Can My Internet Service Provider See My VPN? [Updated 2023]

No, when you use a VPN, your ISP won’t be able to tell what you download online. In fact, due to strong encryption and tunneling, your internet service provider and anyone other than your VPN provider won’t able to determine your online activities.

Since a VPN handles all of your network requests including routing and DNS resolution, everything you do online remains discrete. Top-tier VPNs offer a variety of encrypted protocols like IKEv2 and OpenVPN to establish secure end-to-end connections.

That said, it is possible for your ISP to know whether or not you’re using a VPN. That’s because ISPs can identify servers that are owned by VPN providers. However, as I mentioned earlier, your ISP wouldn’t be able to determine your browsing activities. Even more amazing is the fact that some providers offer obfuscation technology that can disguise your VPN traffic to appear as ordinary HTTPS traffic.

Which VPNs Do We Recommend?

Here are the best VPNs that we recommend. These VPNs are super secure and also affordable.


  • ExpressVPN – Overll Best VPN. Come with 3000+ servers in 94 countries that offer powerful security and supports torrenting. Offers WireGuard®, IKEv2, OpenVPN, and Shadowsocks. Offers an efficient kill switch (Network Lock). Offers Lightway, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2, PPTP, WireGuard, SSTP. One of the best VPNs for Nvidia shield, iOS, Xbox one, Android, macOS, Firestick, and more. Costs just $6.67/mo and comes with a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee. Limited time offer: Get 3 months free subscription with its annual plan.

  • NordVPN – Most Secure VPN. Comes with powerful security features such as Nordlynx, AES 256-bit encryption, kill switch, CyberSec, and obfuscated servers. Supports IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, NordLynx. Offers 5200+ servers in 59+ countries. One of the best VPNs for small businesses. Costs just $4.79/mo, supports 6 multi-logins, and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
About Sebastian Riley

Sebastian Riley is a cyberlibertarian activist and an internet freedom fighter who strongly believes in an unsegregated and uncensored internet. With a cybersecurity degree, Sebastian is a professional bug hunter and a freelance opensource penetration tester.