Tor
Tor, short for The Onion Router, is for enabling anonymous communication. It directs Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network, consisting of more…
Self-Contained Anonymizing Networks
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I2P
The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is an anonymous network layer that allows for censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer communication. Anonymous connections are achieved by…
GNUnet
For decentralized, peer-to-peer networking and an official GNU package. The framework offers link encryption, peer discovery, resource allocation, communication over many…
Orbot
Free, open-source Tor VPN app for Android and iOS that routes device traffic through the Tor network. Supports per-app Tor routing and access to .onion services on Android.
Hyphanet
Hyphanet, formerly Freenet, is a peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant, anonymous communication. It uses a decentralized distributed data store to keep and deliver information, and has a…
Retroshare
Peer-to-peer communication and file sharing app based on a friend-to-friend network built on GNU Privacy Guard (GPG). Optionally, peers may communicate certificates and IP…
Snowflake
Tor pluggable transport that disguises Tor traffic as WebRTC video calls to bypass censorship. Built into Tor Browser and Orbot; also available as a browser extension for volunteers to run a proxy.
Lokinet
Uses Oxen Service Nodes (also used by Session ) as routers to safeguard user privacy and anonymity.
IPFS
The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. IPFS uses content-addressing to uniquely…
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An anonymizing network routes your traffic through layers of volunteer-run relays, so no single point ever knows both who you are and what you are doing. Unlike a VPN, there is no company to trust or to subpoena. These are the self-contained networks that make you genuinely hard to trace.
How they differ from a VPN
A VPN sends your traffic through one company’s servers, so you trade trusting your internet provider for trusting the VPN. An anonymizing network like Tor spreads that trust across many independent relays, with no operator who can see the whole path. The cost is speed: more hops mean more latency, which is the price of removing the single point of trust.
Choosing the right network
Tor is the most mature option and the right default for anonymous web browsing and reaching onion services. I2P is built for services that live inside the network itself, like anonymous hosting and peer-to-peer. Others here focus on file sharing or messaging. Match the network to the task, since no single tool does everything and the wrong choice can leak more than it protects.
Using them safely
Anonymity is a habit, not just a tool. Keep the default settings, avoid logging into accounts that identify you, and never mix anonymous and identified activity in the same session. The network hides your address, but your own behaviour can still give you away.
Frequently asked
- Is this the same as a VPN?
- No. A VPN routes you through one company's servers, so you trust that provider. An anonymizing network spreads your traffic across many independent relays, so no single operator can see both who you are and what you are doing.
- Will my connection be slower?
- Yes, noticeably. Bouncing traffic through multiple relays adds latency. That slowdown is the cost of removing the single point of trust, which is why you use these for anonymity rather than for streaming.
- Is using Tor legal?
- In most countries, yes. Tor is used every day by journalists, researchers, and ordinary people. A handful of authoritarian states restrict or block it, so check local law if you are travelling.