Sustainable Substitutes for Betternet

A VPN service provider that shares user data.

Reasons to avoid Betternet

Avoid Betternet due to a lack of transparency in tracking practices and concerns over user privacy.

Opt for more transparent, privacy-focused VPN alternatives to ensure your online safety and anonymity.

Ethical and Sustainable Betternet Alternatives

Copied!
  • Feasibility: How easily can the average user switch to this substitute? Higher feasibility results in a higher ranking.
  • Editor's Rating: How sustainable is the substitute? The more sustainability attributes it fulfils, the higher it is ranked.

IVPN

IVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service with a strict no-log policy and open-source transparency.

IVPN offers subscriptions for one week, making event based subscriptions more affordable.
No registration is required to use IVPN, anonymous payment options are also available.
IVPN does not collect or log user activity or metadata, ensuring complete privacy and security.
IVPN is based in Gibraltar, ensuring compliance with strong European privacy laws.
IVPN’s client applications are open-source, ensuring transparency and community-driven development.
IVPN is ad-free, ensuring a cleaner and more private user experience.
Website

Mullvad VPN

Mullvad cofounder Daniel Berntsson has donated 5 million Swedish kronor to Swedish populist party Örebro. Source: TechRadar: 'I don’t like that he made this donation' — Mullvad CEO reacts to co-founder’s donation to controversial Swedish populist party (2026)

A privacy-focused VPN service with a strict no-log policy and open-source transparency.

Mullvad VPN is open-source software, ensuring transparency and community-driven development.
Mullvad is based in Sweden, ensuring compliance with GDPR and strong privacy laws.
Mullvad does not collect or log user data, ensuring complete privacy and security.
Mullvad VPN is ad-free, ensuring a cleaner and more private user experience.
Website
protonvpn logo

ProtonVPN

In at least a couple of instances Proton has been exposed of making false claims about user privacy and anonymity.Sources:Heise: Proton: FBI user identification shakes Swiss data protection (2026)Sam Bent: Proton Meet Isn't What They Told You It Was (2026)

ProtonVPN is a privacy-focused VPN service developed by Proton Technologies, with a strict no-log policy.

ProtonVPN's free tier can be used in Guest Mode where no registration is required.
ProtonVPN offers a free tier with strong privacy protections for all users.
ProtonVPN does not collect or log user activity or metadata, ensuring complete privacy and security.
ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland, ensuring compliance with strong European privacy laws.
ProtonVPN clients are open-source software, ensuring transparency and community-driven development.
ProtonVPN is ad-free, ensuring a cleaner and more private user experience.
Website

NordVPN

NordVPN is a VPN service with strict no-log policies and servers in 40+ locations.

NordVPN has a strict no-logs policy, ensuring no one traffic data can be sold, breached or analysed.
NordVPN is ad-free, ensuring a cleaner and more private user experience.
Website

The 2 main issues with Betternet

Privacy Concerns - User data is likely to be stored and used against users' best interest.

Betternet has faced privacy concerns due to their privacy policy. The policy states that the service may share user data with third parties, including advertisers and partners.Source: Betternet: VPN Privacy Notice (2026)

Lack of Transparency - Opacity in operations, data handling, or supply chains, making it difficult for users to understand practices.

Betternet's VPN apps have raised concerns due to its intransparent sharing of user data. A study found that its Android app used 14 different trackers in 2016.Source: Muhammad Ikram, Narseo Vallina-Rodriguez, Suranga Seneviratne, Mohamed Ali Kaafar and Vern Paxson. 2016. An Analysis of the Privacy and Security Risks of Android VPN Permission-enabled Apps. In Proceedings of the 2016 Internet Measurement Conference (IMC '16). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 349–364. (2016)

Suggestions and Feedback

If you have suggestions for more alternatives or general feedback, please contact me via email or create an issue over on Codeberg. Suggest Substitute on Codeberg Write an Email