A VPN (virtual private network) is different from a dedicated datacenter proxy as it provides anonymity by redirecting the server to a different location. For example, you could be in Asia and use a VPN located in the USA to get access to restricted websites. This will let you stream shows and videos that only people in the region of the USA can watch, however, public VPN does not guarantee a secure connection.
Your original IP address and location stay hidden. This is a good way to hide your data from being stolen by companies, for example. Similarly, a dedicated dc proxy also hides your IP address. However, they are faster than VPN because, unlike VPN, a datacenter proxy doesn’t encrypt your web usage according to PrivateProxy. Let’s see in detail what the uses of the solutions are and see their differences.
What are the use cases of VPN?
In 2020, people from 85 different countries downloaded it 277 million times. The number became 785 in 2021 and is predicted to increase in the coming years. The importance of VPN is quite clear.
Anonymous surfing
Staying nameless while surfing the internet is an important reason for most people. They do not want to share their private information and want to prevent misuse of data. Additionally, this kind of surfing helps you to get accurate information. Your region can give you biased information.
Hide your web history
Using VPN, you can hide your browser history. In other cases, your internet service provider has access to your history. When you use VPN, your history is encrypted, and it becomes a useless piece of information for the ISP. It will hide the information only during the period you used the VPN.
Access to geography-specific content
When you want to watch a show only available in another country or region, VPN is your best friend. You can set the location for the USA and watch shows from the USA. Sometimes the VPN might slow down the service, and you might have a lag or a delay.
Securing special data transfer
If you have important files on your office laptop and want to transfer them to your home laptop or vice-versa, you would like a secure transfer. With quality VPN, you can:
- have complete security,
- access files and sites in another country,
- hide data from hackers,
- make hidden research of competitors.
What are the use cases of datacenter proxies?
So a virtual private network does two things for you. It encrypts the internet traffic between the PC and the VPN server. Next, a different IP address from the VPN is generated than the one on your computer. Proxy servers are not the same as VPNs and they work quite differently.
Datacenter proxies and VPNs mask user’s location and IP address. However, data center proxies are used more in a business setting and the dc proxy offers exactly no encryption on the connections. Following are the uses of datacenter proxies.
Web-scraping
When you receive a big web-scraping assignment, you should use datacenter proxies. They will support your need for speed, and you may finish the project successfully. Also, when you use datacenter proxies, you stay safe from banning.
Marketing research
People involved in marketing use datacenter proxies most often. When you want to gather information on your competitors and research the market trends, there are chances you might get banned. Therefore, market analysts use datacenter intermediaries as a shield.
Academic research
Datacenter subnets are also commonly used while doing academic research. The web servers or your ISP might block you when you gather information for your project. Therefore, you use datacenter proxies to perform the task successfully.
Streaming restricted content
Similar to VPN, a set of intermediaries can help you stream content unavailable in your region. You can access special shows and videos from different countries. It is useful when you are learning a language and want to watch local shows.
What are the main differences?
Now you know what VPN and a private proxy are and understand their purposes. Let’s discuss the main differences here:
Encryption
The information about your IP address is encrypted when you use a VPN. That is not the case with datacenter proxies. Your ISP can get an IP address, but it will not be your location.
Range of coverage
The VPN has a wide range as compared to datacenter subnets. A VPN can reroute the whole internet traffic. Also, the background applications stay safe in this case. However, a proxy can redirect only to one web page.
Pricing
A good VPN is expensive, and you would spend more to maintain one. Intermediaries from cloud services are a cheaper alternative. You can also use free VPN, but they come with broken connection, slow pace, and data caps.
Safety
When you buy a VPN, it is firmly secure. The security of dc proxies depends on the quality of the provider. Poor quality VPN and intermediaries can leave you vulnerable to viruses and hackers. Prioritize the quality over the price for both VPN and a proxy.
Support
Both VPN and proxy providers have a stable customer support system. It depends on the quality of the provider and how big the company is. For example, a free VPN network will not provide you with an immediate answer to your queries. You cannot get datacenter proxies for free. The smaller operations might delay the support.
Speed
VPN usually slows down the process of research or streaming, resulting in lags and broken connections. Datacenter proxies are faster as compared to VPNs. You would prefer an intermediate IP address in a business or a work setting. VPN is perfect for personal use.
Final thoughts
There you go, you can decide whether a VPN works better for you or a dedicated datacenter proxy. But if you are looking for a secure solution for your company or marketing department, datacenter proxies are better.
If you have personal uses, then VPN could be the right direction here. VPN can slow down processes. You will not be banned or caught. Even if your ISP gets any information, it would be encrypted.