proxy server can be used for security purposes and the “ISP” and “Residential” proxies may provide a greater level of anonymity than other kinds of proxies.

Your proxy server will act as an intermediary between the server of the website and your browser and computer. The proxy server will ensure that any request that is forwarded to a website does not reveal the IP address of the user.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A VPN may data (including financial data), something that a residential proxy will not do. A VPN will also mask and hide the real IP address of the user and encrypt all the connection-related information. Therefore, any entity (including the ISPs or Internet Service Providers) cannot track the real IP address of the user while they are browsing a website.

Why Prefer a Private Residential Proxy

Whenever a user connects to the internet, the IP address of the computer and machine can be identified by the geolocation techniques of the internet. Therefore, the zip code, city, country, and real IP address of the user, can be identified. When you want to hide or mask your IP address, a residential proxy is a better option than VPN. Most of the free VPN services are not effective at securing the data of the users. On the other hand, a valuable residential proxy and efficient service can mask the IP address of the users effectively and automatically whenever they connect to any website and the internet.

Another reason to prefer a residential proxy over a VPN is the speed of the internet connection. Because a VPN will encrypt the user data and IP information, it will operate at a slower speed when compared to a residential proxy. When you want a fast connection and still need to hide and mask your IP address, you should be preferring a residential proxy.

Why Prefer Virtual Private Network

Apart from masking and hiding your IP address, a VPN can also encrypt all the data and information that comes to and goes from, the device and computer of the user. VPNs can effectively reduce the ability of any third party to track, identify, and detect the activities of the users.

VPN is also preferable when you are connecting from a remote location and not a proxy server. You can connect to any system or office machine by using a VPN securely. However, a VPN may reduce the speed of the connection and you may require more time to complete your task online.

Which One to Choose: Residential Proxy or VPN

When you want to access geo-restricted content and hide your IP address, both residential proxies and VPNs can solve your need. However, the option you choose may depend on your budget and needs. Do remember that the low-quality and free VPNs and the free residential proxies may not provide a high level of security.

If you only want to mask and hide your IP address and do not want to make a high expenditure, a private residential proxy will be a better option. VPN can be a better option for businesses that need to protect financial and other data, as it provides an additional encryption layer and can create a large much larger network.

Conclusion

It is important to choose the appropriate online and digital security measures to ensure that you have a safe browsing experience. Businesses also need to ensure that the information of their customers is safe from hacking. Choosing between a residential proxy and a VPN depends on the needs and budget of the user. You can choose either of these for hiding your IP address, while a VPN can provide an appropriate encryption layer for protecting sensitive data.