Riseup VPN vs Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app): 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.
The most trustworthy free VPN on structural grounds: an anarchist Seattle collective that has run since 1999, funds itself by donations, asks no account registration and states plainly that it does not log IP addresses, with a quarterly PGP-signed warrant canary and honest documentation of its own VPN limitations and the 2016 canary incident. But it is still US jurisdiction, there is no independent audit, servers are few, and the client is Bitmask-based with basic features - activists' pick, not a streaming tool.
A free, fast, one-tap encryption tool that is deliberately NOT an anonymity VPN - judge it as such. Cloudflare's own docs say the quiet part: WARP collects 'limited DNS query and traffic data (excluding payload)', keeps your app installation ID, transfer counters, average speed, and 'aggregate amount of traffic by website and by region', and hands your real IP to any site that runs on Cloudflare - which, on today's web, is a large share of destinations. There is no country selection and no streaming/geoblocking use case (AndroidPolice: 'WARP isn't a traditional VPN... doesn't provide location masking'). What you get for free is excellent: strong MASQUE encryption with post-quantum cryptography, one-tap setup, no account, no data cap, real protection on hostile Wi-Fi, and - per its China-using fans - often the most stable tunnel in censored networks, though India and Russia have blocked it by name. It replaces trust in your ISP with trust in a US advertising-adjacent CDN giant. For hiding from your school, your coffee-shop Wi-Fi or throttling: excellent. For hiding from Cloudflare itself, trackers, or a state: the wrong tool.
Short answer: Riseup VPN wins overall (3.4/10 vs 2.5/10). Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app) is the better pick if you care most about censorship resistance. Facts checked 2026-10-21.
The facts
 Riseup VPN |  Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app) | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score (0-10) | 3.4 | 2.5 |
| Privacy & proof | ||
| Logging claim | 'Unlike most other VPN providers, Riseup does not log your IP address' | Collects 'limited DNS query and traffic data (excluding payload)': app installation ID,… |
| Logging evidence | promise only (no proof) | no logging claim at all |
| Audits | unknown | unknown |
| Jurisdiction | United States | United States |
| Owner | Riseup Collective (volunteer collective, Seattle) | unknown |
| Money | ||
| Intro price | unknown | unknown |
| Renewal price | not published | not published |
| Anonymous payment | bitcoin | fiat |
| Account | ||
| Personal info | none | none |
| Kind | Free VPNs | Free VPNs |
| Facts checked | 2026-09-29 | 2026-09-29 |
Score breakdown
Riseup VPN leads on privacy & logging (+2.5), ownership & track record (+2.5) · Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app) leads on security (+1), censorship resistance (+4).
Riseup VPN at a glance
++ What holds up
- Completely free, donation-funded, no account registration (VPN page re-checked 2026-09-28)
- 'Riseup does not log your IP address' - explicit operator statement
- Quarterly PGP-signed warrant canary (re-checked 2026-09-28)
- Unusually honest docs: a dedicated 'security issues / limitations of VPN' page that explains what a VPN cannot do
- Open-source Bitmask client; same stack as CalyxVPN
- Fifteen-year paper trail of collective operation (FBI server seizure 2012, canary episode 2016) handled candidly
-- What to watch
- US jurisdiction and US-based infrastructure
- No independent audit of the no-logs claim
- Small free network; speeds and server choice are basic
- Client setup is less polished than commercial apps (users report uninstall troubles and occasional site-blocking quirks)
Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app) at a glance
++ What holds up
- Free with no data cap and no account (App Store listing + operator docs)
- Strong modern crypto: MASQUE tunneling with post-quantum encryption (WARP modes docs)
- Genuinely fast - users consistently report WARP beating commercial VPNs and even beating Psiphon/Lantern in China (r/VPN, r/chinalife)
- One-tap simplicity on Android/iOS/desktop, no account, works from quick settings (AndroidPolice hands-on)
- Split tunneling and multiple modes (DNS-only DoH/DoT vs full tunnel)
- Backed by one of the world's largest networks - rarely down; encodes no ads and sells no data per its policy
-- What to watch
- Metadata collection is the documented default: installation ID, transfer volumes, speeds, and aggregate traffic by website/region (WARP privacy docs)
- No anonymity from Cloudflare: your real IP is disclosed to sites on Cloudflare's own network (HN voices + docs)
- No location masking or country switching - cannot unblock geo-content (AndroidPolice)
- Torrent-hostile in practice: detected by trackers/datacenters, no port forwarding (r/Piracy)
- Trust model swaps ISP for a US company with PRISM-era baggage (HN debate); no warrant canary
- Blocked by name in some jurisdictions (India, Russia per user reports); UX criticisms after feature changes (coywolf)
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Riseup VPN or Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app)?
Neither publishes pricing we could verify - check the linked reviews.
Which has better logging evidence, Riseup VPN or Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app)?
Riseup VPN has the stronger logging evidence; Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app) makes no no-logs claim at all.
Which renewal price is honest, Riseup VPN or Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app)?
Neither documents its renewal price clearly - the classic trap. Check the linked reviews for the 3-year totals.
Which needs less KYC, Riseup VPN or Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app)?
Both have the same KYC stance (none).
Which has the longer track record?
Riseup VPN has the longer track record (since 1999).
Scores and facts: meta-reviews with dated sources - Riseup VPN · Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1 app). Method: how we verify. More: all providers compared · all head-to-heads.