Lantern (Brave New Software) vs Psiphon: which wins in 2026?
Head-to-head on the facts that decide the purchase: real prices in the provider's own unit, minimum, KYC, proof, payment and terms - every number sourced in the linked reviews.
A censorship-unblocking tool that now wears nonprofit clothes: Lantern's parent became the 501(c)(3) Brave New Software Project and the site now reads like a mission-driven VPN ('nonprofit', 'donate now'), with a strong November 2025 no-logs policy, a live warrant canary (no warrants, no NSLs, no gag orders 'as of June 30, 2026'), and an explicit 'technically unable to link your account to your traffic' claim. The evidence is thinner than the marketing: no named independent audit, reviewers (TechRadar 2020, Comparitech) found 'some logging', no kill switch, no refunds, 3 devices, and undisclosed server counts. Its sweet spot is precisely what it markets: staying reachable in censored regions (Iran, Myanmar, the Philippines) - but China users rank it behind WARP-MASQUE and Clash, Russia and Myanmar have blocked it by name, and TechRadar passes on Lantern's own advice: if you need anonymity, use Tor.
A transparency-first circumvention tool, not a privacy VPN - and it says so itself ('If you require anonymity over the Internet then you should use Tor instead of Psiphon', per its own FAQ). Psiphon's strengths are exactly where commercial VPNs are weak: it is free with unlimited data, open source, and built to reconnect where other VPNs die, which is why usage spikes to 1.76M in Belarus (2020) and millions in Iran during shutdowns. The trade-off is structural: its privacy policy documents metadata logging (protocol, duration, bytes, city/ISP, popular-domain byte counts, 90-day retention), the free tier throttles to ~2 Mbps, there is no kill switch, and independent reviewers rate privacy poorly (Top10VPN 0.1/10, vpnMentor 2.7/10 with IP leaks in real-world tests). Government funding (US State Dept/OTF lineage) is disclosed but will deter the most sensitive users. Use it to get online under censorship, not to hide.
Short answer: Lantern (Brave New Software) wins overall (4.9/10 vs 3.6/10). Psiphon is the better pick if you care most about censorship resistance. Facts checked 2026-10-19.
The facts
 Lantern (Brave New Software) |  Psiphon | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score (0-10) | 4.9 | 3.6 |
| Privacy & proof | ||
| Logging claim | 'no-logs VPN': no browsing history, traffic destination or metadata, DNS queries, or… | Collects user activity metadata by documented policy: protocol used, session duration,… |
| Logging evidence | promise only (no proof) | no logging claim at all |
| Audits | unknown | unknown |
| Jurisdiction | United States | Canada |
| Owner | Brave New Software Project, Inc. (501(c)(3)) | Psiphon Inc. |
| Money | ||
| Intro price | $3.63 /month | unknown |
| Renewal price | $3.63/mo | not published |
| Anonymous payment | fiat | fiat |
| Account | ||
| Personal info | none | none |
| Kind | Tools & networks | Tools & networks |
| Facts checked | 2026-09-29 | 2026-09-29 |
Score breakdown
Lantern (Brave New Software) leads on privacy & logging (+2), honest value (+7) · Psiphon leads on censorship resistance (+1).
Lantern (Brave New Software) at a glance
++ What holds up
- Strong no-logs privacy policy (Nov 2025) plus an updated warrant canary - no warrants, NSLs or court orders ever, per Jan-Jun 2026 transparency report
- 'Technically unable' to link accounts to traffic or IPs to sessions; registration accepts unverified emails
- Nonprofit structure (501(c)(3) Brave New Software Project, founded 2014) - Pro subscriptions fund free access in censored regions
- Open source (getlantern/lantern on GitHub, ~16k stars) with optional self-hosted Private Server mode
- Live pricing is cheap: $3.63/month on the 24-month plan; free tier keeps censored regions online
- Proven in documented censorship crises (Iran 2022, Hong Kong 2019; Tech Policy Press reporting from wartime Iran)
-- What to watch
- 'Independently audited' claim in the FAQ is not backed by any named auditor or published report
- Reviewers found 'some logging' and undisclosed practices (TechRadar: privacy concerns; Comparitech: 'unclear whether Lantern collects massive amounts of data')
- No kill switch (Comparitech), no refunds (Comparitech; FAQ: deleted accounts forfeit Pro time), only 3 simultaneous devices
- Not a full VPN: Smart Routing proxies only some traffic; 'not a full anonymity tool' (TechRadar); no Netflix/iPlayer unblocking
- Server count, locations and protocol details are undisclosed - far less transparency than the logging claims imply
- Blocked by name in Russia (Roskomnadzor) and Myanmar; China users report Clash/WARP outperform it
Psiphon at a glance
++ What holds up
- Effective at bypassing censorship where normal VPNs fail - documented usage surges in Iran, Belarus, Russia, Cuba (HN/Google News coverage 2020-2026)
- Completely free with unlimited data; no account registration required for basic use (operator + TechRadar)
- Open source (tunnel core on GitHub) and 'frequently peer-reviewed' (operator statement)
- Unusually honest self-assessment: FAQ points users needing anonymity to Tor and warns about traffic fingerprinting
- Blocking-resilient protocol mix (SSH/SSH+/MASQUE/L2TP-IPsec) with constantly changing servers and peer conduit stations
- No account, no KYC; PsiCash purchases can be made under pseudonyms (FAQ)
-- What to watch
- Metadata logging is the documented default: session duration, byte counts, city/ISP and some domain-level data, retained up to 90 days (privacy policy)
- No kill switch on any platform; vpnMentor measured IP leaks and sudden disconnects
- Free-tier speed cap (~2 Mbps measured by TechRadar); Top10VPN calls the speeds 'unusably slow' and the ads invasive
- Cannot choose your country/exit on desktop - 'best performance' selection lands users on random European/US servers (user reports)
- Small server network (about 21 countries, mostly Europe/US) - poor for geo-unblocking
- US/European government funding (State Dept, European Parliament grants) is a trust consideration for high-risk users
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Lantern (Brave New Software) or Psiphon?
Lantern (Brave New Software) publishes a price (from $3.63 /month); Psiphon does not publish a comparable figure - and unknown is not free. Compare only the same unit before concluding anything.
Which has better logging evidence, Lantern (Brave New Software) or Psiphon?
Lantern (Brave New Software) has the stronger logging evidence; Psiphon makes no no-logs claim at all.
Which renewal price is honest, Lantern (Brave New Software) or Psiphon?
Lantern (Brave New Software) documents renewal at $3.63/mo; Psiphon hides its renewal price - unknown is not cheap.
Which needs less KYC, Lantern (Brave New Software) or Psiphon?
Both have the same KYC stance (none).
Which has the longer track record?
Psiphon has the longer track record (since 2006).
Scores and facts: meta-reviews with dated sources - Lantern (Brave New Software) · Psiphon. Method: how we verify. More: all providers compared · all head-to-heads.