Is Riseup VPN legit?
Claims rest on policy alone - no audit, no courtroom test. That is normal for this market, and exactly why the evidence classes exist.
Use Riseup VPN if you need a free, no-strings tool for basic privacy and distrust commercial providers. It’s ideal for activists and budget users who value transparency over speed or streaming access. Avoid it for anonymity in hostile regions. Riseup does not run affiliate programs - this review is not paid.
// The facts
| Pricing | see provider site moreFree; entirely donation-funded. Operating cost stated at ~$60 USD per person per year - donations requested, not charged. Bitcoin, PayPal and Liberapay accepted for donations. |
|---|---|
| Free tier | completely free, no account registration, donation-funded |
| Payment | bitcoin |
| Signup needs | 1.0 |
| Personal info required | no account at all - install RiseupVPN and run it |
| Logging claim | 'Unlike most other VPN providers, Riseup does not log your IP address' moreNo formal third-party audit found; credibility rests on two decades of collective operation, published security practices, a quarterly re-signed warrant canary, and the absence of any business model that would monetize data. |
| Warrant canary | published |
| Apps | linux, macos, windows, android |
| Features | kill switch |
| Open source | apps are open source |
| Jurisdiction | United States (Seattle-based volunteer collective, Riseup Networks) |
based on 4 dated external sources · facts checked 2026-09-28 · methodology