Proton VPN vs RiseupVPN
It is a trade-off. Proton VPN has the higher Safety grade (7.3 against 5.8), while RiseupVPN has the higher Privacy grade (8.4 against 6.4).
Proton VPN
Swiss VPN with a free tier; paid plans payable in Bitcoin or cash
Privacy
6.4/ 10
Fair
Safety
7.3/ 10
Strong
No ID mentioned KYC 1 Docs reviewed Full review →
RiseupVPN
Donation-funded VPN from the Riseup collective that needs no account
Privacy
8.4/ 10
Strong
Safety
5.8/ 10
Fair
ID never required KYC 0 Docs reviewed Full review →
Side by side
| Proton VPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | VPNs | VPNs |
| KYC policy | No ID mentioned | ID never required |
| Custody | N/A | N/A |
| Sign-up | Email required | No account needed |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Tor onion address | No | No |
| Coins | BTC | BTC |
| Pay with | Crypto, Cash, Card, PayPal, Bank transfer | Crypto, Card, PayPal, Bank transfer |
| Fees | Not published | Free; donations requested (the site suggests about $60 per user per year) |
| Founded | 2017 | Not published |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland | United States |
| Incidents on record | 0 | 0 |
| Published tests (180 days) | 0 | 0 |
Only Proton VPN
Accepts cash5+ years operatingLegal entity disclosedRequires email
Both
Open source
Only RiseupVPN
No registrationNo email neededNo phone neededNo-logs policy
Where they sit among vpns
Questions
Is Proton VPN or RiseupVPN safer?
Proton VPN has the higher Safety grade: Proton VPN 7.3, RiseupVPN 5.8, out of 10.
Does Proton VPN or RiseupVPN require KYC?
Proton VPN is KYC level 1 (no ID mentioned). RiseupVPN is KYC level 0 (ID never required).
Which has more incidents on record?
Proton VPN has 0 and RiseupVPN has 0 documented incidents in the registry.