# Orbot review (2026): is it any good? > Free, open-source Tor VPN for Android and iPhone Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Orbot is a free app from the Guardian Project that sends traffic from apps on a phone through the Tor network. On Android you choose which apps go through Tor; it also supports Tor bridges for restricted networks and onion services. It is open source and has no paid tier. - **Category:** VPNs - **Made by:** Guardian Project - **Website:** https://orbot.app - **Runs on:** Android, iOS - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want to pick a server in another country, as it uses the Tor network, not a server list. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Orbot is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The app is free and open source; the download page asks for donations to support development. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Orbot | $0 | A free app with no paid plans. | Read from https://orbot.app/en/download/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Orbot before buying. ## Key features - **Traffic through Tor:** Encrypts traffic from any app and routes it through the Tor network, which the site says leaves no central log of your traffic or IP address. - **Per-app routing on Android:** Android users can pick which apps go through Tor, so apps that object to Tor traffic can still be used normally. - **Tor bridges:** Offers a choice of Tor bridges to help stay connected on restricted networks. - **Onion services:** Lets any app connect to onion services, and lets the phone host an onion service itself. - **Several ways to install:** Available from Google Play, F-Droid, the Apple App Store, or as a direct APK download from the Guardian Project. ## Good for - People who want specific phone apps to go through Tor - Users on restricted networks who need Tor bridges - Anyone who wants an open-source mobile app they can inspect ## Worth knowing - Runs on Android and iOS only; the pages read list no desktop app, and point to Tor Project software for other systems. - Per-app choice is described for Android only. - Traffic goes through the Tor network, not a commercial server network, so there are no country-selectable VPN servers. - The site says the app is free and asks for donations. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Orbot is a free, open-source app that sends the traffic of chosen phone apps through the Tor network. It stops there: no country-selectable servers, no desktop app, and the per-app choice is only described for Android. - **Value for money: A.** $0, open source, no paid plan. The site only asks for donations. A free app anyone can install is the top of this category, where the cheaper quarter starts at $3.99 a month. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright, with no plan, trial or cap to run into. - **Features: C.** Routes apps through Tor, with bridges for restricted networks and onion services. It is a smaller job than a VPN: the listing notes there are no country-selectable servers. - **Ease of use: B.** No rating on record, but it is an app you install and start. Nothing to set up in the listing beyond choosing which apps to send. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Android and iPhone only. The pages read list no desktop app and point to Tor Project software for other systems. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Orbot's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among VPNs - Orbot's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 44 of the 50 other VPNs we grade, and level with 4. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 43 of 50) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 1). - Orbot has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/vpn ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Orbot is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 44 of the 50 other VPNs we grade. - You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. - You could not: A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. 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:** 3.0 out of 5 from 979 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/id1609461599 **Tags:** VPN, Open source ## Alternatives - [Psiphon](https://toolgpa.com/tools/psiphon): Free, open-source circumvention VPN with an ad-free paid tier. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/orbot-vs-psiphon) - [Lantern](https://toolgpa.com/tools/lantern): Nonprofit, open-source VPN built to get past censorship. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/lantern-vs-orbot) - [Outline VPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/outline-vpn): Open-source software for running your own VPN server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/orbot-vs-outline-vpn) - [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/orbot-vs-proton-vpn) - [Mullvad VPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mullvad): Flat-rate Swedish VPN with anonymous numbered accounts. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mullvad-vs-orbot) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://orbot.app/en/ - https://orbot.app/en/download/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/orbot Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).