Outline VPN vs Psiphon (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Psiphon grades higher than Outline VPN: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Psiphon grades higher on value for money, the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Psiphon
Free, open-source circumvention VPN with an ad-free paid tier
Which one is for you
Pick Outline VPN if
- Fits if you want to run your own VPN rather than trust a provider
- Works for sharing one server with friends or family
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want a hosting bill, as you pay your own server host
- Skip it if you want to switch between countries, since traffic exits from one location
- Tight if you only have a phone, because creating a server needs a desktop computer
- Watch out: getoutline.me and a Telegram channel are not affiliated with the Outline team
Pick Psiphon if
- Fits if you're on a network that blocks VPNs and need a free one with no sign-up
- Works for phone users who want ads gone for a low monthly price
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're on a Mac, as the native app is still in development
- Too light for everything-on-the-device cover on iOS, where the browser only tunnels what it loads
- Tight if you stay free, because of the ads and the reduced features
- Watch out: the Plus price has no billing term and the page doesn't list what Plus adds
- Watch out: the Windows app is labelled a legacy client with some newer features missing
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAOutline VPNFair | 2.8GPAPsiphonGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe software is free, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server; the site cites $5 a month or less at many providers. | BPlus is shown as 'from $2.88 a month', which is inside the cheaper quarter ($3.99), but no billing term is given and there's no plan table. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe apps and server software cost nothing, but you also need a server of your own, so it is not free to use. | BPsiphon Basic is free with no account. It shows ads and has reduced features, and the vendor says it is free without limits where paying is hard. |
| Features | CYour own server, access keys, per-key data limits and an SDK. There is one exit location, with no pool to switch between. | CIt tries several protocols on its own, has 50,000 servers in 33 countries and a Conduit sharing option. The gaps: no native Mac app, a legacy Windows client, and the iOS browser only tunnels its own traffic. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record, and you create a server through the Manager on a desktop and manage it yourself. | BNo store rating on record, but you install it and connect without an account or any protocol to pick. |
| Platforms and integrations | BManager on Windows, Mac and Linux, and clients for iOS and Android. | BAndroid, iOS and Windows. Phones and a computer, but no Mac or Linux and no API. |
| Best for | running your own VPN server for a few people | a free VPN that keeps working on blocked networks |
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: Outline VPN and Psiphon. How we grade
Price against what you get
Outline VPN has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Psiphon starts at $2.88 a month and scores 2.7.
Psiphon scores higher, and starts $2.88 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, none scores higher than Outline VPN for less, and 1 scores higher than Psiphon 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
- Outline VPN is self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Outline VPN | Psiphon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated |
| Free plan | The software is free and open source. You pay your own server host; the Get Started page says many providers offer plans for $5 a month or less. | Psiphon Basic is free with no account: ad-supported, with reduced features. The vendor says it is free and without limits where payment restrictions make subscribing difficult. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Outline Foundation | Psiphon Inc. |
| Price read from | getoutline.org | psiphon.ca |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Outline VPN
- You need your own server, so there is a hosting bill, and the site cites $5 a month or less at many providers.
- Your traffic leaves from the one server location you picked, with no pool of locations to switch between.
- The site says getoutline.me and a Telegram channel are not affiliated with the Outline team and cannot help with access keys from those services.
- Outline Manager runs on Windows, macOS and Linux desktops, so creating a server needs a desktop computer.
Psiphon
- The free version shows ads and has reduced features; the page does not list which features Plus adds.
- The Plus price is shown only as "from $2.88 USD per month", with no billing term or plan table.
- There is no native Mac app yet (listed as in development), and the Windows app is labeled a legacy client with some newer features missing.
- On iOS, Psiphon Browser tunnels only traffic loaded inside the browser, not other apps.
Key features
Outline VPN
- Your own server
- Outline Manager walks you through creating a server at a cloud provider such as DigitalOcean, AWS or Google Cloud, or on your own Linux machine, and lets you pick its location.
- Access keys
- Each person you share the server with gets a unique access key from the Manager, and a key can be managed or deleted from the server.
- Per-key data limits
- The Manager can set a data limit for each key so one user cannot use all of the server's bandwidth.
- Shadowsocks-based
- The server runs a Shadowsocks service with a REST API for key management, which the project says benefits from ongoing work on resisting detection and blocking.
- Outline SDK
- A cross-platform library and tools for building the same blocking-resistant networking strategies into other apps and VPN tools.
Psiphon
- Automatic connection methods
- The app tries several protocols and obfuscation techniques in turn, with no protocol to pick, so it can keep working where VPN traffic is blocked.
- No account needed
- You install the app and connect without giving an email address.
- Large server network
- The vendor says its network spans more than 50,000 servers in 33 countries.
- Conduit
- Volunteers can share spare connection capacity from their own devices to help others connect; the vendor lists a Conduit station as an unlimited access route, on Android only for now.
- Open source and audits
- Clients and core tunnelling code are open source, and the vendor publishes independent security reviews, naming Cure53.
Plans
Outline VPN
Outline$0
Free Manager and Client apps and server software. You host the server yourself at a cloud provider you choose or on your own Linux infrastructure.
Psiphon
Psiphon Basic$0
Free, ad-supported and with reduced features; no account needed.
Psiphon Plus$2.88
per month and up; billing term not stated on the page
The full network with no ads and every feature, no account needed. The page says only "from $2.88 USD per month".
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Outline VPN or Psiphon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Outline VPN is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $2.88 a month for Psiphon. Outline VPN is free, and Psiphon starts at $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated.
Which has a free plan, Outline VPN or Psiphon?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Outline VPN and Psiphon have a free plan.
Which platforms do Outline VPN and Psiphon run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Outline VPN lists macOS and Linux apps. Both list Windows, iOS 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.