01 · Product name
Tails
Amnesic Debian system that routes traffic through Tor.
Published by Tor Project.
In short
Tails is the portable Debian system from the Tor Project that routes connections through Tor and is built to leave no trace on the computer. On 20 Oct 2026 the news index listed Tails 7.15, posted 2026-10-13, updating Tor Browser to 15.0.25 and the Tor client to 0.4.9.14. Automatic upgrades are described from Tails 7.0 or later. The homepage says Tails is part of the Tor Project and that the projects joined in 2024. The images are a USB image and an ISO. Tails is free.
Product pricing strategy
02
Free
Tails is published as a free download. The homepage and the 7.15 news item opened 20 Oct 2026 did not print a dollar price, a seat license, or a paid tier. The Tor Project accepts donations. A donation counter on the site, if you see one, is the site's fundraising figure and is not a price for Tails and is not quoted here as a measurement. The USB image and the ISO are the two free artifacts named on the 7.15 item. Automatic upgrades from 7.0 or later are part of that free release, not a subscription. Do not invent a Tails Pro.
Utility and features
03
The homepage at tails.net says Tails is a portable operating system that protects against surveillance and censorship, uses Tor, and leaves no trace. It says Tails is based on Debian GNU/Linux, that it is part of the Tor Project, and that the Tor Project and Tails joined forces in 2024. The news index is the version source. The Tails 7.15 item, posted 2026-10-13, says it updates Tor Browser to 15.0.25 and the Tor client to 0.4.9.14, plus some firmware packages. It says you can upgrade automatically from Tails 7.0 or later to 7.15, and it offers a USB image and an ISO image.
- Tails 7.15. Posted 2026-10-13. It updates Tor Browser to 15.0.25 and the Tor client to 0.4.9.14, and it offers a USB image and an ISO.
- Tor Project since 2024. The homepage says Tails is part of the Tor Project and that the two joined forces in 2024. The base it names is Debian GNU/Linux.
- Amnesic USB. The homepage's job for Tails is a portable system that routes through Tor and leaves no trace on the computer.
The previous item on that index is Tails 7.14, which updated Tor Browser to 15.0.24 and the Tor client to 0.4.9.13 and the Linux kernel to 6.12.111. Those 7.14 numbers stay on 7.14. No github.com repository was set, because the project publishes through its own site rather than a github.com tree this review opened. Whonix is the other Tor system in this category, and it is two virtual machines rather than an amnesic USB. Qubes can run Whonix. Tails is the one you boot from removable media.
- 1
Use 7.15 when you need the 13 Oct 2026 image, and keep the 7.14 kernel number on 7.14.
- 2
Boot it from removable media when the job is an amnesic Tor session, not a persistent lab.
- 3
Do not treat Tor routing as anonymity for an account you sign into.
Caveats
04
Tails is designed to forget the session and to send traffic through Tor. That is the homepage's claim. It does not make a person anonymous if the session logs into an identified account, and it does not authorize collection against someone else.
Version 7.15 is the 13 Oct 2026 news item, with Tor Browser 15.0.25 and Tor 0.4.9.14. Do not attach the 7.14 kernel line, 6.12.111, to 7.15. The join with the Tor Project is dated 2024 on the homepage. Debian is the base the homepage names. A USB that is not shut down the way the project documents can leave the session you meant to forget. Read the install page before you trust a stick.
Screenshots
05
Potential use cases
06
- Tails 7.15 and 7.14 are about to share a kernel. The news item posted 2026-10-13 says 7.15 updates Tor Browser to 15.0.25 and the Tor client to 0.4.9.14. The 7.14 item is the one that names Linux kernel 6.12.111. Automatic upgrades are described from Tails 7.0 or later. The artifacts are a USB image and an ISO.
- The Tor Project join is about to be dated to the release. The homepage says Tails is part of the Tor Project and that the projects joined in 2024, and that Tails is based on Debian GNU/Linux. The 2024 sentence is not the 7.15 date. No dollar price was printed on either page.
- An amnesic Tor session is about to be briefed as anonymity for a signed-in account. The homepage says Tails leaves no trace and routes through Tor. Logging into an identified service still identifies the session. Tails is the USB. Whonix is the two-VM gateway. They are different jobs.
Hard cases
The case where the first result is easy to over-read.
The 7.14 kernel is pasted onto 7.15
Kernel 6.12.111 is in the 7.14 news item. Tails 7.15's item names Tor Browser 15.0.25 and Tor 0.4.9.14 and does not repeat that kernel line. Keep each number on the item that printed it.
Practitioners using it
Posts on X from people describing a concrete use. The quote is the post. Likes and reposts are the counts saved with it, not a live total. A label marks a creator, a maintainer, a vendor, a partner, a data partner, or an investor.
Network Unavailable bug on @Tails_live v7.15 even with wired ethernet Also tested without Persistent Storage enabled and network settings loading on boot is intermittent pic.twitter.com/NPFxr3wNu5
Questions
Who ships Tails, and what is the current version?
The homepage says Tails is part of the Tor Project and is based on Debian. The news index on 20 Oct 2026 listed Tails 7.15, posted 2026-10-13.
Does Tails cost money?
No price was printed on the homepage or the 7.15 item. The download is the USB image or the ISO. Donations to the Tor Project are separate from a Tails license.
Citations
07
Titled sources. These public pages are what the quotes on this listing come from.
Product
Tails homepage
https://tails.net/Documentation
Tails news
https://tails.net/news/index.en.html