Proton Mail was created by scientists who met at CERN, and Proton is headquartered in Switzerland. Proton Mail launched in 2014, and Proton VPN followed in June 2017, when it opened to the public with both free and paid plans.
Proton Mail uses end-to-end encryption to help protect the contents of messages between users. Proton VPN serves a different purpose: it encrypts a user’s internet connection and can help protect online activity from monitoring on the network.
Proton says it developed Proton VPN in response to growing concerns about online surveillance, censorship, and threats to internet freedom. When the service launched, the company highlighted activists, journalists, and other people seeking to protect their online privacy.
Since its launch, Proton VPN has been used by people around the world, including privacy-conscious individuals and professionals. Its Swiss base and connection to Proton Mail are part of the service’s identity, but users should assess its current features and policies on their own merits. Our review explores this provider in greater detail.
ProtonVPN plans and prices
Proton VPN offers a free plan, a paid VPN Plus subscription, and the Proton Unlimited bundle. Its pricing page lists discounts for longer subscriptions, although promotional prices and renewal rates can differ.
Proton Free costs nothing and protects one device at a time. It connects users to servers in 10 countries, with locations selected automatically rather than freely chosen. It’s an option for basic privacy protection, but it offers less control and fewer features than the paid plans.
Proton VPN Plus costs $9.99 on a monthly subscription. The standard pricing page currently advertises a two-year offer at $3.49 per month, billed as $83.76 upfront. That subscription renews at $83.88 every 12 months, so the introductory monthly rate does not continue indefinitely. Separate promotions may offer lower initial prices.
VPN Plus includes:
- Up to 10 simultaneous device connections.
- Access to the full paid server network and manual location selection.
- Streaming and P2P support.
- NetShield, which blocks ads, trackers, and malicious domains.
- Secure Core routes traffic through an additional VPN server for an extra layer of protection.
Proton VPN Unlimited combines VPN Plus with premium versions of Proton’s other privacy services, including Mail, Calendar, Drive, and Pass. It costs $12.99 per month when billed monthly, or $9.99 per month on an annual subscription, paid as $119.88 upfront.
The bundle is worth considering if you also need encrypted email, cloud storage, or a password manager. For users who only want a VPN, VPN Plus is the more focused option
VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Before subscribing, check the upfront charge, subscription length, and renewal price, not just the advertised monthly equivalent.
Info on the servers of ProtonVPN
Proton VPN’s network now includes more than 21,200 servers across 149 countries, a substantial expansion from its early network. Available locations include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. Server counts change as the network grows.
The free plan provides access to servers in 10 countries: Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US. The app automatically connects you to the fastest available free server for your location. You can request a different server, but the next connection is randomly selected rather than letting you choose a country.
Paid subscribers can choose their server location and access additional features:
- Servers on the Plus plan support everyday browsing, streaming, and P2P file sharing, with connections of up to 10Gbps in most locations.
- Secure Core servers route traffic through a hardened server in Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden before sending it through a second VPN server. This adds protection against certain network-based attacks, including monitoring at a compromised exit server.
- Tor over VPN servers route traffic through the Tor network after it passes through the VPN, allowing access to onion sites without a separate Tor connection setup.
ProtonVPN Features
Proton VPN offers several valuable features:
- Secure Core servers
Secure Core routes traffic through hardened servers in Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden before sending it through a second VPN server.
- Modern protocols and encryption
Proton VPN prioritizes the most secure encryption methods. In this way, users’ traffic routes through the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. Furthermore, ProtonVPN uses AES-256, SHA-256, and RSA-2048 keys.
- Kill switch
Kill switch blocks internet traffic if the VPN connection drops, helping prevent your real IP address from being exposed.
- Streaming and P2P support
ProtonVPN is really fast, allowing high-quality video streaming without lags. Besides, torrenting will not be an uphill struggle for Proton VPN clients, as most of its servers offer P2P sharing.
- Convenient Linux command-line tool
If you're a regular Linux user, you'll appreciate the feature for sure. The command-line tool was developed to make it easier to connect to Proton VPN servers. The tool offers benefits such as quicker setup, easier VPN server connect/disconnect, an easy-to-read server listing, and easier switching among servers.
Setting up an account with ProtonVPN
It is dead easy to install ProtonVPN and launch it. First, visit the official ProtonVPN website and download the app there.
The official website offers detailed information about installing and using Proton VPN applications. Native VPN applications for Android, Mac, and Windows are available. With these apps, you can connect to the server with one click. While testing the Proton VPN app, no link disconnections were observed.
Proton VPN customer support
Paid subscribers can contact Proton VPN’s support team through 24/7 live chat. Users can also submit questions via the support form or by email, though response times vary.
Platforms
Proton VPN offers apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, as well as support for Android TV, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also configure it on compatible routers to protect connected devices. Feature availability varies by platform.
Security and privacy of ProtonVPN
Proton VPN is based in Switzerland and follows a no-logs policy, meaning it does not record browsing activity or retain user-identifiable connection logs. Independent audits by Securitum have examined and supported these claims.
Its Secure Core feature routes traffic through an additional hardened server before reaching the exit server, helping to reduce certain risks associated with compromised VPN infrastructure.
Summary
Proton VPN combines broad device support with an independently audited no-logs policy. Its free plan provides basic VPN protection, while VPN Plus adds more server choices and advanced features. Proton Unlimited includes VPN Plus alongside Proton’s other premium privacy services.
