Short answer
You need a VPN if you want to hide your traffic from the network you are on, hide your IP address from the sites you visit, or appear to be in another country. You do not need one for safe online banking, to avoid viruses, or to watch your own paid streaming subscription while travelling inside the EU.
On this page
A VPN is a simple tool with a narrow job. The marketing around it promises much more. This checklist separates the two so that you only pay for a VPN if it solves a problem you have.
What a VPN changes
When you switch on a VPN, your device builds an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the VPN provider, and your traffic leaves for the internet from there. Three things change:
- The network you are on can no longer see what you do. Your internet provider, employer, school or the café’s Wi-Fi sees only that you are connected to a VPN server, and how much data you move.
- The sites you visit see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours. They can no longer tell your approximate location or your internet provider from your IP address. You can see the address websites get from you and check that it changes.
- You appear to be where the server is. Pick a server in another country and services treat you as a visitor from there.
Without a VPN
- You
- Your networkinternet provider, or the Wi-Fi of work, school or a café
Sees: which sites you visit and when. With HTTPS, not what you do there.
- The website
Sees: your IP address, and with it roughly where you are and who your internet provider is.
With a VPN
- You
- Your networkinternet provider, or the Wi-Fi of work, school or a caféEncrypted tunnel
Sees: only that you are connected to a VPN server, and how much data you send.
- VPN serverrun by the VPN provider
Sees: which sites you visit, as your internet provider did before.
- The website
Sees: the IP address of the VPN server. It still recognises you by your login and cookies.
That is all. Everything else a VPN is said to do is either a consequence of those three points or an extra feature bundled into the app.
What a VPN does not change
- It does not make you anonymous. You have moved your trust from your internet provider to the VPN provider, which can technically see the same things your internet provider could. Websites still identify you when you log in, through cookies and through your browser’s fingerprint.
- It does not protect you from malware, phishing or scams. Some VPN apps bundle a blocklist for known malicious domains, which helps a little, but it is not a replacement for software updates and caution.
- It does not add much to connections that are already encrypted. Nearly every website and app uses HTTPS today. The content of that traffic, including banking and passwords, is already unreadable to others on the network, with or without a VPN.
- It does not make illegal things legal.
When a VPN is worth it
| Your situation | Does a VPN help? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You do not want your internet provider or network operator to see which sites you visit | Yes | They only see the connection to the VPN server |
| You use BitTorrent or other peer-to-peer software and do not want your home IP address visible to other peers | Yes | Peers see the VPN server’s address; choose a provider that allows P2P |
| You travel outside the EU and want the services you use at home | Often | Services may block known VPN addresses, so results vary per service and per provider |
| You are in a country that blocks sites or apps you rely on | Often | You need a provider with working obfuscation; check local law first |
| You want to reach your home network or self-hosted services remotely | A commercial VPN is the wrong tool | You want a private VPN such as WireGuard on your own router, or a mesh VPN |
| You want different prices or catalogues by appearing in another country | Sometimes | It may break the service’s terms of use; that risk is yours |
When you can save your money
- Online banking and shopping at home. Already encrypted. A VPN adds nothing meaningful and sometimes triggers extra fraud checks.
- Watching your paid streaming subscriptions on holiday in the EU. The EU portability regulation, Regulation (EU) 2017/1128, has required paid online content services since 1 April 2018 to give subscribers access to their home catalogue while they are temporarily in another member state. Free services, such as some public broadcasters’ apps, may opt in but do not have to.
- “Staying safe from hackers” in general. Updates, a password manager and two-factor authentication do far more.
- Hiding from the sites you log in to. They know who you are because you logged in.
If you decide you want one
Compare on things you can verify rather than on star ratings:
- Total price, including renewal. The low monthly figure usually applies only to a long first term paid up front. See what a VPN really costs.
- Refund period, so you can test the VPN with the services you actually use and get your money back if it does not work for you.
- Who is behind it and whether its claims were audited. A no-logs promise is a claim; an independent audit with a published scope is evidence.
- Whether it supports your devices and the features you need, such as port forwarding, a Linux app or router support.
The provider overview lists these facts side by side, each with its source.
Frequently asked questions
Does a VPN make me anonymous?
No. A VPN hides your IP address from the sites you visit and hides your traffic from your internet provider, but the VPN provider can see where you connect, and websites still recognise you through logins, cookies and browser fingerprinting.Is a VPN legal?
Using a VPN is legal in most countries, including all EU member states, but some countries restrict or ban them. What you do while connected is judged the same way as without a VPN. Check the rules of the country you are in.Do I need a VPN on public Wi-Fi?
Less than you used to. Almost all websites and apps now encrypt their traffic with HTTPS, so someone on the same Wi-Fi cannot read your passwords. A VPN still hides which sites you visit from the network operator and protects the few connections that are not encrypted.Do I need a VPN to watch my streaming subscription abroad?
Inside the EU, usually not: under Regulation (EU) 2017/1128 a paid streaming service must give you your home catalogue while you are temporarily in another member state. Outside the EU, or for free broadcaster apps that have not opted in, your catalogue may change or be blocked.More questions, answered with sources
- Can someone find your address from your IP address?
- Do you need a VPN at home?
- Do you need a VPN for online banking?
- Do you need a VPN to use Tor Browser?
- Do you need a VPN to watch your paid streaming subscription elsewhere in the EU?
- Does a VPN get you cheaper flights?
- Does a VPN hide your location on iPhone and Android?
- Does a VPN make you anonymous?
- Does a VPN make your internet faster?
- Does a VPN protect you against viruses and phishing?
- Does a VPN protect your passwords in a data breach?
- Does a VPN stop Google and Facebook from tracking you?
- Does a VPN stop your employer from seeing what you do on a work laptop?
- Is a proxy the same as a VPN?
- Is incognito mode the same as a VPN?
Ready to compare?
See price, renewal price, refund period and audits for every provider side by side.