Kape Technologies owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost and Private Internet Access (PIA), and it also owns the review sites vpnMentor and WizCase. If you want a VPN outside Kape, the independently owned options include Mullvad (owned by its founders), IVPN (founder-owned), Windscribe (founder- and employee-owned), Proton VPN (Proton AG, whose largest shareholder is the nonprofit Proton Foundation) and Buycat VPN (owned by Boycat). Check ownership, logging policy and price before you pick.
By Team Boycat
If you're trying to avoid Kape Technologies, the hard part isn't finding a VPN. It's finding out who owns the one you're looking at. Kape is behind three of the best-known VPN brands, and it also owns websites that rank VPNs. This guide lists what Kape owns, then the independent VPNs worth considering, with a source for every ownership claim.
Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider, is a London-headquartered security company owned by businessman Teddy Sagi (Wikipedia). It was taken private and delisted from London's AIM market in 2023 (vpntesting.com ownership map).
Kape's VPN brands:
Kape also bought Webselenese in March 2021, the publisher behind the review sites vpnMentor and WizCase (Kape full-year results via Investegate). WizCase's own reviews now say it's "in the same ownership group" as ExpressVPN, CyberGhost and PIA.
A VPN provider can see the traffic it routes for you: which sites you connect to and when. You're trusting that company not to log it, sell it, or hand it over. A no-logs policy is a promise, and the company making the promise is the thing you're really buying.
Ownership tells you three things:
None of this means a Kape-owned VPN is unsafe. It means you should know who you're dealing with.
Ownership below is as published by each company.
| VPN | Owner | Based in | Ownership source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvad | Amagicom AB, owned by its two founders | Sweden | mullvad.net/about |
| IVPN | IVPN Limited (formerly Privatus Limited), founder-owned | Gibraltar | IVPN blog |
| Windscribe | Founders and employees, no outside investors | Canada | Windscribe |
| Proton VPN | Proton AG; the nonprofit Proton Foundation is the largest shareholder | Switzerland | Proton |
| Buycat VPN | Boycat | United States | boycat.io/vpn |
Mullvad is the purist's pick. Accounts are a random number, not an email, and the price is a flat €5 a month with no discounts (pricing). In 2023 Swedish police arrived with a search warrant for customer data. Mullvad says they left with nothing because there was nothing to take (Mullvad blog). Best for people who want minimal account data and don't mind a bare-bones app.
Small, founder-owned, and transparent about its team and ownership. IVPN has a strong reputation with privacy communities and is priced like Mullvad. It's a good fit if you care more about privacy than streaming.
Canadian and owned by its founders and staff, with no outside investors, according to the company. It has a free tier, so you can test it before paying. Good for people on a budget who want to try first.
Run by the company behind Proton Mail. In 2024 Proton said the nonprofit Proton Foundation became its largest shareholder, which is meant to block a sale to an outside buyer (TechCrunch). It has a free plan and a polished app. Good if you already use Proton or want a free tier.
Buycat VPN is built by Boycat and isn't part of any VPN group. It runs WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN, works on iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and Linux, and covers 3, 5 or 10 devices depending on plan. Web plans run $37.69 to $57.13 a year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee (plans). It publishes a no-logs policy; it hasn't published a third-party audit yet. A good fit if you want a simple one-tap app from a small independent company.
Ownership is one filter. Then compare:
If you want a small independent VPN with a one-tap app, see Buycat VPN plans.
ExpressVPN, CyberGhost and Private Internet Access. ZenMate was also Kape's but was merged into CyberGhost in 2023. Kape also owns the review sites vpnMentor and WizCase.
Yes, as far as public records show. Kape completed the purchase in December 2021, and no sale has been reported since.
No. NordVPN and Surfshark belong to the Nord Security group, which merged with Surfshark in 2022 (NordVPN). They're a separate group from Kape.
Proton VPN is run by Proton AG in Switzerland. Its largest shareholder is the nonprofit Proton Foundation, according to Proton.
No. Ownership tells you whose incentives and legal system you're trusting. Judge each VPN on its logging policy, audits, track record and terms.
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