What Is A Residential Vpn
11 Best Residential VPN Services 2021 | Free & Paid
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If you haven’t already heard of them, VPNs are kind of like proxies, in the way that they both help you change your IP address.
The majority of VPN services make the most of IP addresses from data centers.
However, if you are serious about your online activity, and you don’t want to be detected, then you will need a VPN service that is going to route your traffic through residential devices so that you can appear on the web like a regular user.
This is going to be your best bet at avoiding getting blocked.
A residential VPN is the type of VPN that routes requests through IP addresses that are residential, assigned by Internet service providers.
When it comes to anti-spam evasion techniques, residential VPNs are a step higher than their counterparts, which is why they are the preferred VPN to use when compared to others out there.
Let’s review the best residential VPN services available right now.
First Look
Best of the Best: Hola VPN
“I knew that when I was going to go online undetected, I needed to find a residential VPN that was so popular I couldn’t turn it down. It was a struggle at first, but then I came across Hola VPN, and everything changed for the better. ”
Second Best: Tuxler
“I love that Tuxler is a completely free residential VPN. This means that I can use them for all of my online activity without having to worry about breaking the bank, or my budget. I don’t have a lot to spend right now on VPNs, so it fits in perfectly with my needs. ”
Third Best: Rapid VPN
“As well as good security, I always try to find a VPN that has a good level of speed as well. This is important to me as I don’t have a lot of time to get everything done. Rapid VPN doesn’t compromise on speed or quality. ”
Best for Netflix: Netflix VPN
“If you’re like me, which you probably are, you spend a lot of your time watching Netflix. However, sometimes Netflix doesn’t have the shows that I want, and it’s at this point that I need to find a residential VPN catering to this streaming platform. Luckily I came across Netflix VPN. ”
Best for Being Established: TorGuard VPN
“The last thing that I need when I’m surfing the web is to be detected, or have my personal information hacked. This is why I chose TorGuard VPN as my main VPN provider because they take the security of their client’s information really seriously. ”
Best for Free: Betternet VPN
“When I use a VPN for my online activity, I always want to make sure that it is not only secure, but fast as well. I don’t have time to waste on a VPN that’s not going to provide me with the internet speed that I need, so thank goodness for Betternet VPN. ”
Best for Platform Support: Finch VPN
“Finch VPN is one of those residential VPN providers that suits me really well, because they have both free and paid options. This meant that when I had a limited budget in the beginning, I could use them, and once I started doing better financially, I could move up to their premium service. ”
Best for Reliability: Proxyrack
“I have tried a lot of residential VPNs out there in my time, which means that I’ve come to be pretty discerning in regards to the best out there. I can honestly say that one of my favorites at this point is Proxyrack, and at this point I don’t think I’ll go anywhere else. ”
Best for Security: VPN Land
“When I started the hunt for a residential VPN service that I could trust, I made sure to find one that has been around for a long time, because this means that they have a well-established reputation. I can confidently say that VPN Land has been around arguably the longest, making them perfect for my needs. ”
Best for Premium: Pangeo VPN
“I love that Pangeo VPN can help me look at local content on the web, as well as content all around the world. This means that I can cover all of the basics without having to go anywhere else for further features. ”
Best for Rotating: DNS Flex Residential VPN
“I like that DNS Flex Residential VPN can help me not only on my desktop, but on my mobile as well. This means that I can browse the web safely and anonymously even when I’m out and about. ”
Best Residential VPNs
Hola VPN is one of those residential VPNs that offers its clients both free and paid packages.
This means that you can make the most of their features without having to pay for anything, but if you do want to pay for their premium package, it’s going to cost you $9. 99 a month.
They have 190 countries around the world that they cover, and they come with added security and privacy features, including some of the best encryption that we have seen.
They also have a kill switch, as well as unlimited bandwidth for their clients who are enjoying all major streaming services out there including Hulu and Netflix.
One of the things that we like the most about this residential VPN provider is that they offer their packages without any commitment. This means that you can cancel anytime.
Tuxler is a completely free residential VPN service that allows you to access all the websites you want, and it even offers their clients a cheap paid version as well for additional features and functionality.
This is a community-driven VPN service, which means that they make the most of a peer-to-peer model.
We love that they cover many counties and states in the US, as well as the European regions, and they support both Mac and Windows.
All of their IP addresses are 100% residential, and they refresh them regularly to keep their pool secure.
While some other VPN services out there might be compatible with more programs, we think that Tuxler so goes above and beyond for its clients in every kind of way.
Rapid VPN is one of those residential VPN providers that has the perfect mix of super-fast speed and security.
They always make sure to use a dedicated service, as well as top-quality infrastructure that is designed to never let you down.
They can help you with locations both in Europe and North America and can support platforms including Android and Windows.
They cost $39. 00 a month, which is a little bit more than some of the other VPN providers on this list, but we honestly think that it is worth it. To make sure that your data is completely private, they encapsulate it before encrypting it as well.
This makes them honestly one of the most secure VPN service providers out there. You can even use the same account through them on four different devices. The only downside that we can see is that you can only use them on Android or Windows.
Netflix VPN, as you may have been able to guess, is a residential VPN service specialized for Netflix, which means that you can access all different versions of the popular movie streaming platform around the world.
This particular VPN service can give you access to locations in Japan, India, Canada, the UK, and the US.
They also have a lot of different platforms that they support, from Mac, Android, iOS, Windows, and many more.
We love this VPN service because traditional VPN providers usually aren’t able to access Netflix because of their advanced anti-spam system.
With a VPN like this one, you can bypass all of Netflix’s restrictions in the locations that they provide, so that you can watch movies and shows that you don’t get on your local version.
TorGuard VPN is a dedicated VPN service that makes the most of its residential IP addresses to evade bans and scrutiny.
They have many different locations around the world that they can help you with, as well as many different platforms that they support.
From Mac, to Android, iOS, Windows, and many more, this is definitely one of those residential VPN services that you want to sign up for if you plan on spending a lot of time online without being detected.
Their paid services start at $9. 99 a month, and they claim that their VPNs are some of the fastest out there, and their database includes upwards of 55 countries across all different continents. Needless to say, this residential VPN provider is very popular.
Betternet VPN is a secure and fast residential VPN service that is completely free, and doesn’t even offer a paid version.
They have different versions for different programs, which means that you can use them on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.
The only downside that we can see to this VPN service is that they only have 10 locations in Asia, Europe, and North America.
However, they have so far been used by millions of clients already, and they have a special priority for your anonymity online.
Another thing that we really like about this VPN service is that they don’t ask you to register for an account before you use their program; all you have to do is download it to your desktop, and you are good to go.
Finch VPN offers clients both a free and paid version, and has 14 locations in Europe, Asia, and North America.
They support various different platforms, including Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows.
We like that its free version comes with a few basic features that cover many of the things you will need when using a VPN online.
Another thing that we like about this VPN service is that it can help you unblock regional restrictions, hide your IP address, make your traffic hard to see, and even encrypt your connections.
While they might be limited to just a few locations around the world, they are great for bypassing restrictions and censorship online, so that you can get everything you need to be done when surfing the Internet.
Proxyrack VPN is a pretty popular residential proxy provider.
What’s more, they can help you with various locations around the world, including Hong Kong, Australia, the UK, Canada, and the US.
They can also support a variety of different platforms, including Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows.
We think that their prices are pretty reasonable and start at $27. 00 for 10 GB every month. One thing that you’re probably going to be like about them is that they have a huge pool of IP addresses, which means that you will have more than enough to work with no matter how much time you plan on spending online anonymously. They also offer their clients a DNS leak fix.
VPN Land can help you with many different locations around the world, and they support different platforms including Mac, Android, iOS, and Windows.
They’re going to set you back roughly $10 a month, which we think is a really reasonable sum.
This is one of those VPN services for residential VPNs that have been around for a long time, having established themselves way back in 2006.
They are a Canadian-based company, and they can help you not only connect with Netflix, but WhatsApp, and even BBC iPlayer. We love that they keep all of your information safe, which means they won’t keep logs of your browsing activity. Their VPNs are incredibly reliable and will protect you against even the most robust firewalls out there.
Pangeo VPN is a premium VPN provider that makes most of its residential IP addresses.
It has 100 different countries around the world that it works with, and when it comes to platform support, this includes iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and many others.
It offers both free and paid plans, and their IP addresses are clean because they are either residential or mobile addresses.
This means that the chances of you getting blocked are extremely low. They encrypt all of your traffic for you, and they even offer potential clients a free trial for five days, so that you can get to know how they work before you commit to anything.
DNS Flex Residential VPN is a free residential VPN provider that is dedicated to only working with residential IPs.
They match things up and have both rotating and static IP addresses, with some of them being compatible with mobile.
They optimize their services so that you can access local and restricted web content, which means that you don’t have to worry about blocks.
They have some of the best features that are going to keep you highly anonymous, and with over 20 million residential IP addresses in their database, we think that you are going to be able to use them for a while for browsing online.
They have locations in both Europe and North America and can support all types of different platforms, including Android, iOS, and Windows.
Datacenter VPNs or Residential VPNs – what’s the Difference?
We are going to take a bit of time to talk about the biggest differences between datacenter VPNs and residential VPNs, so that you can make a well-informed decision about which ones suit you better.
Legitimacy
Residential VPNs are more legitimate than datacenter VPNs because the internet server provides them directly, whereas IP addresses from datacenters use cloud server addresses. This means that they can easily be detected, and therefore blacklisted.
However, there are many datacenter VPNs out there that make sure that their IP addresses are rotated consistently so that their users aren’t going to get blacklisted IP addresses time and again.
Price
Because residential IP addresses offer you a higher level of anonymity, they are of course going to cost you more than datacenter addresses. Also, if you plan on purchasing more than one IP address at the same time, you might want to go for datacenter IP addresses, because they are going to be cheaper overall.
Speed
The thing about residential VPNs is that their server network is usually a lot smaller, which means that they can’t offer their clients high speed internet connections.
If you want a good connection speed, then you will need to go for a datacenter VPN, because they offer a good speed for tasks that need to be achieved in a shorter amount of time.
Whether you are using a datacenter or a residential VPN, you are going to get the security, online protection and anonymity that you are looking for. However, if we think about accessibility and cost, then datacenter IP addresses are going to be more appealing.
However, not all of them are able to provide you with the quality that you need and deserve. This is why we have compiled a list above for you to get a good gauge on what the best providers are in the industry for residential IP addresses. If you want to stay safe online, at some point you are going to need a residential VPN provider.
FAQs
How do I Get a Residential IP Address?
To get a good residential IP address, subscribe to one of the VPN providers on the list above or a proxy service, and once you’ve done this, you can download and install the app on your device.
Then, log into the app using the provider’s credentials, and connect and locate any server based on your location. This is it – now you’re connected to a residential IP address.
Is a Residential VPN Legal?
Yes, residential VPNs are legal, but the activity that you might be trying to implement online might be illegal.
Therefore, you need to make sure that you know the rules of the country that you are trying to surf the internet in, otherwise, you could end up in hot water.
How Do I Get a Free Residential VPN?
The good news is that you can sign up for any of the services that we have talked about above, and receive a free subscription in the beginning. Most providers out there will offer a free option as well as a paid option.
Our Review Process
When we review residential VPN providers like the ones above, we make sure to do our due diligence. This is why we look at upwards of 119 residential VPN providers and read through at least 4725 customer reviews.
The customer reviews that we look at talk about both good and bad things about each company, which is how we decide who is truly the best out there.
This is why we can confidently say that the companies we have included on the list above are the best that you’ll find in the industry, so make the most of them today if you plan on being online anonymously in the future. Good luck!
What is a Residential VPN? – Tuxler
What is a Residential VPN? 3 minApril 16, 2020
Defining Residential VPN
A residential VPN is a type of virtual network that routes web requests through residential IP addresses that are assigned by actual internet service providers (ISP). These IP blocks are dedicated and verified, and therefore allow you to appear as a regular user browsing or surfing from that specific location.
To provide an example for the sake of clarity, consider a person sitting in China. He is using tuxler VPN driven by a residential IP of a city in the United States to mask himself. To any web service that he interacts with (such as Google Search or Reddit), he will appear as a user from that city in the United States. The best part is that he will appear to be using a residential IP given out by a real ISP like Comcast or type of a virtual private network is considered the safest because of the quality of anonymity. When compared with VPNs that depend on data centers, dedicated IPs take precedence due to their higher level of protection and genuineness.
What is a Residential IP Address?
A residential IP address is an internet connection assigned by local or national ISP to a real subscriber based in that city/town. Since such IPs have real details attached to them, websites tend to trust them more and avoid scrutiny as is common for generic VPNs. This naturally provides better cloaking and trustworthiness while avoiding any surveillance which is on the based on residential IP addresses are also known for their anti-spam quality, large network, and end-to-end encryption. tuxlerVPN is one of the leading providers of such type. In December 2019, we also began providing data center IPs to our patrons.
What is a Residential Proxy?
The thin line between a proxy server and a VPN can be described by the existence of a server attached to a real, physical address in the former. A residential proxy server, therefore, is a server that uses a residential IP to surf the internet. They are relatively more expensive and are generally used by large organizations and IT hubs. A common application is to gain access to websites with regional as well as IP-level restrictions.
How does a Residential VPN Work?
It’s a simple mechanism that banks on user permission (PDF). When you decide to use a free residential VPN, say through an Android smartphone or a Windows desktop computer, you automatically agree to the terms and conditions of the provider as well as agree to share your internet connection with the provider’s pool. In return, you receive a qualified IP address for your personal use.
This exchange of IP addresses is essentially what forms the residential VPN pool. The larger the pool the better your chances of finding an IP of a city that you are targeting. This is why you should choose a residential VPN provider that has a populated pool with verified, valid, and dedicated IP addresses. A paying user has an advantage where he does not have to share his internet connection with the pool.
Such a system is effective mainly because web services generally tend to turn a blind eye to requests coming from residential IPs. On the other hand, if it’s a data center IP, they may be compelled to check the nature of the request and block it for some reason, also depending upon that IP’s history. This is also the reason why most free VPNs based on data center IPs tend to provide low-quality cloaking. The VPN may look like it is working, but it is just mimicking the routing process.
It will not be wrong to say that a dedicated residential VPN is the safest and a growingly popular virtual network today. Although it has its share of cons, it provides better anonymity, unrestricted access, and even city-level proxy servers.
If you are new to this concept, you can try out our free residential IP VPN that comes as a nifty Google Chrome browser extension. Click here to install tuxler VPN and experience the next level of virtual private networking. Now also with the option to choose between a data center or a residential IP.
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the difference between a residential ip and a datacenter proxy – OneWorld
Your online fingerprint is your IP address. This can be used to keep an eye on your browsing habits and even your exact location. And there are several reasons why you might want to hide your own IP address like protecting yourself from hackers, accessing geo-blocked content or if you want to hide your online activity from ISPs and others.
Users who wants to conceal their online fingerprint log in using a VPN or proxy servers to change their IP address. This can either be a residential IP proxy or a datacenter IP proxy. Learning the difference between these two will help guide users on which IP proxy to take.
What is a Residential IP Address?
When a user is connected to the internet, an IP address is assigned by the internet service provider. Information about the IP address is readily accessible, such as the ISP and the approximate location of the user. The name and the exact address of the user is not revealed.
So, if you are using a residential IP address as your proxy when accessing the internet, it means you’re utilizing a genuine address provided by an ISP. Your real IP address will be masked and you will be utilizing an IP address that is connected to a real residential address, which makes it difficult for websites to block or ban.
What is a Datacenter Proxy?
Datacenter proxies are not owned by internet service providers. They do not lend out IP address for the user to use in place of their own IP address. How it works is, it acts as a shield between the user and anyone (websites) who are trying to look up the user’s IP address. Instead of revealing the user’s IP address, the datacenter proxy provider’s details will come up.
What Are The Differences?
The difference between these two types of proxies is that residential IP addresses give the impression of a regular household browsing the web while datacenter proxies make it clear the user is utilizing them to hide their identity.
There’s also a significant difference in cost. Residential IP addresses are considerably more difficult to procure and can be a bit costly while datacenter proxies can be created and used in significant numbers easily.
Datacenter proxies
It should be noted that datacenter proxies can be detected and blocked much more easily by websites and others. Part of the reason why is because most users who have malicious intent use the datacenter proxies.
There is however, a small amount of legitimate users of datacenter proxies such as corporate offices but mostly, it is users who do not have good intentions who use them. As a result, website security systems pay a lot more attention to datacenter proxies compared to residential IP addresses. Streaming services have also been known to ban datacenter addresses without hesitation.
Considering these risks, some people still prefer to use datacenter proxies as they can be purchased or rented in such significant numbers for a reasonable cost. It makes it easy for a user to cycle through several of them, a task is oftentimes preferred if you need new IP addresses on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, due to this difference in cost, some nefarious companies will pretend to sell datacenter proxies but say they are residential IPs and earn a significant amount of money through this deceptive tactic, so purchasers need to be careful and ensure they’re getting exactly what they’re purchasing.
Additionally, some not-to-be-trusted companies simply steal residential addresses and sell those to unbeknownst users.
Residential IP addresses
Obtaining many residential proxies can be difficult since they are mainly intended for residential purposes. Also, there are fewer residential IP providers which makes it more expensive than datacenter proxies. They are costly yes, but, they are considered to be more genuine and legitimate.
Residential IPs are a lot better than datacenter proxies however, they aren’t perfect. Sometimes they tend to be abused as well that is why certain security technologies blacklist them.
Users also have to consider when a residential IP address is blocked by one or more websites. It can prove to be a financial burden as another purchase might be required to access those sites.
However, do your research as some providers will replace the residential IP with another in these types of cases. Some will simply allow you to rotate amongst a number of residential IPs regardless of whether you’ve been blocked by any websites.
So Which is Better?
When deciding whether to use a residential IP or a datacenter proxy, take into account what you are going to be using the internet for. Doing something like video streaming might require a residential IP address while other activities can simply be done with datacenter proxies. Your budget will also play a significant role given how much more expensive residential addresses can be.
If you are undecided, using a datacenter proxy can be a good start since they are much more affordable and maybe switch to a residential IP address when the need arises and the budget allows. This is generally a much easier move to make than the other way around.
Frequently Asked Questions about what is a residential vpn
How does residential VPN Work?
A residential VPN is a type of virtual network that routes web requests through residential IP addresses that are assigned by actual internet service providers (ISP). These IP blocks are dedicated and verified, and therefore allow you to appear as a regular user browsing or surfing from that specific location.Apr 16, 2020
What is a residential IP?
What is a Residential IP Address? When a user is connected to the internet, an IP address is assigned by the internet service provider. … So, if you are using a residential IP address as your proxy when accessing the internet, it means you’re utilizing a genuine address provided by an ISP.Jun 18, 2020
Can you be tracked if you use a VPN?
No, your web traffic and IP address can’t be tracked anymore. The VPN encrypts your data and hides your IP address by routing your connection requests through a VPN server. If anyone tries to track them, they’ll just see the VPN server’s IP address and complete gibberish.Sep 15, 2020
