Appearance
How to hide your IP address: every method compared
Every working method is the same idea: put another machine between you and the destination, so its address gets seen instead of yours. The real choices are which machine, who runs it, and how much of your traffic it covers — and that's a three-way trade between speed, trust, and coverage. Here's every option, including the folk remedies that don't work, each with its verification step — because a hiding method you haven't tested is a hope, not a setting.
Maintained by the ipconfig.io team · Reviewed 1 July 2026
Your baseline
bash
curl ipconfig.io/jsonip, city, asn_org — that's what every site currently sees, and what it can do with it. Every method below is judged by one test: do those fields change, for all your traffic, reliably.
The methods that work
| Method | Covers | Speed | Trust lands on | Verify with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPN | Whole device | Near-native | The provider (audits, no-logs, jurisdiction) | Leak test, both IP families |
| Tor | Tor Browser's traffic | Slow | No single party — by design | The browser's connection check |
| Proxy / SOCKS | One configured app | Varies | The operator, fully | Proxied app vs terminal curl — and the leaks |
| Mobile hotspot | Whole device | Native | Your carrier (it's a different IP, not a hidden one) | curl ipconfig.io/asn-org shows the carrier |
VPN is the default answer for a reason: coverage-by-default (every process, UDP included) at full speed, with one decision to get right — the provider. The bar is an independently audited no-logs policy in a credible jurisdiction; Proton VPN clears it (Swiss, audited, no-logs, with a real free tier). (Affiliate link; it helps keep ipconfig.io free. Any provider meeting that bar works.) Then verify — asn_org should name the VPN, on IPv4 and IPv6, and the kill switch should fail closed.
Tor when the stakes are anonymity rather than privacy — the full comparison covers when each fits. Proxies when the point is per-app routing. The hotspot deserves its asterisk twice: your carrier's IP still identifies and geolocates you — it's an address change, useful for escaping a specific block, not concealment.
The methods that don't work
- Incognito / private browsing — device-side only; your IP is fully visible.
- Clearing cookies, changing browsers — different identifiers entirely; the network address is untouched.
- Restarting your router — may get you a different IP (usually same city, same ISP), which is rotation, not hiding.
- Free proxies from public lists — see the warning; you're handing traffic to strangers.
The honest limit
Hiding your IP hides one identifier. Log into an account and you've identified yourself at the application layer; cookies and browser fingerprints track you across any address. The IP layer is worth fixing — it's what your ISP, network operators, and every server sees by default — just file it as one layer of privacy, not anonymity.
Frequently asked questions
How do I hide my IP? VPN (whole device, fast), Tor (anonymous, slow), or proxy (one app). Verify the fields actually change.
Best method? An audited no-logs VPN for daily use; Tor when anonymity has stakes.
Free? Tor, genuinely. Free VPNs/proxies usually monetize your traffic — the honest free tier of a paid provider is the exception.
Am I anonymous then? No — accounts, cookies and fingerprints survive the address change.
Next steps
- Tor vs VPN — choosing between the two real contenders.
- Check if your VPN is leaking — the verification every method owes you.
- How to change your IP address — when you need a different address, not a hidden one.