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Amnezia VPN is a free, open-source app that doesn't provide a VPN on its own: it connects to a server. You can rent a server and set it up through the app, get one from Amnezia (paid Premium, or free Amnezia Free with a limited set of sites), or get a key from someone you know. The official website is amnezia.org, and the source code is open on GitHub. The app has been missing from the Russian App Store since October 31, 2024: Apple removed it at Roskomnadzor's request.
"Amnezia VPN" is one of the most searched brand queries on the topic in Russia: about 140,000 impressions a month, and together with "download amnezia vpn", "amnezia vpn for pc" and "amnezia vpn key", more than 260,000 (Yandex Wordstat, August–September 2026).
Amnezia is a project that builds tools for your own VPN infrastructure and for bypassing blocks. It has three products, and people often confuse them:
| What it is | Cost | Who owns the server | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | The app installs a VPN on your VPS | Free, you only pay for the server | You |
| Amnezia Premium | A ready-made paid VPN service from Amnezia | Subscription | Amnezia |
| Amnezia Free | Free access to specific sites and apps | Free | Amnezia |
The app supports OpenVPN, WireGuard, Shadowsocks, IKEv2, Cloak, Xray and its own AmneziaWG protocol, which is WireGuard with extra protection against detection and blocking. AmneziaWG is what made the project popular in Russia: plain WireGuard is cut by signature there, while the modified version lasts longer. How the protocols compare, we covered in Hysteria2, TUIC and AmneziaWG.
amnezia-vpn/amnezia-client). If the site doesn't open, the project has a mirror on Google Storage. It's also on Google Play, though availability in a given country can change.Only download from the official site and the official repository. Fake copies of popular VPN clients with stealers inside regularly appear on GitHub; how to spot them is covered in VPN from GitHub.
This is the main scenario Amnezia was built for. The steps:
Pros: the server is yours, and nobody but you keeps logs. Cons: a single VPS IP is easy to block, and you'll have to change servers, follow updates and handle security yourself. What that costs in practice and who it suits, we calculated in your own VPN on a VPS.
Amnezia Free is a free option without registration or ads, but it isn't a full VPN for everything: according to the project, it gives access to specific sites and apps unavailable in your region. If the service you need isn't on the list, Free won't help.
Amnezia Premium is an ordinary paid VPN service: Amnezia's servers, full access. In essence it's no longer self-hosted but a ready-made service like any other, just in the Amnezia client.
A key is a string or configuration file that the app imports and turns into a connection. There are three sources:
Be careful with the last one. The server owner sees which addresses you connect to and can keep logs. A key handed out to thousands of people also gets blocked quickly. What's inside a key and how the formats differ is explained in VPN key.
| Amnezia self-hosted | Ready-made service | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Rent a VPS and go through the wizard | Install the app |
| If the IP is blocked | You change the server yourself | The service switches addresses |
| Servers in different countries | One VPS per country, each paid separately | Dozens of countries in one subscription |
| Privacy | Depends on you and the hosting provider | Depends on the service's policy |
Amnezia is good if you like controlling the infrastructure and have time for it. A comparison with Outline and ready-made services is in Amnezia, Outline or a ready-made service.
BessyConnect is a ready-made service for people who don't want to administer a server. It runs on VLESS with Reality camouflage: the connection looks like ordinary HTTPS, so it holds up where OpenVPN and WireGuard get cut. There are more than a hundred servers, the service changes addresses itself, no logs are kept, registration isn't required and there's no device limit.
Honestly: if your goal is full control over your own server, Amnezia fits that better than we do.
Is Amnezia VPN free? The app is free and open source. You pay for the server: either renting your own VPS or an Amnezia Premium subscription. The free Amnezia Free only opens specific sites and apps.
Where can I download Amnezia VPN? On the official site amnezia.org or from the releases of the amnezia-vpn/amnezia-client repository on GitHub. The app has been missing from the Russian App Store since October 2024.
Why isn't Amnezia in the App Store? Apple removed the app from the Russian App Store on October 31, 2024 at Roskomnadzor's request. It's available in other countries, so you can install it with an Apple ID from another region.
What is AmneziaWG? A WireGuard-based protocol with added protection against detection. It's just as fast, but harder to tell apart from ordinary traffic and block by signature.
Can I install Amnezia on a PC? Yes, there are clients for Windows, macOS and Linux. Download them from amnezia.org or the project's official GitHub.
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