Head to head
The gap
The security score is not a total of good things. It starts at 100 and eight channels each take a share of what is left, so one channel can settle a record on its own. Both records are drawn here on the same scale — the model’s own cap of 0.9 — rather than on a scale fitted to this pair, which would make every comparison look equally dramatic.
Line by line
Every field the contract publishes about a provider, in the contract’s own groups, including the rows where the two agree — a table that printed only differences would invent a disagreement, and one that printed only the interesting rows would be us choosing what is interesting. Open a group to read its rows; each one says how many it holds and how many of them the two records answer differently.
A green cell means the methodology itself prices that value below the other one, not that we prefer it. Rows the model does not price carry no mark at all: price is never marked, because nothing in the model says cheaper is safer, and neither is coverage, platform count or devices. Where a value was never established the cell says so instead of showing a zero.
What actually happened
Other pairs
Pairs within the top ten get a page — 80 comparisons in all. Records below that are not paired here: a comparison earns a page where the choice between the two is a real one, and that choice is made near the top of the register.
No demand on the public record
1 documented demand, 1 of which produced data
Security
Usability
Rank 7 of 68 in the register
United States · Censorship tool
Exits in 4 countries
Security
Usability
Rank 10 of 68 in the register
Not published · Commercial VPN
Exits in 25 countries
Recent changes
No change logged on this record
No change logged on this record
Open questions
Still open on this record.
Jurisdiction. The about-us page says CactusVPN "started as a small company in Moldova" but that is company narrative, not a registration statement, and the Terms of Service state no governing law or incorporation country at all; the Securitum report names the client only as "Cactus VPN LLC" with no jurisdiction attached. M06 and the fields derived from it stay unknown until a registry record or an explicit jurisdiction clause is found.
Mandate hosting. All 25 countries in the published server list carry a data-retention mandate in this catalogue's own table, so C09b is not a narrow question here, but the server-locations page does not distinguish physical exit points from virtual ones for any location, and no per-country hosting fact was established this session.
App-level identifiers and store declarations. C07a, C12 and X12 stay unknown: no Play Store data-safety form or Apple privacy label was read this session, and the Securitum audit's whitebox scope covered server-side configuration and DNS/traffic handling, not what the mobile or extension clients transmit to app stores or analytics SDKs on their own.
Transparency and canary. No /transparency, /transparency-report, /warrant-canary or /canary path resolves on the site, and no such page turned up in the sitemap; that is an absence found by looking, not a sourced "none", so both fields stay unknown rather than being marked none.
Still open on this record.
Hardware ownership is not stated. Riseup's own government FAQ describes physical control of its core Seattle infrastructure ('not hosted in the cloud'), but says nothing about the VPN gateway machines in Montreal, Paris and Amsterdam, which sit on IP ranges typical of commercial hosts. C08_servers_ownership stays unknown rather than assumed from the Seattle statement.
The bare-minimum VPN log is described only by exclusion. The security page lists everything the 5-day rotating log does not contain (no IP, no fingerprint, no DNS requests, no metadata) but never states what it does contain. C01 is filled none_linkable on that exclusion list, but a reader who wants to know what the bytes actually are will not find it here.
Several usability fields have no documentation to read at all. Split tunneling, simultaneous device limits, P2P policy and streaming access are not addressed on any RiseupVPN page found this session, and the kill switch is confirmed only for the desktop tray client, not for Android.
The only independent audit is a client/infrastructure pentest, not a logging audit. The 2025 SRLabs report examined Bitmask and the Menshen bridge registrar for intercept and DPI risks; it never asked what the VPN servers retain, so V11_audit_findings is not_stated and the retention claim in C01 rests on Riseup's own word alone.
The 2012 seizure often cited against Riseup did not touch Riseup's own data. U.S. federal agents took a server from a colocation facility Riseup shared with May First/People Link, but the machine and its data belonged to a third tenant (European Counter Network); no Riseup account or user data was on it, which is why P01_seizure_event reads none_known rather than crediting an event that was never Riseup's to resist.
Notes
On the record as a whole.
The Securitum engagement (20 Apr–7 May 2026, nine person-days, whitebox) inspected four production servers across four of CactusVPN's ~25 listed server countries and the VPN client's connection behaviour (including a Linux app used for testing, which is not among the platforms the downloads page currently lists — apparently manual/legacy client access rather than a listed product).
The report is a bespoke Securitum security assessment, not an ISAE 3000 or SOC 2 engagement, so V07/V15 record that rather than guessing an assurance tier.
Pricing carries a renewal-rate guarantee: the annual ($70/yr) and 2-year ($95/2yr) plans are both stated to renew at the same locked price "for life," which is unusual among providers in this catalogue and is not a lifetime one-time-fee scheme (X07=no).
On the record as a whole.
RiseupVPN is a free client of Riseup Networks, a US 501(c)(4) non-profit collective (riseup.net) operating since 1999; the VPN carries no price of its own and is sustained entirely by donations, which is why U04/U04b are not_applicable. RiseupVPN is a rebrand of the older Bitmask/Riseup-Black client built on the LEAP platform; its four gateways (Seattle, Montreal, Paris, Amsterdam) all sit in countries carrying a logging mandate per countries.csv, and hosting there is physical rather than virtual.
By circumstance
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Torrenting | Allowed yes | — not established |
| Streaming | Reachable yes | — not established |
| Devices at once | unlimited | — not established |
| Under censorship | Claimed to work claimed | Claimed to work claimed |
| Exits in mandate countries | 2 India, Russia | None |
| Hosting in those countries | — not established | — the question does not arise |
| Company under a mandate | — not established | No such mandate no |
| Secret orders | No secret-order regime on record none_known | National security letters or their equivalent nsl_equivalent |
| ChannelPressure taken from what was left | CactusVPNDominant channel: Ignorance0 to 0.9, longer is worse | RiseupVPNDominant channel: Retention0 to 0.9, longer is worse |
|---|---|---|
| RetentionDoes a record exist that links traffic to a person, and who checked? | 0.299 | 0.497 |
| IgnoranceHow much of this did nobody establish? | 0.333 | 0.097 |
| HygieneWhat identifying material is collected in passing, and can the client be checked at all? | 0.280 | 0.070 |
| SilenceTen years, millions of users and nothing on record? | 0.225 | 0.000 |
| JurisdictionCan someone compel what exists, without the provider getting a say? | 0.079 | 0.200 |
| IntegrityHas it been caught saying one thing and doing another? | 0.155 | 0.200 |
| DisclosureHas it already handed something over? | 0.000 | 0.087 |
| ArchitectureWho operates the exit, and what does it do to the traffic? | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| What is left of 100The channels multiply: each one takes a share of what the one before it left standing | 20 | 25 |
CactusVPN and RiseupVPN were assessed by the HushFleet team and both placed in the Insufficient band: CactusVPN scores 20/100 for security, RiseupVPN 25/100. They share an independent audit and independent ownership. The 5-point gap opens widest on Ignorance — “How much of this did nobody establish?” — taking 33% from CactusVPN and 10% from RiseupVPN.
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Security | 20 insufficient · rank 10 of 68 | 25 insufficient · rank 7 of 68 |
| Usability | 66 out of 100 | 65 out of 100 |
| Record completeness | 63% usability 100% | 88% usability 64% |
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Who operates the exit | Run by the provider itself provider_operated | Run by the provider itself provider_operated |
| Retention as declared | Nothing that links traffic to a person none_linkable | Nothing that links traffic to a person none_linkable |
| RAM-only diskless servers | — not established | — not established |
| IP allocation model | Exit address shared between users sharedBcactusvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
| Signup without email | No, an email address is required noBcactusvpn.com · | Yes, on the provider's word yes_declaredBriseup.net · 2 sources · |
| Anonymous payment options | Cryptocurrency through a processorBcactusvpn.com · | The service takes no payment at allBriseup.net · |
| Own DNS inside the tunnel | Yes, checked by someone independent yes_verifiedAsecuritum.com · | — not establishedno source published |
| Worst third-party SDK category in the app | — not establishedno source published | No third-party SDK noneBplay.google.com · |
| Worst third-party tracker category on the site | Analytics analyticsBcactusvpn.com · | No third-party tracker noneBriseup.net · |
| Who owns the hardware | — not established | — not established |
| Offered countries that sit under a logging mandate | 2 India, RussiaBcactusvpn.com · | NoneBapi.black.riseup.net:443 · |
| Hosting in the mandate countries it offers | — not establishedno source published | — the question does not ariseBapi.black.riseup.net:443 · |
| Incorporation country mandates retention | — not establishedno source published | No such mandate noBriseup.net · |
| Beneficial owner sits under a retention regime | — not establishedno source published | No such regime noBriseup.net · |
| Persistent device identifier | — not establishedno source published | None held noneBriseup.net · 2 sources · |
| Weakest protocol still offered | PPTP pptpBcactusvpn.com · | — the question does not ariseBapi.black.riseup.net:443 · |
| What the exit does to passing traffic | Traffic passes through unaltered none | Traffic passes through unaltered none |
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| At least one independent audit | Yes, and the report was read yes_verified | Yes, and the report was read yes_verified |
| How the report is published | The full report is published full_pdf | The full report is published full_pdf |
| Subject of the audit | The no-logs claim itself · The infrastructureAsecuritum.com · | The infrastructure · The protocol · The app's securityAopentech.fund · |
| Server fleet coverage | A sample of servers sampleAsecuritum.com · | — the question does not ariseno source published |
| Auditor name | Securitum |
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Server seizure by law enforcement | No seizure on record none_known | No seizure on record none_known |
| Actual disclosure history | No disclosure on record none_knownno source published · | Account data was handed over account_data_disclosedBriseup.net · |
| Court record of compelled production | No court record none_knownno source published · | Produced account data produced_account_dataBriseup.net · |
| Response to a national logging mandate | — not establishedno source published | — the question does not ariseno source published |
| Transparency report |
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Documented gap between claim and behaviour | — not establishedno source published | No documented lie noneAopentech.fund · |
| Marketing against audit findings | No gap on record none | No gap on record none |
| Ownership structure transparency | Ownership is stated and checkable clear | Ownership is stated and checkable clear |
| Adverse events on the owner group record | — not establishedno source published | Nothing adverse on record cleanBriseup.net · |
| How the service is paid for | Paid subscriptions only paid_onlyBcactusvpn.com · |
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Cactus VPN LLCAsecuritum.com · | Riseup NetworksBriseup.net · 2 sources · |
| Where the company sits | — not establishedno source published | United States USBriseup.net · |
| Year the service launched | 2011Bcactusvpn.com · | 1999Briseup.net · |
| User base scale (mass >=10M, mid >=1M, niche <1M) | — not established |
| CactusVPN | RiseupVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms with a client | 7 Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Android TV, Fire TV, Browser extensionBcactusvpn.com · | 4 Linux, macOS, Windows, AndroidBriseup.net · |
| Countries with an exit | 25 countriesBcactusvpn.com · | 4 countriesBapi.black.riseup.net:443 · |
| Paying monthly | $15.00 per monthBcactusvpn.com · | — the question does not ariseno source published |
| Paying yearly |
| Security Research Labs (SRLabs)Aopentech.fund · |
| Auditor category | A security specialist security_specialist | A security specialist security_specialist |
|---|
| Assurance standard | Another standard otherAsecuritum.com · | No standard stated noneAopentech.fund · |
|---|
| Date of latest report | 2026-05-08Asecuritum.com · | 2025-05-16Aopentech.fund · |
|---|
| Audit cadence | One-off one_off | One-off one_off |
|---|
| Total published audits | 1 | 1 |
|---|
| Retention as the report states it | Nothing that links traffic to a person none_linkableAsecuritum.com · | The report does not address retention not_statedAopentech.fund · |
|---|
| Client source code published | None noneAsecuritum.com · | Every client allBgithub.com · 2 sources · |
|---|
| Reproducible builds | — not established | — not established |
|---|
| Separate pentest | — not establishedno source published | Yes, and the report was read yes_verifiedAopentech.fund · |
|---|
| Strength of the assurance opinion | — not establishedno source published | — the question does not ariseno source published |
|---|
| — not establishedno source published |
No report noneBriseup.net · |
| Reported numbers plausible for this scale | — not establishedno source published | — the question does not ariseno source published |
|---|
| Warrant canary discipline | — not establishedno source published | Kept current maintainedBriseup.net · |
|---|
| Requests received | — not establishedno source published | — the question does not ariseno source published |
|---|
| Requests that produced data | — not establishedno source published | — the question does not ariseno source published |
|---|
| Secret-order regime | No secret-order regime on record none_knownno source published · | National security letters or their equivalent nsl_equivalentBriseup.net · 2 sources · |
|---|
| Chronology of documented enforcement events | — not establishedno source published | 1 documented demandBriseup.net · |
|---|
A free tier funded by the paid one freemium_fundedBriseup.net · 2 sources · |
| Claims of 100% anonymity or military-grade crypto | Claims total anonymity or military-grade encryption yesBcactusvpn.com · | Makes no such claim noBriseup.net · |
|---|
| Aggressive lifetime subscriptions | Does not no | Does not no |
|---|
| Coverage exists only on affiliate sites | Covered only on sites paid to cover it yesCcactusvpn.com · | Covered outside affiliate sites too noBhelp.riseup.net · |
|---|
| Security incident and how it was disclosed | No incident on record none_knownno source published · | Disclosed by someone else third_party_disclosedAopentech.fund · 2 sources · |
|---|
| Affiliate programme and payout tier | A standard payout standardBcactusvpn.com · | No affiliate programme noneBriseup.net · |
|---|
| Owner-run review media discloses the tie | — not establishedno source published | — the question does not ariseno source published |
|---|
| App store declaration | — not establishedno source published | The store form matches the published policy matches_policyBplay.google.com · |
|---|
| Ultimate beneficial owner as written | Independent; founded and run by co-founders (Sergiu Candja, Pavel Bodeanu, and colleagues), who state they have refused outside buyout offersBcactusvpn.com · | Riseup Collective (self-governed autonomous collective; no external owner)Briseup.net · |
|---|
| Other businesses of the owner group | None disclosed | None disclosed |
|---|
| Country of the ultimate beneficial owner | — not establishedno source published | USBriseup.net · 2 sources · |
|---|
| Owner group | independent | independent |
|---|
| Date the current owner took control | — the question does not arise | — the question does not arise |
|---|
| Role of this brand inside the group | The group's principal brand principal | The group's principal brand principal |
|---|
| Infrastructure shared with cluster siblings | Separate infrastructure separate | Separate infrastructure separate |
|---|
| — the question does not ariseno source published |
| Usable free tier | No free tier noneBcactusvpn.com · | A free tier with no data cap unlimited_freeBriseup.net · |
|---|
| Works under active censorship | Claimed to work claimed | Claimed to work claimed |
|---|
| Protocols offered | 8 OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, L2TP, PPTP, SSTP, A vendor protocol with published source, An obfuscated protocolBcactusvpn.com · | 2 OpenVPN, An obfuscated protocolBapi.black.riseup.net:443 · |
|---|
| Kill switch coverage | On every platform all_platformsBcactusvpn.com · | On desktop only desktop_onlyBriseup.net · |
|---|
| Split tunneling available | Available yesBcactusvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Simultaneous connections | unlimitedBcactusvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Friction to start using it | An email address only email_onlyBcactusvpn.com · | No account needed no_accountBriseup.net · |
|---|
| P2P allowed | Allowed yesBcactusvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
| Major streaming services reachable | Reachable yesBcactusvpn.com · | — not establishedno source published |
|---|
