GrapheneOS
GrapheneOS is a non-profit open-source project developing a privacy and security-hardened mobile operating system forked from AOSP, serving privacy-conscious individuals and enterprise/government buyers through self-installation and a new Motorola OEM partnership launching 2027.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What GrapheneOS does
GrapheneOS is a non-profit open-source project that develops a privacy and security-hardened mobile operating system built as a fork of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Founded in 2014 by Daniel Micay (originally as CopperheadOS, renamed in 2019) and stewarded by the GrapheneOS Foundation established in Canada in 2023, the OS delivers Android app compatibility while deploying a fortified app sandbox, a proprietary hardened_malloc memory allocator, extensive exploit mitigations, and an improved permission model. The product ecosystem includes Vanadium (hardened Chromium browser), Auditor (hardware-based device attestation), a privacy-focused camera app, Seedvault encrypted backup, and a sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer that allows users to run Google Play services without special privileges. The project serves privacy-conscious individual users, enterprise and government buyers seeking hardened mobile devices, and privacy advocacy organizations.
The project operates on a donations and sponsorship model with no commercial licensing revenue. Current corporate sponsors include Mullvad VPN, Cherry Servers, IPInfo, Reliable Site, Xenyth, and Zare, providing server infrastructure and financial support. Cape, a privacy-focused MVNO with $91M in prior funding, also sponsors the project. Distribution has historically been direct-download self-installation on Google Pixel devices, but a March 2026 partnership with Motorola announced at MWC 2026 will extend GrapheneOS to Motorola flagship devices (including next-generation Signature, Razr Ultra, and Razr Fold) starting in 2027, targeting enterprise and government buyers through Motorola's sales channel. Approximately 400,000 downloads have been recorded across the project's history, with active development supported by a small team of 11-50 remote contractors.
GrapheneOS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GrapheneOS
- Legal name
- GrapheneOS
- Website
- https://grapheneos.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- GrapheneOS is a non-profit open-source project developing a privacy and security-hardened mobile operating system forked from AOSP, serving privacy-conscious individuals and enterprise/government buyers through self-installation and a new Motorola OEM partnership launching 2027.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GrapheneOS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Operating System
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus (3661)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile Operating Systems & Firmware (Android forks, OEM UI, Feature Phone OS) (CRACALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Confidential Computing & Hardware-backed Protection (TEE/HSM) (HDADAFAJ), Mobile Application Security (App Shielding, Anti-Tamper) (HDADACAL)
Keywords
Where GrapheneOS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
GrapheneOS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Donations and Sponsorships: GrapheneOS is a non-profit open source project supported via donations from individuals, companies, and other organizations. It accepts sponsorships from aligned organizations and receives server and bandwidth sponsorships from partners like Mullvad VPN, Cherry Servers, IPInfo, Reliable Site, Xenyth, Zare, and Cape.
- No Commercial Licensing Revenue: GrapheneOS is free and open source. The project does not charge for OS updates or license its software commercially. Anyone can sell devices with GrapheneOS without permission due to open source licensing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Open Source OS |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
GrapheneOS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GrapheneOS is a privacy and security-hardened mobile operating system built as a fork of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), providing Android app compatibility while deploying technologies that mitigate whole classes of vulnerabilities. The project also develops a suite of companion applications including the Vanadium hardened browser, Auditor hardware attestation app, privacy-focused camera, and minimal PDF viewer. It is developed as a non-profit open source project supported through donations and sponsorships.
Product overview
GrapheneOS is a privacy and security-focused mobile operating system with Android app compatibility, developed as a non-profit open source project. The product ecosystem centers on GrapheneOS as the core OS, supplemented by a suite of privacy and security tools including Vanadium (hardened Chromium browser and WebView), Auditor (hardware-based device verification and attestation), Camera (privacy-focused camera app), Seedvault (encrypted backup solution), PDF Viewer, Messaging, App Store, and Updater. The project was founded in 2014, was formerly known as CopperheadOS, and transitioned to the GrapheneOS Foundation as a non-profit in 2023. The OS provides substantial improvements to sandboxing, exploit mitigations, and the Android permission model, while maintaining compatibility with Android applications through a sandboxed Google Play compatibility layer.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- GrapheneOS A privacy and security-focused mobile operating system with Android app compatibility, developed as a non-profit open source project with substantial improvements to sandboxing, exploit mitigations, and the permission model.
- Vanadium A hardened variant of the Chromium browser and WebView specifically built for GrapheneOS, providing enhanced privacy and security defaults for web browsing.
- Auditor A hardware-based app providing local and remote verification and attestation of devices for security-conscious users.
- GrapheneOS Camera A modern privacy and security-focused camera application included in GrapheneOS with hardened privacy defaults.
- GrapheneOS PDF Viewer A minimal security-focused PDF viewer application with hardened security defaults and content sandboxing.
- Seedvault An encrypted backup solution initially developed for inclusion in GrapheneOS, providing secure local and cloud backup capabilities.
- GrapheneOS App Store An alternative app distribution platform for Android applications available within GrapheneOS.
- GrapheneOS Messaging A modern privacy and security-focused messaging application included in GrapheneOS.
- GrapheneOS Updater An automatic over-the-air update client for delivering GrapheneOS security patches and version updates to supported devices.
Quantifiable outcome
- GrapheneOS patched the Android 16 'Tiny UDP Cannon' VPN bypass vulnerability within one week of disclosure, faster than Google's decision to decline fixing it.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use GrapheneOS
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
GrapheneOS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature12 records
GrapheneOS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Motorola (Lenovo)flagshipMotorola announced a long-term partnership with the GrapheneOS Foundation at MWC 2026 in Barcelona to bring GrapheneOS to future Motorola smartphones starting in 2027. This is the first time GrapheneOS will be available on non-Pixel hardware. Motorola is co-developing next-generation flagship devices specifically designed to meet GrapheneOS's strict hardware security requirements, including memory tagging specifications and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC compatibility. Motorola was chosen over Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei due to its less restrictive bootloader unlock policies and use of Qualcomm processors. The partnership was delayed from a planned 2026 launch because Motorola could not initially fulfill all hardware requirements. As part of the deal, Motorola will also integrate certain GrapheneOS security features and concepts into its regular Android OS, benefiting customers even on non-GrapheneOS edition devices. Motorola also announced new enterprise tools including Moto Analytics and Private Image Data in conjunction with this partnership.
- Mullvad VPNcoreMullvad VPN publicly offered to sponsor dedicated servers and bandwidth for GrapheneOS in Europe after GrapheneOS announced it needed 10Gbps+ dedicated servers to host OS and app updates. Mullvad confirmed the proposal would cover dedicated server and bandwidth costs in Europe but emphasized the sponsorship is not yet confirmed and would have no impact on Mullvad VPN users or involve any product integration. The exchange represents solidarity between two privacy-first projects, with Mullvad stating it wants to help organizations making mass surveillance and censorship impractical.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
GrapheneOS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sailfish OS (Jolla): Alternative mobile operating system developed by Finnish company Jolla, not based on Android. Directly comparable as an alternative mobile OS targeting privacy and sovereignty-focused users, particularly in Russia and EU government markets where it has historical traction.
- https://discuss.grapheneos.org/e/OS: DeGoogled Android fork developed by the e Foundation with a focus on privacy and user data sovereignty. Offers a complete mobile ecosystem including app store and cloud services, making it a direct competitor for privacy-conscious users seeking an alternative to stock Android.
- LineageOS: The largest open-source Android fork with broad device support. Directly comparable as an alternative Android distribution, though LineageOS focuses on device longevity and customization rather than privacy hardening, positioning it as a broader competitor in the alternative-Android space.
- CalyxOS: Privacy-focused Android fork directly comparable to GrapheneOS. Both are community/non-profit projects offering deGoogled Android experiences with security hardening, though CalyxOS positions itself as more accessible and less aggressively hardened.
Emerging players
- PureOS (Purism): Privacy-focused Linux distribution from Purism that powers the Librem 5 phone. Comparable as a privacy-first mobile OS alternative, though with a much smaller user base and a hardware-integrated business model.
- iodéOS: European privacy-focused Android fork with built-in ad and tracker blocking at the OS level. Competes in the same deGoogled mobile OS niche, with a focus on GDPR-aligned privacy features.
- DivestOS: Smaller hardened Android fork focused on security patches and deGoogling. Comparable to GrapheneOS in its security-first positioning but with a smaller community and more limited device support.
Broad incumbents
- Google (Android/AOSP): The upstream parent platform from which GrapheneOS is forked. Functions as both the foundation GrapheneOS builds on and the broader incumbent competitor whose data collection practices GrapheneOS is designed to circumvent.
- Apple (iOS): The dominant alternative mobile OS with strong on-device privacy and security positioning. Competes for the privacy-conscious user segment, particularly with iOS's Private Relay, App Tracking Transparency, and on-device processing features, though GrapheneOS positions itself as the more privacy-pure alternative.
Others
- Copperhead (the commercial entity): The original commercial entity behind the CopperheadOS name that GrapheneOS was forked from. Historically related but now pursues a closed-source commercial product targeting enterprise, providing a useful comparison for GrapheneOS's open-source non-profit model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
GrapheneOS social profiles
Digital presenceGrapheneOS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GrapheneOS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
GrapheneOS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GrapheneOS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about GrapheneOS
What does GrapheneOS do?
GrapheneOS is a privacy and security-hardened mobile operating system built as a fork of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), providing Android app compatibility while deploying technologies that mitigate whole classes of vulnerabilities. The project also develops a suite of companion applications including the Vanadium hardened browser, Auditor hardware attestation app, privacy-focused camera, and minimal PDF viewer. It is developed as a non-profit open source project supported through donations and sponsorships.
Is GrapheneOS a public or private company?
GrapheneOS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was GrapheneOS founded?
GrapheneOS was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is GrapheneOS based?
GrapheneOS is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does GrapheneOS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are no Commercial Licensing Revenue.
Who are GrapheneOS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sailfish OS (Jolla), https://discuss.grapheneos.org/e/OS, LineageOS and CalyxOS. Emerging players are PureOS (Purism), iodéOS and DivestOS. Broad incumbents are Google (Android/AOSP) and Apple (iOS). Copperhead (the commercial entity) is listed as an others.
Does GrapheneOS have an API?
No public API is recorded for GrapheneOS.
What industry is GrapheneOS in?
GrapheneOS's product category is Mobile Operating System. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACALAE, Mobile Operating Systems & Firmware (Android forks, OEM UI, Feature Phone OS), with a secondary code of HDADAFAJ, Confidential Computing & Hardware-backed Protection (TEE/HSM). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 3661.