Check if an IP Is a VPN or Proxy
Paste any IP from your signup logs, fraud queue, or access logs and find out instantly if it is a VPN, proxy, Tor exit, or datacenter host. Free, no signup.
Datacenter IP Detected
Your IP belongs to a datacenter or hosting provider.
216.73.216.221
United States · Amazon.com
Need this in your signup flow?
The same detection is available as an API. 200 requests a month free, no credit card.
See the free APIYour IP: 216.73.216.221
VPN
Proxy
Tor
Datacenter
Location
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How VPN Detection Works
Database Matching
IP addresses are checked against continuously updated databases of known VPN providers, proxy services, and Tor exit nodes. These databases track millions of IP ranges operated by commercial VPN services.
Network Analysis
ASN ownership and ISP metadata reveal whether an IP belongs to a residential ISP or a datacenter. VPN servers almost always run on datacenter infrastructure, making them distinguishable from normal residential connections.
Behavioral Signals
Connection type metadata, hosting provider patterns, and historical IP reputation data provide additional signals. Combined with database matching and network analysis, this produces highly accurate detection results.
What We Check
Every IP address is checked against multiple detection methods to identify VPNs, proxies, and anonymizers.
VPN Detection
Detects connections from commercial VPN providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and hundreds more.
Proxy Detection
Identifies HTTP proxies, SOCKS proxies, and web-based proxy services used to mask real IP addresses.
Tor Detection
Checks against the live list of Tor relay and exit node IPs. Updated daily from the Tor Project directory.
Datacenter Detection
Identifies IPs belonging to cloud providers, hosting companies, and datacenters like AWS, DigitalOcean, and OVH.
VPN vs Proxy vs Tor: What's the Difference?
| Feature | VPN | Proxy | Tor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encryption | Full encryption (AES-256) | Usually none | Multi-layer encryption |
| Speed | Fast | Fast | Slow |
| Anonymity | Moderate (provider can see traffic) | Low (operator can see traffic) | High (no single node sees full path) |
| Common Use | Privacy, geo-unblocking | Web scraping, caching | Maximum anonymity |
| Detection Difficulty | Moderate | Easy | Easy (public exit node list) |
Why Businesses Detect VPNs
Fraud prevention. Fraudsters routinely use VPNs to hide their real location when making purchases with stolen credit cards or creating fake accounts. By detecting VPN usage, e-commerce sites can flag high-risk transactions for additional review before they result in chargebacks.
Geographic restrictions. Streaming services, sports broadcasters, and content platforms license content by region. VPN detection helps enforce these geographic licensing agreements by identifying users who are bypassing regional restrictions.
Free-tier abuse. SaaS products that offer free tiers are vulnerable to users creating multiple accounts from different VPN servers to circumvent usage limits. Detecting datacenter and VPN IPs helps identify and prevent this type of abuse at the signup level.
Account security. When a user's account is suddenly accessed from a VPN IP in a different country, it can indicate a compromised account. VPN detection adds a valuable signal to risk-based authentication systems, triggering additional verification steps when anomalous connections are detected.
How to Add VPN Detection to Your App
Most VPN detection services work through IP lookup APIs. You send an IP address, and the API returns whether that IP belongs to a VPN provider, proxy service, Tor exit node, or datacenter. The typical integration takes 15 minutes.
At signup
The most common integration point is during account registration. When a new user submits the signup form, check their IP address before creating the account. If a VPN is detected, you can block the signup, require additional verification (like phone number), or simply flag the account for manual review. This catches free-tier abuse and multi-accounting before it starts.
At login
For account security, check the IP on every login attempt. If a user who normally logs in from a residential IP in London suddenly appears on a VPN server in Romania, that is a strong signal that the account may be compromised. Use VPN detection as one input to a risk scoring system rather than a hard block, since legitimate users sometimes use VPNs for privacy.
At checkout
E-commerce fraud often involves VPNs to disguise the buyer's real location. When the billing address says New York but the IP resolves to a datacenter in Eastern Europe, that transaction deserves extra scrutiny. Combine VPN detection with address verification and device fingerprinting for the strongest fraud prevention.
Example: checking an IP with Fidro's API
// Node.js example
const response = await fetch('https://fidro.io/api/ip-lookup', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json',
},
body: JSON.stringify({ ip: req.ip }),
});
const data = await response.json();
if (data.checks.vpn || data.checks.proxy || data.checks.tor) {
// Flag for review or require extra verification
console.log('VPN/proxy detected:', data.ip);
}Fidro's API returns results in under 50ms. The free tier includes 200 lookups per month, which is enough to test the integration and validate it works for your use case before committing to a paid plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check if an IP address is a VPN?
Paste the IP address into the checker above. It is cross-referenced against databases of known VPN provider ranges, proxy services, Tor exit nodes, and datacenter ASNs, and you get an instant verdict with the ISP and location. This works for any IPv4 or IPv6 address, for example one pulled from your signup logs, fraud queue, or server access logs.
Is there a list of known VPN IP addresses?
There is no single static list, because VPN providers rotate and expand their IP ranges constantly. Reliable detection uses continuously updated databases that track millions of IPs across commercial VPN providers, plus ASN analysis to catch datacenter-hosted ranges. That is what this checker and the Fidro API query, so you do not have to maintain a list yourself.
How does VPN detection work?
VPN detection works by cross-referencing IP addresses against databases of known VPN provider IP ranges, analyzing ASN ownership to identify datacenter infrastructure, checking ISP metadata for hosting providers rather than residential ISPs, and monitoring Tor exit node lists. Multiple signals are combined to produce an accurate detection result.
What's the difference between a VPN, proxy, and Tor?
A VPN encrypts all your traffic and routes it through a single server, it's fast and protects your entire connection. A proxy only routes specific application traffic (like your browser) and usually doesn't encrypt it. Tor routes traffic through three random volunteer nodes for maximum anonymity but is significantly slower. All three mask your real IP address.
Can a VPN be detected?
Yes. While VPNs hide your real IP address, the VPN server's IP can be identified as belonging to a VPN provider. Detection methods include matching IPs against known VPN provider ranges, identifying datacenter hosting rather than residential ISPs, and analyzing ASN ownership. No VPN can make its server IP look like a residential connection to a well-maintained detection database.
Why do businesses detect VPNs?
Businesses detect VPNs to prevent fraud, enforce geographic licensing restrictions, stop free-tier abuse, and improve account security. E-commerce sites flag orders from VPN IPs to reduce chargebacks, streaming services enforce regional content licensing, and SaaS platforms prevent users from creating multiple free accounts.
Is this VPN detector free?
Yes, this tool is completely free with no signup required. For higher-volume needs, Fidro offers a free API plan with 200 lookups per month, no credit card required. Paid plans start at $29/month for 5,000 lookups with full VPN, proxy, and Tor detection.
Need VPN detection at scale?
Add VPN, proxy, and Tor detection to your app with one API call. You get IP geolocation and a weighted risk score, not just a true or false flag. See how the VPN detection API scores a request.
curl -X POST https://fidro.io/api/ip-lookup \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-d '{"ip": "203.0.113.42"}'Also check out our email checker, IP checker, domain checker, and bulk email checker.
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