Research record

What the public record says about TotalVPN privacy and security

We read what auditors, courts, security researchers and the press have published about TotalVPN, then kept only the claims that two separate sources back. This is a record of what is published, not a lab test.

Claims researched: 21
Cleared for this page: 5
Separate sources behind them: 8
Research completed: October 3, 2026

What the evidence supports

Claims that two or more separate sources back

Each statement below is followed by the sources it rests on. A verdict describes what the sources say. It is not our endorsement.

Ownership and jurisdiction

Where the company is incorporated, who owns it, and which laws reach it.

Sources agree

Total VPN is operated by Total Security Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (no. 10161957) with its registered office in Fareham, Hampshire; the company also lists a US office (Total Security US LLC, Boston).

2 separate sources: Companies House and Total Security Limited

Sources and caveats (2)

Companies House (UK government registry) · Regulator record · No publication date stated
Registered office address 16-18 Barnes Wallis Road Segensworth, Fareham, Hampshire, England, PO15 5TT
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Companies House states it does not check the accuracy of filed information
Total Security Limited (totalvpn.com) · Provider own statement · No publication date stated
Total Security US LLC, 250 Northern Avenue, Floor 3, Boston, MA 02210 Company Number: 10161957 © 2026 Total Security Limited
Counts toward the two-source rule

Researcher notes

Companies House states it does not check filed information; it is the statutory record. The company was incorporated 4 May 2016 as SS Protect Limited, renamed Protected.net Group Limited (9 Nov 2018 to 19 Jul 2023), then Total Security Limited (Companies House 'previous company names'). The privacy policy names both the UK and Boston offices and Bird & Bird DPO Services SRL (Brussels) as GDPR DPO. Where the VPN servers and any logs physically sit is not stated; that is a different question from the operator's registration.

Sources agree

Total Security says it is part of Point Wild (formerly Pango); Companies House shows Saint Holdco Limited as the sole active person with significant control (75% or more) of Total Security Limited, notified 10 Dec 2024, two days before the merger announcement.

3 separate sources: Total Security Limited, Companies House, and Trethowans LLP

Sources and caveats (4)

Total Security Limited (totalav.com) · Provider own statement · Published November 28, 2025
We are a part of Point Wild (formerly known as Pango).
Counts toward the two-source rule
PR Newswire (release issued by Pango Group and Total Security) · Provider own statement · Published December 12, 2024
Pango Group, a holding company that acquires and operates a portfolio of cybersecurity brands, and Total Security, provider of award-winning antivirus protection Total AV, today announced that the two companies have merged.
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Company-issued press release
Companies House (UK government registry) · Regulator record · No publication date stated
Saint Holdco Limited Active Correspondence address Suite 1, 7th Floor, 50, Broadway, London, England, SW1H 0DB Notified on 10 December 2024
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Companies House states it does not check the accuracy of filed information
Trethowans LLP (law firm) · Press report · No publication date stated
Trethowans is proud to have acted as the lead legal advisors on the Total Security side of the merger.
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Law firm that advised Total Security on the deal; self-interested in describing it

Researcher notes

The registry names Saint Holdco Limited, not Point Wild: the link between Saint Holdco and Point Wild is inferred from timing and is not stated on any page read. The PSC page also lists Total Security Holdings Sub I Limited as a PSC that was notified and ceased on 1 April 2026 (an internal restructuring step; not explained). Point Wild's own site calls itself a holding company that acquires and integrates assets; its portfolio per the release includes Total AV, Hotspot Shield, UltraAV, Betternet, CyEx, Simpluris and Comparitech. Hotspot Shield and Betternet are VPN brands under the same owner; this ledger does not cover them. The provider's two statements (policy and press release) are one group; Companies House and the law firm are separate origins.

Sources agree

Ownership history: System1, Inc. announced on 30 Nov 2023 the sale of Total Security Limited to a group led by Just Develop It Limited (valued at about $340 million), and Pango Group and Total Security announced their merger as Point Wild on 12 Dec 2024.

3 separate sources: Nasdaq, PR Newswire, and Trethowans LLP

Sources and caveats (4)

Nasdaq (Business Wire release issued by System1, Inc.) · Provider own statement · Published November 30, 2023
today announced the sale of Total Security Limited (“Total Security”) to a group led by Just Develop It Limited (the “Transaction”).
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Company-issued press release by the seller
PR Newswire (release issued by Pango Group and Total Security) · Provider own statement · Published December 12, 2024
Following the merger, Point Wild will generate approximately $600 million in annual revenue and, with TTM EBITDA of $150 million , growing by more than 20 percent annually.
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Company-issued press release
Trethowans LLP (law firm) · Press report · No publication date stated
Trethowans previously advised on the acquisition of Total Security in 2023.
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Law firm that advised Total Security on the deal; self-interested in describing it
socaltech.com · Press report · Published September 6, 2023
Just Develop It Limited
Listed for context, adds no independence
Conflict of interest: Restates System1's own statement

Researcher notes

Closing dates were not verified: the Nasdaq text is an announcement of the sale; Companies House shows the rename from Protected.net Group Limited on 19 Jul 2023, earlier than the announcement, which we did not reconcile. The release also records System1's January 2022 'business combination' with Total Security (earlier ownership by System1, the parent of the defendants in T6-01). Top Class Actions (Jan 2025) still describes System1 as owning Total Security Limited, which is out of date against the release. The SEC filings that would give closing dates returned 403 to curl and were not read. socaltech restates System1's own statement (same group).

Sources agree

The main reviewer that recommends and tests Total VPN in our results, Comparitech, is owned by the same group as Total VPN: Comparitech Limited's sole person with significant control since 15 Oct 2021 is Anchorfree Ltd, and Comparitech's disclosure page names Point Wild as its parent company.

3 separate sources: Companies House, Comparitech, and PR Newswire

Sources and caveats (3)

Companies House (UK government registry) · Regulator record · No publication date stated
Anchorfree Ltd Active Correspondence address Kings Lodge, London Road, West Kingsdown, Sevenoaks, Kent, United Kingdom, TN15 6AR Notified on 15 October 2021
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Companies House states it does not check the accuracy of filed information
Comparitech · Provider own statement · No publication date stated
Point Wild, Comparitech’s parent company, operates a portfolio of cybersecurity solutions for consumers and businesses.
Counts toward the two-source rule
PR Newswire (release issued by Pango Group and Total Security) · Provider own statement · Published December 12, 2024
Point Wild's brands include Total AV, HotSpot Shield, UltraAV, Betternet, CyEx, Simpluris, Comparitech and more.
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Company-issued press release

Researcher notes

Matters for how to weigh sources: any Comparitech statement about Total VPN is a statement by a sister brand. Comparitech states that it keeps 'complete editorial control'; the review body (as read) calls Point Wild only 'the VPN's new owner' and does not repeat the ownership link; the disclosure page does. Comparitech was already on the affiliate-conflicted list; this ledger additionally treats it as provider-affiliated and gives it no independence credit. The link from Anchorfree Ltd to Pango is inferred from Comparitech's own 'part of the Pango group' wording.

Legal actions

Court cases and legal demands on the provider.

Sources agree

In Nelson v. System1, Inc., Total Security Limited and Protected.net LLC (San Diego Superior Court, filed 20 Oct 2023) a class of California subscribers alleged unlawful automatic-renewal practices on Total VPN and other Total Security products; the defendants agreed to a $2.5 million settlement without admitting liability.

3 separate sources: San Diego County Superior Court filing (case 37-2023-00045878-CU-BT-CTL), hosted by ClassAction.org, ClassAction.org, and Top Class Actions

Sources and caveats (3)

San Diego County Superior Court filing (case 37-2023-00045878-CU-BT-CTL), hosted by ClassAction.org · Legal or government record · No publication date stated
Defendants deny the claims in the Lawsuit and the Court has not decided which party is right.
Counts toward the two-source rule
ClassAction.org · Press report · Published January 20, 2025
System1, Total Security Limited and Protected.net LLC have agreed to pay a $2.5 million settlement to resolve a proposed class action lawsuit
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Plaintiff-lawyer lead-generation site; summarises the court record
Top Class Actions · Press report · Published January 15, 2025
System1 hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing but agreed to the $2.5 million settlement to resolve the class action lawsuit.
Counts toward the two-source rule
Conflict of interest: Plaintiff-lawyer lead-generation site; summarises the court record. Says System1 'owns' Total Security Limited, which was true until its Nov 2023 sale announcement

Researcher notes

This is a billing-practice case, not a privacy or security case: the allegation is that auto-renewal terms were not clearly disclosed (California Automatic Renewal Law). The class covered California residents charged between 20 Oct 2019 and 30 Jun 2024 for any of Total Adblock, TotalAV, Total Password, PC Protect, ScanGuard, Total VPN, Total WebShield. The two press sources summarise the same court record, so independence from the record is weak even though the outlets differ. Search results reported preliminary approval 8 Nov 2024 and final approval on 7 Mar 2025 (from summaries; the hearing date is raw-read in the press pieces, the final order itself was not read). Total Security Limited was owned by System1 for part of the class period (see T5-03).

What we cannot yet show

Where the record is thin

A claim stays off this page until two separate sources back it and an editor has cleared its wording. Each dot is one claim we researched. A filled dot is on this page. A hollow dot is not, yet.

Logging and no-logs audits0 of 3 shown
Security reviews0 of 1 shown
Servers and protocols0 of 3 shown
Ownership and jurisdiction4 of 5 shown
Incidents and vulnerabilities0 of 5 shown
Legal actions1 of 3 shown
Transparency0 of 1 shown

Not shown means one of two things: fewer than two separate sources, or still waiting for an editor to settle the wording or check a document. It does not mean the claim is false.

How this feeds the Trust Score

The evidence trail behind the number

The Trust Score has a criterion for security track record: audits, breaches and incidents. This page is the written trail for that kind of question, showing what was published, by whom, and how many separate sources agree.

Points are still assigned by the published formula. Read how in the methodology.

How the Trust Score works

See every published research record

How we research

Four rules we hold ourselves to

Two separate sources, minimum
Two outlets repeating one press release count as one source. Independence is decided by where the information came from, not by how many sites carry it.
Primary documents first
Auditor reports, court filings and regulator records come before commentary. A provider own page is evidence of what the provider says, never proof that it is true.
Nothing found is a result
When a search turns up nothing we record what we searched. We never present an empty search as a clean bill of health.
No softening for partners
A finding that the evidence qualifies is recorded as qualified, whoever the provider is.

VPN.com does not run its own testing lab. Every audit listed here was commissioned and paid for by the provider it examined, and we say so where it applies. We earn commission from some providers; see our disclosures.Read our disclosures

Ownership and jurisdiction

Legal actions

Two separate sources, minimum

Primary documents first

Nothing found is a result

No softening for partners