NostrVPN

Mesh

A decentralised, Tailscale-style mesh VPN that links your own devices using Nostr-key identity instead of a central provider or account.

nostrvpn.org/ ↗

Mesh tool, not scored

Jurisdiction: Decentralised (no provider)
Founded: n/a
Owner: Open-source project (Martti Malmi / sirius)
Best price: n/a
Devices: n/a
Free tier: Yes

Mesh VPN. Links your own devices privately (Tailscale-style). Not a traffic-exit provider, so it isn't scored head-to-head with VPN services.

NostrVPN is a mesh VPN, so we don't give it a head-to-head score. There's no provider no-logs policy, jurisdiction, or server network to rate, just your own devices linked privately. The data sheet below shows what it does offer.

Best for

· Linking your own devices (laptops, phones, home servers, SSH) privately
· Self-sovereign networking with no provider account or email
· Nostr / Bitcoin users comfortable with key-based identity

Not ideal for

· Hiding your IP or geo-shifting like a commercial VPN, it isn't an exit provider
· Non-technical users, it's an early-stage CLI/daemon project
· Anyone needing audited, production-grade reliability today

Strengths

✓No central company, account, or email; your Nostr key is your identity
✓No central coordination server to monitor, subpoena, or seize
✓Open-source; built on WireGuard for the encrypted data plane
✓Created by Martti Malmi (sirius), one of Bitcoin's earliest developers

Weaknesses

✗Different category from a traffic-routing VPN, won't give you an anonymous exit IP
✗Early-stage and rough; limited platform polish
✗No independent audit; small project
✗Requires technical comfort (CLI/daemon, key management)

Full data sheet

Every attribute we track, coloured by whether it helps or hurts your privacy.

Company & jurisdiction

Based in	Decentralised (no provider)
Eyes alliance	Unknown
Enemy of the Internet	No
Owner	Open-source project (Martti Malmi / sirius)
Conglomerate	n/a
Founded	n/a

Logging

Traffic / activity	Unknown
DNS requests	Unknown
Timestamps	Unknown
Bandwidth	Unknown
Source IP address	Unknown

Not a traffic-routing provider, so there is no central operator to keep logs. Devices connect peer-to-peer over WireGuard; discovery and coordination run over decentralised Nostr relays rather than a company control plane.

Payment & anonymity

Anonymous signup	Yes
Accepts cash	Unknown
Accepts crypto	Unknown
PGP key	Unknown

Protocols & features

OpenVPN	No
WireGuard	Yes
Proprietary protocol	Nostr-key identity + decentralised relay coordination (nvpn CLI/daemon); devices reach each other via stable .nvpn names
Multi-hop	Unknown
Obfuscation	Unknown
Kill switch	Unknown
First-party DNS	Unknown
RAM-only servers	Unknown
Port forwarding	Unknown
P2P / torrenting	Yes
IPv6	Unknown

Encryption

Data cipher	WireGuard (ChaCha20-Poly1305)
Handshake	WireGuard (Curve25519); identity via Nostr (secp256k1) keys

Transparency

Open-source clients	Yes, all apps
Independent audits	None
Transparency report	Unknown
Court / seizure-tested	Unknown

Self-hosted / decentralised by design: there is no company database to subpoena or seize.

Infrastructure

Simultaneous devices	n/a
Countries	n/a
Servers	n/a
Linux support	CLI / config

Pricing

Month-to-month	n/a
Best $/mo	n/a
On plan	n/a
Free trial	None
Refund window	n/a
Free tier	Yes

Ethics

Logging policy	Consistent
Marketing honesty	No overclaiming

Mesh / overlay VPN in the spirit of Tailscale, but decentralised: WireGuard handles encryption while device discovery and coordination run over Nostr relays instead of a company's control plane. We list it for completeness but do not score it against traffic-routing providers; the privacy axes (provider no-logs, jurisdiction, server network) don't apply to a device mesh.

Sources

Last verified 2026-06-18. Point-in-time data, so always confirm on the provider's own site.