---
id: comparisons.is-bridge-a-vpn
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/is-bridge-a-vpn
category: "Comparisons & alternatives"
subcategory: "Devices, syncing and sharing"
question: "Is Bridge a VPN?"
alt_questions:
  - "bridge vpn"
  - "does bridge route my internet traffic"
  - "bridge like a private network"
  - "is storage studio bridge a vpn service"
  - "bridge vs vpn"
short_answer: "Not in the usual sense. A VPN routes your internet traffic through a provider. Bridge is a private, end-to-end encrypted link between your own two devices for files and clipboard, and doesn't carry your web browsing."
tags: ["bridge", "vpn", "privacy"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/bridge-vs-emailing-files-to-yourself", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/comparisons/bridge-vs-remote-desktop-apps"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Is Bridge a VPN?

Not in the usual sense. A VPN service routes your internet traffic through someone else's servers. **Bridge** is a private, direct link between **your own two devices** only — you can think of it as a small private network that exists just between them.

What crosses it — files and, if you turn it on, clipboard scraps — is **end-to-end encrypted**: scrambled on the sending device and only unscrambled on the receiving one. Nothing is stored on a server, and it works whether the devices are on the same Wi-Fi or far apart. A six-digit **Tunnel Code** shown on both screens lets you confirm you're linked to the right device.

Your normal web browsing isn't sent through it, and Bridge doesn't change your internet connection. See [Bridge & your devices](https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/).