The best VPN services go to great lengths to tell us how they’re safeguarding our privacy and personal information. Publishing security audits and vetting their no-logs claims are just two of the ways VPN companies help earn our trust.
Taking this ethos of accountability further, open source VPNs make public the very source code powering their apps. This allows anyone to scrutinize the software underlying every polished UI and verify first-hand how their data is being handled.
Below, we dive into exactly what an open source VPN is, the value of its egalitarian approach, and whether you might benefit from using one.
What does "open source" mean?
Broadly speaking, “open source” refers to software whose source code or underlying design is freely available for anyone to download, view, modify and share.
It’s most often associated with computer software: the Linux OS, Firefox web browser and multiple AI models are just a few of the most renowned examples of open source initiatives that have adopted this approach.
What is an open source VPN and how do they work?
It’s no surprise, then, to learn that an open source VPN lays its inner operations bare.
The code powering VPN apps across platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS is made freely available on repositories such as GitHub, where any interested parties can download, review, audit, and modify the software.
It’s like popping the hood of a freshly-buffed Chevrolet to see for yourself how the engine runs.
Conversely, the more common "closed source" (or proprietary) VPNs keep their product code under wraps and protected by End User License Agreements. These divergent approaches matter, even though, at a technical level, how a VPN works is pretty much the same. It’s important because we furnish VPN providers with all our confidential data, believing that they will keep it hidden from a plethora of third-parties. Exactly what they do with our data, however, isn’t always plain to see — and we know some free VPNs will happily track or sell our online activity.
That’s where an open source VPN can be valuable. Their transparent approach means users, developers, and security experts worldwide have the ability to parse every line of code, checking how each app handles your data, quickly identifying rogue code, and help corroborate claims that your VPN provider makes in terms of their no-logs policy.
What are the benefits of open source VPNs?
- Vet VPN apps before sign-up: As open source code is free to view on platforms like GitHub, you can review each app beforehand to check you’re happy with how it manages your data.
- Improved security through collaboration: Thanks to being shared with the wider security community, any malicious or broken VPN code that might jeopardize your privacy has a greater chance of being identified and rapidly resolved.
- Greater transparency: A VPN with an open source license means fewer surprises later on. Users, particularly those with experience reading code, can verify how their personal details are used, what, if any, metadata is being collected, and whether the company is truly delivering on its no-logs promises via independent audits.
- Avoid hidden backdoors: With the apps’ software script at their fingertips, security researchers can potentially locate illicit code inserted by bad actors that lets them monitor your data.
- They’re highly customizable: You can tinker with open source code to make modifications that serve your own particular needs, and the very tech-savvy could even configure it to create their own self-hosted VPN setup.
Are there any drawbacks to open source VPNs?
- They’re vulnerable to bad actors: The flip side of opening up your software to everyone? There’s nothing stopping online baddies digging around to look for vulnerabilities in the code, allowing them to potentially expose their those weaknesses for nefarious purposes.
- It helps to be versed in code: While open source projects allow those with knowledge of code, networking, and cryptography to spot potential issues, a layperson will struggle to decipher any potential bugs or security risks themselves.
Do I need an open source VPN?
The most secure VPNs invest time and energy proving to their customers that their service is safe from snoops and that they can be trusted.
Publishing transparency reports and regular security audits certainly helps to reassure users. Yet a VPN that shares its own code delivers a whole other level of trust and transparency.
An open source model offers some peace of mind to journalists and activists, for example, whose personal safety might rely on steadfast guarantees that their VPN isn’t secretly leaking sensitive data to censorious regimes.
They can also be a valuable resource for the technically-minded. Eagle-eyed developers can identify and patch security vulnerabilities, and even 'fork' code to update software with new features — two things that benefit the service’s entire community of users.
What open source VPNs are available?
Proton VPN was the first VPN provider to open-source all its apps (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS).
Proton is vocal about its “people over profit” mission and a proven commitment to user privacy — it scored 10/10 under this measure in our latest review.
And there are plenty of other options that utilize an open source model, among them Private Internet Access, IVPN, Windscribe and Mullvad.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
