Tor vs VPN: which should you use?

Tor routes your traffic through several volunteer-run relays so no single point knows both who you are and what you're visiting — great for anonymity, but slow. A VPN routes your traffic through one provider's server, which is much faster and hides your IP with encryption, but means trusting that provider (so pick a no-logs one). Tor prioritises anonymity; a VPN prioritises speed and convenience.

For maximum anonymity against a determined observer, Tor's multi-hop design is stronger. For everyday privacy — hiding your IP, securing public Wi-Fi, unblocking sites — a reputable no-logs VPN is safe, far faster, and much easier to use. "Safer" depends on your threat model: most people don't need Tor's trade-offs.

Use Tor when anonymity is the absolute priority and you can accept slow speeds. Use a VPN for fast, everyday privacy and unblocking — streaming, browsing, getting past network filters. For the vast majority of people and tasks, a VPN like Zippa is the practical choice; Tor is a specialist tool.

Yes, some privacy-focused users route a VPN and Tor together for layered protection. It's slower still and more complex to set up correctly. For typical browsing goals — a hidden IP, an encrypted connection, and access to blocked sites — a good browser VPN on its own covers what most people need.

It depends who runs it. Plenty of free VPNs pay their bills by logging and selling browsing data — that's the real catch. Zippa is funded by people who upgrade to Premium, not by your data, and we keep a strict no-logs policy, so there's nothing to record or sell in the first place.