A person is currently using Surfshark VPN with OpenVPN and the NoBorders feature. I’ve heard that using OpenVPN with Surfshark should, in theory, make it difficult for websites to detect that he is using a VPN (it’s their “camuflage mode”). However, I’ve noticed that some websites still recognize that he is using a VPN. Is this a problem with Surfshark, or is there something else going on?
Additionally, would Proton VPN be better for hiding the fact that he is using a VPN?
Thank you.
Other apps/websites/entities have many ways to learn that you are using a VPN. To me, this is not an issue unless they are blocking access to them via VPNs - in which case most times I simply avoid using the website/service/what have you as me being on VPN is more important. But this is a personal decision.
Surfshark is not a recommended VPN service you should use. Proton, IVPN, and Mullvad are the ones highly recommended.
ProtonVPN + Stealth Mode should provide you closest to what you’re looking for as far as I know. And yes, Proton would be significantly better to use.
It is going to be difficult if not impossible to answer this with certainty and objectively. But I would imagine Proton + Stealth mode is better as Proton itself is far superior than Surfshark.
From you are you trying the fact that you use a VPN?
Afaik camouflage mode and stealth do no try to achieve this but rather to hide this from your isp !
Exactly, none of these features are designed to prevent websites from knowing you are using a VPN. The way they do that is by recognising that your IP address belongs to a known VPN provider. The only way around this is for VPN providers to maintain large swaths of servers, frequently rotate IP addresses, and minimise malicious use of their IPs.
Exactly. I’d still only recommend Proton VPN for trust reasons.
One option could be to pick a vpn provider whose IPs are least likely to not be on the “VPN providers” list (one that uses residential IPs maybe?) and use your secure, primary VPN provider chained with such provider. This way you retain privacy but sacrifice latency and cost. And of course it might be complex to set up, you likely have to have the primary VPN set at router level and this probably won’t work on mobile outside of that.
You can’t hide that you are using your VPN. The simple fact that you route your requests to a different IP will make it clear you are using a VPN.
What you might want is something censorship-resistant, in which case I would recommend Mullvad.
Windscribe VPN provides a residential IP. Which means you get a non VPN IP that is not blocked by any services, websites. However that feature costs almost twice as much as Mullvad or Proton VPN.
Why do you want to hide the fact that you are using a VPN? This is the most important thing.
in that case i think a residential proxy from a reputable service would likely work and not flagged
also big tech vpn unlikey to be blocked. eg cloudflare warp or apple relay.
connect to a trusted vpn first and tunnel it to those big tech vpn
At the end of the day, if you want the privacy benefits of VPNs, you have to accept the cons. And because VPNs group hundred/thousand users traffic together, one of them is going to be malicious.
Your best bet is probably a VPN providers that advertise streaming servers.
I think the post you replied to was removed. For what “trust reasons” would you only recommend Proton VPN?
I can’t speak for @phnx but most VPN services tend to be ran by shady companies who often lie to potential customers about exactly what their service does. Through sponsorships and affiliate programs, they incentivize websites and content creators to further spread their misleading marketing. Privacy Guides’ recommended services meet strict criteria and can be trusted over most fake VPN review sites (which primarily operate to profit off affiliate marketing) as they are a non-profit which doesn’t include any VPN affiliate links or sponsorships.
I don’t think they were suggesting only ProtonVPN, but in this post OP is asking about Surfshark vs Proton hence the recommendation for Proton.
Ah, yeah, of course, that’s why, thanks
Thank you, that is exactly what I meant. Unfortunately posts get deleted by users sometimes which can make old conversations hard to follow.
Profiling network performance characteristics and invasive fingerprinting is possible as soon as you start requesting and downloading services from a remote web server. If they are sophisticated enough I don’t think it is likely you can really hide that you are using a VPN.