First, it’s difficult to track and monitor activity on the dark web since much of it is encrypted. The dark web allows people to access and share all sorts of illegal and explicit material without judgment or censorship. When you open your default browser, Freenet will be ready and running through its web-based interface. Note you should use a separate browser than the one you normally use to help ensure anonymity. Obviously, finding these .onion websites is the first challenge, as they won’t show up in Google search results.
How We Selected The Best VPNs For The Dark Web
To conceal your Tor usage from ISPs and other third parties, we recommend using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for the dark web. The ISP can then suspect you’re doing something illegal, as Tor is, in most cases, used for the dark web. In short, Tor isn’t enough to protect you from all sides, beckoning the use of a VPN for the dark web on top.
How Do I Know I’m Connected To Tor?
You can install it on any USB stick that has at least 8 GB of space. Tails works on most computers manufactured in the last 10 years. While this is good advice for any type of web browsing, be particularly careful not to offer up any personal details, such as your credit card info or email address. Use cryptocurrency to buy anything, and use a disposable email address for any type of communication on the dark web. Keep in mind what you’re looking for, find that information, and disconnect from the dark web. As enticing as it might be, don’t follow links to other parts of the dark web.
The site offers downloads for macOS, Windows, Linux, and Android. While an iOS version of the official Tor browser is not available, there are Tor-compatible browsers available in the App Store. It’s important to choose the best VPN based on a few key points.
Related Articles From The Safe Browsing Section
- Using OpenVPN enables you to leverage IPVanish’s Scramble feature, which obfuscates traffic so that it can bypass VPN blocks.
- Some think it’s a forbidden part of the internet and shouldn’t be dwelled.
- I find it’s well worth investing in a quality VPN for maximum security, guaranteed anonymity, and a high-speed global server network.
- On top of that, you’ll find valuable tips for accessing the dark web with a VPN at the end of my guide, including the best Tor settings.
- Overall, though, Private Internet Access is a really affordable VPN that’s every bit as secure and private as some of the top-ranking VPNs.
- Phones are more vulnerable to tracking, and mobile Tor usage can be tricky to secure.
Despite being the second-best VPN for the dark web in 2025, its limits include even app compatibility. For example, it offers just one connection per account, and streaming is very limited. Our tests showed it won’t work with Netflix, which some users might end up despising.
- Not only do you need a dark web browser, you need a dark web search engine too.
- Keep in mind what you’re looking for, find that information, and disconnect from the dark web.
- This not only masks your real IP address but also ensures that your online activities remain hidden from prying eyes, making it an essential tool for dark web users.
- Further, all of its 3,000+ servers are RAM-based, meaning they’re completely wiped whenever they’re reset.
Our Criteria For Excellent Dark Web VPNs
He strives to make complex cybersecurity topics accessible and understandable to the broadest audiences. In his spare time, Michael likes writing fiction, reading murder mystery novels, and spending time with his family. As a general rule, never download anything at all from the dark web. There are all sorts of threats on the dark web, and it’s all but impossible to verify whether a file is legitimate, so you’re likely to inadvertently download malware to your device.
PrivateVPN is another relatively unusual provider in that it offers the VPN Over Tor configuration. The company’s website provides detailed instructions on how to use it. Again, we don’t recommend this method, though it might be preferred if the security of Tor exit nodes is of concern. For its part, Mullvad says that it would “cease operation of our service” if forced by legal means to spy on users.
Best Antivirus For Windows 10: Expert Recommendations For 2023
The links may well lead to scams, malware, and phishing sites that look indistinguishable from a genuine site. One of the many benefits of top-tier VPNs is that they can help you access geo-restricted streaming content. To work out which of them are best at it, we evaluate them against nine different metrics.
If you just want to dabble in the dark web and are looking for an easy-to-use and stable VPN, this service is the ideal choice. It does offer a fairly small selection of servers, especially considering what some other VPNs on this list provide. Looking at its features, there are a few more very valuable ones. Firstly, there’s the CleanWeb feature that protects you against any ads, malware, and trackers. There’s also a NoBorders Mode that allows you to use Surfshark anywhere in the world, regardless of the country’s online censorship levels. NordVPN is based in Panama and has a zero-logs policy, so you don’t have to worry about any potential privacy issues when using this service.
Conclusion: Access The Dark Web Safely And Responsibly
Data gleaned from ransomware and data breaches is available on the dark web. Millions of customers’ personal data, including names, addresses, bank account and credit card account information, and many other forms of sensitive data. Those who access the dark web do so via the Tor (The Onion Router) browser.
onion Website Support
Both rely on a peer-to-peer routing structure and layered encryption to make browsing private and anonymous. Tor over VPN requires you to place some trust in your VPN provider but not your ISP, and is best if you want to access .onion websites. VPN over Tor requires you to place trust in your ISP but not your VPN and is best if you want to avoid bad Tor exit nodes. Some consider VPN over Tor more secure because it maintains anonymity throughout the entire process (assuming you pay for your VPN anonymously).
Want to enhance your browsing experience without compromising speed or security? Imagine a hacker gaining access to your CEO’s laptop or a malware infection spreading across your … Yes, many organizations monitor the dark web for cybersecurity intelligence—always in line with legal compliance. For that, vpnAlert provides you with objective VPN reviews, as well as comprehensive guides and tutorials. In this day and age, we understand the importance of online privacy and security and we want to help you make well-informed decisions. I recommend using the Tor Over VPN method when partaking in dark web activities.
The VPN service is compatible with a wide range of devices and platforms including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and routers. Before using Tor, you need to connect to a VPN server and THEN open Tor, and start browsing. Doing so, you’ll encrypt your connection right away, making it completely unreadable and untraceable from the get-go. Our top dark web VPNs balance affordability and premium features, starting at just over $2/month.
It has some of the fastest speeds I’ve seen and with over 5,500 servers it operates one of the largest networks on the market. Further, NordVPN doesn’t restrict or throttle the user’s speed or bandwidth in any way, which is ideal given how slow the Tor browser can be. The advantages of I2P are based on a much faster and more reliable network. Additionally, I2P doesn’t rely on hidden directories that serve as a resource for .onion domains. When you install a VPN, all of your activities on the dark web will be hidden from unwanted snoops from your ISP or the FBI. The VPN is a second layer of extra protection, on top of the protection that the Tor network already offers.
