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Learn: how VPNs actually work
What a VPN hides and what it does not, how WireGuard and OpenVPN work, what a no-logs audit proves, and whether you need a VPN at all. Short explainers without hype, each with primary sources.
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- What Is a VPN? Meaning, Uses and What It Cannot Do A VPN is an encrypted tunnel from your device to a provider's server. It hides your browsing from your network and your IP from sites, not your identity. Updated 31 Oct 2026
- How Does a VPN Work? Tunnels, Encryption and Protocols A VPN app encrypts your traffic and tunnels it to the provider's server, which forwards it under its own IP. Learn what your ISP, sites and the VPN see. Updated 31 Oct 2026
- What Does a VPN Do? What It Changes and What It Does Not A VPN encrypts traffic to its server, hides your IP and changes your apparent country. It does not make you anonymous or block cookies and malware. Updated 2 Nov 2026
- Is a VPN Worth It? When It Pays Off and When It Does Not A VPN is worth it for untrusted networks, travel, region-locked streaming and privacy from your ISP, not for malware or anonymity. Prices as of Nov 2026. Updated 5 Nov 2026
Protocols and security
- WireGuard vs OpenVPN: Which VPN Protocol Should You Use? WireGuard is a small protocol with fixed ciphers and a one-round-trip handshake. OpenVPN is older, TLS-based and flexible. How they differ, which to pick. Updated 31 Oct 2026
- What Is a VPN Kill Switch? Meaning, Types, How to Test A VPN kill switch blocks all traffic if the VPN connection drops, so your real IP never shows. See the two types, how apps differ and how to test yours. Updated 31 Oct 2026
- What Is Split Tunneling? VPN Modes, Uses and Risks Split tunneling lets chosen apps or sites skip the VPN while the rest stays protected. The modes, the uses, the leak risks and which apps support it. Updated 5 Nov 2026
- Double VPN Explained: What Multi-Hop Adds and What It Costs Double VPN sends your traffic through two servers, so neither sees both your address and your destination. What it adds, what it lacks and who offers it. Updated 31 Oct 2026
- What Is a Dedicated IP on a VPN? Uses, Costs and Privacy A dedicated IP is a VPN address only you use. It helps with allowlists and means fewer CAPTCHAs, but costs privacy. See which VPNs sell one in 2026. Updated 31 Oct 2026
Privacy, logging and jurisdiction
- No Log VPN Meaning: What a No-Logs Policy Really Covers A no-logs VPN claim can mean four things. Learn the types of logs, what audits can and cannot prove, and what police and courts found. Updated 31 Oct 2026
- 14 Eyes Countries: Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes Explained Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes are intelligence-sharing groups, not VPN laws. Which countries are in each, what it means for a VPN and where 12 VPNs sit. Updated 31 Oct 2026
VPNs versus other tools
- VPN vs Proxy: Encryption, Scope and When a Proxy Is Enough A VPN encrypts every app's traffic and replaces your IP. A proxy forwards one app's traffic, usually unencrypted. We compare HTTP, SOCKS5 and smart DNS. Updated 31 Oct 2026
- VPN vs Tor: What Each Hides and When to Combine Them A VPN hides your traffic from your network, but one company sees it all. Tor spreads trust over three relays. See what each hides and how to combine them. Updated 31 Oct 2026
How these explainers are written
Each page answers one question in the first paragraph, then goes as deep as the question deserves. Technical claims cite the protocol specifications, provider documentation or regulators they come from, and anything about a specific provider is taken from our verified data layer rather than marketing pages. Where a claim would need lab measurements we do not have yet, the page says so instead of guessing. See how we test and the editorial policy.