Provision first, migrate second
Bring up the Incognito VPS server while your Bahnhof instance is still serving. Nothing is disrupted and you can take as long as the initial sync needs.
Privacy-first hosts · Sweden · 1994
An alternative to Bahnhof
The Swedish ISP that hosted WikiLeaks in a nuclear bunker under Stockholm and litigated against data retention for years.
Answer
For users who want hosting without identity verification, Incognito VPS is a viable Bahnhof alternative. It spans 16 locations, accepts twelve cryptocurrencies, and prices start at $4.00 monthly. Yet Bahnhof's legal battle against Sweden's data-retention mandate and its public defiance remain unmatched; this page doesn't pretend otherwise.
What they do better
Bahnhof fought the Swedish data-retention mandate in court and publicly refused to comply. That is a level of institutional courage no startup can claim, and the Pionen facility is a genuine landmark.
We list what every competitor does better than us. A comparison with no concession is an advertisement.
§01 Where we differ
Four things Incognito VPS does that Bahnhof does not
- 01
Eight jurisdictions on three continents rather than Sweden alone
- 02
No customer identity collected — Bahnhof runs ISP-grade KYC
- 03
Crypto-only settlement rather than Swedish fiat invoicing
- 04
Self-service deployment in under a minute
§02 Side by side
Incognito VPS and Bahnhof, feature by feature
| Incognito VPS | Bahnhof | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Distributed · 8 jurisdictions | Sweden |
| Identity required | None | Full KYC |
| Cryptocurrency | Native · 12 coins | Not accepted |
| Monero | Yes | No |
| Locations | 16 | 1 |
| Bare metal | Yes | Yes |
| GPU compute | Yes | No |
| Entry price | $4.00/mo | $20.00/mo |
| Five Eyes country | No | No |
Figures for Bahnhof are taken from their published pricing and documentation and were last checked on 2026-08-13. If something here is out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will correct it — an inaccurate comparison helps nobody.
§03 Switching over
Moving from Bahnhof
Lower the TTL 48 hours ahead
Drop DNS records to a 300-second TTL two days before the cutover. This is the step everyone skips and everyone regrets.
Cut over and verify
Final rsync, promote the database replica, update DNS. Wait 72 hours and watch the old logs before destroying anything.
Where Incognito VPS operates
16 locations against Bahnhof’s 1, 8 of ours chosen for their legal properties rather than their latency. Each location page publishes the statutes behind its claims and an explicit account of what it does not protect against.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
01 What is the best alternative to Bahnhof?
If identity requirements drove you away, Incognito VPS needs none, runs in 16 locations, and starts at $4.00 a month. For other concerns, this comparison shows where each provider holds a real edge.
02 Is Incognito VPS cheaper than Bahnhof?
Incognito VPS starts at $4.00 per month; Bahnhof at about $20.00. Compare equivalent tiers, as entry specs differ.
03 How do I migrate from Bahnhof?
Provision the new host, sync with rsync or a database replica, lower DNS TTL 48 hours ahead, then switch. Expect minutes of downtime, not hours. Our migration guide covers the full process.
04 When should I stay with Bahnhof?
Bahnhof fought Sweden's data-retention mandate in court and refused to comply publicly. That institutional courage is unmatched, and Pionen is a genuine landmark.
Other privacy-first hosts
55-second deploy
Pick a jurisdiction. Pay in crypto. Be running in a minute.
No account to create, no email to confirm, no card to enter.