TL;DR: A VPN is genuinely useful on public Wi-Fi and for hiding your IP from sites you visit, but it doesn't make you anonymous online — pick one with a verified no-logs policy and treat it as one layer of privacy, not the whole strategy.
A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address from the sites and networks you connect to, which is useful for privacy but not a cure-all.
What to Look For
Look for a strict, independently audited no-logs policy, strong encryption standards, a kill switch (which blocks internet access if the VPN connection drops), and a jurisdiction with reasonable privacy laws. Speed and server count matter for usability but shouldn't outweigh the provider's actual privacy practices.
The Bottom Line
A VPN is genuinely useful on public Wi-Fi and for hiding your IP from sites you visit, but it doesn't make you anonymous online — pick one with a verified no-logs policy and treat it as one layer of privacy, not the whole strategy.
If this looks similar to something else you've seen, it's worth reading Brave vs Firefox: Which Browser Is More Private?.
This pattern shows up elsewhere too — see Credit Monitoring vs Identity Theft Protection: What's the Difference?.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the short answer?
A VPN is genuinely useful on public Wi-Fi and for hiding your IP from sites you visit, but it doesn't make you anonymous online — pick one with a verified no-logs policy and treat it as one layer of privacy, not the whole strategy.
What should I actually look for?
A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address from the sites and networks you connect to, which is useful for privacy but not a cure-all.