Compare AirVPN and OctoVPN on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.
Both listed as alternatives to: ExpressVPN, IVPN
Italy· VPN Services
Needs review
Strong European option when you need remote port forwarding, Dynamic DNS, and open-source clients. Skip for enterprise fleet VPN or ISO/SOC-led vendor risk — consider WireGuard mesh (e.g. Tailscale/NetBird) or audited privacy VPNs such as Mullvad.
Norway· VPN Services
Needs review
Shortlist when you need a Norwegian-operated WireGuard/OpenVPN with claimed DDoS-protected exits and optional private dedicated IPs for gaming or small-group use. Skip when independent no-logs audits, enterprise SSO/fleet controls, or strict EU-only egress are mandatory—consider Mullvad or Proton VPN instead.
Highlighted rows differ between the two products.
| Feature | AirVPN | OctoVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Italy | Norway |
| Category | VPN Services | VPN Services |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Self-hosted | No | No |
| Headquarters | Italy | Norway |
| Legal entity | AirVPN di Paolo Brini (also Air di Paolo Brini), Perugia | OctoSEC AS (org. no. 926185918), Bosmyrkollen 9, 4620 Kristiansand S |
| Governing law | Italian courts / EU private international law framing (per ToS) | Laws of Norway; Kristiansand tingrett (per ToS), subject to mandatory consumer rules |
| US parent / control | No known US parent | No known US parent |
| CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Low | Medium |
| Hosting / residency | Multi-region servers (EU and outside EU). Confirm exit-node policy if you need EU-only traffic. | Multi-region VPN exits (EU and non-EU, including multiple US cities). Payments via Stripe (US). Private-server DDoS marketed with Cloudflare Partner. Hosting providers not fully listed publicly; third-party maps associate some PoPs with OVHcloud, Linode/Akamai, BuyVM, and others. No complete official subprocessor register found. |
| Summary | Italian OpenVPN/WireGuard VPN with remote port forwarding, Dynamic DNS, and open-source Eddie clients—strong for technical privacy use, not enterprise fleet VPN. | Norwegian (OctoSEC AS) WireGuard/OpenVPN service focused on DDoS-protected exits, low-latency gaming use, and optional private dedicated servers—not an audited enterprise fleet VPN. |
| Tags |
| At a glance | AirVPN | OctoVPN |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / entity | Perugia, Italy — AirVPN di Paolo Brini (sole proprietorship) | OctoSEC AS (926185918), Kristiansand, Norway; founded 2020-11-25 |
| Protocols | OpenVPN, WireGuard; OpenVPN over SSH/SSL/Tor | WireGuard; OpenVPN TCP/UDP |
| Clients | Eddie GPLv3 (desktop + Android); configs without GUI | Not listed |
| Inbound ports | Up to 5 reserved remote ports + optional *.airdns.org DDNS | Not listed |
| Sessions | Five simultaneous connections per account | Not listed |
| Commercial model | Prepaid access (see vendor site for current plans) | Subscription + optional private servers (see vendor site) |
| Independent audit | No public no-logs audit found | No public no-logs audit found |
| B2B packaging | Self-serve ToS; no productized enterprise pack found | Not listed |
| Locations | Not listed | Over 40 claimed (NA, EU, APAC); multi-region including US |
| Shared plan sessions | Not listed | 1–3 concurrent devices by tier (vendor site) |
| Private servers | Not listed | Dedicated IP, multi-user, optional Cloudflare Partner DDoS |
| Payment processor | Not listed | Stripe (per privacy policy) |
| Key capabilities | AirVPN | OctoVPN |
|---|---|---|
| EU-operated | Yes | Not listed |
| Open-source client (GPLv3) | Yes | Not listed |
| Remote port forwarding | Yes | Not listed |
| WireGuard + OpenVPN | Yes | Not listed |
| Prepaid access | Yes | Not listed |
| Norway-operated (EEA) | Not listed | Yes |
| WireGuard + OpenVPN | Not listed | Yes |
| DDoS-protected exits (claimed) | Not listed | Yes |
| Private dedicated servers | Not listed | Yes |
| Zero-logs (claimed) | Not listed | Yes |
Remote port forwarding and airdns.org DDNS
Reserve up to five inbound remote ports (TCP/UDP) while a plan is active, optionally map to different local ports, and attach optional *.airdns.org names that follow the VPN exit IP—useful for P2P, seedboxes, and self-hosted services.
Open-source Eddie client with Network Lock
Official GPLv3 client for major desktops and Android with firewall-based Network Lock (blocks traffic outside the tunnel), CLI, multi-provider mode, and hostile-network layering (SSH/SSL/Tor with AirVPN).
OpenVPN, WireGuard, and layered entry
Choose WireGuard or OpenVPN; OpenVPN is available on multiple ports and can run over SSH, SSL, or Tor when middleboxes block or throttle plain VPN handshakes. Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 and internal VPN DNS with optional block lists.
Minimal identity requirements
Signup does not require real identity fields; email is optional for support. Payment processors handle their own data when used.
Transparent capacity and multi-session use
Five simultaneous connections, free server switches, public live server load, and a stated minimum allocated bandwidth per session. Commercial access is prepaid—see the vendor site for current plans.
DDoS-protected shared VPN exits
All published shared locations are marketed with enterprise-grade DDoS protection on the exit path, aimed at absorbing IP-targeted attacks common in multiplayer gaming while keeping WireGuard/OpenVPN tunnels available. Confirm current coverage and mitigation scope with the vendor for high-risk use.
WireGuard and OpenVPN on every location
Every plan includes both WireGuard (speed/latency focus) and OpenVPN over TCP or UDP for restrictive networks. Protocol choice is productized for mixed device fleets rather than WireGuard-only stacks.
Private dedicated VPN servers with exclusive IP
Optional private servers provide an isolated host, dedicated IP, live resource monitoring, region changes, multi-user management with expiry, and higher concurrent connection limits than shared tiers. Private-server marketing includes Cloudflare Partner anti-DDoS capacity (claimed high-capacity protection).
Gaming-oriented routing and CoD DNS helper
Positioning and server placement target low ping near major exchanges. CoD VPN is a separate DNS-based Call of Duty matchmaking product (not a full-tunnel VPN) that can be combined with OctoVPN when users want both lobby routing and encrypted general traffic.
Cross-platform clients with tight device caps
Official materials list Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and router support under a single subscription model. Standard shared tiers allow only one to three concurrent devices depending on plan—plan capacity carefully for households or small teams.
| Assurance & compliance | AirVPN | OctoVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Independent no-logs / security audit | Not found Privacy notice describes no mass-storage activity/IP logs; architecture claims are first-party only. | Not found Privacy policy claims zero VPN activity logs; no public third-party audit PDF or firm engagement found on official pages. |
| ISO 27001 | Not found | Not found |
| SOC 2 / SOC 3 | Not found | Not found |
| GDPR / EU data protection | Vendor claimed EU (Italian) operator; privacy notice cites GDPR and related EU directives. | Vendor claimed Norwegian EEA entity; privacy policy cites GDPR and Personopplysningsloven; Datatilsynet complaint path listed. |
| US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Vendor claimed No known US parent from public research — indicative exposure low vs US-owned brands; multi-region exits still matter. | Partial No known US parent (Norwegian AS). Medium indicative exposure: Stripe payments, Cloudflare Partner DDoS for private servers, multi-region exits including US hosts; hosting subprocessors not fully published. Not legal advice. |
| Data processing agreement (B2B) | Not found No productized enterprise DPA flow found; consumer ToS/privacy notice only. | Not found Consumer ToS/privacy only on public site; no productized B2B DPA flow found. |
| EU AI Act | Not applicable VPN connectivity product; not an AI system under typical procurement framing. | Not applicable Connectivity/VPN product; not an AI system under typical procurement framing. |
| Considerations & known limitations | AirVPN | OctoVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Italian resident restriction | High ToS and footer ban residents of Italy. Orgs with Italian-based staff cannot use AirVPN as a universal approved VPN; exclude that population or choose another vendor. | Not listed |
| No public independent no-logs audit | Medium If vendor risk requires ISO/SOC or a no-logs audit letter, treat this as a gap until evidence is obtained offline. | High Zero-logs is first-party only. If vendor risk requires audit letters or ISO/SOC, treat as a blocker until evidence is obtained offline. |
| Multi-region exit nodes | Medium Traffic can exit outside the EU depending on server choice. Strict residency policies need operational controls, not just EU HQ. | Not listed |
| Small operator / sole proprietorship | Medium Long-running activist project with a small operating structure; set continuity and support expectations accordingly. | Not listed |
| US CLOUD Act (indicative) | Low No known US parent from public research. Not a guarantee against other LE cooperation or non-EU exits. | Not listed |
| Incomplete public subprocessor / hosting list | Not listed | Medium Stripe and Cloudflare (private servers) are named; full server-host inventory is not published. Third-party PoP maps are incomplete leads. Demand a written subprocessor list for procurement. |
| US-linked processors and multi-region exits | Not listed | Medium No US parent found, but Stripe, Cloudflare commercial DDoS, and US PoPs/US VPS brands create a non-zero indicative CLOUD Act / US process path versus pure EU hosting. Not legal advice. |
| User-selected non-EU exits | Not listed | Medium Traffic can exit in the US and other non-EU countries. Strict residency policies need operational controls (allowed server lists), not HQ location alone. |
| Low concurrent device caps on shared plans | Not listed | Low Shared tiers advertise 1–3 devices. Households and teams may need private servers or multiple subscriptions. |
| Norwegian jurisdiction (Nine Eyes) | Not listed | Low Norway is often grouped in Nine Eyes intelligence cooperation discussions. Policy claims zero activity data to hand over; still a jurisdiction factor for some threat models. |
When: You need enterprise fleet / zero-trust mesh connectivity
Consider: Tailscale, NetBird, or self-hosted WireGuard
Different product class: org network access vs consumer privacy VPN with inbound ports.
When: You prioritise audited no-logs / accountless anonymity over inbound ports
Consider: Mullvad
Mullvad is stronger on the public no-logs narrative; weaker on multi-port forwarding / airdns.org-style DDNS.
When: You want a free tier and a broader consumer privacy suite
Consider: Proton VPN
When: You prioritise audited no-logs and minimal identity over gaming DDoS features
Consider: Mullvad
Mullvad is stronger on the public privacy/audit narrative; weaker on marketed exit DDoS and private gaming servers.
When: You want a broader European privacy suite (VPN plus mail/storage ecosystem) or a free tier
Consider: Proton VPN
Different product scope; confirm DDoS and dedicated-IP needs separately.
When: You need remote port forwarding and open-source clients
Consider: AirVPN
AirVPN is stronger for inbound ports and GPLv3 Eddie; different eligibility constraints apply.
When: You need a large commercial consumer brand with maximum server footprint
Consider: NordVPN or ExpressVPN
Trade small Norwegian operator transparency for scale and packaging; re-check audit and ownership facts for each.