Question 1

Is this VPN checker tool completely free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the RoughTools VPN & Proxy Checker is completely free with no account, sign-up, or payment required. You can check your IP status as many times as needed — after switching servers, changing networks, or at any point you want to verify your privacy. RoughTools is funded through non-intrusive advertising, which keeps all tools permanently free. There is no premium tier for faster checks or additional detection features.

Question 2

Do I need to create an account to check my IP address?

Accepted Answer

No account, email address, or personal information is required to use the VPN Checker. Simply open the page and click "Check My IP Status." Your IP address, location, ISP, and VPN/proxy detection results are displayed instantly. There is no registration wall, no captcha, and no usage limit. Each check is independent — no history of your IP lookups is stored by RoughTools.

Question 3

Does this tool store or log my IP address?

Accepted Answer

RoughTools does not log, store, or share your IP address in any identifiable way. The check is performed by querying a third-party IP intelligence service on your behalf, and the result is displayed in your browser. Standard server logs (which all web servers maintain) may record your IP as part of the HTTP request, but these are not associated with your IP lookup results, are not sold, and are not retained for profiling purposes. Privacy is the primary purpose of this tool.

Question 4

Does this VPN checker work on mobile and tablet browsers?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the VPN Checker is fully responsive and works on all mobile browsers including Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android. The IP detection and VPN/proxy analysis works identically on mobile devices. This is particularly useful for verifying whether your mobile VPN app is correctly routing all traffic — including mobile browser traffic — through the VPN tunnel. Run the check with your VPN off and then on to compare results.

Question 5

Which browsers are supported by this tool?

Accepted Answer

The VPN Checker works in all modern browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, and Brave. Both desktop and mobile versions are fully supported. The tool makes a simple API request to retrieve your connection details, which requires no special browser features beyond standard fetch support. For accuracy in detecting WebRTC IP leaks (a separate privacy concern), use a browser with WebRTC enabled — Chrome and Firefox are recommended for the most thorough detection.

Question 6

How accurate is the VPN and proxy detection?

Accepted Answer

The detection accuracy depends on the IP intelligence database used. Commercial VPN services with dedicated IP pools are generally detected accurately. However, some VPN providers rotate IPs through residential proxy networks specifically to evade detection, making them harder to flag. Corporate VPNs and university networks are often detected as organizational proxies. The tool is reliable for checking major consumer VPN services and known datacenter proxies, but no IP detection service achieves 100% accuracy across all providers and configurations.

Question 7

How do I use the VPN Checker step by step?

Accepted Answer

To check your VPN status: (1) Connect or disconnect your VPN as desired before running the check. (2) Open this page and click "Check My IP Status." (3) Wait 2–3 seconds for the IP lookup to complete. (4) Review your public IP address, geographic location, and ISP. (5) Check the detection verdict at the bottom — it indicates whether a VPN, proxy, or Tor exit node is detected. For a leak test, run once with VPN off to see your real IP, then connect your VPN and run again to confirm the new IP appears.

Question 8

Can this tool detect if my VPN is leaking my real IP address?

Accepted Answer

The tool detects your publicly visible IP address, which tells you whether your VPN is successfully masking your real IP. If the IP shown matches your home ISP after connecting a VPN, your VPN has a routing failure or kill switch issue. However, WebRTC leaks (where your real IP leaks through browser WebRTC connections even with a VPN active) require a separate test. DNS leaks — where DNS queries bypass the VPN tunnel — are also a separate detection scenario. This tool is best used for basic VPN connectivity verification and IP location confirmation.

Question 9

Why should I use RoughTools VPN Checker instead of similar sites?

Accepted Answer

RoughTools VPN Checker provides IP address, geolocation, ISP/organization, hostname, and VPN/proxy/Tor detection in a clean, ad-minimal interface without requiring JavaScript to be disabled or privacy extensions to be active. Unlike some IP-check sites that run aggressive fingerprinting scripts, RoughTools is designed with privacy in mind. The results include all fields relevant to assessing your VPN effectiveness — location, organization, and detection verdict — without the clutter of unrelated marketing content.

Question 10

How do I report a bug or request a new detection feature?

Accepted Answer

To report a bug or suggest a detection improvement — such as WebRTC leak detection, DNS leak testing, or IPv6 leak detection — use the feedback link in the site footer or visit the RoughTools contact page. When reporting a bug, include your browser version, operating system, VPN provider name (if comfortable sharing), and what the tool displayed versus what you expected. Feature requests for additional privacy diagnostics are welcomed and reviewed regularly by the development team.

Question 11

What is the difference between a VPN, proxy, and Tor — how does this tool detect each?

Accepted Answer

A VPN routes all your device traffic through an encrypted tunnel, replacing your IP with the VPN server IP. A proxy routes only specific traffic (often browser-only) through an intermediary server. Tor routes traffic through multiple volunteer relay nodes for high anonymity, making the exit node IP visible. This tool detects each by cross-referencing your IP against commercial and community-maintained databases of known VPN datacenter IP ranges, proxy service IPs, and published Tor exit node lists. Detection is based on IP reputation, not traffic analysis.

VPN & Proxy Checker

VPN, Proxy & IP Leak Checker

How to Use the VPN Checker

Verify your VPN is working

What the results mean

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this VPN checker tool completely free to use?

Do I need to create an account to check my IP address?

Does this tool store or log my IP address?

Does this VPN checker work on mobile and tablet browsers?

Which browsers are supported by this tool?

How accurate is the VPN and proxy detection?

How do I use the VPN Checker step by step?

Can this tool detect if my VPN is leaking my real IP address?

Why should I use RoughTools VPN Checker instead of similar sites?

How do I report a bug or request a new detection feature?

What is the difference between a VPN, proxy, and Tor — how does this tool detect each?

💬 Feedback or Bug Report

VPN & Proxy Checker

VPN, Proxy & IP Leak Checker

How to Use the VPN Checker

Verify your VPN is working

What the results mean

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this VPN checker tool completely free to use?

Do I need to create an account to check my IP address?

Does this tool store or log my IP address?

Does this VPN checker work on mobile and tablet browsers?

Which browsers are supported by this tool?

How accurate is the VPN and proxy detection?

How do I use the VPN Checker step by step?

Can this tool detect if my VPN is leaking my real IP address?

Why should I use RoughTools VPN Checker instead of similar sites?

How do I report a bug or request a new detection feature?

What is the difference between a VPN, proxy, and Tor — how does this tool detect each?

💬 Feedback or Bug Report

Share This Tool