A proxy forwards the traffic of one app or browser through another server, so sites see the proxy's address, and most proxies don't encrypt anything. A VPN encrypts the traffic of every app on your phone, lookups included, all the way to the VPN server. For privacy on Wi-Fi and mobile data, and to get past network blocks, a VPN covers more.
| A proxy | A VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Which apps it covers | Only the browser or app set to use it | Every app on the phone |
| Encrypts your connection | Usually not | Yes, all the way to the VPN server |
| Hides your IP from websites | In the apps that use it | In every app |
| Hides your lookups from the network | Often not | Yes |
| Covers WebRTC in the browser | Often not | Yes, when it covers the whole device |
| Setup on Android | Per Wi-Fi network or per app | One app, on any network |
What is a proxy?
A proxy is a server that makes requests on your behalf. Your browser asks the proxy for a page, the proxy fetches it and passes it back, so the site sees the proxy's IP address instead of yours. You meet them as web proxies, which you open as a page in your browser, and as HTTP or SOCKS proxies, which you type into the settings of an app or a Wi-Fi network.
A proxy only carries the traffic of the apps that are set to use it. HTTP and SOCKS proxies don't encrypt the connection between you and the proxy: on HTTPS sites the page itself stays encrypted, but the network you are on can still see which sites you open.
What is a VPN?
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your phone and a VPN server. On Android, a VPN app uses the system's own VPN service, so every app sends its traffic through the tunnel: the browser, messaging, games and the lookups that turn site names into addresses. Your Wi-Fi or mobile network sees one encrypted connection, and websites see the VPN server's IP address.
Is a VPN better than a proxy?
For a phone, in most cases yes. A VPN covers every app, encrypts everything between you and the server and keeps your lookups inside the tunnel, so the network you use sees one encrypted connection. A proxy fits a narrower job: giving one browser or app a different address when nothing it sends needs encryption.
- Choose a VPN for public Wi-Fi, for keeping your browsing from your network and for everything your apps send.
- A proxy can be enough when a single app only needs another address and nothing it sends is private.
Where you find proxies on Android
- Wi-Fi settings: each Wi-Fi network has a proxy option in its advanced settings. It applies to that network only, and apps are free to ignore it.
- Apps and browsers with their own proxy setting: they cover their own traffic and nothing else.
- Web proxies: sites where you type the address of another site. They cover that one tab.
A free proxy has to pay for its servers somehow. Many show ads, and a connection without encryption lets the proxy read what passes through it. The checks worth making before you install a free VPN work for proxies too.
Which one unblocks websites?
A proxy can get around simple blocks in the apps that use it. A VPN gets around blocks based on your lookups, the site's address or what your traffic looks like, in every app, because the network only sees an encrypted connection: how website blocking works explains the three kinds. When a network blocks VPN connections too, find out what it blocks and switch PryVPN to Stealth, which travels on port 443 like secure websites.
Can you use a VPN and a proxy together?
Yes. With a VPN on, an app that is set to use a proxy sends its traffic to the proxy through the encrypted tunnel, so the network you are on sees neither the proxy nor the sites. For most people the VPN alone is simpler: one switch, every app, and nothing to set up network by network.
Key takeaways
- A proxy changes the address of the apps that use it; most proxies don't encrypt.
- A VPN encrypts every app on your phone, lookups included.
- For public Wi-Fi and private browsing on Android, a VPN covers more.
- A free proxy pays for its servers somehow: check how before you trust it.