Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneGPL-3.0Replaces partly
Mullvad's VPN app hides your internet traffic from your network and shows a different location to websites. The app's code is open and has been independently audited, but the paid VPN service and its servers are run by Mullvad and are not open source.
Has 4 of 6 · Free plan ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneGPL-3.0Replaces partly
Proton VPN hides your internet traffic and your location from websites. Its apps for phones and computers are open source and independently audited. The VPN service itself has a free plan and paid plans, and its servers are Proton's, not open source.
Has 4 of 6 · No account needed ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhoneApache-2.0Replaces partly
Outline lets you set up your own private VPN on a server you rent, then share access with friends and family through a simple app. You control the server, but you only get the one location where you rented it.
Has 1 of 6
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for NordVPN. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- Mullvad VPN: Mullvad's VPN app hides your internet traffic from your network and shows a different location to websites. The app's code is open and has been independently audited, but the paid VPN service and its servers are run by Mullvad and are not open source. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone; replaces partly; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/mullvad/mullvadvpn-app]
- Proton VPN: Proton VPN hides your internet traffic and your location from websites. Its apps for phones and computers are open source and independently audited. The VPN service itself has a free plan and paid plans, and its servers are Proton's, not open source. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone; replaces partly; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/ProtonVPN/android-app]
- Outline VPN: Outline lets you set up your own private VPN on a server you rent, then share access with friends and family through a simple app. You control the server, but you only get the one location where you rented it. [Advanced setup; Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone; replaces partly; Apache-2.0; https://github.com/Jigsaw-Code/outline-server]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/privacy-vpn.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Want an open NordVPN?
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/privacy-vpn.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea: