Daniel - May 18, 2021
SmartDNS Vs Proxy Vs VPN – Which Should You Use?
This post reveals the SmartDNS vs Proxy vs VPN showdown.
The internet is fun but it can be unsafe too. Cybercriminals are steadily looking for preys to hack and steal their online identity. This is why several solutions have been developed to help people protect their online identities and keep their browsing activities private.
Among these solutions, we have SmartDNSs, Proxies, and VPNs. These solutions are relatively similar in what they’re used for but they are different by how they operate. In this article, I’ll be explaining all three and comparing them to see their differences. In the end, you should know which is more reliable for your task.
What Is SmartDNS?
SmartDNS – Smart Domain Name Server – reroutes your online activities in an unencrypted manner. Normally, what a DNS does is to translate a website’s web address into an IP address. A SmartDNS will instead change the information that defines your browsing location which is just one part of your IP traffic.
Find the perfect Proxy Product.
With your location changed, a SmartDNS can help you unblock websites and bypass geo-restrictions. The deal here is that it doesn’t mask all of your online traffic; it only masks DNS queries. Your original IP address is not masked or changed; it remains as it is but websites you visit can’t read the real location of your IP address.
What Is Proxy?
Proxy is a relatively advanced method of protecting your online identity. A proxy is a server that can be located in any country. It acts as an intermediary between your browsing computer and the website’s server you’re trying to access. It’s like asking someone to browse on your behalf.
When you send a web request, the request first gets received by the proxy. The proxy will then forward the request to the website you want to visit. Likewise, when the websites send content back to you, it gets firsts received by the proxy before it gets to you. Proxies feature thousands to millions of IP addresses.
What Is VPN?
VPN – Virtual Private Network – is the most used among all three due to its simplicity. A VPN reroutes your online traffic via an encrypted pathway. Everything about your online activity is masked when you use a proxy, most importantly your IP. It’ll be impossible for anyone to trace your traffic back to your original IP address.
Technically, the data isn’t hidden but it is encrypted. If anyone lays a hand on it, it won’t be able to decipher it. Not even your internet service provider (ISP) can see what websites you’ve been visiting. With your IP address changed you can bypass any browsing restrictions.
SmartDNS Vs Proxy Vs VPN
All three – SmartDNS, Proxy, and VPN – will help you unblock websites. The major comparison is how they each protect your online identity.
A SmartDNS will change your browsing location without affecting your IP or any other details. In other words, your other browsing details are available if they are tracked. The only thing the tracker can’t see is your original browsing location.
A proxy will totally mask your online identity coming in between you and the websites you visit. Your computer and online identity are safe so long as the proxy is. Proxies are encrypted but some proxies, especially shared ones don’t have very good uptime.
Millions of users are sharing the thousands of IPs available and it could lead to downtime. Another disadvantage here is that so many users can slow down your connection. It’s a disadvantage when you’re carrying out data-heavy tasks which require speed.
To enjoy proxies at their peak capability, you should go for the residential ones and also purchase from a reliable proxy provider. A reliable proxy provider I recommend is ProxyRack.
VPNs are the most preferred when it comes to protecting online privacy. A VPN will not only reroute your internet activity but will also encrypt it. No server is sending requests on your behalf; your requests get sent to the websites you’re visiting via a private tunnel where they get encrypted and your IP masked. For this reason, VPNs can be very fast.
With a VPN, no website will log your browsing data. Your data is only retained for as long as your browsing session lasts. Once you finish browsing and turn off your VPN, all logs are cleared. Neither proxies nor SmartDNS can offer such encryption. Proxies are encrypted but not to the level of VPNs while SmartDNS isn’t encrypted at all.
Final Verdict
The perfect solution in this SmartDNS Vs Proxy Vs VPN contest to go for depends on what you want to do. SmartDNS is the least compared to Proxies and VPNs. SmartDNS are only ideal for simple website unblocking tasks. You’re not particularly interested in hiding your online identity and you just want to surf the web.
VPNs are great for unblocking websites and protecting identity but they don’t compare to proxies in performing automation tasks. With a VPN, you’re mainly assigned an IP with each browsing session. You have less control over what IP address you browse with. All you know is that your original IP address and other browsing detail is hidden.
As mentioned earlier, proxies feature thousands and millions of IPs. You have more options to configure what IPs you want to use and how they should switch. If you want to perform tasks like web scraping, website automation, sneaker purchase, website testing, etc, proxies are more reliable than VPNs.
If you want regular proxies or even residential VPN service, ProxyRack is a reliable service provider that you should consider.
