Do I need a VPN?

Short answer: most people don't need a VPN for everyday browsing, and nobody needs one to be “safe online” in general. A VPN is worth paying for when you want to hide your traffic from the network you're on or from your internet provider, or when you need to appear to be somewhere else. Below is how to tell which group you're in.

What a VPN actually does

A VPN sends your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the VPN company. From there it goes out to the website or app you're using. Two things change:

• The local network and your internet provider see only that you are connected to a VPN server, not which sites you visit.
• The websites you visit see the VPN server's IP address instead of yours.

One thing doesn't change: someone can still see your traffic. That someone is now the VPN company. The EFF points out that the VPN provider can see your traffic, so using a VPN moves your trust from your internet provider to the VPN provider. That is why who runs the VPN matters more than any feature list.

What a VPN doesn't do

• It doesn't make you anonymous. The EFF says plainly that a VPN is not a tool for anonymity. If you log in to a site, it knows who you are, VPN or not.
• It doesn't stop most tracking. Cookies, tracking pixels, browser fingerprinting and your phone's location services keep working through a VPN.
• It doesn't replace basic security. Strong unique passwords, two-factor authentication, software updates and HTTPS do more for most people than a VPN does.
• It doesn't protect you from phishing or malware. A fake login page works the same over a VPN.

“But public Wi-Fi is dangerous”

Less than it used to be. The FTC notes that most websites now use encryption, so connecting through a public Wi-Fi network is usually safe as long as the site shows HTTPS (the lock in the address bar). The EFF agrees that a VPN is less necessary on public Wi-Fi for this reason, while noting it can still help on a network you don't trust. What an untrusted network can often still see without a VPN is which sites you connect to, even if it can't read the pages.

When a VPN is worth it

• You don't want your internet provider, school, employer or hotel network to see which sites you visit.
• You regularly use networks you have reason not to trust.
• You want websites to see a different IP address, for example to keep your rough location private from sites you visit.
• You need to reach services that are blocked on your network. Check the law where you are and the service's terms first; some streaming services block VPN traffic.

When you can skip it

• You mostly browse at home on your own network and trust your internet provider.
• What you want is fewer ads and less tracking. A tracker-blocking browser or extension does that better.
• What you want is anonymity against a determined adversary. The EFF points to Tor for that, not a VPN.

If you decide you want one

Pick a provider you have reason to trust: a published no-logs audit by a named firm, a clear jurisdiction, and a track record you can check. Our comparison table lays those facts out for six providers, and this guide shows how to check any VPN's no-logs claim yourself. If you're weighing a free VPN, read free vs paid first.