Canadian VPN with open-source apps, a free tier and crypto payment
Privacy 6.8
Safety 8.1
VPNs Reviewed 22 Oct 2026
RiseupVPN review
Donation-funded VPN from the Riseup collective that needs no account
- No account needed
- Open source
- No-logs policy
- No email needed
- No phone number
ID never required KYC 0 Documentation reviewed
Privacy
8.4/ 10
Strong
Safety
5.8/ 10
Fair
Based on terms and documentation. No test transactions published yet. See the arithmetic
RiseupVPN review in short
RiseupVPN is a VPN. Its terms put it at KYC level 0 of 4: ID never required. NoKYC Score grades it 8.4/10 for privacy (strong) and 5.8/10 for safety (fair). In its favour: no account needed, no email needed and no phone number. No incidents are on record.
- Category
- VPNs
- KYC level
- 0 of 4: ID never required
- Grades
- Privacy 8.4/10, Safety 5.8/10
- Sign-up
- No account needed
- Fees
- Free; donations requested (the site suggests about $60 per user per year)
- Jurisdiction
- United States
- Incidents on record
- 0
- Last reviewed
- 22 Oct 2026
Cite this review
NoKYC Score, "RiseupVPN review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/riseupvpn
Also available as plain text.
What RiseupVPN is
RiseupVPN is a free VPN client run by Riseup, a volunteer tech collective that says it has operated since 1999 and is based in Seattle. The VPN page says the client needs no configuration and no account registration, and that Riseup does not log the user's IP address. The service is funded by donations, taken by card or direct debit through Liberapay, by PayPal or in Bitcoin; the site suggests about $60 per user per year. The clients are based on the open-source Bitmask software, and the general terms of service are governed by the law of the State of Washington.
What RiseupVPN offers, and what to watch
6 of 14 privacy and safety features, 0 warnings in its terms.
"Not stated" means its own pages do not say.
Identity
- ID never required Yes The terms rule identity checks out, or the design makes them impossible.
- No account needed Yes Usable without creating an account, or the account is only a random number.
- No email needed Yes An email address is not required to sign up or use it.
- No phone number Yes A phone number is never required.
Payment
- Accepts Monero Not stated
- Accepts Lightning Not stated
- Accepts cash Not stated
Access
- Tor onion address Not stated
- Works without JavaScript Not stated
Trust
- Open source Yes The code that matters is public and can be inspected.
- No-logs policy Yes States that connection or activity logs are not kept.
- Independent audit Not stated
- Company named Not stated
- 5+ years operating Not stated
Warnings
- May ask for ID Not in terms
- Email required Not in terms
- Phone number required Not in terms
- Closed source Not in terms
- Nobody accountable Not in terms
Does RiseupVPN require KYC?
- 0 Never
- 1 Not mentioned
- 2 Rare
- 3 On risk flag
- 4 Mandatory
KYC level 0: ID never required. The terms rule out identity checks, or the design makes them impossible.
The VPN page says the client is used with "no configuration, no account registration"; there is no account or payment step at which identity could be requested.
How the grades add up
Both grades start at 50 points and move by fixed, published amounts. Nothing is adjusted by hand. The total is divided by ten.
Privacy
8.4- Starting points 50
- KYC level 0: ID never required +20
- No registration +6
- No email needed +3
- No phone needed +1
- Open source +2
- No-logs policy +2
- Total, clamped to 0–100 84
Safety
5.8- Starting points 50
- Open source +8
- Total, clamped to 0–100 58
Test ledger
Real transactions run by our editors. A badge without a ledger is an assertion; this is the proof.
No test transactions published yet
The grades above rest on RiseupVPN’s terms and documentation. Tests will appear here with the date, route, amount band and result as they are run.
Incidents on record
No incidents are on record for RiseupVPN. If you have a documented case, report it.
User reviews
Reviews never change a grade. Reviews with a transaction reference are marked.
No reviews yet.
Write a review
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RiseupVPN: common questions
Does RiseupVPN require KYC?
RiseupVPN is rated KYC level 0 of 4 on this site: ID never required. The VPN page says the client is used with "no configuration, no account registration"; there is no account or payment step at which identity could be requested.
Is RiseupVPN safe to use?
RiseupVPN has a Safety grade of 5.8 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 8.4 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.
Is RiseupVPN legit?
RiseupVPN is a working VPN. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 5.8 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.
Is RiseupVPN a scam?
NoKYC Score does not label services as scams; it records documented incidents with their sources and outcomes. No incidents are on record for RiseupVPN.
Do I need an account or email to use RiseupVPN?
No account needed.
What fees does RiseupVPN charge?
Free; donations requested (the site suggests about $60 per user per year). Fees were recorded from RiseupVPN's own pages and can change; check before you send.
Does RiseupVPN have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on RiseupVPN's own pages.
Which cryptocurrencies does RiseupVPN support?
RiseupVPN supports BTC, and fiat payments in USD, EUR, GBP, CAD.
Can I use RiseupVPN over Tor?
RiseupVPN does not publish an official onion address.
Listing history
- Listing added. Facts and KYC level set from the service's own terms and documentation.