The "security status" section on Show-IP.ir shows whether your IP is flagged as a Proxy, VPN/Datacenter, or Tor. All three share a common goal — changing or hiding your IP — but they work very differently under the hood. Here's a plain-language comparison.
What is a proxy?
A proxy sits between you and the internet: it takes your request, forwards it to the destination, and relays the response back. It usually only carries traffic from one specific app or browser, and often doesn't encrypt anything. It's fast and lightweight, but offers limited security and privacy — your network operator or the proxy itself can see your traffic.
What is a VPN?
A VPN builds an encrypted tunnel between your device and a VPN server, and typically routes all of your device's internet traffic through it, not just one app. Your ISP only sees that you're connected to the VPN server, not what's happening inside the tunnel. For more detail, see how a VPN changes your IP.
What is Tor?
Tor (The Onion Router) routes your traffic through at least three independent, volunteer-run relays around the world, wrapped in multiple layers of encryption. No single relay ever sees both where you came from and where you're going. Tor's privacy and anonymity are much stronger than a typical VPN, but the multi-hop routing usually makes it slower.
Quick comparison
- Encryption: a plain proxy usually has none; VPN and Tor both encrypt.
- Speed: proxy > VPN > Tor, generally.
- Anonymity: Tor > VPN > proxy.
- Traffic coverage: proxy usually covers one app; VPN covers the whole device; Tor usually covers the Tor browser.
- Trust required: proxy and VPN both require trusting one company; Tor spreads that trust across several independent relay operators.
Why do sites detect these?
Security services maintain databases of known proxy IPs, VPN exit servers, and Tor exit nodes — because these addresses are usually shared by hundreds or thousands of users and carry a higher risk of abuse (spam, fraud, attacks). That's why you may see more CAPTCHAs or get rate-limited on them; we cover this in more detail in checking whether your IP is blacklisted.
Which one should you use?
- Just bypassing a simple restriction, security isn't critical: a proxy is enough.
- Everyday use, security on public Wi-Fi, hiding your IP from sites: a reputable VPN is the balanced choice.
- Maximum anonymity, speed is not a priority: Tor is the better fit.
Key takeaways
- A proxy is fast but usually unencrypted and less secure.
- A VPN encrypts all your traffic and balances speed with privacy well.
- Tor gives the strongest anonymity but is slower.
- All three can get flagged in Show-IP.ir's "security status" section, because their IPs are shared and carry higher risk.