DNS vs VPN

[RukasuRi]

Hey guys,


so I recently found out that you could use private dns to remove most bloating ads. Some I found working pretty well is 

dns.adguard.com

But is using private dns safe? What is the difference between this and using VPN?


Thanks for all good info
Cheers

[x3vyx]

its safe, vpn is for u to mask your traffic to your isp

[RukasuRi]

any good pointers to recognise who is a good vpn service provider?

[rikusky]

Auriez-vous des conseils pour reconnaître un bon fournisseur de services VPN ?

Vous avez le choix entre plusieurs fournisseurs plus ou moins réputés (Nord VPN, IPVANISH, PureVPN...) et cela dépend aussi de ce que vous voulez en faire.

[tiggs]

any good pointers to recognise who is a good vpn service provider?

Mullvad & Proton both have good VPNs. They have good encryption, good logging policies, and servers in my country & all over the world. Proton at least also has a free version where you’re restricted to certain servers & limited in device count.

[nexus42]

adguard's safe.
Use vpns for hiding traffic from your ISP

[coderuby]

I recommend setting up pihole or AdguardHome with upstream encrypted dns (DoH or DoT). Because your ISP still can see all your dns traffic even if you changed it to another dns provider unless you're using DoH or DoT.

[coderuby]

I'm guessing you're using android. Private dns is safe and recommended as it is using encrypted dns (DoT). But switching to private dns does not hide your real ip or bypass geo restrictions. For that you need a vpn.

[ahassanj]

Private dns is safe. VPNs are used to hide your ip (and therefore your identity). Good vpns are safe too.

[Uncombed1554]

Hey guys,


so I recently found out that you could use private dns to remove most bloating ads. Some I found working pretty well is 

dns.adguard.com

But is using private dns safe? What is the difference between this and using VPN?


Thanks for all good info
Cheers

Private DNS is pretty safe, AdGuard is a good pick. NextDNS is another one worth trying since you can customize what gets blocked. (I use NextDNS).

The big difference from a VPN is that DNS only changes where your domain lookups go, your actual traffic still goes through your ISP as normal.
So they can still "see" what sites you visit.
A VPN routes everything through another server and encrypts it, way heavier but gives you proper privacy.

For blocking ads DNS works really well and has no real downsides, no speed hit, no battery drain.
Only thing it won't catch is ads served from the same domain as the content, so YouTube ads get through no matter what.
Only thing to keep in mind is you're handing your query logs to whoever runs the DNS, so just use something reputable. AdGuard, NextDNS and Cloudflare are solid.