After Apple releases an ICU Private Relay, users of the Safari browser will have the ability to extend their online privacy. The question is whether this feature can replace a traditional VPN. Well, let’s look at the details to help you decide which option best fits your needs.
iCloud Private Relay vs. VPN: Which Is the Right Choice for You?
Understanding iCloud Private Relay
iCloud Private Relay is a feature for the protection of online privacy when using Safari. Available to iCloud+ subscribers, it encrypts your Safari web traffic and masks your IP address so that not even Apple, let alone anyone else, could be tracking your online activity.
How does iCloud Private Relay Work?
When you turn on Private Relay in Safari, it does the following: Your internet traffic will travel via two different relays.
- First Relay (Apple-operated): This relay encrypts your data but doesn’t know your IP address.
- Second Relay (Third-party partner): The second relay decrypts your destination website and uses a temporary IP address from your general region, effectively concealing your real IP address.
How iCloud Private Relay Differs from a VPN?
Though both iCloud Private Relay and VPN improve privacy over the internet, they do so in very different ways and provide fundamentally different kinds of protection.
Device Protection
- VPN: It encrypts all Internet traffic from a device to provide full protection in web browsing, apps, and other online activities.
- iCloud Private Relay: It only encrypts the Safari web traffic but leaves all the rest unprotected.
IP Address Spoofing
- VPN: It provides an option to choose from a large network of servers across the world and lets one change their IP address to nearly any location and get around geo-restrictions.
- iCloud Private Relay: Assigns you a temporary IP address related to your general region. As most content is restricted to certain locations, access might be restricted.
DNS Leak Protection
- VPN: Almost all VPNs include DNS leak protection that ensures your DNS queries are protected under the blanket of encryption and aren’t exposed.
- iCloud Private Relay: It encrypts DNS requests, so it protects from DNS leaks.
Connection Speed
- VPN: This may slow you down a bit sometimes due to the encryption involved and the distance from its VPN server. Simultaneously, good paid VPNs will have been optimized so as not to cause minimum interference with the speed of the user.
- iCloud Private Relay: normally affects very little on the speed at which one is browsing through. Thus, it can offer a better experience when browsing through websites.
Pricing
- VPN: Subscription fees are usually required for them, usually in the range of $3 to $12 a month depending on the provider and the plan.
–iCloud Private Relay: It is included with the iCloud+ subscription, starting at $0.99 a month.
How to Pick Between iCloud Private Relay and a VPN?
It all depends on your requirements:
- If you pretty much only use Safari for web access and want general privacy protection, then in those cases, iCloud Private Relay is sufficient.
- If you want full protection when using apps and streaming services, then definitely a VPN.
- You want to access geo-restricted content or at least care about having strong online security: So, in these two instances, a VPN is preferred.
More Tips on Keeping Yourself Safe Online:
Even with iCloud Private Relay or using a VPN, good online security practices are still to be followed:
Strong, unique passwords must be used.
Never hop onto a public Wi-Fi without protection. - Keep your software and apps up to date.
Wrapping It All
Though iCloud Private Relay represents a very useful step up in privacy protection, it is still very light compared to the more serious protection and control that could be enjoyed through using a VPN. This alone makes spending money on an above-board and reputable VPN provider worth the cost for additional online privacy and security.
Interested in looking deeper into special VPN providers, or do you have any other questions about protection while online? Feel free to leave a line and empower yourself in the realm of online security.
