{"id":503167,"date":"2022-10-23T19:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/"},"modified":"2022-10-23T19:00:35","modified_gmt":"2022-10-23T16:00:35","slug":"decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"#Decentralized VPNs vs. Regular VPNs: What\u2019s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e977e8bc3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e977e8bc3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/#%E2%80%9CDecentralized_VPNs_vs_Regular_VPNs_Whats_the_Difference%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Decentralized VPNs vs. Regular VPNs: What\u2019s the Difference?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/#Decentralized_vs_Centralized\" >Decentralized vs. Centralized<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/#Service_vs_Network\" >Service vs. Network<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/#dVPNs_Require_Cryptocurrency\" >dVPNs Require Cryptocurrency<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/#dVPNs_Operate_on_Blockchains\" >dVPNs Operate on Blockchains<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/#Which_Is_Better_dVPNs_or_VPNs\" >Which Is Better: dVPNs or VPNs?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CDecentralized_VPNs_vs_Regular_VPNs_Whats_the_Difference%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Decentralized VPNs vs. Regular VPNs: What\u2019s the Difference?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-841205\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/shutterstock_762800653.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Illustration of the earth surrounded by a network of glowing satellites.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/communication-network-around-earth-used-worldwide-762800653\">NicoElNino\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Decentralized VPNs or dVPNs rely on a network of internet-connected &#8220;node&#8221; devices rather than a collection of centralized servers like traditional VPNs. This can make dVPNs better for getting around internet censorship, and a dVPN&#8217;s associated cryptocurrency and blockchain may allow for lower costs and better privacy.<\/p>\n<p>You may have heard by now of decentralized VPNs or dVPNs, services that claim to provide the speed and security of VPNs with the flexibility and anonymity of Tor. But how do decentralized VPNs compare to their centralized counterparts?<\/p>\n<p>This question is a little tricky to answer as each and every dVPN has its own way of doing things. It doesn\u2019t help that, like with anything even remotely connected to cryptocurrency, there are forks of forks and different implementations everywhere as people go off and do their own thing. Still, though, there are a few <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> observations you can make when comparing regular VPNs to dVPNs.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Decentralized_vs_Centralized\"><\/span>Decentralized vs. Centralized<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The main difference between the two types of VPN is structure. A regular VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN will own or rent a collection of servers all around the world that customers can run their traffic through. Usually housed in large server farms, they\u2019re typically maintained by a third party, but they belong to the VPN.<\/p>\n<p>dVPNs don\u2019t do this. Instead of running traffic through centralized VPN servers, they run a network of what are called nodes. Think of nodes of places where you can enter or exit the internet, or relay connections through. These nodes can be any kind of device, like a laptop, a desktop, a smartphone or even a server. Basically anything that can send and receive an internet connection can potentially be a node.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve spent enough time on the internet, the word \u201cnode\u201d probably fired a Pavlovian reaction where you thought \u201cTor.\u201d There is a lot of overlap between dVPNs and Tor, though some key differences, as well, which we\u2019ll get into as we go along.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Service_vs_Network\"><\/span>Service vs. Network<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>dVPN nodes are run by the users of the dVPN, so us. When you sign on to a decentralized VPN, you\u2019re not contracting them to perform a service, you\u2019re not a customer. Instead, you\u2019re joining a network of individuals who both make use of nodes as well as contribute their own, not unlike with Tor.<\/p>\n<p>Just like with Tor, though, you don\u2019t have to be a node; you can opt just to use other people\u2019s nodes and be done with it. However, unlike Tor, which relies on volunteers and thus doesn\u2019t offer too many nodes, dVPNs incentivize users to act as nodes, effectively paying them to make use of their devices.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"dVPNs_Require_Cryptocurrency\"><\/span>dVPNs Require Cryptocurrency<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>That payment system is where the crypto part of dVPNs come in, and is the second big thing that sets the newcomer apart from traditional VPNs. When you sign up with ExpressVPN, you pay $100 to use it for a year. When you join a dVPN network like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.orchid.com\/\">Orchid<\/a>, you don\u2019t pay for the service. Instead, you buy some of the network\u2019s associated crypto\u2014OXT in this case\u2014and you use it to pay the owner of the node you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, the network operator takes a cut of this (the exact amount is a mystery). But this payment system is a big difference between dVPNs and both Tor and VPNs. The amounts we\u2019re talking about aren\u2019t particularly big, maybe a few pennies per hour, but they do mean that when you function as a node, you could potentially make enough money to use other people\u2019s nodes without additional cost.<\/p>\n<p>This is great for anybody\u2014we all like free stuff\u2014but is especially good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> for people in the developing world who may not have the means of paying for a VPN, like a credit card or account balance. A good example would be Myanmar, where protestors were able to bypass the government\u2019s heavy-handed internet censorship by using <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mysteriumvpn.com\/\">Mysterium VPN<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/newsletters\/2021-04-12\/what-is-mysterium-myanmar-protesters-turn-to-obscure-app\"><i>Bloomberg<\/i><\/a> has the story.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, because of the use of custom coins, dVPNs are more than just a dVPN network; they\u2019re also a mining opportunity. Many dVPNs will allow you to use your node to mine for their cryptocurrency when it\u2019s not being used. The <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/deeper.network\/\">Deeper Network<\/a> goes all-in on this idea, offering special hardware devices you can use as nodes that will mine when idle.<\/p>\n<p>Though the idea of banking on a crypto coin <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>reciating in value isn\u2019t everybody\u2019s cup of tea, especially not after crypto\u2019s performance in 2022, it is an extra incentive used by dVPN networks to draw more users.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"dVPNs_Operate_on_Blockchains\"><\/span>dVPNs Operate on Blockchains<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Of course, where there\u2019s cryptocurrency, there\u2019s the blockchain, which is something else that sets VPNs and dVPNs apart. The big issue with any kind of VPN is logging: keeping records of when you connected to the server and which sites you visited. Most VPNs claim to be no-log VPNs, services that don\u2019t keep or destroy logs.<\/p>\n<p>Thing is, though, that these claims are hard to verify. It\u2019s hard to prove the absence of something, after all. dVPNs figure they have solved this conundrum, though, by storing all this information on their blockchains. All the information about the network\u2019s traffic is stored there, for all to see, but also anonymized.<\/p>\n<p>In this way, dVPNs are more transparent than regular VPNs, because you at least know what\u2019s happening with any records and logs. If logs are something you\u2019re especially worried about, dVPNs are an interesting alternative.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_Is_Better_dVPNs_or_VPNs\"><\/span>Which Is Better: dVPNs or VPNs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>These are the main differences between decentralized VPNs and regular VPNs, which probably gives rise to the question which is the better pick for you. The answer is that it very much depends on you, the user. As it stands now, dVPNs are very much the niche choice as it\u2019s a developing <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>. For example, we\u2019re not completely sure if dVPNs are as safe as VPNs.<\/p>\n<p>At time of writing, dVPNs are a great choice for crypto aficionados who want to dive deep into a possible iteration of Web 3.0, the decentralized web free from corporate interference. It\u2019s also a great option for anybody that wants to use a VPN at minimal cost without signing up for it; just buy, or earn, some crypto and you\u2019re ready to go.<\/p>\n<p>For the average internet user, though, it\u2019s hard to say what benefits dVPNs hold over their counterparts. The biggest one is that dVPNs are great at getting through to Netflix since nodes are harder to detect than VPN servers. Still, though, dVPNs hold a lot of promise, and you may want to keep an eye on them as they develop. Here\u2019s how to try a decentralized VPN.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/840233\/decentralized-vpns-vs-regular-vpns-whats-the-difference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Decentralized VPNs vs. Regular VPNs: What\u2019s the Difference?&#8221; NicoElNino\/Shutterstock.com Decentralized VPNs or dVPNs rely on a network of internet-connected &#8220;node&#8221; devices rather than a collection of centralized servers like traditional VPNs. This can make dVPNs better for getting around internet censorship, and a dVPN&#8217;s associated cryptocurrency and blockchain may allow for lower costs and better&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":503168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/shutterstock_762800653.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-503167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/503168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}