Free VPN & Proxy Detector
Check if you're connected through a VPN, proxy, or Tor network — instantly. No signup required.
Datacenter IP Detected
Your IP belongs to a datacenter or hosting provider.
216.73.216.26
United States · Amazon.com
Your IP: 216.73.216.26
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I using a VPN right now?
This tool checks your current IP address against databases of known VPN providers, proxy services, Tor exit nodes, and datacenter IP ranges. If your connection is routed through a VPN, proxy, or Tor network, the detector will flag it instantly. Your IP is checked automatically when the page loads.
What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server in another location, replacing your real IP address with the VPN server's IP. This hides your actual location and ISP from websites you visit. Common VPN providers include NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and ProtonVPN.
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. Get instant results with IP geolocation and risk scoring included.
curl -X POST https://api.fidro.io/v1/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.