A VPN changes who can see your traffic. It doesn't make you invisible, and it asks you to trust a new company.
What it protects
- Your connection on networks you don't control. Traffic is encrypted between your device and the VPN server.
- Which sites you visit, from your internet or Wi-Fi provider. They see that you're using a VPN, not where you go.
- Your apparent location. Websites see the VPN server's address, which is how some people reach their usual content abroad.
What it doesn't
- Who you are when you're signed in. Your accounts, cookies and browser fingerprint still identify you.
- Malware and phishing. A VPN isn't antivirus, though some include basic blocking.
- Everything from the VPN company itself. You're moving trust from your internet provider to the VPN provider. That's why we weight independent audits so heavily.
So who needs one?
People who often use public Wi-Fi, travel, want to keep browsing activity from their internet provider, or want to reach their usual services while away. If none of those apply, you may not need one, and that's a fine answer.
The short versionA VPN protects the path your data travels, not your identity or your device. Choose a provider whose privacy claims are independently checked.