VPN Provider Audits

True North: 90/100

Windscribe achieves a high True North score due to its status as a domestically owned and managed VPN service provider. Profits and strategic control remain within Canada, although the nature of global network infrastructure results in mixed input sourcing. The company represents a significant example of Canadian economic retention in the digital services sector.

True North: 40/100

The True North score for TunnelBear reflects a business that maintains high operational presence in Canada but is fully integrated into a foreign capital structure. While the brand is a prominent domestic tech success story, ultimate control and profit retention reside with its American parent company. Economic retention is primarily driven by domestic payroll and local office expenditures.

True North: 20/100

Mozilla VPN achieves a True North score of 20. The service is characterized by foreign ownership and strategic control, though it maintains a tangible operational presence through Canadian staff and offices. Economic retention is limited primarily to local employment and the use of regional infrastructure.

True North: 20/100

Norton VPN is operated by an American multinational, resulting in minimal economic retention within Canada. While the service maintains local infrastructure to facilitate regional performance, the strategic and capital flows are directed entirely to the US parent. This contributes to a low overall True North score.

True North: 10/100

PrivateVPN maintains a minimal economic footprint in Canada, as profits and strategic control are retained in Sweden. The service contributes primarily through the leasing of local network infrastructure, resulting in a low True North score.

True North: 10/100

PureVPN provides services to Canadians but retains minimal economic value within the country. Its True North score indicates that capital, strategic control, and operational employment remain predominantly foreign-based.

True North: 10/100

hide.me is a Malaysian-operated VPN service with no direct corporate presence in Canada. While it offers Canadian server nodes, the majority of the economic value, including profits and strategic control, remains outside the country. This results in a low True North score for economic retention.

True North: 10/100

VyprVPN maintains a minimal economic footprint in Canada, resulting in a low True North score. While it provides local server infrastructure for performance, the capital ownership, strategic control, and core operations remain entirely foreign-based.

True North: 10/100

Bitdefender VPN operates as a foreign-owned and controlled entity with minimal economic retention in Canada. The True North score is primarily limited by the absence of domestic ownership, leadership, or significant operational infrastructure. Profits and strategic control remain localized in Europe and the United States.

True North: 10/100

ExpressVPN maintains a low economic retention profile within Canada, as both capital ownership and strategic control reside with a foreign parent entity. While the service utilizes domestic server infrastructure for traffic, the majority of value flows and operational spending occur outside the Canadian market. The True North score for this entity reflects its status as a global service with minimal local economic footprint.

True North: 10/100

Surfshark operates as a foreign-controlled service with minimal economic retention within the Canadian market. Its True North score of 10 is primarily driven by the utilization of domestic server infrastructure, despite foreign ownership and a lack of local operations.

True North: 10/100

NordVPN maintains a minimal economic footprint in Canada, as both capital and strategic control are entirely foreign-based. While the service utilizes local infrastructure for connectivity, the True North score reflects a lack of domestic economic retention. Most value generated from Canadian consumers flows to the international parent company.

True North: 10/100

Proton VPN is a foreign-headquartered service that directs the majority of its economic value to Switzerland, resulting in a low True North score. While the service maintains server nodes within Canada, the lack of domestic ownership and operational presence limits capital retention to infrastructure rental flows.

True North: 10/100

AirVPN is an Italian-based service provider with nearly all economic value flowing outside of Canada. Its True North score is primarily driven by its use of domestic server infrastructure, while capital, control, and operational functions remain entirely foreign.

True North: 10/100

OVPN is a foreign-controlled service with no significant economic retention in Canada. While the company maintains a physical server presence in Canadian data centers, the True North score is primarily driven by its foreign ownership and lack of domestic operational footprint. Capital and control remain entirely outside the Canadian economy.

True North: 10/100

IVPN receives a True North score of 10. The entity is entirely foreign-owned and controlled, with its primary economic contributions to Canada limited to the rental of local server capacity and the provision of services to domestic users.

True North: 10/100

Mullvad is a Swedish VPN provider with a minimal economic footprint in Canada. While the service maintains server infrastructure in Canadian cities, the capital, strategic control, and core operations are entirely foreign-based, resulting in a low True North score.

True North: 0/100

Avira Phantom VPN is a subsidiary of a major American cybersecurity conglomerate. Its True North score reflects minimal economic retention in Canada, as capital, strategic control, and operational infrastructure are held internationally.

True North: 0/100

StrongVPN provides digital services to the Canadian market with zero economic retention in terms of ownership or governance. The True North score is low as the entity functions as a foreign-controlled service with no documented physical footprint or domestic capital reinvestment in Canada.

True North: 0/100

Hotspot Shield is an American-owned digital service with an economic structure focused outside of Canada. Its True North score indicates that capital, control, and operational value are primarily retained within the US market. The service maintains a global infrastructure footprint with minimal specific domestic investment in Canada.