What Leap Encryption Access Project does

Leap Encryption Access Project is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 that builds open-source VPN infrastructure for high-risk users operating under internet censorship or surveillance. The organization runs a fully distributed team of fewer than ten people across India, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Russia, and develops LEAP VPN—a white-label, OpenVPN-based platform engineered for ease of provisioning and deployment in censored environments. The platform incorporates pluggable transports including obfs4, Snowflake, KCP, QUIC, and an experimental Hopping PT that rotates bridges to evade deep packet inspection, and serves as the shared codebase underlying RiseupVPN, CalyxVPN, LibraryVPN, and LEAP's own Bitmask client. Supporting components include the obfsvpn obfuscated bridge system, bitmask-core Go library with uTLS browser-fingerprint parroting, the Menshen gateway coordinator with OpenAPI-driven client libraries, the Lilypad Ansible-based and Podlily Kubernetes-based server orchestration layers, and VPN-Hole for DNS-level ad/malware blocking. The full stack is released under FLOSS licenses and has been independently audited by Cure53.

LEAP does not sell software or charge users; all consumer-facing services built on the platform are free. Revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible donations—accepted via Bitcoin and PayPal—and grants from internet-freedom funders including the Open Technology Fund, Mozilla Foundation, NLnet, Internews, Prototype Fund, Digital Defenders Partnership, IMLS, Wallace Global Fund, Tides, and HIVOS. The Bitmask client is distributed through Google Play and F-Droid, while partner-branded services are distributed through Riseup's and Calyx's own channels. In a B2B sense, LEAP's customers are the trusted service providers—Riseup, Calyx Institute, CodigoSur, Colnodo, and US public libraries—that deploy and brand the platform to their constituencies of journalists, activists, dissidents, and human rights defenders. Through these deployments the platform reaches hundreds of thousands of users globally, with a volunteer-driven Transifex community localizing the UI into more than 30 languages. Recent engineering work has added KCP/QUIC obfuscation flavours (2023), Tor VPN development (2024), and Kubernetes-based deployment options via Podlily.

Name

Leap Encryption Access Project

Legal name

LEAP Encryption Access Project

Website

https://leap.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leap Encryption Access Project is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit developing LEAP VPN, an open-source white-label VPN platform with pluggable transports for censorship circumvention. Riseup, Calyx Institute, CodigoSur, and Colnodo deploy it to serve journalists, activists, and human rights defenders globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Internet Privacy and VPN Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

VPN Gateways & Concentrators (IPsec/SSL) (HDAFAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote Access / Secure Application Access (ADC‑Based VPN/ZTNA) (HDAFAHAK), Decentralized Bandwidth & Connectivity (bandwidth marketplaces, VPN, ISP/last-mile DePIN) (FSAPALAD)

Keywords

• Open source VPN
• Censorship circumvention
• Internet freedom tools
• Secure communication
• Privacy infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: LEAP is funded through direct donations and grants. Donations come from LEAP directly and from users of partner VPN services. LEAP has received grants from Open Technology Fund, Mozilla Foundation, NLnet, Internews, Prototype Fund, HIVOS, Digital Defenders Partnership, IMLS, Wallace Global Fund, Tides, and others.
2. Bitcoin and PayPal Donations: LEAP accepts one-time donations via Bitcoin (bc1q8k02k0fy2q69ukxnm6d5zelh4cm8ryfd72uurc) and PayPal. LEAP is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Washington State, USA.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LEAP develops and maintains LEAP VPN, a 100% open-source white-label VPN platform built on OpenVPN, designed for mid-scale deployments in censored environments. The platform is the shared codebase behind branded VPN services including RiseupVPN, CalyxVPN, and the Bitmask cross-platform VPN client. It supports multiple Pluggable Transports (obfs4, Snowflake, KCP, QUIC) for censorship circumvention, and ships with server-side orchestration tools (Lilypad, Podlily) and a gateway coordinator (Menshen) for trusted providers to deploy their own branded privacy services.

Product overview

LEAP Encryption Access Project provides an open-source white label VPN platform consisting of multiple integrated products. The core LEAP VPN platform, built on OpenVPN, serves as the shared codebase for branded providers including RiseupVPN, CalyxVPN, and LibraryVPN. Bitmask is LEAP's cross-platform VPN client supporting Android, Desktop, and iOS. The ecosystem includes obfsvpn for obfuscated bridges with multiple transport modes (obfs4, KCP, QUIC, and experimental Hopping PT), bitmask-core Go library for client functionality, and server-side platforms Lilypad (Ansible-based) and Podlily (Kubernetes-based). Additional products include VPN-Hole for DNS-level ad blocking and Menshen for gateway coordination and load balancing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bitmask: LEAP's own VPN client that allows users to select from multiple service providers from one app
• RiseupVPN
• CalyxVPN

Products and services

• LEAP VPN Open-source white-label VPN platform based on OpenVPN, designed for mid-scale deployments supporting journalists, activists, dissidents, and human rights defenders. Supports UDP and TCP plus obfuscation via Snowflake and obfs4, and is 100% open source and third-party audited by Cure53. Used as the shared codebase behind RiseupVPN, CalyxVPN, and Bitmask.
• Bitmask VPN Client LEAP's own cross-platform VPN client application that lets users select from multiple service providers (Riseup, Calyx Institute) from one unified interface. Available on Android (Google Play and F-Droid), Desktop (Linux, macOS, Windows), and iOS.
• RiseupVPN Free VPN service branded by the Riseup collective and built on the LEAP VPN platform. Provides censorship circumvention, location anonymization, and traffic encryption without logging IP addresses or mining user data.
• CalyxVPN Free VPN service provided by The Calyx Institute and built on the LEAP VPN platform. Encrypts and securely routes network traffic through Calyx's servers to prevent censorship and surveillance, distributed via CalyxOS documentation and Google Play for CalyxOS devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Third-party security audit by Cure53 confirms code quality and security
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• RiseupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiseup is a long-time provider of online communication tools for people and groups working toward liberatory social change. RiseupVPN is a free VPN service built on LEAP VPN, used by hundreds of thousands of users. Riseup's email and mailing lists serve activist communities globally.
• The Calyx InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Calyx Institute has a long history of educating users about online surveillance threats and providing privacy protection tools. Led by Nicholas Merrill, who fought a National Security Letter. CalyxVPN is built on LEAP VPN platform.
• Cure53coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party security auditor that conducted comprehensive code audits of LEAP VPN. Cure53 is a well-known cybersecurity firm specializing in penetration testing and security assessments.
• InternewsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational nonprofit that supports media development and internet freedom. Provided opportunity to work on circumvention technology and code maintenance for critical infrastructure.
• Simple SecureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUX research partner that helped LEAP embrace user-centered development methodology, conducting multiple rounds of prototyping and field testing for the UX redesign.
• Tor ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Tor on VPN development including TorVPN integration. Uses Snowflake and obfs4 pluggable transports developed by Tor community.
• OONImajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Observatory of Network Interference. LEAP uses OONI Probe to monitor VPN blockage attempts and censorship patterns.
• CodigoSurminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLatin American organization deploying LEAP-based VPN services for activist communities.
• ColnodominorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerColombian organization deploying LEAP-based VPN services for activist communities.
• Autistici/InventaticoreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped the 'float' toolkit that LEAP's Lilypad platform is built upon. Critical infrastructure partner for LEAP's server deployment system.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mullvad VPN: Mullvad is a privacy-focused commercial VPN provider known for anonymous accounts, no-logging, and resistance to surveillance. While commercial (vs. LEAP's nonprofit model), both target privacy-conscious users who distrust mainstream commercial VPNs and emphasize transparency and minimal data retention.
• Lantern: Lantern provides censorship circumvention software and infrastructure for users in heavily restricted regions, with significant OTF/Internet Freedom funding. Like LEAP, its user base consists of journalists and human rights defenders and its core function is enabling traffic flows in DPI-blocked environments.
• Psiphon: Psiphon is a censorship circumvention tool with open-source clients funded by OTF and others, explicitly targeting users in censored regimes (China, Iran, Russia). Both Psiphon and LEAP receive grants from the same internet-foundation funders and compete for the same activist/dissident user base, making them direct comparable peers.
• Outline VPN (Jigsaw / Google): Jigsaw's Outline VPN offers a self-hosted, open-source VPN server and client stack (using Shadowsocks) targeted at newsrooms, NGOs, and activists — almost identical use case to LEAP VPN. Both pursue a white-label, ease-of-deployment model, and the platforms often appear as alternatives in the same digital-security recommendations for civil society.
• Tor Project: The Tor Project develops the Tor anonymity network and many pluggable transports (obfs4, Snowflake, meek) that LEAP directly integrates. Both are 501(c)(3) nonprofits serving activists, journalists, and dissidents with censorship circumvention technology, making them the closest comparable in mission, technology stack, and funding model.
• Riseup: Riseup is simultaneously LEAP's largest partner (RiseupVPN is built on LEAP code) and a directly comparable entity — a 501(c)(3) collective providing secure communication tools (email, VPN, mailing lists) to activists. It functions as the principal deployment channel for LEAP technology and competes for the same OTF grants.
• ProtonVPN: ProtonVPN, by Proton AG, is a privacy-first VPN service from a Swiss company with a similar target audience of journalists, activists, and security-conscious users. Both companies emphasize no-logging, strong encryption, and resistance to surveillance, though Proton operates as a subscription-funded commercial entity.
• Calyx Institute: Calyx Institute is LEAP's white-label partner behind CalyxVPN and a like-minded 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on privacy education and tools. Both organizations target privacy-conscious users and activists, and CalyxVPN competes with RiseupVPN for the same OTF-style funnel of internet-freedom users.

Others

• OpenVPN: OpenVPN is the underlying protocol LEAP's stack is built upon and a direct upstream dependency. OpenVPN Inc. sells commercial VPN products and infrastructure while also maintaining the OSS protocol, putting it in a partial competitor/enabler position relative to LEAP's white-label OpenVPN-based platform.
• WireGuard: WireGuard is an open-source VPN protocol and reference implementation used as foundational technology by many VPN providers. It is not a direct competitor but an enabling technology that LEAP's OpenVPN-based stack could adopt to improve performance, and it sets the modern benchmark LEAP must compete with on speed and simplicity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/leapcode
• Xx.com/leapcode
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leap-encryption-access-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Leap Encryption Access Project