Proton VPN
Privacy-first Swiss VPN with the best free plan
$3.59/mo
from $3.59/mo /mo
- Servers
- 13,000+
- Countries
- 120+
- Devices
- 10
- No-logs
- Yes
- Kill switch
- Yes
- Free plan
- Yes
Our verdict
The privacy purist's choice that no longer compromises on speed or streaming. The free tier is genuinely free and safe — unique in this industry. Paid plans are competitive with the very best.
Benchmarks & scoring
Well-designed apps, though advanced features add a slight learning curve.
Switzerland jurisdiction, fully open-source audited apps and Secure Core multi-hop.
13,000+ servers across 120+ countries, including Tor-over-VPN exits.
VPN Accelerator keeps long-distance speeds healthy; nearby performance is excellent.
Plus plan unblocks most platforms reliably; the free tier does not support streaming.
A genuinely usable free tier and fair paid pricing for the privacy on offer.
Speed test & performance
- Download retention
- 87%
- Nearby download
- 435 Mbps
- Long-distance
- 270 Mbps
- Latency increase
- +13 ms
of unprotected baseline with VPN Accelerator
WireGuard on a 500 Mbps line
Europe to US
vs. unprotected connection
Pros & cons
Pros
- Best free VPN available, no data cap
- Open-source, audited apps
- Swiss jurisdiction and strong legal track record
- Secure Core double-hop architecture
- 13,000+ servers in 120+ countries
Cons
- Free plan picks server country for you
- No live chat support on free tier
- Apps slightly less polished than ExpressVPN
Compatibility
Platforms
Protocols
Overview
Proton VPN, from the team behind Proton Mail, is the privacy purist's choice that no longer compromises on speed or streaming. It runs 13,000+ servers in 120+ countries under strict Swiss privacy law, and it offers the only genuinely free VPN tier worth using — no data caps, no ads, no logs. Every app is open source and independently audited.
Speed and performance
Paid plans are fast: with WireGuard and Proton's VPN Accelerator enabled, it retained about 87% of an unprotected baseline on nearby servers — roughly 435 Mbps on a 500 Mbps line — and held 270 Mbps on a long Europe-to-US route, adding +13 ms of latency. That is more than enough for 4K streaming and large downloads. The free tier is slower and chooses your server country for you.
Privacy and security
Proton VPN is based in Switzerland, a jurisdiction with strong privacy law and no membership in the 14 Eyes alliance. The no-logs policy is independently audited, all client apps are open source, and traffic uses AES-256 or ChaCha20 with a kill switch and full leak protection. For high-risk users, Secure Core routes traffic through hardened servers in privacy-friendly countries first, NetShield blocks ads and malware, and Tor over VPN and the Stealth obfuscation protocol cover censorship circumvention.
Streaming and torrenting
On paid plans Proton VPN reliably unblocks Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer and other major platforms, and supports P2P with port forwarding. The free plan does not include streaming or torrenting support.
Pricing and plans
The free plan is unlimited-data and genuinely safe to use. Paid Plus plans start around $3.59/mo, cover up to 10 simultaneous connections, and add streaming, Secure Core and the full feature set, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Who it's for
Privacy-first users who want open-source, audited apps and Swiss jurisdiction — and anyone who needs a free VPN they can actually trust.
Features & capabilities
Secure Core servers
Routes traffic through hardened servers in privacy-friendly countries first.
NetShield ad blocker
DNS-based blocking of ads, trackers and malware.
Tor over VPN
One-click access to the Tor network through dedicated servers.
VPN Accelerator
Networking improvements that boost speeds on distant servers.
Stealth protocol
Obfuscated protocol that bypasses VPN blocking and censorship.
Port forwarding
Supports P2P and remote access by forwarding ports.
Open-source audited apps
All client apps are open source and independently audited.
Kill switch
Blocks traffic instantly if the VPN connection fails.
Privacy & compliance
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Proton VPN offers one of the few genuinely trustworthy free tiers, with unlimited data and no ads, though it is limited to a few countries and does not support streaming or P2P.
Very. Proton VPN is based in Switzerland, runs fully open-source and independently audited apps, keeps no logs and offers Secure Core multi-hop routing for high-risk users.
On paid plans, yes. Proton VPN Plus unblocks Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer and other major platforms reliably. The free plan does not include streaming support.
Secure Core routes your traffic through multiple servers, starting in privacy-friendly countries like Switzerland and Iceland, so even a compromised exit server cannot reveal your real IP.
Paid Proton VPN plans allow up to 10 simultaneous connections across Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and supported routers.
Yes. Unlike most free VPNs, Proton VPN's free tier has no monthly data cap and shows no ads. It is limited to a smaller set of server countries and excludes streaming, P2P and the fastest speeds.
Proton VPN Plus starts at around $3.59/mo on longer plans and adds streaming, Secure Core and the full feature set. A free plan is available, and paid plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Yes, on paid plans. Proton VPN supports P2P traffic on dedicated servers and offers port forwarding to improve torrenting performance, with a kill switch and no-logs policy protecting your IP.
Switzerland has some of the world's strongest privacy laws, no mandatory data-retention requirements and no membership in the 5/9/14 Eyes alliances, which is why Proton bases its no-logs VPN there.
Yes. Proton VPN offers Tor over VPN through dedicated servers, letting you route traffic into the Tor network with a single click for an extra layer of anonymity.
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