# Calyx VPN

> Source: https://fuckyc.org/services/calyx-vpn/
> Website: https://calyx.net/
> Categories: VPN providers
> KYC: none — Free VPN run by the Calyx Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. No accounts, no signup. Funded by Calyx Institute membership.
> Status: active
> Jurisdiction: United States (Calyx Institute, NY)
> Fiat on-ramp: no
> Payment methods: donation
> Founded: 2014
> Open source: yes
> Custodial: no
> Last verified: 2026-05-12

## Verdict

Calyx VPN is the non-profit no-account VPN from the Calyx Institute. Free, open-source, no signup — but a U.S. operator under a 501(c)(3) with an explicit civil-liberties posture. Trust the operator-history rather than the jurisdiction. Good fit for users who can't or won't pay for a commercial VPN.

## Strengths

- Operated by Calyx Institute non-profit (founder Nicholas Merrill of the 2004 National Security Letter case).
- No accounts, no signup, no identity binding at all.
- Open-source Bitmask client; reproducible builds.
- Funded by Calyx Institute membership, not user data.

## Caveats

- U.S. operator subject to U.S. legal process; the operator's transparency posture is what mitigates this.
- Smaller server fleet than commercial peers.
- Speed and capacity are membership-limited.

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## What Calyx VPN is

A free no-account VPN operated by the Calyx Institute non-profit, using the Bitmask client.

## Threat-model fit

No-payment, no-account VPN with a strong operator-history posture.

## Sources

- [Calyx Institute about](https://calyx.net/about/) — accessed 2026-05-12
- [Bitmask VPN source](https://0xacab.org/leap/bitmask-vpn) — accessed 2026-05-12