Many VPN related questions in /r/Tor are very repetitive, which is frustrating to regulars. We will direct all such questions to this thread instead of individual posts. Please use the search function before asking, and read the rest of this post.
You might have seen conflicting advice on this, and now you just want the definitive answer. Unfortunately, there's no simple yes/no answer.
In general, you don't need to use a VPN with Tor. Tor is designed to provide anonymity on its own. Tor Project generally recommends against it.
A VPN probably doesn't help nor hurt your anonymity. If you already have an always-on VPN, you can use Tor Browser without turning it off.
A VPN might conceal from your internet service provider (ISP) the fact that you're using Tor, in exchange for giving the VPN provider this insight. None of them can see what you're using Tor for, only that you're using it. Keep in mind that you don't have strong anonymity from your VPN; they can see where you connect from, and if you paid non-anonymously, they know your identity outright.
If you worry specifically about your internet provider knowing you use Tor, you should look into bridges.
If you're in a small community where you might be the only person connecting to Tor (such as a workplace or a school), and you use Tor to talk about that community, the network administrators might be able to infer that it's you. A VPN or a bridge protects against this.
For more on aspects of VPN with Tor, see TorPlusVPN.
r/TOR • u/Realistic_Dig8176 • Jun 13 '25
On behalf of all the participating large-scale Tor operators, we want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who joined us for this Ask Me Anything. Quite a few questions were answered and there were some insightful discussion.
We hope that we've been able to shed some light on the challenges, rewards, and vital importance of operating Tor infrastructure. Every relay, big or small, contributes to a more private and secure internet for users worldwide.
Remember, the Tor network is a community effort. If you're inspired to learn more or even consider running a relay yourself, don't hesitate to join the Tor Relay Operators channel on Matrix, the #tor-relays channel on IRC, the mailing list or forums. There are fantastic resources available to help you out and many operators are very willing to lend you a hand in your journey as a Tor operator. Every new operator strengthens the network's resilience and capacity.
Thank you again for your good curiosity and question. Keep advocating for privacy and freedoms, and we look forward to seeing you in the next one!
Ever wondered what it takes to keep the Tor network running? Curious about the operational complexities, technical hurdles and legal challenges of running Tor relays (at scale)? Want to know more about the motivations of the individuals safeguarding online anonymity and freedom for millions worldwide?
Today we're hosting an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with four experienced large-scale Tor operators! This is your chance to directly engage with the people running this crucial network. Ask them anything about:
This AMA offers a unique opportunity to gain firsthand insights into anything you have been curious about. And maybe we can also bust a few myths and perhaps inspire others in joining us.
Today, Tor operators will answer all your burning questions between 08:00-23:00 UTC.
This translates to the following local times:
| Timezone | abbreviation | Local times |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Daylight Time | EDT | 04:00-19:00 |
| Pacific Daylight Time | PDT | 01:00-16:00 |
| Central European Summer Time | CEST | 10:00-01:00 |
| Eastern European Summer Time | EEST | 11:00-02:00 |
| Australian Eastern Standard Time | AEST | 18:00-09:00 |
| Japan Standard Time | JST | 17:00-08:00 |
| Australian Western Standard Time | AWST | 16:00-07:00 |
| New Zealand Standard Time | NZST | 20:00-11:00 |
Four excellent large scale Tor operators are willing to answer all your burning questions. Together they are good for almost 40% of the total Tor exit capacity. Let's introduce them!
R0cket (tor.r0cket.net) is part of a Swedish hosting provider that is driven by a core belief in a free and open internet. They run Tor relays to help users around the world access information privately and circumvent censorship.
Nothing to hide (nothingtohide.nl) is a non-profit privacy infrastructure provider based in the Netherlands. They run Tor relays and other privacy-enhancing services. Nothing to hide is part of the Church of Cyberology, a religion grounded in the principles of (digital) freedom and privacy.
Artikel10 (artikel10.org) is a Tor operator based in Hamburg/Germany. Artikel10 is a non-profit member-based association that is dedicated to upholding the fundamental rights to secure and confidential communication.
CCC Stuttgard (cccs.de) is a member-based branch association of the well known Chaos Computer Club from Germany. CCCS is all about technology and the internet and in light of that they passionately advocate for digital civil rights through practical actions, such as running Tor relays.
Account authenticity can be verified by opening https://domain.tld/.well-known/ama.txt files hosted on the primary domain of these organizations. These text files will contain: "AMA reddit=username mastodon=username".
Because Reddit is not available to all users of the Tor network, we also provide a parallel AMA account on Mastodon. We will cross-post the questions asked there to the Reddit AMA post. Link to Mastodon: mastodon.social/@tor_ama@mastodon.social.
r/TOR • u/Bakedfly420 • 6h ago
I clicked on tor browser & it said to update but I didn’t, now no tor pages are working/loading ? Do I need to do tor update? I’m just worried about messing around with any of the settings as I just set up account. Everyone’s replies will be appreciated but especially Australian replies would be greatly appreciated, thank you , please help .
r/TOR • u/K0neSecOps • 1d ago
Running a “free VPN” doesn’t make you safe. It makes you the product. Your traffic becomes a data stream to be harvested, monetised, and possibly stored forever. That’s the trade you’ve already lost before you even typed in a password.
Contrast that with TOR. TOR is not a corporation in disguise, not a honeypot built to strip-mine you. It is a public utility for anonymity, resilience, and resistance. And here’s the part most people refuse to face: TOR only works if enough of us share the burden. Exit nodes are the bloodstream. Without them, the network suffocates. Without them, you are trapped in the illusion of privacy while every packet you send is tagged and filed.
The people watching you because there are always people watching want you passive. They want you lulled into tapping “connect VPN” and believing the story ends there. They want you fragmented, atomised, isolated. If TOR dies from neglect, so does the last line between ordinary citizens and total surveillance.
The simple act of running a TOR exit node is not a hobbyist’s quirk. It is a civic duty in a time when the concept of private thought itself is under siege. The state doesn’t need to outlaw dissent if it can map it in real time. Advertisers don’t need to persuade if they can predict. The only countermeasure is a living, breathing network of exit nodes run by people who refuse to be herded.
This isn’t about convenience. It’s about survival of autonomy. If you run a TOR exit node, you are strengthening the immune system of the entire UK digital body. If you don’t, you are leaving it to rot.
The watchers count on your inertia. Break it. Run an exit node.
r/TOR • u/Agitated-Owl5330 • 41m ago
Hello to everyone,I am new into this kind of things so I want to know is there any search engine that give deep and best results for surface web and are legal
r/TOR • u/Steel_Robert • 43m ago
I’ve been looking for a solid iOS app to use on the Onion (Tor) network. Primarily on my iPad. I’ve tried a few different ones, but they’ve caused problems—mainly messing with Safari and Google.
App recommendations and setup tips would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!n
r/TOR • u/troianmuso • 5h ago
Sorry if this sounds stupid, but when using the Tor browser on an android phone do you need to use the Orbot app too?
r/TOR • u/LingonberrySame575 • 3h ago
Hi! How anonymous it is if browse sites?
r/TOR • u/Single-Elevator-8810 • 15h ago
If someone wanted to create a new user account for a website that they access when using TOR, and made sure never to log in to same account with a standard normal browser, would that account theoretically be non-traceable back to the user?
Like, if someone just started using their old account that they had previously set-up and used on Firefox or Chrome, it would be pointless because that account was already used on non-onion browser. But if the new account was created in TOR and only ever accessed through TOR, would said account be relatively untraceable back to the user?
Thanks
r/TOR • u/Budget_Link1545 • 13h ago
So, how does the "you can host onion sites" work? Is it like creating a website and giving the URL to someone to join?
r/TOR • u/Legitimate-Ad7516 • 14h ago
What's cool to do on the Tor network in 2025??
r/TOR • u/PowerfulBath2736 • 10h ago
Tor is not honeypot, meanwhile tor: pic related. https://metrics.torproject.org/rs.html#map
r/TOR • u/Kuuvir109 • 1d ago
Can someone help me achieve this? I’ve been trying for the past 3 weeks. It works on my portable tor browser but now using the expert bundle idk why. Most of the time on the heavily censored network it just stops at 14% no matter what I do. I figured out that meek is the only one that works on tor browser but can’t get the same result with the expert bundle. Any help would be appreciated.
r/TOR • u/Lanky_Anxiety7119 • 1d ago
Hey, i have a Problem. Since i‘m back from vacation my orbot doesnt work anymore. The moment i press „connect“ the app completely crashes. To be honest i dont know how to fix it. I tried different bridges and it doesnt work. Before everything worked fine.
I unistalled and installed again multiple times (from guardianproject) and restarted too.
Any ideas?
r/TOR • u/Frandobrando • 1d ago
Specifically if i go on pirate sites for movies or pirate and download games, because they seemed to really want to crack down against it during the induction. This is in England btw.
Sorry if its a dumb or common question.
Edit: I do not condone any sort of piracy and will not and have not commited piracy. This is not and admission of huilt.
r/TOR • u/periodender • 1d ago
r/TOR • u/_vhizzda_ • 2d ago
Is there a way to run an exit node, without running the risk of the police knocking on your door ever so often?
r/TOR • u/_vhizzda_ • 2d ago
Hi, I heard, that the TOR network is supposed to be quite slow. However, I recently did a speed test via TOR browser and reached 60 Mbit/s. I could also watch YouTube no problem. Is that normal?
r/TOR • u/Steel_Robert • 2d ago
I’m running Tor Browser on iPadOS. Whenever I get logged out of a site due to session timeout or login restrictions, I have to fully reboot my device before I can reconnect. Is this expected behavior, or is there a workaround?
r/TOR • u/Turbulent_Bake9879 • 2d ago
I was wondering if the internet provider can see any activity on tor like links visited or tor being used in general? How about someone with access to internet router?
Edit: Thank you for all the responses
r/TOR • u/OldUniversity3296 • 2d ago
Is it better to let TOR select the onion url or should you look for your own? Please tell me if this should be in r/onion and not here.
r/TOR • u/EnbyFemboyGoober_UwO • 3d ago
Feeling a little silly about it after hearing it's used alot for illegal purposes lmao
r/TOR • u/Firm-Competition165 • 4d ago
not here to knock TOR, i have a genuine question. TOR crushes all the other tests, pretty much, but i noticed on this test about blocking scripts and pixels that can/do track you, TOR failed. it does block all tracking cookies. are the scripts and pixels not as nefarious as the cookies? also, this is with TOR's default settings, which i've heard you're not supposed to tinker with.
i daily drive Librewolf, but have TOR and Mullvad's browser for other options. just trying to learn more about TOR 🤷♂️ TIA!
r/TOR • u/bigBrother420690 • 3d ago
Why is the the default installation of tor with the default installation of tails (meaning from the main tails website) keep including this extension when I look it up and Google says don't have any extensions with tor. Also noScript is on there.
r/TOR • u/Grzester23 • 3d ago
I'm new to TOR and I've heard you don't really want to change any settings (aside from the Security Settings and Bridges) to keep a non-unique browser fingerprint. Is the default search engine (aka what you search with when typing queries to the URL bar) also one of these settings you don't want to touch? I never had good experience with DuckDuckGo but I'm using Startpage for almost a year and it's been working way better. I see TOR has them listed as one of the default options, so is switching to it in the settings fine?
Also another thing, is it safe to install uBlock Origin? I was surprised to not see it installed by default.
this is one of the strangest bugs i have seen in a while
when i change my browser safety to the safest setting and restart the browser, i cant connect at all. the logs are empty so i think it just cant open the tor exe? it works before changing it tho
also running the tor exe by itself works fine so i dont know how this could happen
it works when i restart my pc but i dont wanna keep doing that
