The short answer: an extension covers the browser and nothing else
A VPN extension for Chrome works through the browser's proxy setting. Chrome's own extension interface lets an add-on manage the browser's proxy settings, and those settings apply to the browser windows. Other programs on your computer keep using your normal connection.
Chromebook and laptop users often want exactly that: a quick change for the tab in front of them, no install of a system client. The trade is that you hand the add-on a very central place in your browsing, so it deserves a closer look than its small size suggests.
What stays outside the extension
- Desktop apps such as mail clients, messengers and update services.
- Downloads started by the operating system rather than the browser.
- Other browsers on the same machine unless you install the add-on there too.
- Anything an app sends over a path that bypasses the proxy, including some real-time browser features; see the page on leak checks for how to test that.
What the extension itself can read
Whoever runs the proxy sees the addresses you request and any traffic that is not encrypted. On HTTPS pages the content stays encrypted between the browser and the website, but the extension author still sees which hosts you visit. An add-on that asks for permission to read every page you open can read more than that, so look at the permissions list before pressing install.
This site does not review the large extensions and says nothing about how they work. The same two questions apply to any of them: who publishes it, and what do the permissions it asks for allow.
Extension, system proxy or tunnel
An extension is the lightest option, and the first to fail when you need a second app covered. A system proxy reaches programs that read the operating system setting. A tunnel in TUN mode reaches everything. Move up only when something you care about is left out, and test after every change with an IP page so you know what the new setup really changed.
For a pick between them, ask three things: which apps must be covered, whether you can explain the permissions, and whether you can verify the result on an IP page.
If you want a key rather than an add-on
This service has no browser extension. You get a VLESS key from the Telegram bot and put it into a free client such as Hiddify, Happ, v2rayNG or V2Box, depending on the device. No account is needed, and traffic and devices are not limited on one link. Payment, in the bot, is cryptocurrency only.
Treat the checklist above as a yardstick for any option, ours included, since we are selling one. Drafting was done with AI assistance, and editors then compared each claim about the service with what the bot provides. Local rules on proxies and blocked pages vary and change, and what you open stays your responsibility.
Call log
01Is a free extension worth it?
A free add-on has to pay for its servers somehow, and the permissions list is where you look for how. If you cannot read what it can see, skip it.
02Will an extension fix a DNS or WebRTC leak?
A leak check tells you; do the test after switching it on. Whether Chrome sends a request outside the proxy depends on the browser and the add-on.
03Do I need an extension on a Chromebook?
It is the easiest start on a Chromebook, because it sits in the browser. A system-wide approach depends on what the device allows.
04Does the add-on change my IP in other apps?
No. It changes the address the browser presents; other apps keep using your own.
05Can I stack two extensions?
Only one can control Chrome's proxy setting at a time, so the later one takes over or the two fight. Disable one.
06Which add-on is best?
That depends on who you trust with your browsing and what you need covered. The criteria above are the useful part.