A new generation of virtual private networks is breaking from the familiar model of a single company running servers and billing a monthly fee. Decentralized VPNs, or dVPNs, spread traffic across independent node operators and often accept cryptocurrency alongside ordinary payment methods. The approach changes not just how people pay for privacy, but who controls the infrastructure that carries their data.
Mysterium VPN is the most conventional entry point for someone used to ordinary subscription apps. It is listed in the US App Store, its code is published under the GPL-2.0 license, and its web plans range from $10.49 to $18.49 a month, dropping to $2.59 a month on a two-year Basic plan with a seven-day refund window. Whatever VPN a reader settles on, it is worth running a basic diagnostic after installation, since a provider's privacy promises mean little if the app itself leaks information; a guide on how to test whether your VPN is leaking walks through the checks anyone can do in a few minutes. One caveat with Mysterium: shoppers hoping to pay in US dollars on the website should know our check found prices listed in euros instead.
For users who want a payment model with no recurring charge at all, Orchid bills bandwidth as it is consumed. There is no subscription; instead, the app, available in the US App Store with AGPL-3.0 code on GitHub, draws on an OXT token with a fixed supply of one billion. Orchid supports multi-hop routing across WireGuard and OpenVPN and runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux. The trade-off is that self-funded accounts need a crypto wallet, provider selection is randomized so speeds and server locations vary, and the project's public documentation does not include a first-party page explaining its token economics.
Mixnets Versus Standard VPN Hops
The deeper technical distinction among these projects is between a conventional VPN hop and a mixnet. A standard dVPN, including Mysterium, hides a user's IP address from the websites they visit, but the traffic still passes through a single intermediary that can, in principle, see both ends of the connection. NymVPN and HOPR instead route traffic through a mixnet, a design that scrambles timing and routing metadata across multiple independent relays so no single operator can observe who is talking to whom. HOPR's node software is open source under GPL-3.0, and its token is bridged to Gnosis Chain as xHOPR, though it is a protocol for developers and node runners rather than a consumer app with published pricing.
Sentinel takes a third approach: it is an open-source framework and Cosmos SDK chain, built around the P2P token, that other developers use to build their own dVPN apps. Its node and client code is public under Apache-2.0, and official SDKs exist in JavaScript, C#, Go and Swift. That flexibility comes with a catch. Searching an app store for "Sentinel dVPN" returns apps from third-party publishers, not an official Sentinel app, so checking the publisher name before installing anything is a necessary step rather than an optional one.
Choosing by Threat Model and Budget
The right choice depends less on brand recognition than on what a person is actually trying to protect against and how they prefer to pay. Those who want a familiar subscription and an app ready to install should start with Mysterium. Anyone concerned about metadata exposure, not just IP masking, gains more from NymVPN's mixnet mode. Orchid suits people who dislike recurring charges and would rather pay only for bandwidth used. None of these tools address content unblocking or streaming access, and all of them, apart from building directly on Sentinel or HOPR, require installing an app or, in Deeper Network's case, a physical router. Crypto-based payment options also carry their own risk: digital assets are not insured by the FDIC or SIPC, and their value can fall sharply.
