FAQ

No, Outline is not a VPN. It allows anyone to set up and manage their own private VPN server.

• Outline uses a handshake-less, look-like-nothing protocol that is hard to identify, unlike standard VPN protocols that are easy to identify and block.
• Private distribution of access. Unlike public VPNs, where a censor can easily access and list the servers it needs to block.
• With Outline it’s easy to recreate a server if it gets blocked.

Access keys can only be generated from the Outline Manager. Reach out to someone you know who has set up a server using the Outline Manager, or set up your own server and send yourself an access key.

Outline has been audited by two independent security firms. Read their reports here: Radically Open Security (March 2018, December 2022), Cure53 (December 2018, January 2024).

Outline doesn’t collect personal information unless you opt in to provide it. Outline also doesn’t collect information about the websites you visit or with whom or what you communicate. To read more about the data we do collect, check out this support article.

If you are creating or logging into an account with a cloud provider through the Outline Manager, we don’t obtain any information you provide to your cloud provider, such as your email address, name, billing information, and payment details.

Choose your cloud provider based on your specific needs and budget. Google and Amazon Web Services are both trusted names. Digital Ocean offers some of the least expensive plans per month, and many users report it is the easiest to set up.

You can share access keys directly from the Manager. Clicking the share access key CTA will surface an invite with a pre-populated message that gives the recipient instructions on how to accept the key, download the Client, and connect to your Outline server. You need to know your recipient’s email address or phone number in order to send them an access key and connection instructions.

With many free VPNs, you don’t know who has access to your data. Many free VPNs share or sell your data or track your online activity. Some security experts claim that many popular free VPNs allow backdoor access to governments or other surveillers. Most free VPNs are also vulnerable to blocking and detection.

While Outline is open source and free to use, our brand is proprietary to the Outline Foundation and should not be misused. Please read and follow this user guide to ensure that you are accurately characterizing your relationship with Outline, the Outline Foundation, and Jigsaw and using the approved branding elements correctly.

In 2026, Outline ownership transitioned to the Outline Foundation, an independent non-profit organization. Outline was launched in 2018 by Jigsaw, an incubator within Google. Outline continues to be a free, open-source project that thrives on community contributions.