Outline VPN

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

Outline VPN provides a self-hosted VPN solution that lets individuals and organizations create, run, and share access to their own VPN to access the free and open internet, with blocking-resistant and censorship-resilient capabilities.

Target Customer

{"Individuals seeking private internet access and censorship resistance","Organizations and NGOs needing to provide open internet access to their communities","Developers building apps or services that require robust, network-level interference resistance","IT/security teams seeking self-hosted VPN management and control"}

Key Differentiator

{"Open-source technology with audits by Radically Open Security and Cure53","Blocking-resistant protocol designed to be harder to detect and block","Self-hosted model with server location control and access-key-based sharing","Two integrated products that work together: Outline Manager (server setup) and Outline Client (end-user access)","Cross-platform support and a cross-platform SDK (Outline SDK) for developers"}

Implementation Timeline

Not specified in the provided content

Pain Points

1Traditional VPNs are often easy to block or detect, limiting access in censored or controlled networks
2Unclear or unknown ownership/control of VPN services and potential data access by providers
3Setting up and maintaining a VPN server can be complex and technically demanding

Key Features

1Outline Manager: desktop application to create and manage your own VPN server; supports trusted cloud providers and self-hosting
2Outline Client: app to connect to the server and share access with others via unique access keys; supports desktop and mobile
3Access key generation and management with per-key data limits
4Server location control (choose where your server is located, e.g., Singapore, Germany, US, etc.)
5Support for multiple cloud providers and the option to use your own Linux infrastructure
6Open-source core technology with ongoing safety and security audits
7Outline SDK: cross-platform library for app developers to reuse Outline’s networking strategies

Target Customer Industries

Client Results

1{"title":"Code for Africa case","description":"Code for Africa, a large civil society organization in Africa, has used Outline since 2016 and currently supports hundreds of users. They conduct digital training workshops and share Outline server access with communities to access the open internet."}
2{"title":"Sudan activism case","description":"During widespread protests in Sudan, Outline enabled activists to access social media and communicate with international journalists after other VPNs were blocked or failed, helping to share information about the protests with the outside world."}
3{"title":"nthLink case","description":"nthLink is a mobile app built on Outline’s technology to provide a circumvention service; it relies on Outline’s encryption, cross-platform capabilities, and transport components to support its users."}

Competitive Advantages

1Blocking-resistant and capable of withstanding network-based blocking and IP blocking
2Self-hosted server gives users control over server location and access
3Open-source with independent security audits
4No explicit traffic logging (privacy-focused design)
5Two integrated products (Outline Manager and Outline Client) that streamline server setup and end-user access
6Cross-platform compatibility for both management and client usage
7SDK available for developers to reuse networking strategies and build custom solutions

Key Benefits

1Self-hosted VPN access to the open internet

2Blocking-resistant connectivity

3Open-source with independent security audits

4Easy sharing of VPN access via access keys

5Cross-platform manager and client apps; SDK for developers

Case Studies & Success Stories

Code for Africa uses Outline since 2016

Case #1

Code for Africa, a large civil society organization in Africa, uses Outline to support hundreds of users and conduct digital training workshops, sharing access to Outline servers for open internet access.

Sudan activists rely on Outline during protests

Case #2

Amid government blocks on social media, Outline enabled activists to access and share information with international journalists and the outside world when other VPNs failed.

nthLink employs Outline technology

Case #3

nthLink builds a mobile circumvention service on Outline’s technology, leveraging Outline’s encryption, speed, and cross-platform capabilities to support its users.

Additional Product Information

Product Description

Outline VPN is a VPN solution that enables individuals and organizations to create, run, and share access to their own VPN. It consists of two products (Outline Manager and Outline Client) and an optionally available Outline SDK for developers. The platform is open source, auditable, and designed to be blocking-resistant with user-access controls.

Target Market

Individuals, NGOs, activist groups, and developers who need censorship-resistant access to the open internet and who want to host and manage their own VPN servers

Unique Value Proposition

Open-source, audit-proven blocking resistance, self-hosted server control, transparent privacy approach (no traffic logging), and a developer SDK, all supporting easy sharing and management of VPN access across platforms

Technical Requirements

Outline Manager (desktop) to set up the server; choose a cloud provider or use your own Linux infrastructure; server location control; Outline Client (desktop and mobile) to connect using unique access keys; supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux; mobile support: Android, iOS; cloud providers mentioned include Digital Ocean, AWS, Google Cloud; data limits per access key

Pricing Model

Pricing for Outline itself is not specified; cloud-provider hosting costs apply (the content notes many cloud providers offer plans around $5 USD per month or less).

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