Provider-neutral self-test pilot
Lantern is a censorship-circumvention VPN. Its default Smart Routing mode sends only blocked and unencrypted sites through Lantern and lets everything else connect directly, so a leak test in the default mode mostly shows your normal connection. Full Tunnel sends all traffic through Lantern, and Split Tunneling adds manual exceptions on top of either mode.
Live test
In Smart Routing, Lantern's default mode, only blocked and unencrypted sites go through Lantern and everything else connects directly. Your own IP on this page is therefore the documented behaviour, not a leak. Switch to Full Tunnel before testing to see the Lantern side of the connection.
This browser session
This reports what your browser shows in this session. It does not certify Lantern, does not test every server, app or device, and does not prove anonymity.
Current-session checks
In Full Tunnel, the IP and DNS checks show whether traffic and lookups leave through Lantern rather than your provider. In Smart Routing, results that match your baseline are the expected outcome.
Before you read the result
Lantern says the app picks its protocol automatically and updates protocols in the background.
Lantern sends blocked and unencrypted sites through its network, and everything else connects directly. Lantern says that for traffic sent directly, your ISP can see the domain you visit. A test page served over HTTPS that is not blocked where you are falls into the direct group.
Full Tunnel sends all traffic through Lantern, whether a site needs it or not. Switch to it before you compare IP and DNS results with your baseline. Otherwise the test mostly measures your normal connection.
Split Tunneling is an optional setting that sends the apps or websites you choose outside the VPN. It works with both Smart Routing and Full Tunnel. If your browser is on the bypass list, the test sees your regular connection.
Lantern's privacy policy says it does not collect or store browsing history, traffic destinations or DNS queries. Its FAQ says device IDs are randomly generated and not tied to your hardware. The Pro ad blocker works through DNS filtering.
Lantern publishes NCC Group security assessments, the latest re-checked in 2022 after fixes, and says a new audit with Subgraph is underway. Its codebase is public, and the app is developed by Brave New Software Project, Inc., a U.S. nonprofit.
Between the readings
Lantern describes Split Tunneling, which deliberately sends the apps and sites you choose outside the VPN in either routing mode. Check the app itself for what happens when the connection drops.
Audits Lantern has published or announced, newest first. “What was checked” is the scope the audit itself states; anything outside it was not examined. Compare audits across providers or see every published VPN audit by date.
| Date | Auditor | Type | What was checked | Findings | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 May 2022 | NCC Group | Apps | White-box assessment of the Lantern client on Windows, Android and iOS, with a 2022 review after remediation | Not published | Report lantern.ioRead 19 Oct 2026 |
Who owns which VPN: every provider’s company and the groups that run several brands.
Safe Copy exports use safe summary categories and remove raw IP, exact city, full user-agent, raw fingerprint data, raw resolver IPs and WebRTC candidates. It is not a certificate, provider audit, or proof of anonymity.
FAQ
In Smart Routing, the default, only blocked and unencrypted sites go through Lantern. Other sites, including this test page, connect directly.
Switch Routing Mode to Full Tunnel. Lantern describes it as sending everything through its network.
Yes. Apps and sites on your Split Tunneling list bypass the VPN in either routing mode.
Its privacy policy lists DNS queries among the data it does not collect or store, along with browsing history and traffic destinations.
Lantern publishes NCC Group assessments, with a 2022 review after fixes, and says a Subgraph audit is in progress.
Lantern is developed by Brave New Software Project, Inc., a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an address in Boulder, Colorado.