You might have heard that you don't need to waste your money on a quality VPN when you can simply use a third-party DNS provider for safe web surfing. We don't think that's a good idea–and here's why. The third-party DNS provider just handles DNS queries. It doesn't protect the message traffic flowing between your device and whichever sites you visit. Your real IP address is not hidden like it is with a VPN and your message traffic is not encrypted. This means your internet service provider (ISP) can see which sites you visit, and the sites can tell that it is you who is visiting. And so can all the trackers that reside on popular websites. One more drawback of this approach is that the DNS provider now can also track your activities online since they will know which sites you are visiting, and they can see your IP address. If you want privacy, a third-party DNS provider won't do. You'll have to spring for a quality VPN.