Quick answer
All three route your traffic through another machine, but they solve different problems. A proxy forwards traffic for a single app, usually without encrypting it. A VPN encrypts everything your device sends and routes it through one trusted server — the practical default for everyday privacy. Tor bounces encrypted traffic through three volunteer relays for strong anonymity, at a heavy speed cost.
Rule of thumb: proxy for narrow one-off tasks, VPN for daily life, Tor for situations where anonymity matters more than usability.
Proxy: narrow and mostly unencrypted
A proxy is an intermediary configured per application — typically in a browser. The website sees the proxy's address instead of yours. That is where the benefits usually end:
- Most common proxy types add no encryption of their own. Your local network and ISP still see where the traffic goes.
- Coverage is per-app: your browser uses it, while mail clients, messengers, and system services connect directly.
- Free public proxies are operated by strangers with unknown motives, at the exact point where your traffic converges.
Proxies have legitimate uses — testing, scraping infrastructure, corporate gateways. As a personal privacy tool, they mostly create a false sense of protection. Related: ClickVPN's allow-connections-from-LAN feature can share a protected connection as a local proxy for devices on your own network — a deliberate, controlled use of the same mechanism.
VPN: the everyday default
A VPN operates at the system level: one encrypted tunnel, all apps covered, DNS included. Networks between you and the server see encrypted data; sites see the server's address. Compared to a proxy you gain encryption and full-device coverage; compared to Tor you keep normal speeds — streaming, calls, and gaming remain usable.
The design concentrates trust in one place: the provider. That is a feature when the provider is accountable — with a published privacy policy, strict no-logs practice, and infrastructure built to minimize retention — and a bug when it is a free service with an advertising business model. How a VPN works covers the mechanics.
Tor: maximum anonymity, minimum convenience
Tor routes your traffic through three relays with layered encryption, so no single relay knows both who you are and where you are going. It is the strongest widely available anonymity design, and it is free.
The costs are real: latency and throughput make it painful for video or large downloads; many services block or challenge Tor exit traffic; and anonymity still collapses the moment you log in to an account tied to your identity. Tor is the right tool for journalists, researchers, and high-risk situations — not a comfortable daily driver.
Side-by-side
| Question | Proxy | VPN | Tor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encrypts traffic? | Usually no | Yes, all apps | Yes, three layers |
| Covers the whole device? | No, per app | Yes | Browser-centric |
| Everyday speed? | Varies | Near-native | Slow |
| Anonymity level | Low | Privacy, not anonymity | High |
| Trust model | Unknown operator | One accountable provider | Distributed relays |
Can you combine them?
Yes, and one combination is common: connect the VPN first, then use Tor Browser for the tasks that need it. Your ISP sees only the VPN; the Tor entry relay sees the VPN server instead of your home address. The layers keep their separate jobs: the VPN protects your connection; Tor provides anonymity for specific sessions.
FAQ
Is a free proxy or free VPN good enough?
Running servers costs money. If you are not paying, the operator earns another way — often from your data or injected content. For anything involving logins, a paid, accountable service or Tor is the serious answer.
Does a VPN make me anonymous like Tor?
No, and honest providers say so. A VPN gives privacy from the networks you cross and masks your IP from sites. Anonymity against a determined, well-resourced observer is Tor's territory.
Which should I start with?
For 95% of situations — laptops on café Wi-Fi, phones on mobile networks, travel — a VPN is the tool that fits daily life. Start with the getting started guide.