How Tor Works
Tor routes your traffic through three random volunteer servers (nodes) worldwide. Each node only knows the previous and next hop, so no single point can trace your activity. This provides strong anonymity but adds significant latency.
Speed: Proxy Wins
Tor is notoriously slow because traffic bounces through three servers. Web proxies are much faster — you connect to one server and get the content. For everyday browsing, video streaming, or downloads, Tor is impractical.
Anonymity: Tor Wins
Tor provides the strongest anonymity available. Even sophisticated adversaries struggle to trace Tor traffic. Proxies can be compromised, logged, or operated by malicious parties. For high-stakes privacy, Tor is superior.
Ease of Use: Proxy Wins
Web proxies work in any browser with no installation. Tor requires downloading the Tor Browser. Some websites block Tor exit nodes, making them unusable. Proxies have fewer restrictions.
When to Use Each
Use a proxy for: casual browsing, accessing blocked content, speed-sensitive tasks. Use Tor for: whistleblowing, circumventing censorship in dangerous regions, accessing .onion sites, and when your safety depends on anonymity.