VPN vs HTTPS: What’s the Difference?
HTTPS and VPNs both use encryption, but they protect different parts of your internet connection. Here’s what each one actually does.
Most websites today use HTTPS. That’s the encryption you see represented by the lock icon in your browser.
Because HTTPS already encrypts website traffic, it’s reasonable to wonder whether a VPN is still necessary.
The difference is that HTTPS protects your connection to a specific website, while a VPN protects the connection between your device and the VPN server.
What Does HTTPS Do?
HTTPS encrypts information sent between your browser and a website.
That includes things like passwords, payment information, messages, searches, and information submitted through online forms.
Without HTTPS, someone monitoring the network could potentially read information being transmitted between you and the website.
HTTPS solves that problem very well, but it does not hide your public IP address from the website you visit.
What Does a VPN Do?
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a VPN server.
Your Device → VPN Server → Internet
Instead of websites connecting directly back to your normal public IP address, they see the IP address of the VPN server.
Your internet provider or the operator of the Wi-Fi network you’re using can see that your device is communicating with a VPN server, but the VPN tunnel prevents them from directly inspecting the traffic traveling inside it.
VPN vs HTTPS
| Feature | HTTPS | VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Encrypts website traffic | Yes | Yes |
| Hides your normal IP from websites | No | Yes |
| Protects traffic outside your browser | No | Yes |
| Changes your public IP address | No | Yes |
Do You Need a VPN If Websites Already Use HTTPS?
HTTPS makes browsing much safer, but it does not replace everything a VPN does.
If you connect to an HTTPS website while using a VPN, both technologies work at the same time.
The VPN encrypts traffic between your device and the VPN server. HTTPS then provides encryption between your browser and the website itself.
Why Your IP Address Still Matters
Even when a website uses HTTPS, the website can still see the public IP address making the connection.
That IP address can reveal information such as your approximate location and internet provider.
A VPN replaces that visible IP address with the IP address of the VPN server.
What About Shared VPN IP Addresses?
Many VPN services place large numbers of customers behind the same VPN servers and IP addresses.
That can sometimes lead to CAPTCHAs, verification requests, blocked websites, or poor IP reputation when other people using the same address generate abusive traffic.
NorexVPN uses a different model. Each deployment provides a dedicated WireGuard VPN server and dedicated public IP address rather than placing large numbers of unrelated customers behind the same server.
The Bottom Line
HTTPS and VPNs are not competing technologies.
HTTPS protects data exchanged with websites. A VPN protects the connection between your device and the VPN server while also changing the public IP address websites see.
For people who want additional privacy, especially when using public or untrusted networks, using HTTPS and a VPN together provides protection at different parts of the connection.
NorexVPN provides dedicated WireGuard VPN servers with dedicated IP addresses. Learn more at norexvpn.com.
