Authentic8 Silo vs Tor Browser (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tor Browser grades higher than Authentic8 Silo: 3.4 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Tor Browser grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Authentic8 Silo
Isolated cloud browser workspace for digital investigations
Which one is for you
Pick Authentic8 Silo if
- Fits if you investigate sites and need your own systems kept out of it
- Makes sense if you need research traffic to come from chosen regions
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you are one person: the lowest tier is $1,450 per user a year for one region
- Skip it if you want everyday browsing: Authentic8 says it is not a VPN, VDI or enterprise browser
- Tight if you need AI: Nexus AI is capped at 10 prompts a day on the listed tiers
- Watch out: the price rises with regions, to $3,450 for all of them
- Watch out: the trial has limited egress nodes
Pick Tor Browser if
- Fits if you want your traffic routed so a network watcher can't see which sites you visit
- Works for reaching sites that a government, ISP or home network blocks
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want fast browsing, as traffic passes through three relays
- Skip it if you want extensions: the download page says not to add plugins or add-ons
- Not for you if you use an iPhone, as there's no iOS version
- Watch out: the project's own Tor VPN for Android is labeled beta
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAAuthentic8 SiloWeak | 3.4GPATor BrowserVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$1,450 to $3,450 per user a year, which is about $121 to $288 a month, far above this category's $21 dearest-tenth line. Its rivals publish no prices to set against. | AFree, from a nonprofit that says it doesn't sell user data. A program anyone can download and run. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 30-day trial with limited egress nodes is listed, but the listing does not say whether it needs a card, so it is graded as one that might. | AThe whole browser is free, with no account or paid tier. |
| Features | CIsolated workspaces, a managed attribution network and audit, but Nexus AI is capped at 10 prompts a day on these tiers. | BThree-hop routing, site isolation, automatic clean-up and .onion sites cover its job. The listing's limits are plain: no extra plugins, no separate VPN and no torrenting over Tor. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. It is a cloud environment where analysts set up regions and workspaces, with a learning curve. | BNo store rating on record. You install it and browse, though traffic goes through three relays. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA cloud environment reached from the web. The pages do not list client operating systems, though Telegram, Signal and Maltego run inside. | BWindows, Mac, Linux and Android. There's no iOS version on the download page. |
| Best for | anonymous web research for investigators | browsing without being tracked across sites |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Authentic8 Silo and Tor Browser. How we grade
Price against what you get
Authentic8 Silo starts at $120.83 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Tor Browser has no paid plan and scores 3.0.
Tor Browser scores higher and starts $120.83 a month lower. Of the other browsers on the chart, 31 score higher than Authentic8 Silo for less, and none scores higher than Tor Browser for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Tor Browser is open source, according to its own site.
- Authentic8 Silo also covers research.
At a glance
| Authentic8 Silo | Tor Browser | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free |
| Starts at | $1,450 per user / year | Free |
| Free plan | None | Tor Browser is free. The Tor Project is a nonprofit and asks for donations; it says it does not sell user data to make money. |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial with limited egress nodes | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Authentic8 | The Tor Project, Inc. |
| Price read from | authentic8.com | torproject.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Authentic8 Silo
- Pricing is per user per year, and the price rises with the number of regions covered.
- Nexus AI is capped at 10 prompts a day on the listed tiers; unlimited use is an enterprise option.
- Authentic8 says it is not a VPN, VDI or enterprise browser, so it does not replace everyday browsing.
- The pages read do not list client operating systems; Silo is described as a cloud environment.
Tor Browser
- The download page says not to use a separate VPN, install extra plugins or add-ons, or torrent over Tor.
- There is no iOS version on the download page; the Android app is listed separately.
- Traffic passes through three relays, so pages are not routed the way a regular browser sends them.
- The Tor Project's own Tor VPN for Android is labeled beta.
Key features
Authentic8 Silo
- Isolated workspaces
- Each workspace runs apps in separate containers away from the user's network, so content from the threat space cannot reach local systems.
- Managed attribution network
- Traffic exits through 700+ endpoints across 100+ regions, with residential, mobile, data center, Tor and dark web options.
- Apps beside the browser
- Workspaces combine the Silo for Research browser with apps such as Telegram, Signal, Maltego, LibreOffice and Obsidian.
- Governance and audit
- Admins enforce access, data and usage policies, watch activity in real time and keep encrypted audit logs.
- Nexus AI
- An AI assistant with source-grounded responses and live content capture is included, limited to 10 prompts a day on listed plans.
Tor Browser
- Three-hop routing
- Tor Browser encrypts traffic and routes it through three locations, so someone watching your connection sees only that you are using Tor.
- Site isolation and automatic clean-up
- Each website is isolated so third-party trackers and ads cannot follow you across sites, and cookies and browsing history are cleared when you finish.
- Onion sites
- It opens .onion domains, which some publishers run only on Tor and which the project says are harder to shut down or censor.
- Censorship circumvention
- The project says it can reach sites that a government, ISP or home network has blocked.
- Related Tor apps
- The Tor Project also offers Tor VPN for Android (labeled beta) and Tails, a portable operating system, alongside the browser.
Plans
Authentic8 Silo
Local$1,450
per user / year
One geographic region of your choice, with all Silo Workspace features, admin controls and Nexus AI.
Multi-Region$2,450
per user / year
Any two regions, with the same features as Local.
Global$3,450
per user / year
All regions, including the dark web and rapid response nodes, with the same features.
Tor Browser
Free$0
Tor Browser for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, with no account and no paid tier.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Authentic8 Silo or Tor Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tor Browser is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $120.83 a month when paid by the year for each person for Authentic8 Silo. Authentic8 Silo starts at $1,450 per user / year, and Tor Browser is free.
Which has a free plan, Authentic8 Silo or Tor Browser?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Tor Browser has a free plan. Authentic8 Silo does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Authentic8 Silo and Tor Browser run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Authentic8 Silo lists a web app and only Tor Browser lists macOS, Windows, Linux and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.