> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://gologin.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why not use VPN for profiles?

People often confuse VPNs and proxies because both change your visible IP address. But they work differently, and for multi-account work the difference matters a lot.

|                                 | VPN   | Proxy                |
| :------------------------------ | :---- | :------------------- |
| Changes your IP                 | ✅     | ✅                    |
| Changes browser fingerprint     | ❌     | ❌                    |
| One IP for the whole device     | ✅     | ❌                    |
| One IP per browser profile      | ❌     | ✅                    |
| Works inside Gologin            | ❌     | ✅                    |
| Detected by Facebook / LinkedIn | Often | Rarely (residential) |

## How a VPN works

A VPN encrypts all traffic from your device and routes it through a single server. Every app on your computer — browser, Slack, Spotify, everything — shares the same IP address.

This is useful for privacy and bypassing geo-blocks. But it creates two problems for multi-account work:

**Problem 1 — One IP for everything.** If you have 10 browser profiles, they all appear to come from the same IP address. Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn see multiple accounts from one location and link them together.

**Problem 2 — VPN doesn't change your browser fingerprint.** Platforms track much more than IP. They read your screen resolution, fonts, graphics card, timezone, and dozens of other signals. A VPN changes none of these. Gologin profiles change all of them.

## How a proxy works

A proxy is assigned to one specific browser profile. Traffic from that profile goes through the proxy — nothing else on your computer is affected.

This means:

* Profile A → Proxy in New York → looks like a real device in New York
* Profile B → Proxy in London → looks like a completely different device in London
* Your real computer → no proxy → your normal IP

Each profile gets its own network identity. Combined with Gologin's unique fingerprint for each profile, platforms see genuinely separate devices.

## Why VPNs don't work for multi-account management

A VPN is also easier for platforms to detect than a residential proxy. VPN server IPs are well-known and appear on blocklists. Many platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, PayPal, most betting sites) explicitly block or flag VPN IPs.

## When a VPN is still useful

A VPN is fine when you need to:

* Access a website that's geo-blocked in your country
* Protect your real IP on public Wi-Fi
* Use a single account from a different country
* Having trouble connecting to Gologin services or proxies from your network

It's not a replacement for proxies in Gologin.

## Setting up a proxy in Gologin

See [Adding a proxy to a profile](https://gologin.com/docs/proxy/proxy-management/adding-proxies) for step-by-step instructions.

Not sure which type of proxy to get? See [Best proxy for your case.](https://gologin.com/best-proxy-server-services/)

## See also

[What is a proxy](https://gologin.com/docs/proxy/introduction/what-is-a-proxy) — deeper explanation of how proxies work

[Gologin built-in proxies — limitations](https://gologin.com/docs/proxy/gologin-proxies/what-are-gologin-proxies#important-gologin-proxies-are-rotating) — when not to use built-in proxies