You’re less likely to be added to a blacklist You won’t have to go through as many extra verification processes You’ll be able to email faster You can easily work from home
A dedicated IP address also comes with some disadvantages. Firstly, it affects your online privacy. Secondly, it’ll often cost you extra. Even so, a dedicated IP is the perfect solution for many VPN users. Would you like to use a dedicated IP? Not all VPN providers offer this possibility. A good provider that does, is NordVPN:
What is a Dedicated IP?
A dedicated IP is an IP address that is only used by one person. Most of the time when you connect to a VPN server, you share that IP address with a lot of other users. You choose a server location, let’s say New York, and will get assigned an IP with that location. This same IP address is also used by many other VPN users that chose New York. In short, the data traffic of more than one person is being sent through the same VPN server. This isn’t the case with a dedicated IP. With a dedicated IP service, the provider will assign you a static IP address that only you can use. This IP will be different than your actual local IP, of course, so you’ll still be protected online. All your data traffic will be sent through that IP without losing any control of your privacy. Moreover, no one else can use your dedicated IP. Sadly, most dedicated IPs do cost an extra bit of money. Different VPN providers might use different names for their dedicated IP option. VPN Unlimited, for example, calls them “personal static IPs” and even offers complete personal servers. For more information about IP addresses, you can read our article “What is my IP address“, which will allow you to check the IP you’re using to surf the web at this very moment.
What is the Difference Between a Dedicated IP and a Shared IP?
The difference between a dedicated and a shared IP might already have become clear from the explanation above. Regardless, because this difference is so important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of dedicated IPs, we want to devote some extra time to it. With a dedicated IP address you always have the exact same IP address, wherever you are. You can always connect to that one IP address on that specific VPN-server. As the name suggests, you share a shared IP with others. This is the norm for many VPN providers. It means you’ll take on the same IP address as different users of the same provider. Both your data and the traffic of dozens of other people across the entire world will be sent through the same server. For example, several people might be using the same New York server in order to get access to Netflix. Moreover, you’ll often be assigned different IPs when you connect to VPN servers that only have shared addresses. VPN providers often move users from one IP address to another for added safety. Whether you’re connecting to a different server location or not, you’ll likely always have a change in your public IP when you just use shared IPs. This isn’t the case with dedicated IPs. The image below illustrates the difference between the two types of IP addresses.
The Advantages of a Dedicated IP Address
There are quite a few advantages to using a dedicated IP address over a shared IP, both for individual users and businesses. We’ve listed the most important ones below.
Stay off the blacklist
One of the biggest advantages of a dedicated IP is that your IP address won’t be blacklisted as easily. When you have a dedicated IP, you’ll be the only person using that particular IP address, while shared IP addresses have many, many users. This has a different effect on how websites will receive you as a visitor: a dedicated IP won’t cause any suspicion. Let’s take Netflix as an example. Imagine you’re using a shared IP offered by a VPN provider to watch Netflix. Very likely you won’t be the only one doing so. Since many people will try to get access to different Netflix accounts from this same shared IP, the streaming service will become suspicious. They’ll know they’re likely looking at an IP address from a VPN service. They won’t be able to verify from what location the many different users of that IP are actually trying to reach their content. Netflix offers different series and movies depending on your location. If the company can’t determine your actual location, they’ll therefore block access altogether. The shared IP you’re using to watch Netflix will be added to their blacklist. As a result, you won’t be able to watch any of the content using that IP address any longer. Instead, you’ll get to see a notification telling you to turn off your proxy if you want to get access once more. As the example shows, a website can block a shared IP address when a lot of people use it to get access. However, when you use a dedicated IP, you’ll be the only person trying to access that website, whether that be Netflix or another platform. Therefore, chances are much smaller that your IP will be placed on the blacklist. You’ll be able to enjoy a free internet for as long as you want. In short: with a dedicated IP you’ll probably be able to access all your favorite streaming services without worrying about being blocked. Please note that a dedicated IP address does not guarantee that the VPN will not be detected by websites and services.
No extra verification
When websites blacklist your IP address, it’s usually because there’s a sense of distrust or suspicion. Most likely, the use of that IP address was irregular and unpredictable. Because of those irregularities, the website suspects misuse of the IP or your account and takes action. In some cases, this means putting your IP on the blacklist, but it could also mean you needing to go through an extra step of verification before you can log into a service. Sites like Gmail, PayPal, and eBay can ask for extra verification if they see multiple people are using an IP address at the same time. They also become suspicious when you use a different IP address to log into your account than you used to create that account. Most often they won’t trust these (shared) IP addresses, which makes them want to double-check your identity. They could, for instance, ask you to verify you aren’t a robot. There’s a chance that, every time you access a service with a different IP address, you’ll have to go through an extra step. With a dedicated IP you won’t have this problem, which can save you a lot of time.
Faster emails
Another advantage of a dedicated IP is that emails from these types of IP addresses are trusted more by mail services like Gmail than emails originating from a shared IP address. Email traffic through dedicated IP addresses has priority over the traffic generated through shared IP addresses. This is the case, because emails sent through shared IP addresses need to be double-checked by the service. These emails might even end up in the receiver’s spam folder. To make sure your emails will reach their destination quicker and won’t end up in the spam folder, you can use a dedicated IP address. You’ll be able to communicate much faster, which can be of great importance in some circumstances, for example at work.
Working from home
For business users, a dedicated IP can be very useful to gain access to a specific network. Some networks are only accessible through specific IP addresses for safety reasons. This way, your boss can guarantee that only those people with access to the internet connection at the office can reach important documents and other data related to the business. The drawback of this system is that you won’t be able to access any of these files with just your own internet connection at home or with a shared IP address offered by a VPN. With a dedicated IP you’ll be able to gain access to these networks, wherever you are. This can be of great help when you want to work from home or even on the go. Through your dedicated IP, you’ll easily be able to connect to your work network. Simultaneously, the dedicated IP will protect your connection at all times. One important note to mention here is that you won’t be able to access your business network with just any dedicated IP. The best thing to do if you want to use a dedicated IP to work from home, is to contact your boss and have them arrange a secure connection with the right IP address for or with you.
The Disadvantages of a Dedicated IP Address
Unfortunately, there are also some disadvantages to having a dedicated IP address. First and foremost, the service is rarely free: you’ll most likely have to pay more for your VPN service if you want a dedicated IP. The price of a dedicated IP can vary from a few dollars a month to over 100 dollars a year. Since these costs will increase the price of your monthly subscription, it’s a very important factor to consider. Another important downside is that you could be sacrificing some of the privacy that a VPN provides. If you use a static dedicated IP, websites can still create a profile on you based on your online preferences. This way they can show you personalized ads. Moreover, there’s an increased chance that someone links your online actions to your person. This means you are somewhat less anonymous with a dedicated IP.
Dedicated IP: An Overview of the Advantages and Disadvantages
For a quick summary of the advantages and disadvantages of a dedicated IP, you can check out the table below.
Excellent VPN Services with a Dedicated IP Option
Have you decided you want to get a dedicated IP, but are you unsure of which VPN provider to choose for this purpose? Below we’ve listed the two best VPN providers that offer a dedicated IP service.
Dedicated IP with TorGuard
When we think of dedicated IP services, the first provider that comes to mind is TorGuard. TorGuard might not be the best VPN for everyone to use, since it definitely needs a practiced hand in order to be used correctly. Therefore, we won’t recommend this VPN to beginners. Users need some technical know-how, which makes the TorGuard software somewhat less user-friendly. TorGuard is nonetheless a good VPN with great speed, many servers, and excellent safety. Most importantly, of all the providers we mention here, TorGuard has the most choice of locations for dedicated IP users. The TorGuard dedicated IP service is reasonably cheap. Moreover, the costs of the service will drop along with the monthly price of your subscription when you decide on a longer term. It’s also very easy to get a dedicated IP with TorGuard: you can choose one on the order page, right as you’re getting your subscription.
Dedicated IP with NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the best VPN providers on the market. Their VPN is fast, safe, and they offer a dedicated IP service. In our eyes, NordVPN is the best provider that offers a dedicated IP service. However, their dedicated IP service isn’t as evolved yet as, for instance, the service TorGuard offers. NordVPN offers dedicated IPs on seven different locations: the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France. Unfortunately, the dedicated IP option is quite difficult to install and set up at NordVPN. You’ll have to have a NordVPN subscription to begin with, then create a new account to pay for your dedicated IP via a special coupon code. Afterwards, you can contact NordVPN’s customer’s support in order to combine the two accounts. Despite these difficulties, NordVPN offers great value for the money you spend. This makes NordVPN a fantastic VPN, regardless of whether you wish to use a dedicated IP. If you do want a dedicated IP, NordVPN will give you one for an extra $70 on top of the costs of your subscription. When it comes to the workings of the VPN in general, including user-friendliness, we prefer Nord over TorGuard. However, when you’re specifically looking at options for dedicated IPs, you might want to go with TorGuard instead.
Final Thoughts
A dedicated IP address gives you the opportunity to go online in a secure way with the same IP address every time. This IP address isn’t the same as your actual IP, but won’t be shared with other VPN users, either. Not all VPN providers offer the option to request a dedicated IP. When they do offer, it’ll cost you more than a regular VPN subscription. A dedicated IP has several advantages and disadvantages compared to a shared IP. In general, a dedicated IP will make you more visible to websites and other parties. This can be useful, if you do not want to have to verify your identity constantly or don’t want the IP you’re using to be blocked by websites and services such as Netflix. However, this also means you give up some of the VPN’s anonymity. If you want to get a VPN that has a dedicated IP service, we recommend TorGuard or NordVPN.
Your IP address is less likely to be blacklisted. You don’t have to verify your identity constantly. You’ll be able to email faster and without problems. It is easier to work from home.
A dedicated IP will probably cost you extra money. If you use a a dedicated IP, you are easier to follow online and therefore less anonymous.
