I’ve tried more VPNs than I can remember, and all I can say is this: if your VPN fails to secure your data, hide your IP, and mask your location, it’s failing at its job. Of course, there is a lot more to know about VPNs, but once they fail at these basics, it defeats the whole purpose.
Now, the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons are full of VPN browser extensions. While they may seem like a great option, you must be cautious when using them, as many are simply proxies with good branding—but this won’t protect your privacy. There are other options, such as VPNs built directly into your browser, but in both cases, I’d strongly advise you to skip both if you truly value your privacy and data security.
Real vs. fake VPNs
Browser VPNs don’t function like real VPNs
When considering a VPN, there are four basic things it must do: encrypt your internet traffic, hide your location by masking your IP address, keep your browsing private by preventing DNS leaks, and offer a kill switch to block traffic if the VPN connection fails.
With the above in mind, browser VPNs mostly fall short of the required level of protection. First, they typically encrypt traffic only within the browser, leaving every other app you use exposed. This is a real danger because it creates a false sense of security. Every other app on your computer still sends unencrypted data that’s vulnerable to interception.
You can expect a significant portion of your online footprint to still be visible to your ISP and others, as browser VPNs do not safeguard DNS queries made outside the browser. For example, if you’re running desktop apps like Spotify, Zoom, or Asana, their connections will bypass the browser VPN. ISPs and others can still see the data transmitted outside your browser and the domains you connect to.
More importantly, there is a technical distinction. What people generally call browser VPNs are typically HTTPS proxies. HTTPS proxies differ from VPNs because they only proxy browser traffic, leaving your other applications fully exposed. This means that your apps, which aren’t designed to send traffic through an HTTPS proxy, such as email clients, FTP clients, and IRC clients, will bypass a browser VPN.
The privacy concern
Log collection and monetization practices
If what your browser VPNs fail to protect were the only problem, it would be forgivable. However, there is a bigger problem with what they actively collect. Many of them claim no-logs policies, free services, and military-grade encryption, but their privacy policies tell a different story. And this makes sense because when a service is free, you are often the product.
According to The Best VPN’s report, many browser VPNs, including Hola VPN, Hotspot Shield, Betternet, TouchVPN, HexaTech, and VPN in Touch, log your browsing history, IP address, timestamps, and bandwidth.
There is, however, a broader concern about how a browser’s privacy policy can still impact you even if its VPN has a no-logs policy. For instance, Opera’s built-in VPN’s no-log policy is backed by an independent Deloitte audit. However, Opera’s privacy policy reveals that it collects information such as IP addresses, browser details, general location, pages visited, and uses it for advertising, analytics, and marketing purposes, including interest-based advertising and cross-device tracking. So, while the VPN may not log your activity, the browser itself still collects information that can impact your overall privacy.
This is far from unique to Opera, mind. It just stands out because its VPN is actually audited and does what it says; its data collection isn’t any more or less than most other browsers.
However, browser extension stores are littered with browser VPNs, and many of them are listed under shell companies, with others not providing a verifiable corporate address. In an industry where trust is paramount, many of these browser VPNs raise red flags, triggering concerns about privacy.
Downgrade in performance
You get slow speeds and limited server choices
I have used enough browser VPNs to know that even if there are no fears over data handling and logs, performance usually takes a hit.
I’ve observed that browser VPNs can slow down simple tasks, like loading Gmail or streaming YouTube, as they typically offer a limited number of shared servers with thousands of users competing for bandwidth.
Premium VPN services prioritize performance without compromising your privacy. However, most browser VPNs don’t allow you to choose a server optimized for gaming, torrenting, or streaming, or select one that reduces latency to a specific region. You are instantly limited, and accessing content that is locked in your region is nearly impossible. At best, you will get frequent disconnects, and it’s simply not worth it.
Browser VPNs often reuse the same IP addresses for thousands of users, and streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, or BBC iPlayer often flag and block those IPs.
Trust better options
Full-device VPNs, DNS-level protection, and self-hosted solutions work
Browser VPNs are half measures to privacy and security. In the world of privacy, a half-measure often results in no privacy. So what are the options? Well, there are a few that I can recommend.
Full-device VPNs are a better alternative. Of course, I don’t trust every VPN, but I would recommend Mullvad and IVPN. Both are open-source options that offer a real no-logs policy and don’t require any form of personally identifiable information to get started with. These, of course, not only protect traffic from your browser but also the entire computer.
DNS-level protection is another layer of defense to consider. You may use tools like NextDNS or AdGuard that work beneath the browser to filter queries at the system level. They’re a great option for blocking trackers, malicious domains, and unwanted ads even before you establish a connection on your device.
A self-hosted VPN server is the ultimate solution. It requires you to set up a WireGuard or OpenVPN server on a VPS or home server, so it’s not the easiest process, but it’s the best option for full transparency and control.
The only browser VPNs you may use
So, I guess the question is, would I ever recommend a browser VPN? I wouldn’t, unless it’s an extension tied to a full-device VPN, such as NordVPN or a similar service. Anything short of this is a half measure, and half measures don’t suffice when privacy and security are at stake.
Of course, VPNs are not just for your computer. You can (and probably should) use VPNs on all internet-connected devices because those devices can transmit unencrypted data and have unique IP addresses, making them vulnerable to similar threats as computers.
