The Best Tor AlternativesTop Anonymizing Networks & Privacy Tools like Tor

Tor is described as 'Is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security' and is a leading anonymizing network in the security & privacy category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Tor for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iPhone apps. The best Tor alternative is I2P, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Tor are Orbot, Hyphanet, Shadowsocks and Snowflake Tor.

filter to find the best alternatives

Tor alternatives are mainly Anonymizing Networks, but if you're looking for VPN Services or Privacy Tools you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Tor.
Tor iconTor
  1772
  • ...

Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and...

More about Tor
More about Tor
Tor alternatives page was last updated Feb 21, 2025
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
  1. I2P icon

    I2P

     221 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    The I2P network provides strong privacy protections for communication over the Internet. Many activities that would risk your privacy on the public Internet can be conducted anonymously inside I2P.

    46 I2P alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    I2P screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Anonymous Email
    3.  Online Anonymity
    4.  P2P Network
    5.  Built-in Torrent client
    6.  Anonymous Proxy
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  No Logs
    9.  End-to-End Encryption
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  No registration required

    I2P VS Tor

     
    Comments about I2P as an Alternative to Tor
    Guest
    Positive •Jun 5, 2018
    3

    Both access networks that are otherwise inaccessible.

    Daniella Mesquita
    Positive •Sep 29, 2018
    -9

    It is very more anonymous than Tor, and Tor is not even really anonymous.

    Tor Icon
    I2P icon

    • Most users think I2P is a great Tor alternative.

    • I2P is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & Linux alternative to Tor.

    • I2P is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Tor.

    • I2P is Free and Open SourceTor is also Free and Open Source
    • I2P is Privacy focusedTor is not according to our users
  2. Orbot icon

    Orbot

     145 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Orbot is a freely licensed open-source application developed for the Android platform. It acts as a front-end to the Tor binary application, and also provides an HTTP Proxy for connecting web browsers and other HTTP client applications into the Tor SOCKS interface.

    23 Orbot alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Orbot screenshot 1
    Orbot screenshot 2
    Orbot screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Anonymous Proxy
    2.  Online Anonymity
    3.  Built-In Proxy
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  No Tracking
    7.  End-to-End Encryption
    8.  No registration required

    Orbot VS Tor

     
    Comments about Orbot as an Alternative to Tor
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive •Jun 5, 2018
    1

    Basically the same for Android.

    Guest
    Positive •Feb 18, 2016
    2

    it's just the android version of tor

    crazypens30
    Positive •Oct 6, 2016
    -1

    Orbot, for what it is, is the most similar to the desktop Tor client. In fact, it has several advantages over the desktop version - it's easy to configure bridges and its VPN all from the same console (even though the VPN is in beta at this point). You can also easily configure which nodes to include or exclude. It does occasionally have security leaks, but these have improved in later versions.

    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Tor Icon
    Orbot icon

    • Most users think Orbot is a great Tor alternative.

    • Orbot is the most popular iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Tor.

    • Orbot is Free and Open SourceTor is also Free and Open Source
    • Orbot is Privacy focused and LightweightTor is not according to our users
  4. Hyphanet icon

    Hyphanet

     174 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Hyphanet (former Freenet) is free software which lets you anonymously share files, browse and publish "freesites".

    51 Hyphanet alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Hyphanet screenshot 1

    Hyphanet Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Fully anonymous
    5.  Java based
    6.  Anonymous Secure Filesharing
    7.  Peer-To-Peer
    8.  Virtual filesystem

    Hyphanet VS Tor

     
    Comments about Hyphanet as an Alternative to Tor
    Guest
    Positive •Jun 5, 2018
    1

    Both have a network that is otherwise inaccessible.

    Tor Icon
    Hyphanet icon

    • Most users think Hyphanet is a great Tor alternative.

    • Hyphanet is Free and Open SourceTor is also Free and Open Source
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Hide My IP icon
    Hide My IP

    Hide My IP for Windows and Mac uses secure proxy connections to provide the best possible protection and security online.

    https://www.hide-my-ip.com
    Learn More
  6. Shadowsocks icon

    Shadowsocks

     120 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    A fast tunnel proxy that helps you bypass firewalls.

    179 Shadowsocks alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CN flagChina

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • F-Droid
    Shadowsocks screenshot 1

    Shadowsocks Features

    1.  Online Anonymity
    2.  Bypass Firewall
    3.  TCP Proxy
    4.  Built-in VPN
    5.  Anonymous Proxy
    6.  OpenVPN
    7.  Shadowsocks
    8.  Anticensorship
    9.  Split Proxy
    10.  Bypass Censorship

    Shadowsocks VS Tor

     
  7. Snowflake Tor icon

    Snowflake Tor

     51 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Snowflake is a system to defeat internet censorship. People who are censored can use Snowflake to access the internet. Their connection goes through Snowflake proxies, which are run by volunteers.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Google Chrome
    • Firefox
    Snowflake Tor screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Bypass Censorship
    2.  Tor
    3.  No Censorship
    4.  Decentralized
    5.  No Logs
    6.  No Tracking

    Snowflake Tor VS Tor

     
  8. ZeroNet icon

    ZeroNet

     126 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    ZeroNet uses cryptography (Bitcoin library) and BitTorrent DHT (centralized trackers) to build a distributed censorship-resistant network.

    30 ZeroNet alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • gevent
    • Self-Hosted
    • NameCoin
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    ZeroNet screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    The last release is from September 2019.

    ZeroNet Features

    1. Tor icon  Support for TOR
    2.  Decentralized
    3.  P2P Network
    4.  Decentralized storage
    5.  Mesh network
    6.  Support for IPv6
    7.  Decentralized email
    8.  SQLite
    9.  Independent
    10.  Support for Large File

    ZeroNet VS Tor

     
    Comments about ZeroNet as an Alternative to Tor
    Guest
    Positive •Jun 5, 2018
    -1

    Closest to the decentralized part of Tor.

    Tor Icon
    ZeroNet icon

    • Most users think ZeroNet is a great Tor alternative.

    • ZeroNet is the most popular Web-based & Self-Hosted alternative to Tor.

    • ZeroNet is Free and Open SourceTor is also Free and Open Source
  10. GNUnet icon

    GNUnet

     81 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    GNUnet is a framework for secure peer-to-peer networking that does not use any centralized or otherwise trusted services. A first service implemented on top of the networking layer allows anonymous censorship-resistant file-sharing.

    60 GNUnet alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Besides command line tools, GNUnet provides a graphical user interface: gnunet-gtk. Here are some screenshots of gnunet-gtk and its features and ports.

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  Anonymous Secure Filesharing
    3.  Decentralised Name System
    4.  Modularity
    5.  Overlay network
    6.  Peer-To-Peer
    7.  Mesh network
    8.  Distributed

    GNUnet VS Tor

     
  11. Nym icon

    Nym

     11 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Nym provides strong network-level privacy against sophisticated end-to-end attackers, and anonymous transactions using blinded, re-randomizable, decentralized credentials.

    59 Nym alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • AppImageHub
    • Arch Linux
    • Flathub
    • Ubuntu
    • Debian
    • Flatpak
    VPN vs. Tor vs. Nym

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  No Logs
    2.  WireGuard
    3.  Shadowsocks
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  AES-256 Encryption
    6.  Decentralized
    7.  No registration required
    8.  No Tracking
    9.  Anonymous Proxy
    10.  End-to-End Encryption
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  Online Anonymity

    Nym VS Tor

     

    • Nym is the most popular commercial alternative to Tor.

    • Nym is Paid and Open SourceTor is Free and Open Source
    • Nym is Privacy focusedTor is not according to our users
  12. lokinet icon

    lokinet

     15 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Lokinet is a decentralised onion router that uses Oxen service nodes as relays, giving Lokinet the same market-based Sybil attack resistance as the Oxen blockchain. Lokinet supports web browsing, onion-routed real-time voice communications, and other applications.

    12 lokinet alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Debian
    • Arch Linux
    lokinet screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  AES-256 Encryption
    3.  No Logs
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  End-to-End Encryption
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Decentralized
    8.  Anonymous Proxy
    9.  Support for IPv4
    10.  Overlay network

    lokinet VS Tor

     
  13. i2pd (I2P Daemon) icon

    i2pd (I2P Daemon)

     20 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    I2P (Invisible Internet Protocol) is a universal anonymous network layer. All communications over I2P are anonymous and end-to-end encrypted, participants don't reveal their real IP addresses.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • Raspberry Pi
    • C++
    • I2P
    • F-Droid

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Security-focused

    Features

    1.  Decentralized
    2.  No Tracking
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Anonymous Proxy
    5.  No Logs
    6.  No registration required
    7.  End-to-End Encryption
    8.  Internal torrent network

    i2pd (I2P Daemon) VS Tor

     
10 of 63 Tor alternatives