If you spend any amount of time online (and who doesn’t?), then you’ve probably heard you need a VPN. But with all the noise surrounding VPNs, it can be difficult to determine which features you should be looking for in a VPN. After all, don’t all VPNs do essentially the same thing? Therefore, shouldn’t you just pick the cheapest option and start watching French Netflix from your Wisconsin home today? Not quite.
While most VPN providers offer similar experiences, there are a few key features you should look out for when choosing your VPN. Today we’re going to look at one of these features – split tunneling. We’ll dive into what split tunneling is, why you might need it, and the pros and cons of splitting your traffic. Let’s get into it.
What is Split Tunneling?
Split tunneling is a VPN feature that allows you to divide your internet traffic, sending some of it through an encrypted VPN tunnel, while routing the rest over the open network as normal.
Most VPN providers offer split tunneling, though they differ in the types they support(app based, url based etc). We’ve included some of our top picks for VPNs that support split tunnelling towards the end of this article..
What is VPN split tunneling for?
But why would you want to split your internet traffic in the first place? Well, while one of the primary benefits of using a VPN is that it keeps your data secure and anonymous while it travels over the internet, the truth is, not all data needs to pass through a VPN. So if you’re wondering why you would ever opt for less security, pay attention – it all comes down to what you’re doing on the internet and how smooth an experience you want.
For example, let’s say you want to use a VPN to watch Netflix content in another country. That’s great, but what happens when you want to read your favorite local news site at the same time? If you’re pretending to be in the UK, you might be barred from reaching local websites in the US due to GDPR or licensing rules. Your options in this scenario are to turn off your VPN to access the website or carry on watching Netflix and just make a mental note to check the news later. Either way, it’s not ideal because you’re forced to choose between the two options.
Beyond accessing content, there are also other reasons why you might want to split your traffic. For instance, let’s say you want to access your online bank account while still using a VPN for other online activities. In this situation, your bank might flag your activity as suspicious because your IP information doesn’t match their records and deny you entry to your accounts.
Additionally, if you don’t need to use a VPN for some tasks, the VPN could hinder your online experience by acting as a bottleneck that slows down your connection.
Most but not all VPN providers offer split tunneling, allowing you to choose exactly which parts of your online traffic are left out of the secure tunnel.
The Different Types of Split Tunneling
Okay, so now you have all the tools to look for a VPN provider that offers the kind of tunneling you want, but what about the different types of split tunneling?
There are three main types of split tunneling: app exclusion, inverse split, and specifying URLs. We’ve also included a fourth, less common type just in case it’s something you’re looking for in a VPN provider. Let’s look at each.
App Exclusion/ App-based Split Tunneling
App-based split tunneling allows you to choose which applications connect through the VPN. You can configure which apps to tunnel and which to not using the VPN software on your device. For example, you might want to configure your VPN to allow an online game to transmit data over the public network while accessing a video streaming app through the VPN.
Specifying URLs/ URL-based Split Tunneling
URL-based split tunneling allows you to choose specific websites to access through the VPN. Referring back to our earlier example of accessing local news content while watching French Netflix, this would be an excellent example of URL-based split tunneling. You can choose local websites to exclude from the VPN.
Inverse Split Tunneling
Inverse split tunneling is essentially the opposite of the other two approaches. With app-based and URL-based split tunneling, everything travels through the open network unless stated otherwise (you actively pick the sites that travel through the VPN).
By contrast, everything is automatically routed through the VPN with inverse split tunneling unless you specify otherwise. This allows you to experience the full benefits of a VPN for the vast majority of your online activities while putting measures in place to ensure you can still do the things you want to do in cases where a VPN would be a hindrance.
IP Address Split Tunneling
IP address split tunneling is less common than the other types, but exists, so we’ve included it here. This approach allows you to specify which IP addresses you want to connect with or without the VPN.
The Pros and Cons of VPN Split Tunneling
Like anything else, there are pros and cons to split tunneling that you should consider before jumping in and getting started. What are they? Let’s take a look.
Pros of Split Tunneling
- Provide a secure connection for remote workers – Split tunneling allows remote workers to access sensitive files and emails securely while still using the internet as normal otherwise.
- Steaming content using a foreign IP address (accessing geo-locked content).
- Improves internet speeds by easing bottlenecks conserving bandwidth by not focusing all traffic through the VPN.
- Allows you to access more than one network at the same time.
Cons of Split Tunneling
- It’s less secure than using a VPN all the time. Some of your data could be vulnerable on the open network.
- Configuring the right split can be time-consuming and takes continual revision.
- Not all VPN providers offer split tunneling features across all operating systems. For example, Mac and Linux are often excluded from split tunneling features, which means if you use one of these operating systems, you might be forced to opt for a more expensive or less well-rounded VPN.
VPNs That Support Split Tunneling
Are you sold on split tunneling but unsure which of the popular VPNs offer it? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.
NordVPN
A top-rated VPN that comes with a range of attractive features like Nordlynx, kill switch, OpenVPN protocol, and more. NordVPN has over 5200 serves across 60 countries and offers split tunneling on Windows and Android.
To enable split tunneling on NordVPN, follow these steps:
- Select the cogwheel on the top-left corner of the map screen.
- Choose Split tunneling.
- Decide which apps to exclude from your secure VPN connection.
Read our full NordVPN review.
Surfshark
Surfshark is one of the most budget-friendly split-tunneling VPNs and offers 3,200 servers across 65 countries. Split tunneling is available on Windows and Android.
Surfshark’s take on split-tunneling is called Whitelister and allows you to configure your settings so that only some of your traffic goes through the VPN. Once inside the Surfshark app, simply click Whitelister to add your apps or websites!
Read our full Surfshark review.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a popular choice, and with good reason – it offers over 3000 servers in 94 countries and also allows split tunneling on the router app.
Here’s how you use the split tunneling feature on ExpressVPN for Windows:
- First, disconnect from the VPN before you make any changes.
- Click on the three horizontal lines and select Options.
- On the Split tunneling section under the General tab, click Settings.
- From there, you can select different split-tunneling options.
For information on how to configure Split tunneling on macOS, click here.
Read our full ExpressVPN review.
CyberGhost
CyberGhost is a very user-friendly VPN all-around, and the same applies to its split tunneling feature. In addition, CyberGhost has over 7000 servers across 90 countries and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
To set up split tunneling on CyberGhost for Android, follow these steps:
- Launch the app and go to Settings.
- Select the VPN tab and then click on App Split Tunnel.
- By Default, CyberGhost will protect ALL apps, so if you want to configure some apps to bypass the tunnel, select Protect all applications and choose Custom Rules.
Read our full CyberGhost review.
Private Internet Access
PIA has the largest server park of all the apps on this list, with over 35,500 servers across 78 countries. In addition, the split tunneling feature is available on Android, Windows, Mac, and Linux, so everyone’s covered with this VPN.
To set up split tunneling on PIA, follow these steps:
- Launch the PIA app.
- Navigate to Settings and select Split Tunnel.
- Configure your split tunneling rules.
Read our full Private Internet Access review.
What’s the Verdict?
Choosing a VPN provider that supports split tunneling allows you to get more out of your online experience. Let’s face it; while VPNs offer increased privacy and security and allow you to access regionally-locked content, the software has to work for you and not against you. If all your traffic travels through a VPN, you might find that the software is, in fact, working against you – blocking you from accessing local content or providing a sluggish connection. That’s just not good enough today!
With split tunneling, you’re in the driver’s seat. You get to decide which URLs or apps transmit data through the secure tunnel and which use the standard unsecured open network. Now that you’ve finished this article, you have all the information you need to choose the right VPN for you and configure your setup to get the most out of your browsing.