VPN IP checker to see if an IP address is a VPN, proxy or data center

Is this IP address a VPN?

An IP address looks like a VPN when it is on a public list of VPN addresses or its network belongs to a VPN service. It looks like a data center, where VPN servers often run, when its network rents out servers. A home or mobile connection normally shows neither. A match is a sign, not proof, and other databases can label an address differently.

A VPN checker finds who owns an address and compares it with public lists

A VPN server often sits on a hosting company's network, not an internet provider's, so the checker first looks up who owns the address, then compares it with public lists . Public addresses are grouped into networks, called autonomous systems, each with a number, its ASN . The box shows it as AS followed by digits. The checker reads these sources:

• iptoasn.com: a free downloadable database of address ranges with network number, country and network name .
• X4BNet, which publishes its lists on GitHub: one of "strictly just known VPN networks", one of VPNs and data centers, meaning any network that does not serve home users . It says its list "should list the vast majority of common ones", not every VPN .
• The Tor Project's list of exit relays . Tor passes traffic through a chain of relays to hide who is connecting, and the exit relay is the last, so sites see its address .
• Reverse DNS, which maps an address to a host name such as server42.example.net . ARIN, the registry for North America, says the holder of the address space manages these names .
• Our own short list of cloud and content-delivery networks, which deliver websites and video: Cloudflare, Fastly, Akamai, Edgecast, Meta and Apple, kept in case the lists miss them.

The checker takes IPv4 addresses, such as 203.0.113.7, and IPv6 ones, such as 2001:db8::7. As of October 2026, X4BNet also publishes IPv6 lists, which its README does not describe, and the checker reads them . The Tor check covers IPv4 addresses only, so on an IPv6 address the Tor row reads "No list for IPv6".

There is no separate Proxy verdict. A proxy, which relays your traffic so sites see its address, gets the Data center verdict on a data-center network, unless it also shows a VPN sign. On a home provider's address, a proxy looks like an ordinary home connection.

The checker gives one of five verdicts, and each points to a next step

The box labels the result VPN, Data center, Tor, No VPN signs or Not found. The headline under it starts "Your IP" for your own address and "This IP" for a pasted one. Below that, the box shows the IP address, network and AS number, country and host name, then three checks: Known VPN ranges, Data-center ranges and Tor exit node. A Host name of None is normal: a name exists only if the holder of the address set one , and one not returned within 1.5 seconds also reads None.

Source: X4BNet lists_vpn README; Tor Project; MaxMind. Checked October 2026.

The three rows show only the lists. A headline can also rest on a sign they do not show, such as a network that mostly holds data-center ranges, so read the Why box. It appears when at least one sign applies.

For an address from a log or an email header, read the Network row. A hosting or cloud company means a server of some kind, and a VPN company's name means a VPN. The Country row is a rough guide, because it comes from the network database's record for the address range .

VPN and Tor are strong signs, Data center is a hint, and No VPN signs is no guarantee

Each line of the Why box is one sign. The headline follows the order Tor, VPN, Data center, so one VPN sign, even a host name alone, is enough for the VPN headline. The right-hand column is our own reading of how much each sign proves, not part of how the checker decides.

Source: Tor Project; X4BNet lists_vpn README; RFC 1035, RFC 3596 and ARIN. Checked October 2026. The right-hand column is our own reading.

Netflix, BBC iPlayer and YouTube TV restrict VPNs but do not say how they detect them

Netflix, BBC iPlayer and YouTube TV each say they restrict VPNs, and none of the pages we read says how a VPN is detected .

MaxMind flags addresses as VPN, hosting provider, public proxy, residential proxy or Tor exit node . It markets that data to content distributors to "verify users are not using VPNs or proxies to access your content", updated daily . It also says a data-center origin is itself a signal . The services' own positions:

• Netflix says that with a VPN you may see only the titles it licenses worldwide , and its VPN error is code E106 or "You seem to be using a VPN or proxy" .
• BBC iPlayer says it will not play a show if it detects a possible VPN or proxy, because it cannot be confident of where the viewer is .
• YouTube TV (US) says it cannot be streamed while you are connected to a VPN or proxy . Our guide to YouTube TV's location check covers what to do when it appears.

This checker is the closest thing to a VPN detection test you can run yourself, but it shows public lists, not what a service sees. NordVPN says its users usually share a server's address , and markets dedicated IPs to avoid blocklists for addresses "tainted by unscrupulous use", a vendor claim . The Tor Project says Tor exit addresses are public and services such as online banking and streaming may block them .

Why a home IP can show as a VPN or data center, and a VPN as clean

A VPN or Data center result on your own connection is a reason to look at the network, not at your device. Compare the Network row with your internet provider's name, on your bill or your router's page: if it names a different company, something else carries your traffic.

Sources: BBC iPlayer and Netflix help; X4BNet README; MaxMind and IP2Location; UK NCSC; Smart DNS vendors; RFC 1918 and RFC 6598. Checked October 2026.

If a streaming service blocks your VPN, switch server, then follow your provider's steps

Switching server is a step ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Surfshark each name in their Netflix help . A VPN or Data center verdict is normal for a VPN server, and a clean verdict here does not mean the service will accept the address. Try these steps in order:

1. Connect to a different server in the same country, force-close the streaming app and open it again, then play a title, as ExpressVPN advises for Netflix .
2. Still blocked: try two or three other servers the same way.
3. Still blocked: try the service's website, another profile, or restart the TV or console, as Surfshark suggests . NordVPN suggests a DNS leak test and clearing the app's cache, or reinstalling on iOS .
4. Still blocked: contact your provider's support with the error code and the servers you tried, where ExpressVPN's steps end .

On a TV without a browser, connect a phone or laptop to the same server and check here.

Does a dedicated IP help?

A dedicated IP does not necessarily help. It is an address assigned to one customer, as NordVPN describes its own . As of October 2026, NordVPN markets it for CAPTCHAs, corporate networks and blocklists rather than streaming . Private Internet Access markets its own for CAPTCHAs, blocklists and services such as banking .

MaxMind says a VPN whose ranges are not registered under its own name is likely to be flagged only as a hosting provider . By our reading, a dedicated IP can therefore still look like a data-center address . No source we read says it escapes that flag .

Source: each provider's own pages. Checked October 2026.

A clean result is no guarantee, because other databases and live measurement can differ

This checker reads free public lists, so an address it clears can still be labeled differently elsewhere.

• Other databases, such as MaxMind's and IP2Location's, label addresses by type and update daily, so their labels can differ from these lists .
• IPinfo, an IP-data company, says it finds VPN exits by active measurement, such as connecting to services, analyzing handshakes and scanning protocols, and uses a separate method for residential proxies .
• A DNS leak, a lookup for a site name sent outside the VPN , needs its own test, and a test for WebRTC leaks checks the browser.
• YouTube TV also uses a phone's location: away from home in the US, TV-app users update their playback area from a phone with location access . For how an address maps to a place, see what your IP address shows.

The lookup runs on our own server, on copies of public data

The address you check goes only to our server, through Cloudflare, which runs in front of whatworks.tech. The lookup runs there, on copies of the lists, refreshed every day, and of the network database, refreshed at least every week. The address is not passed to another company for the lookup. Our server also asks the DNS for the host name, as any server can , and that query carries the address.

We store neither address nor result, apart from the technical logs in our privacy policy. To stop abuse, the server counts each visitor's checks in memory for about a minute. A checked address appears in the page link.

Where to go next

• VPNs that work for streaming: which VPNs work where.
• Netflix with a VPN, library by library: rules and errors.
• Why Netflix shows error E106: what to do.
• Is my VPN working?: whether the VPN covers this browser.
• VPN and IP tools: all four checks.