Mysterium Network
Mysterium Network is a decentralized VPN protocol operated by BlockDev AG in Zug, Switzerland, enabling a peer-to-peer marketplace where 22,000+ node runners sell residential IP bandwidth to consumers and B2B VPN/proxy clients in exchange for MYST token payments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersZug, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Mysterium Network does
Mysterium Network is a decentralized VPN (dVPN) protocol and ecosystem developed by BlockDev AG, a Swiss entity headquartered in Zug. The platform enables a peer-to-peer marketplace where node runners contribute residential IP bandwidth in exchange for MYST token payments, and end users consume encrypted VPN and proxy services across 135+ countries. Core technology consists of a globally distributed network of 22,000+ nodes running on consumer hardware (Mac, Linux, Windows, Raspberry Pi, and OEM devices from partners like Avado and Dappnode), with settlement on Ethereum and Polygon Layer 2 to enable low-cost micropayments via the proprietary Hermes system.
The company has evolved from a single consumer dVPN product into a multi-product ecosystem branded Mysterium 2.0, which includes the Mysterium VPN app, the MystNodes operator platform, Lavafy (a Network-as-a-Service for B2B clients), enterprise proxy and data scraping services, the MYST utility token, a Delegation Pool for staking, and developer tooling (TequilAPI and Mobile SDK). Customer segments span individual privacy-conscious consumers, node runners earning passive income, B2B commercial VPN and proxy providers (8 disclosed Lavafy integrations), and developers building censorship-resistant applications. Revenue mechanics are predominantly pay-as-you-go, usage-based microtransactions denominated in MYST or DAI, supplemented by B2B NaaS contracts; the entity does not publicly disclose revenue.
The organization is small (11-50 employees), privately held, founded in 2017, and led by founders Robertas Visinskis and Valdas Petrulis with a lean CXO team. The only disclosed funding round is a $16M raise from KR1 in May 2017, and subsequent operations appear to be sustained through the token economy and ecosystem partnerships rather than venture capital.
Mysterium Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mysterium Network
- Legal name
- BlockDev AG
- Website
- https://mysterium.network
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Mysterium Network is a decentralized VPN protocol operated by BlockDev AG in Zug, Switzerland, enabling a peer-to-peer marketplace where 22,000+ node runners sell residential IP bandwidth to consumers and B2B VPN/proxy clients in exchange for MYST token payments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mysterium Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized VPN (dVPN) / Privacy Networking Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)
- SIC
- Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Decentralized Bandwidth & Connectivity (bandwidth marketplaces, VPN, ISP/last-mile DePIN) (FSAPALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Decentralized Node Infrastructure & RPC Networks (node providers, RPC relays, indexing-as-a-service) (FSAPALAG), VPN & Remote Access Gateways (HDADABAD)
Keywords
Where Mysterium Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zug
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mysterium Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- P2P Bandwidth Sales: Node runners sell their bandwidth/IP access to users worldwide. Users pay per megabyte or per minute for VPN/proxy services. Node runners receive payments in MYST tokens or DAI stablecoin. The network facilitates trustless P2P transactions with no intermediary taking a cut.
- B2B VPN & Proxy Services (Lavafy): Commercial VPN and proxy businesses connect to Mysterium's node network via Lavafy (Network-as-a-Service). Eight projects already connected including five commercial VPNs and three proxy services. Provides residential IPs at scale for enterprise use cases.
- Delegation Pool Staking: MYST token holders can delegate tokens to the Delegation Pool and earn rewards. Node runners who don't have enough MYST can rent tokens from the pool for a fee. Revenue comes from staking yields generated by network activity.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-per-use bandwidth |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Node pricing (automated) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Avado hardware device |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Mysterium Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mysterium Network operates a decentralized VPN (dVPN) ecosystem where individuals run nodes and sell their unused bandwidth and residential IP addresses to users worldwide in exchange for MYST tokens or DAI. The platform includes a consumer-facing VPN application (Mysterium VPN), a node-runner portal (MystNodes), developer APIs and SDKs (TequilAPI, Mobile SDK), and a B2B Network-as-a-Service offering (Lavafy) that supplies residential IPs to commercial VPN and proxy providers.
Product overview
Mysterium Network is a decentralized VPN ecosystem that has evolved from a single dVPN product into a comprehensive platform architecture. The ecosystem consists of: the core consumer-facing Mysterium VPN app for anonymous internet access; the MystNodes platform for node runners to earn by sharing bandwidth; Lavafy, a Network-as-a-Service offering for B2B clients including commercial VPNs and proxy services; a Proxy & Data Scraping solution for enterprise data needs; the MYST native utility token powering peer-to-peer transactions with a Delegation Pool for staking rewards; TequilAPI and Mobile SDK for developer integration; and Necto Labs for R&D and ecosystem growth. This platform-plus-modules architecture enables the network to serve both consumer VPN users and B2B partners while rewarding node operators and token holders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Mysterium VPN: World's first true residential IP VPN for a borderless internet experience.
- MYST
- MystNodes
- Lavafy
- Necto Labs
Products and services
- Mysterium VPN A decentralized VPN (dVPN) application for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android that provides censorship-resistant, anonymous internet access powered by a peer-to-peer network of residential IP addresses. Targeted at privacy-conscious consumers and users in censored regions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 67,000 daily active sessions across 135+ countries
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Mysterium Network
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Mysterium Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Mysterium Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AvadocoreAvado provides plug-and-play hardware devices for home and cloud staking. Their node-running software makes it easy for users to help power multiple networks and earn crypto. Avado box connects users to Mysterium's decentralized VPN network, handling CPU and disk-intensive aspects of node running. Annual operational cost is approximately $50 per year.
- DappnodecoreLong-term hardware partner that takes care of technical stuff so anyone can run a node and access rewards. Individuals power Web3 through Dappnode's pre-configured hardware.
- NebraminorHelium hotspot integration partner. Nebra's hotspots can integrate with MystNodes to unlock dual earning rewards, making Helium hotspots work harder and smarter with native MYST rewards.
- PolygoncorePolygon (formerly Matic) provides Layer 2 scaling solution for Mysterium's P2P payments. Integration enables nearly instant and gas-less transactions. Polygon blocks are mined faster with no gas price surges, making registrations and withdrawals cheaper and faster.
- PARSIQ (IQ Protocol)corePARSIQ developed the IQ Protocol, the world's first risk-free collateral-less DeFi protocol for tokenizing SaaS subscriptions. Mysterium is the first project to integrate IQ Protocol, powering the Delegation Pool for staking and token renting.
- GoProxiesminorGlobal proxy network helping companies unleash the power of data for business insights, analytics and research. An ethical proxy network built on Mysterium's decentralized infrastructure.
- Mysterium VPNcoreWorld's first true residential IP VPN created for a borderless internet. Consumer-facing dVPN application available for Mac, Windows, Linux and Android.
- Portals VPNminorBuilt-in 'no logs' policy VPN. While other VPNs claim they don't spy on users, Portals VPN makes it impossible through Mysterium's decentralized architecture.
- StorjminorStorj DCS is the world's first cloud storage network. Partnership highlights Mysterium's role in the broader Web3 ecosystem of decentralized infrastructure.
- Sentinel (dVPN Alliance)minorWeb3 projects Mysterium Network and Sentinel launched an alliance to protect online users from personal data exploitation. Alliance aims to combine strengths in decentralized VPN space.
- KryptexminorCryptocurrency generation platform using GPU, CPU, or network card. Users can monetize computing and networking power of their PC.
- CrankkminorDistributed network built on Kadena's Proof of Work Network. Decentralized IoT network utilizing Proof-of-Network-Participation (PoNP) for LoRaWAN gateway nodes.
- Lavafy (NaaS)coreMysterium's Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) business for B2B clients. Eight projects connected including five commercial VPNs and three proxy services. Bridges Web3 solutions with Web2 users including those uncomfortable with cryptocurrencies.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Mysterium Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Tailscale: Modern mesh-VPN built on WireGuard targeting developers, SMBs, and enterprise zero-trust networking. Different buyer (teams vs privacy consumers) but competing for VPN/protected-connectivity budgets and demonstrating alternative decentralized approaches.
- Tachyon (V2-VDN): Decentralized VPN protocol using blockchain-incentivized nodes, conceptually similar to Mysterium but earlier-stage and with a more limited geographic node footprint.
Broad incumbents
- ProtonVPN: Privacy-focused VPN from Proton AG operating owned infrastructure. Competes with Mysterium on privacy positioning but lacks the decentralized, no-logs-by-architecture angle and is part of a broader Proton ecosystem (Mail, Drive, Calendar).
- Mullvad VPN: Privacy-purist VPN based in Sweden known for anonymous accounts and no-logs policy. Closest centralized-VPN peer on philosophy (no email, no logs), though still reliant on owned servers.
- IVPN: Independent, privacy-focused VPN provider using owned infrastructure and an audited no-logs policy. Smaller competitor that overlaps with Mysterium's privacy-consumer segment but lacks tokenized incentive layer.
- ExpressVPN (Kape Technologies): Premium consumer VPN brand now part of Kape Technologies' privacy portfolio. Competes on speed and brand trust; centralized infrastructure contrasts directly with Mysterium's decentralized architecture.
Direct peers
- Sentinel: Decentralized VPN protocol competing head-to-head with Mysterium in the dVPN category, offering its own bandwidth marketplace and node-runner incentives. Mysterium and Sentinel have even formed a dVPN Alliance, underscoring direct overlap.
- Orchid: Decentralized VPN and privacy network built on a peer-to-peer bandwidth marketplace using OXT token. Targets the same privacy-conscious consumer and censorship-circumvention segments as Mysterium with comparable provider/consumer model.
- HOPR: Web3 mixnet providing privacy-preserving, decentralized networking including VPN-style use cases. Overlaps with Mysterium on decentralized infrastructure for privacy and anonymous routing, though with a stronger mixnet rather than pure bandwidth-marketplace angle.
Others
- Nord Security (NordVPN): Owner of NordVPN, one of the largest consumer VPN brands globally. Direct competitor on consumer VPN demand but uses centralized servers; relevant for sizing Mysterium's addressable market and competitive pressure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mysterium Network social profiles
Digital presenceMysterium Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mysterium Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Mysterium Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mysterium Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mysterium Network
What does Mysterium Network do?
Mysterium Network operates a decentralized VPN (dVPN) ecosystem where individuals run nodes and sell their unused bandwidth and residential IP addresses to users worldwide in exchange for MYST tokens or DAI. The platform includes a consumer-facing VPN application (Mysterium VPN), a node-runner portal (MystNodes), developer APIs and SDKs (TequilAPI, Mobile SDK), and a B2B Network-as-a-Service offering (Lavafy) that supplies residential IPs to commercial VPN and proxy providers.
Is Mysterium Network a public or private company?
Mysterium Network is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Mysterium Network founded?
Mysterium Network was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Mysterium Network based?
Mysterium Network is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Mysterium Network make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. P2P Bandwidth Sales are the primary driver. The others are B2B VPN & Proxy Services (Lavafy) and delegation Pool Staking.
Who are Mysterium Network's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Tailscale and Tachyon (V2-VDN). Broad incumbents are ProtonVPN, Mullvad VPN, IVPN and ExpressVPN (Kape Technologies). Direct peers are Sentinel, Orchid and HOPR. Nord Security (NordVPN) is listed as an others.
Does Mysterium Network have an API?
Yes. TequilAPI is a REST/WebSocket API for node management. The API enables developers to interact with Mysterium nodes programmatically, allowing them to manage multiple nodes, view stats, and control services. The mysterium-vpn-js npm package provides a JavaScript client library (TequilapiClient) for interacting with the TequilAPI. Authentication uses username/password (default: myst) and returns a token for subsequent requests. Developer documentation is at docs.mysterium.network.
What industry is Mysterium Network in?
Mysterium Network's product category is Decentralized VPN (dVPN) / Privacy Networking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPALAD, Decentralized Bandwidth & Connectivity (bandwidth marketplaces, VPN, ISP/last-mile DePIN), with a secondary code of FSAPALAG, Decentralized Node Infrastructure & RPC Networks (node providers, RPC relays, indexing-as-a-service). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 3576.