Type: Nonprofit organization — official Tor presence
Access: Tor Browser or regular browser
Account required: No
Clearnet version: torproject.org
Founded: 2006 — 501(c)(3) nonprofit
Mission: Privacy and censorship circumvention tools for everyone
Last verified: March 2026
What Is the Tor Project?
The Tor Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that develops and maintains the Tor network, Tor Browser and related privacy tools. It was incorporated in 2006, though the underlying onion routing technology was developed by researchers at the US Naval Research Laboratory in the mid-1990s and the Tor network itself launched in 2002.
Its mission is to advance human rights and freedoms by creating and deploying free and open anonymity and privacy technologies. It provides these tools free of charge and maintains them as open-source software — anyone can inspect the code, and contributions come from a global community of developers and researchers.
The Tor Project’s .onion address provides censorship-resistant access to its downloads, documentation and bridge configuration tools for users in countries where torproject.org is blocked — China, Russia, Iran and others where governments restrict access to anonymity tools.
Onion Address
Clearnet version: https://torproject.org
Verification: This address is published in official Tor Project documentation and has been stable for several years. It is one of the most reliably maintained .onion addresses in existence.
What’s Available on the Tor Project’s .onion
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Tor Browser downloads | Current stable release for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android |
| PGP signatures | Verification files for all downloads |
| Bridge configuration | Obfuscated Tor entry points for censored countries |
| Documentation | User guides, security recommendations, technical documentation |
| Network status | Current relay count, network health metrics |
| Research | Academic papers and technical reports on Tor’s design |
The Primary Use Case — Downloading Tor in Censored Countries
The main reason to access the Tor Project via its .onion address is to download Tor Browser in a country where torproject.org is blocked. This creates an obvious problem — you need Tor to access the .onion address, but you need to download Tor Browser first. Several solutions exist for this bootstrapping problem:
Tor Bridges via email: Send an email to [email protected] from a Gmail or Riseup address. The Tor Project’s automated system replies with bridge addresses that can be entered during Tor Browser’s initial setup — allowing connection in censored countries without accessing torproject.org directly.
GetBridges via Telegram: The @GetBridgesBot Telegram bot provides bridge addresses on request — accessible through Telegram even when torproject.org is blocked.
Mirror sites: The Tor Project maintains mirror sites at various alternative domains that may not be blocked in your country. Check the current list at torproject.org/getinvolved/mirrors if you can access any mirror.
Direct download via .onion: Once you have any version of Tor running — even an older version obtained through another channel — navigate to the .onion address to download the current official version and verify its signature.
Tor Browser — Current Version
As of March 2026, the current stable Tor Browser release is 14.0.9, published April 1, 2025. The application is available for:
| Platform | Download | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Installer (.exe) | 64-bit recommended |
| macOS | Disk image (.dmg) | Intel and Apple Silicon |
| Linux | Tarball (.tar.xz) | 64-bit and 32-bit |
| Android | APK or Google Play | Also available on F-Droid |
Always verify the signature. Download the .asc PGP signature file alongside the installer. Verify using GnuPG before installing. An unverified download may have been tampered with between the Tor Project’s servers and your computer.
Bridges — What They Are and When You Need Them
A Tor bridge is a relay whose IP address is not published in the Tor directory. When a government blocks Tor, it typically does so by blocking the IP addresses of known Tor relays — which are publicly listed. Bridges are unlisted, making them significantly harder to block.
| Bridge Type | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| obfs4 | Disguises Tor traffic as random data | Most censored environments — recommended default |
| meek-azure | Routes Tor traffic through Microsoft Azure CDN | Countries that cannot block Microsoft infrastructure |
| Snowflake | Routes through volunteer browser-based proxies | Countries with aggressive DPI — China, Russia |
| WebTunnel | Disguises traffic as HTTPS — new in Tor Browser 13.5 | Environments with HTTPS-based traffic inspection |
How to get bridges:
- In Tor Browser: click the connection icon, select Bridges, then Request a Bridge from torproject.org
- Visit bridges.torproject.org from a regular browser
- Email [email protected] from Gmail or Riseup
- Use @GetBridgesBot on Telegram
The Tor Network — How It Works
The Tor network consists of approximately 7,000 volunteer-operated relays as of 2026. When you connect through Tor, your traffic passes through three relays — a guard relay, a middle relay and an exit relay. Each relay knows only the relay immediately before it and the relay immediately after it — no single relay knows both where the traffic originated and where it is going.
| Relay Type | What It Knows | What It Doesn’t Know |
|---|---|---|
| Guard (first hop) | Your real IP address | Your destination or what you’re doing |
| Middle (second hop) | Guard relay IP, exit relay IP | Your real IP or destination |
| Exit (third hop) | Your destination address | Your real IP address |
For .onion hidden services, there is no exit relay — the traffic stays entirely within the Tor network. Neither the user nor the hidden service operator knows the other’s real IP address.
The Tor Project’s History
Onion routing was developed in 1995 by researchers at the US Naval Research Laboratory — David Goldschlag, Mike Reed and Paul Syverson — as a method for protecting US intelligence communications online. The core idea was that layered encryption and multi-hop routing could make surveillance significantly harder.
In 2002, MIT graduate students Roger Dingledine and Nick Mathewson joined Syverson to develop the system into what became Tor. The first public release came in 2003. The Electronic Frontier Foundation began funding the project in 2004. The Tor Project, Inc. was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2006 to provide institutional support for ongoing development.
Key milestones since incorporation include the launch of Tor Browser in 2008 — making the network accessible to non-technical users — the introduction of bridges in 2007 for censored countries and the ongoing development of pluggable transports including obfs4 and Snowflake that make Tor harder to detect and block.
As of 2026 the Tor network serves millions of users daily and is used by journalists, activists, law enforcement, military personnel, corporations and ordinary people seeking privacy.
Who Funds the Tor Project
The Tor Project is funded by a mix of government grants, foundation grants and individual donations. Major funders have historically included the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor — which funds internet freedom tools globally — the Open Technology Fund and various private foundations.
The government funding sometimes raises questions about Tor’s independence. The Tor Project’s position is straightforward: it receives government funding to build privacy tools that protect people from surveillance — including surveillance by governments. The tools themselves are open-source and independently auditable. No funder has special access or influence over the codebase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tor Browser free?
Yes — Tor Browser is completely free to download and use. The Tor Project is a nonprofit and charges nothing for its software. Donations support ongoing development and infrastructure costs.
Does using Tor make me completely anonymous?
Tor provides strong anonymity against most network-level surveillance. It is not a guarantee of complete anonymity in all circumstances. Mistakes at the application layer — logging into personal accounts, enabling JavaScript that fingerprints your browser, downloading files that phone home — can de-anonymize you regardless of Tor’s network protections. Tor is a tool that reduces tracking significantly when used correctly, not a magical shield against all surveillance.
Is Tor legal?
Tor Browser is legal software in most countries. Some countries restrict or attempt to block Tor — China, Russia, Iran and others. Using Tor in these countries may carry legal risk depending on local law. In most democratic countries, using Tor is completely legal. What you do while using Tor is subject to the same laws as any other online activity.
How is Tor different from a VPN?
A VPN routes your traffic through a single server operated by a company — that company sees everything you do and must be trusted not to log or hand over data. Tor routes traffic through three independent relays run by different volunteers — no single party sees both who you are and what you are doing. VPNs are faster and simpler; Tor provides stronger anonymity when used correctly. For high-stakes privacy, Tor is the stronger choice. For everyday privacy, either can be appropriate depending on your threat model.
What is the difference between Tor Browser and using a regular browser with a Tor proxy?
Tor Browser is a hardened version of Firefox pre-configured to prevent the most common de-anonymization techniques — browser fingerprinting, WebRTC IP leaks, canvas fingerprinting and others. Using a regular browser — Chrome, standard Firefox — with a Tor proxy routes your traffic through Tor but does not prevent these fingerprinting techniques. For meaningful anonymity, use Tor Browser rather than configuring a regular browser as a Tor proxy.