What Kape Technologies does

Kape Technologies is a privacy-first digital security software provider headquartered in London, United Kingdom, operating a portfolio of consumer-facing brands acquired over a multi-year roll-up strategy beginning in 2017. The company's core offerings consist of three VPN services — ExpressVPN (acquired December 2021 for $936M), Private Internet Access (acquired December 2019), and CyberGhost VPN (acquired March 2017) — alongside Intego Antivirus for macOS (acquired July 2018) and the Webselenese content/review platform (acquired March 2021). The company also operates holiday.com, a travel brand within its portfolio.

The underlying technology stack centers on a proprietary SaaS platform serving over 7 million paying subscribers globally, with proprietary components including ExpressVPN's open-source Lightway VPN protocol, server-level CSAM blocking toolkit OpenBoundary (open-sourced in March 2026 in partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation), a hybrid browser extension architecture, and a dedicated Meta Quest VR application. The portfolio is supported by shared server infrastructure across Kape brands that enables cost efficiency, and the company has obtained ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 9001, ISO 18295-1, and ISO 18295-2 certifications, with ISO 27701, 22301, and 42001 planned for 2026.

Kape generates revenue through subscription-based recurring billing across its brand portfolio — ExpressVPN positioned as premium, CyberGhost as value-priced (€1.75/month on multi-year contracts), and PIA as a US-based court-proven no-logs option. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through brand websites to individual privacy-conscious users globally, supplemented by content marketing via Webselenese and strategic partnerships such as the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club sponsorship (announced November 2024). The company delisted from the London Stock Exchange in May 2023 following a USD 222.5 million share placement in September 2022, transitioning to private ownership under a leadership team headed by CEO Charles Butler (appointed November 2023).

Name

Kape Technologies

Legal name

Kape Technologies plc

Website

https://kape.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kape Technologies is a London-based privacy-first digital security software provider operating a portfolio of consumer VPN and antivirus brands — including ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, and Intego — serving over 7 million paying subscribers globally through direct-to-consumer subscription billing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Privacy and Security Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration) (BPAEAEAG)

Keywords

• Digital privacy software
• VPN services
• Antivirus software
• Cybersecurity products
• Consumer security subscriptions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Highly scalable SaaS-based recurring subscription model with millions of paying subscribers worldwide. Customers pay for VPN, antivirus, and related security products through recurring subscription plans billed monthly, annually, or multi-year.
2. Product Sales: Sale of security software products including VPN services, antivirus software, password managers, and hardware products such as Aircove routers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kape Technologies develops, acquires, and distributes consumer digital privacy and security software through a portfolio of brands including ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost VPN, and Intego Antivirus. The company operates a proprietary SaaS-based subscription model serving over 7 million paying subscribers globally with VPN, antivirus, password management, identity monitoring, and related security products.

Product overview

Kape Technologies is a privacy-first digital security software provider offering a suite of solutions through multiple acquired brands. The company operates a SaaS-based model serving over 7 million paying subscribers globally. The core portfolio consists of VPN services (ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost VPN) for digital privacy, Intego Antivirus for digital security on Mac, Webselenese for content/review platforms, and holiday.com for travel. ExpressVPN has expanded beyond core VPN to include password manager (Keys), routers (Aircove), email aliasing, identity monitoring, and an AI platform. The company also develops proprietary technology including the Lightway VPN protocol and OpenBoundary CSAM blocking toolkit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ExpressVPN: Leading VPN service offering privacy and security tools including consumer VPN, Keys password manager, Aircove routers, and Identity Defender tools.
• Private Internet Access (PIA)
• CyberGhost VPN
• Intego Antivirus
• Webselenese
• holiday.com

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7 million paying subscribers globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026ExpressVPN developed OpenBoundary, a server-level CSAM blocking toolkit, in partnership with IWF. The technology blocks known child sexual abuse material domains at DNS level without traffic inspection or encryption breaking. Kape brands CyberGhost and Private Internet Access are first adopters alongside plans for other VPN services, ISPs, and cloud platforms to integrate the framework. Open-sourced under 'Not on My Network' initiative.
• Tottenham HotspurflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 November 2024ExpressVPN (Kape subsidiary) entered a two-year strategic partnership with Tottenham Hotspur FC to become the Official Digital Privacy Partner. This is ExpressVPN's first global partnership in football. The partnership includes fan offers (6 months free on 24-month subscription), branded server location near stadium, and integration of privacy products throughout club ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bitdefender: Romania-headquartered security vendor with consumer antivirus, VPN, and digital identity protection — overlaps with Kape's Intego (Mac antivirus) and CyberGhost VPN, and a meaningful European incumbent comparable in geography and product mix.
• McAfee Corp: Public consumer security incumbent with bundled antivirus, VPN (Safe Connect) and identity protection — a broad incumbent competitor to Kape's combined VPN + antivirus + identity monitoring offering.
• Cloudflare (WARP / Cloudflare One): Cloudflare One / WARP bundles consumer-grade VPN and a SASE/ZTNA platform for enterprises — a broad incumbent that competes with Kape at both the consumer VPN tier (free/low-cost WARP) and the network security/SASE layer.
• Gen Digital (Norton, Avast, Avira): Public incumbent owning Norton, Avast, Avira and LifeLock — competes broadly in consumer security/privacy/identity, including VPN (Norton Secure VPN) and antivirus, with much larger scale and an enterprise security portfolio.

Emerging players

• 1Password: Leading consumer and business password manager — directly competes with ExpressVPN Keys as Kape expands into the password manager category, and a comparable adjency for identity protection.
• Mullvad VPN: Sweden-based privacy-focused VPN known for anonymous account creation and strong no-logs stance — an emerging player that competes for the same privacy-conscious segment as ExpressVPN and PIA, though smaller in scale.
• Tailscale: Zero-trust networking/VPN built on WireGuard for developers and SMBs — adjacent emerging player that overlaps with Kape's VPN/protocol capability (WireGuard, Lightway) but targets a different (technical/enterprise) segment.

Direct peers

• Surfshark (under Nord Security): Consumer VPN and privacy/identity bundle now merged with Nord Security — directly competes with ExpressVPN on premium VPN positioning and increasingly on multi-product privacy suites.
• Nord Security (NordVPN): Parent of NordVPN, NordPass, NordLocker and NordLayer — directly competes with Kape's ExpressVPN/PIA/CyberGhost portfolio across consumer and SMB VPN plus adjacent privacy tools. Most directly comparable in product breadth and scale.
• Proton AG (Proton VPN / Proton Mail): Swiss-based privacy suite including Proton VPN, Proton Mail, Proton Drive and Proton Pass — the clearest direct competitor to Kape's multi-product privacy bundle strategy (ExpressVPN Keys, email alias, identity monitoring).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kape-technologies
• Xx.com/Kape_com

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A10 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kape Technologies