# Lantern review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Nonprofit, open-source VPN built to get past censorship Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Lantern is a VPN made by Brave New Software Project, a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit, aimed at getting around internet censorship. By default it sends only blocked or sensitive traffic through its network and lets the rest connect directly; a Full Tunnel mode protects everything. The free version works without an account and has a daily data limit in most countries, and Lantern Pro removes the limit. - **Category:** VPNs - **Made by:** Brave New Software Project, Inc. - **Website:** https://lantern.io - **Runs on:** Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a free VPN with a stated data allowance, because the daily limit isn't given. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Lantern has a free plan, and paid plans start at $3.63 per month on the 2-year Pro plan, billed every 2 years. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** Free forever with no sign-up. In most countries it has a daily data limit; the pricing page does not give the amount, and the vendor says the free version is not capped where paying is blocked or unsafe. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Secure VPN with a daily data allowance and the anti-censorship protocols, on all five platforms. | | Pro, 1 month | $12 per month | Server location choice, faster speeds and unlimited bandwidth, premium servers, up to 5 devices and built-in ad blocking. | | Pro, 1 year | $4 per month, billed yearly | The same Pro plan billed once a year; the page shows the yearly total as a calculated amount, not a fixed figure. | | Pro, 2 years | $3.63 per month, billed every 2 years | The same Pro plan billed every 2 years. The page does not say whether it renews at the same price. | Read from https://lantern.io/pricing on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Lantern before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Longer Pro terms cost less per month** (Annual discount): Pro is $12 a month, $4 a month billed yearly and $3.63 a month billed every 2 years. Source: https://lantern.io/pricing ## Key features - **Smart Routing:** Sends blocked and sensitive traffic through Lantern and lets everything else connect directly. A Full Tunnel mode routes all traffic. - **Censorship circumvention:** Supports several protocols and switches automatically when one is blocked, which is what the product is built for. - **Private Server mode:** Lets you run Lantern on your own hardware or cloud account, paying only your own server costs. - **Built-in ad blocking:** Pro includes blocking of ads and trackers inside the app. - **Open source:** The code is public on GitHub, and the vendor says it keeps no logs of browsing activity and has been reviewed by independent security experts. ## Good for - People in countries that block sites and apps - Anyone who wants a free VPN from a nonprofit - Users who want to host their own server ## Worth knowing - The free version has a daily data limit in most countries, and the pricing page does not state it. - Server selection, ad blocking and use on up to 5 devices need Pro. - By default Lantern protects only blocked and sensitive traffic; Full Tunnel has to be switched on to cover everything. - Payment depends on where the app came from: Google Play and the App Store use in-app purchases, while desktop and direct Android downloads use cards or UnionPay through Stripe. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Lantern is a nonprofit VPN built to get around censorship, with a free version that needs no sign-up. Free has a daily data limit in most countries that the pricing page never puts a number on, and by default it only sends blocked or sensitive traffic through, so you have to switch on Full Tunnel to cover everything. - **Value for money: B.** $3.63 a month on the 2-year Pro plan and $4 a month billed yearly, which is inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs ($3.99). The monthly plan is $12, and the page doesn't say whether the 2-year price renews the same. - **Free plan and trial: C.** Free forever with no sign-up, on all five platforms. But there's a daily data limit in most countries and the pricing page doesn't say how much, so you'll find the edge by hitting it. - **Features: C.** Smart Routing, switching between protocols when one is blocked, an optional private-server mode and ad blocking on Pro. The gap is that it only protects blocked and sensitive traffic until you turn on Full Tunnel. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record, but it's an app you install and use with no account. Pick a mode and connect. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Android, iOS, Windows, Mac and Linux. Phones and computers covered, but no API or integrations are listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Lantern's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among VPNs - Lantern's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 16 of the 27 other VPNs we grade, and level with 3. - It stands best on value for money (B, above 17 of 27) and worst on features (C, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $3.63 a month, against a middle price of $5 for the category: 5 of the 26 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/vpn ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Lantern you would be making servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $43.56 a year. Lantern is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself. - You could make: Ad and tracker blocking: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## What people say - **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.7 out of 5 from 309 ratings in the United States, read Nov 13, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1457872372 **Tags:** VPN, Open source, Self-hostable, Ad and tracker blocking ## Alternatives - [Psiphon](https://toolgpa.com/tools/psiphon): Free, open-source circumvention VPN with an ad-free paid tier. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/lantern-vs-psiphon) - [Proton VPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/proton-vpn): Open-source Swiss VPN with a free plan that has no data cap. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/lantern-vs-proton-vpn) - [Windscribe](https://toolgpa.com/tools/windscribe): VPN with a 10GB free plan and pay-per-location pricing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/lantern-vs-windscribe) - [TunnelBear](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tunnelbear): McAfee-owned VPN with a 2GB free plan and pay-once multi-year plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/lantern-vs-tunnelbear) - [Mullvad VPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mullvad): Flat-rate Swedish VPN with anonymous numbered accounts. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/lantern-vs-mullvad) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://lantern.io/pricing - https://lantern.io - https://lantern.io/faq Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/lantern Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).