Frequently Asked Questions

Lantern is a censorship circumvention tool available for Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS that delivers fast, reliable, and secure access to censored websites and apps.

Lantern believes access to the uncensored internet is a human right. We are committed to providing private, fast, reliable, and secure access to the free and open internet so that our users, no matter where they are on the planet, can freely seek information and share their stories with the world.

Lantern, our core product, is often referred to as a VPN for ease and translation; however, it operates with much more sophistication. VPNs use standard protocols and server infrastructure, rendering their website traffic obvious to network observers. This makes it relatively easy for censors to detect and block connections. Lantern uses a wide range of techniques and protocols to stay undetected, unblocked, and seamlessly connected.

In addition to its circumvention tool, the Lantern application also offers its censorship-resistant, privacy-protected public content storage feature called Discover. Lantern will soon launch Chat, its secure, private messaging service with built-in censorship circumvention.

Lantern is available in nearly every country on the globe, with a strong presence in Iran, Russia, China, and other countries experiencing state-sponsored internet censorship. With 150+ million downloads to date, Lantern continues to give access to the open internet in the face of heavily restricted free speech.

As a U.S.-based organization, Lantern openly and freely shares its application with every corner of the globe.

There are many ways that those in the uncensored world can support those in the censored world!

Donate to support millions of free users. For every $10, you can provide 100 people with access to free and uncensored internet for a month. Donate here.

Spread the word. Follow our social media channels and telegram groups and spread the word.

Share Censored Content on Discover. The Discover tab within the Lantern Application provides censorship-resistant, privacy-protecting distributed content storage, search, and retrieval for all users. Every Lantern user can anonymously and securely upload videos and content for the world to see. This functionality leverages the BitTorrent protocol to provide distributed data access while creating an easy-to-use, centrally-organized content index.

With over a decade of experience and 150 million downloads to date, Lantern is a stalwart of Internet circumvention and is motivated solely by its mission to provide private, fast, reliable, and secure access to the free and open internet so that people, no matter where they are on the planet, can freely seek information and share their stories with the world.

Lantern encrypts the traffic it sends to our servers to protect your data and privacy.

Lantern has two modes. By default, it will only send traffic through our servers if that traffic is censored, while it sends other traffic directly.

If you select "Proxy All" in Lantern settings, however, Lantern will send all of your traffic through our servers.

Lantern collects diagnostic information when users share feedback for debugging purposes and anonymous usage analytics of our apps and website to offer you a better user experience, but we do not retain this information any longer than necessary. If you choose to send Lantern diagnostic and usage data, we will never share, sell or lease this data to third parties or use it for any other purpose than making our services better for our users. The Lantern settings allow you to configure this according to your personal preferences.

You can download Lantern directly from our website and access download directions here.

• For a download link sent to your email inbox with installation instructions in English, email: download@getlantern.org

• For a download link sent to your email inbox with installation instructions in Farsi, email: irandownloads@getlantern.org

• For a download link sent to your email inbox with installation instructions in Russian, email: russiadownloads@getlantern.org

As Lantern users continue to grow, maintenance costs increase significantly each month. To maintain and innovate our product, we need to support our operations by charging a small fee for unlimited service. While all users can use Lantern free of charge, there is a daily bandwidth limitation. When the bandwidth limit is reached, the connection is slowed and Lantern Free users are prompted to upgrade to Lantern Pro. Users in Iran currently have no bandwidth restrictions since payment for the pro version would be very difficult due to international sanctions.

Lantern Pro offers all the features of our free version and more:

Faster speeds Lantern Pro gives you the fastest connection to the open internet by using optimized servers that are less crowded than our free servers to offer you the best speed possible.

Better performance With servers distributed globally, Lantern Pro’s dynamic server allocation is constantly looking to connect you to the best-performing server, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted connection. If one server is not performing, the user is transferred to another, ensuring a steady connection. This allows for improved defense against censor interference with your connection.

Unlimited data Lantern Pro provides unlimited data to browse the web, stream videos, and download content so that you will always have a fast, unblocked connection.

Three devices With a Pro account, you can use Lantern Pro on up to three devices and enjoy the benefits of Lantern Pro on your desktop and mobile devices.

To switch from the free version to Lantern Pro, just download Lantern, click on the upgrade button within the interface, and complete the payment process.

Linking Lantern Pro Account to Android Device (using Link Code)

Linking Lantern Pro Account to iOS device

You can purchase one year of Pro for $48 (USD), or two years of Pro for $87 (USD)

Every user gets a unique referral code that can be shared with friends. You get two free months of Pro for each friend who signs up for Pro using your referral code. Start inviting!

Once you download and install Lantern, the Lantern icon will appear in the system tray on the lower right of your screen (on Windows) or in the menu bar at the top of your screen (on macOS). As long as the icon is there, Lantern is running, and you can automatically access blocked sites in any browser. You can stop Lantern anytime by clicking the Lantern icon in the system tray or menu bar.