Mysterium protects all traffic on the network using VPN tunnels. When you connect through a node, your internet traffic is wrapped inside an encrypted tunnel before it reaches the destination.
What this means in practice
Full-device protection – Unlike some tools that only secure your browser, a dVPN covers all your online activity. Apps, websites, and messaging services all use the encrypted tunnel.
Strong encryption – Data passing through your connection cannot be read by node operators, ISPs, or other third parties.
UDP protocol – Mysterium uses the UDP protocol for communication. This makes connections faster and more reliable compared to older, heavier protocols.
How is this different from Tor?
Both Tor and Mysterium use networks of distributed nodes, but their goals and methods are different:
Tor
Designed mainly for anonymity and hiding user identity
Works like an encrypted proxy inside the Tor browser
Only traffic inside the Tor browser is protected
Uses TCP, which can be slow (sometimes up to 10x slower than UDP)
Mysterium
Focused on censorship resistance and giving users access to the open internet
Encrypts all traffic from your device, not just browsing
Uses VPN tunnels with UDP, which makes connections faster and smoother
Provides both privacy and performance for everyday use
Why this matters
By encrypting all traffic through VPN tunnels, Mysterium ensures that:
Your data remains private
You can bypass censorship and blocks
You get a faster and more flexible experience compared to Tor