Sentinel dVPN

Network / Mesh

An open-source Layer 1 bandwidth marketplace and dVPN application framework, with 1,500+ independently operated nodes across 70+ countries and a native $P2P token. Independent apps are built on it, so it is not a single VPN you sign up to.

sentinel.co/ ↗

Not scored

Jurisdiction: Decentralised (Cosmos, global nodes)
Founded: 2018
Owner: Sentinel dVPN Foundation, on-chain validator governance
Best price: n/a
Devices: n/a
Free tier: Yes

Network / Mesh. Infrastructure rather than a VPN you subscribe to: decentralised anonymity networks (Tor onion routing, the HOPR mixnet), peer-to-peer bandwidth marketplaces and protocol frameworks that other apps are built on, and private device meshes. Listed but not scored head-to-head.

Sentinel dVPN is in the Network / Meshcategory, so we don't give it a head-to-head score. It is network infrastructure rather than a single commercial VPN service, so there's no one provider, no-logs policy, jurisdiction or server estate to rate on the conventional rubric. The data sheet below shows what it does offer.

Best for

· People who want censorship-resistant routing with no single operator to seize or subpoena
· Choosing between competing apps and node operators rather than trusting one company
· Developers building their own branded dVPN app on an open protocol

Not ideal for

· People who want one accountable operator with a single audited no-logs policy
· Anyone who needs session authorisation kept off a public ledger
· Plug-and-play consistency, since both node quality and app quality vary

Strengths

✓Fully open source: chain, node software, protocol and SDKs
✓1,500+ independently operated nodes across 70+ countries, with no central server estate to seize
✓Node software supports six service types: WireGuard, AmneziaWG, V2Ray, Xray, OpenVPN and Hysteria2
✓The SDK implements both a kill switch and DNS leak prevention
✓Apps can hide the blockchain entirely, taking cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay or other payment, and some offer free access
✓Live on mainnet since 2021, with more than a million users across the apps built on it

Weaknesses

✗Not a single accountable provider: trust, logging and quality vary by node operator and by app
✗Sessions are authorised on-chain, so a record of the paying address, the node and a timestamp is public
✗An open-source protocol does not make every app on it open source; each app has to be judged separately
✗Different architecture from a commercial VPN, so we list it but don't score it

Protocols & encryption

The tunnelling protocols this service offers and the cryptography behind them.

WireGuard

Modern

A modern, lean protocol (~4,000 lines of code) that is fast and easy to audit. Its cryptography is fixed and state-of-the-art, with no weak options to misconfigure.

Data cipher: ChaCha20-Poly1305
Key exchange: Curve25519 (ECDH)
Integrity: BLAKE2s

OpenVPN

Trusted

The mature, widely-trusted open-source standard. Flexible and heavily audited over two decades, though slower than WireGuard.

Data cipher: AES-256-GCM
Key exchange: RSA-4096 / ECDH
Integrity: SHA-256 / SHA-512 HMAC

In-house protocol. Sentinel dVPN protocol framework on its own Cosmos-SDK Layer 1, with on-chain session authorisation. Node software supports six service types: WireGuard, AmneziaWG, V2Ray, Xray, OpenVPN and Hysteria2

This provider's setup

Stated data cipher: ChaCha20 (WireGuard) / V2Ray
Stated handshake: Curve25519 (WireGuard)
Perfect forward secrecy: Yes
Post-quantum resistant: No
RAM-only servers: Unknown
Kill switch: Yes
First-party DNS (leak protection): Unknown
IPv6: Unknown

Full data sheet

Every attribute we track, coloured by whether it helps or hurts your privacy.

Company & jurisdiction

Based in	Decentralised (Cosmos, global nodes)
Eyes alliance	Unknown
Enemy of the Internet	No
Owner	Sentinel dVPN Foundation, on-chain validator governance
Conglomerate	n/a
Founded	2018

Logging

Traffic / activity	Unknown
DNS requests	Unknown
Timestamps	Unknown
Bandwidth	Unknown
Source IP address	Unknown

Decentralised: no central operator, and traffic is end-to-end encrypted between you and an independently run node. Trust varies by node, since anyone can operate one. Sessions are authorised on-chain, so a record of the paying address, the node and a timestamp is public. Where an app pays on the user's behalf, that address belongs to the app rather than the user, which weakens the link to an individual.

Payment & anonymity

Anonymous signup	Yes
Accepts cash	No
Accepts crypto	Yes
PGP key	Unknown

Protocols & features

OpenVPN	Yes
WireGuard	Yes
Proprietary protocol	Sentinel dVPN protocol framework on its own Cosmos-SDK Layer 1, with on-chain session authorisation. Node software supports six service types: WireGuard, AmneziaWG, V2Ray, Xray, OpenVPN and Hysteria2
Multi-hop	Unknown
Obfuscation	Yes
Kill switch	Yes
First-party DNS	Unknown
RAM-only servers	Unknown
Port forwarding	Unknown
P2P / torrenting	Yes
IPv6	Unknown

Encryption

Data cipher	ChaCha20 (WireGuard) / V2Ray
Handshake	Curve25519 (WireGuard)

Transparency

Open-source clients	Yes, all apps
Independent audits	None
Transparency report	Unknown
Court / seizure-tested	Untested

Censorship-resistant by design: zero bootstrap nodes and no central servers to seize. There is no single operator to subpoena, but equally no audited no-logs policy across the network, and session authorisation is recorded on a public chain. The chain, node software, protocol and SDKs are open source; each app built on Sentinel has to be judged on its own.

Infrastructure

Simultaneous devices	n/a
Countries	70
Servers	1500
Linux support	CLI / config

Pricing

Month-to-month	n/a
Best $/mo	n/a
On plan	n/a
Free trial	n/a
Refund window	n/a
Free tier	Yes

Ethics

Logging policy	Consistent
Marketing honesty	No overclaiming

Sentinel is not a single dVPN application. It is an open-source Layer 1 peer-to-peer bandwidth marketplace and dVPN application framework, on which independent applications are built. Its native token is $P2P. Nodes are run independently, with deliberately no centrally standardised server estate of the kind Mullvad or NordVPN operate, and the node software supports six service types: WireGuard, AmneziaWG, V2Ray, Xray, OpenVPN and Hysteria2. The SDK implements a kill switch and DNS leak prevention. Sentinel is designed so developers can abstract the blockchain away from users: apps can accept fiat, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe or other cryptocurrencies, can pay $P2P on the user's behalf, and can offer free access supported by ads or bandwidth sharing, so a user need not hold crypto or even know Sentinel is underneath. Independent dVPN, for example, has a free tier. The chain, node software, protocol and SDKs are open source; applications built on Sentinel must be evaluated individually. It is neither a Tor-style anonymity network nor a Tailscale-style private mesh. Live on mainnet since March 2021. Listed as infrastructure rather than scored against consumer VPN apps. Details confirmed by the Sentinel team, July 2026.

Sources

Last verified 2026-07-06. Point-in-time data, so always confirm on the provider's own site.