Private and open-source alternatives to ExpressVPN
15 VPN providers rated against the same public privacy criteria as ExpressVPN, with our picks first.
Why look for an alternative?
- Open source: no. The apps and servers are closed source. Only the Lightway protocol implementation is published under AGPL-3.0.
- No trackers or telemetry: no. The privacy policy lists Google Analytics and AppsFlyer, and the Android app includes AppsFlyer and Google Firebase Analytics.
- Tells users about requests: no. No published policy on notifying users about data requests.
- Security headers: partial. Grade B (70/100+)
- Anonymous payment: partial. Bitcoin is accepted, but an email address is needed for the account.
- Open-source apps: no. The apps are closed source.
See the full ExpressVPN rating.
The alternatives
Mullvad VPN Grade B Our pick
Flat-priced VPN from Sweden. Accounts are a random number with no email, and payment in cash or Monero is accepted.
Why it is our pick: No email, no name and no card needed. A stable, flat price, WireGuard on every platform, fully open-source apps, and repeated public audits of both the apps and the server infrastructure.
Based in Sweden (Fourteen Eyes). Mullvad VPN scores 79 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 8 of 12 criteria: no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, independent audit, TLS configuration, security headers, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols.
Proton VPN Grade B
VPN service from Proton in Switzerland with open-source apps on every platform and a free plan without ads.
Based in Switzerland. Proton VPN scores 83 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 8 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, TLS configuration, audited no-logs policy, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols.
Windscribe Grade B
VPN service from Canada with a limited free plan, open-source apps and browser extensions, and WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN support.
Based in Canada (Five Eyes). Windscribe scores 81 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 8 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, TLS configuration, audited no-logs policy, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols.
NymVPN Grade B
VPN from Nym Technologies SA in Switzerland that runs on a decentralized network of independent nodes. It offers a fast two-hop WireGuard mode and an anonymous mode routed through the Nym mixnet.
Based in Switzerland. NymVPN scores 77 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 7 of 12 criteria: open source, no ads or data sales, independent audit, TLS configuration, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols.
IVPN Grade B
VPN service from Gibraltar with random account IDs, no email at sign-up, cash and Monero payment, and open-source apps.
Based in Gibraltar. IVPN scores 75 out of 100 (grade B) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 7 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, tells users about requests, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols.
Private Internet Access Grade C
Commercial VPN service from Private Internet Access, Inc. in the United States, a subsidiary of Kape Technologies. The apps are open source and support WireGuard and OpenVPN.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Private Internet Access scores 71 out of 100 (grade C) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 7 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, TLS configuration, audited no-logs policy, open-source apps and modern protocols.
RiseupVPN Grade C
Free, donation-funded VPN run by the Riseup collective in the United States. It needs no account and uses the open-source LEAP VPN client with OpenVPN.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). RiseupVPN scores 70 out of 100 (grade C) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 5 of 11 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, TLS configuration and open-source apps.
hide.me Grade C
VPN service from eVenture Ltd. in Malaysia with a free plan that needs no sign-up and paid plans. Apps support WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and SoftEther.
Based in Malaysia. hide.me scores 67 out of 100 (grade C) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 6 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, TLS configuration, audited no-logs policy and modern protocols.
AirVPN Grade C
VPN service run by Air di Paolo Brini in Italy. Accounts need no email address, and the open-source Eddie client supports WireGuard and OpenVPN.
Based in Italy (Fourteen Eyes). AirVPN scores 65 out of 100 (grade C) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 6 of 12 criteria: no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, TLS configuration, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols.
Obscura Grade C
VPN from Sovereign Engineering Inc. in the United States that sends WireGuard traffic over QUIC through its own relay to Mullvad exit servers, so neither party sees both the user and the traffic. Accounts are a random number.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Obscura scores 63 out of 100 (grade C) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 6 of 12 criteria: no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, TLS configuration, anonymous payment, open-source apps and modern protocols.
Party VPN Grade C
Pay-as-you-go VPN paid for only in cryptocurrency, including Monero. Supports WireGuard and AmneziaWG, and offers a REST API.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Party VPN scores 63 out of 100 (grade C) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 6 of 12 criteria: no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, tells users about requests, TLS configuration, open-source apps and modern protocols.
Mozilla VPN Grade D
VPN service from Mozilla that runs on Mullvad's WireGuard server network. The apps are open source under MPL-2.0 and require a Mozilla account.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Mozilla VPN scores 56 out of 100 (grade D) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 5 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, transparency report, tells users about requests, open-source apps and modern protocols.
CyberGhost VPN Grade D
Commercial VPN service from CyberGhost S.R.L. in Romania, a subsidiary of Kape Technologies. Apps support WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2.
Based in Romania. CyberGhost VPN scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 5 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, audited no-logs policy and modern protocols.
Azire Grade D
WireGuard VPN service founded in Stockholm and owned by Malwarebytes, running on servers it owns and operates.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Azire scores 48 out of 100 (grade D) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 5 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, independent audit, transparency report, audited no-logs policy and modern protocols.
OVPN Grade D
VPN service founded in Sweden, now run by OVPN Inc., with WireGuard and OpenVPN on diskless servers, optional ad blocking, and monthly transparency reports.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). OVPN scores 42 out of 100 (grade D) on the VPN providers criteria. It meets 4 of 12 criteria: no ads or data sales, transparency report, TLS configuration and modern protocols.