VPNs and Incognito mode are two of the most popular tools for online privacy. Using a VPN will make it harder for you to track while browsing. 

Incognito mode, on the other hand, automatically clears your browsing history. You can also give websites less information by using Incognito mode while using a VPN. 

In the following, we are going to discuss the difference between Incognito and VPN modes.

What is Incognito mode?

We begin by examining the difference between Incognito and VPN modes by discussing the former. Private browsing has different names. This feature is called InPrivate in Microsoft Edge browser and Incognito Mode in Google Chrome. The purpose of this mode is to temporarily forget your browser. 

As long as you are in Incognito mode, the browser will not store data (addresses, cookies, information entered by you, etc.) related to the websites you have visited.

Incognito mode prevents cookies from being saved and keeps your browser up to date. So if, for example, you log in to your Facebook account on regular pages and then open an Incognito page, then while you are logged in to your account on the regular page, on the Incognito page, Facebook cannot detect your login.

When you are in Incognito mode, everything you do is not remembered by your browser. Your visited pages will not be displayed in the browsing history section and will not be displayed in the Recently Visited tab. 

If you are logged in to a website, then just close the window for that website and your browser will completely forget about it.

 After all, that’s all you can do with private browsing. Also, if you enter Incognito mode, then the browser will notify you.

All of your browsing information may be deleted from your computer, but that does not mean that the data is deleted on the other side as well. The websites you visit can still see your IP address. Your ISP can still monitor your activities, and in work environments, system administrators can find out what you are doing during business hours. So in the end it can be concluded that private browsing modes can not make you anonymous online.

What is a VPN?

This is where the VPN comes in. Once connected to a VPN, you then connect to the Internet using a private server. So it’s like that server accessing websites instead of you. In other words, the websites you use will not be able to see your real IP address, but will instead see the IP address of the VPN.

Using a VPN will  improve your overall privacy while browsing . This is because you can set the location of any of those VPN servers around the world as your location. 

However, websites also detect the location of VPN servers instead of looking at your physical location. That’s why you can bypass regional restrictions. This will also make it harder for you to track.

All these advantages make VPNs very popular with a wide range of users from the attack of ordinary people who are interested in privacy, as well as users who use BitTorrent to download the latest movies.

Gap in VPN security

The way a VPN works is that it connects you to the website through an encrypted connection called a secure tunnel. Your ISP or network administrator may know that you are connected to an external server or VPN, but they will not be able to see the website you are visiting. This part of the process is like magic. 

This is also the case because tunnels often use end-to-end encryption.

However, using a VPN does not guarantee that you will remain anonymous. Your connection may be obscure, but if you’ve logged in to your Google or social media accounts, they can still track you. 

In other words, if you sign in to your Google Account, connect to a VPN, and then browse the web through which you sign in to your Google Account, then Google can still identify you. 

Cookies stored in your browser can also be used to track you. In this regard, it can be said that one of the differences between Incognito and VPN is that the former erases your web browsing information and therefore prevents these issues, while the latter does not.

Another thing in between is that the VPN service you are using can see everything you do while active. In a way, you would prefer to be tracked by your VPN instead of your Internet service provider or Zeiss. 

Of course, most VPN services promise to clear their incoming data (connection history of all users) on a regular basis. Such cases are usually advertised as “no-logs” policies.

 On paper, this means that the VPN in question does not store information about you and your work.

 Another implication is that the VPN service used cannot share its user information with Internet service providers, advertising agencies, legal authorities, and others who are interested in your information.

In practice, however, not all VPNs are equal. 

In 2017, for example, PureVPN was able to help the FBI arrest a cybercriminal. It is true that this VPN did not record user activities, but instead stored users’ IP addresses (although this policy has now been changed). 

The behind-the-scenes factors of VPNs are not exactly known and it is a bit difficult to diagnose. Therefore, we suggest that you read the terms of each service before using it.

How to use VPN and private browsing mode at the same time?

Above we tried to deal with the differences between VPN and Incognito mode. The two may not have much in common, but combining them can be very helpful anyway. 

The two can cover and overcome many of each other’s weaknesses and shortcomings. Using both of these tools can make it harder for you to be tracked by third parties, and you can also better protect your privacy from other people using your computer.

For example, after closing your private browsing windows, you will be logged out of your Google or Facebook account. This will also clear all cookies collected from your browsing.

 At the same time, the websites you visit will not be able to see your real IP address. Also, your internet service provider will not be able to see the websites you are visiting.

These features, in general, allow you to remain relatively anonymous online . However, the issue of trust in the VPN service you are using is still strong. 

Neither VPN nor Incognito mode can fully guarantee your privacy, but if you use both at the same time, then your privacy will be better protected.