If you're looking for a privacy-focused VPN, Proton VPN is a good choice. This Swiss-based VPN is owned, surprisingly enough, by cybersecurity company Proton, which you most likely know it as the developer of the end-to-end encrypted email service Proton Mail. Thankfully, this focus on privacy has definitely carried over to its VPN offering, putting up there with some of the best VPN services around.
First off, Proton owns and operates all the servers in its (recently upgraded) server network. This means the 20,000+ servers in 145 countries are not touched by anyone but the company itself, eradicating the third-party risk that other VPNs may expose themselves to by having outsiders operate their servers.
Secondly, if you choose to pay a little extra, Proton offers more than just a virtual private network – there are more privacy-focused apps in its suite to put you solely in charge of your data, including a password manager and secure cloud storage.
When it comes to price, while Proton may not be the most expensive, it's also not the cheapest – plans generally start from around $2.99 per month. If you're looking for the cheapest VPN, you'd be better off considering Surfshark or Private Internet Access (PIA) – although Proton does offer some deals that reduce the price fairly regularly. The "widget" below shows the most up-to-date pricing, including any special deals available.
If you're on a budget, you give Proton VPN a test drive with its free plan. It's one of the best free VPNs available right now, and while it may not be able to compete with a premium VPN, it offers unlimited data and can hold its own fairly well.
Proton VPN on paper
Number of servers |
20,000+ |
Server countries |
188 locations in 145 countries |
Supported platforms |
Android, iOS, Chrome, macOS, Windows, Linux, Firefox |
Simultaneous connections |
10 |
Split tunneling |
Yes (Windows, Android, macOS, Linux) |
Kill switch |
Yes (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux) |
Protocols supported |
OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, Stealth |
Country of registration |
Switzerland |
Support |
Live chat, FAQ page |
For a quick explanation of any VPN-related terminology, check out our VPN glossary.
Proton VPN's latest features and updates
Proton VPN has made a few changes since our last review, including:
- Increasing its server count from 16,000 to over 20,000
- Increasing its server countries from 127 to 145
- New server locations added to its premium and free plans
- Updated interfaces for most apps, including Windows, iOS, and Android
Pricing
Plan length |
Overall cost |
Monthly cost |
1 month |
$9.99 |
$9.99 |
1 year |
$47.88 |
$3.99 |
2 years |
$71.76 |
$2.99 |
Proton VPN's prices start from $2.99 per month ($71.76 in total), but this is only if you sign up for a 24-month contract, which is a significant commitment. A 12-month contract will set you back $3.99 per month ($47.88 in total), while a 1-month contract costs $9.99.
If you want access to everything Proton has to offer, it's worth signing up for Proton Unlimited, which starts from $9.99 per month ($119.88 for a 12-month contract). This gives you access to not only Proton VPN, but ProtonMail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive and Proton Pass.
Proton offers one of the best free VPNs – but be aware of it limitations
Proton VPN's price of $2.99 per month puts it behind the likes of Surfshark and Private Internet Access, and on a par with NordVPN and ExpressVPN. However, Proton VPN has one plan which includes all features. Its competitors run a tiered system where plans and features vary.
With all this said, Proton does have one of the best free VPNs on offer, so if you're really strapped for cash, it may be a good fit for you. Additionally, you can try it out risk-free thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.
Rating: 8/10
Does Proton VPN have a free trial?
Proton may not have a free trial, but the free version of its app is one of the best free services out there. So, you can try Proton VPN out for free for as long as you want, without paying anything.
With this being said, some of Proton VPN's features are only available for paying customers. If you want to give the full-fat version a trial run, you can sign up and claim a full refund within 30 days.
Features
Proton VPN has a decent amount of things on offer, but it doesn't really stand out against its peers until it gets to privacy.
You get up to 10 simultaneous connections, level with ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but not as good as Surfshak or PIA's unlimited connections.
It offers split-tunneling on its Windows, Android, Mac, and Linux apps services, but not iOS. However, split tunneling on Mac is listed as "experimental" and, at the time of testing, it's not available on every Linux distro – there's support for Ubuntu but not Debian.
Its kill-switch is robust and available on all major platforms. It did not fail once even under our rigorous testing conditions. Previously, Proton VPN's Windows VPN app didn't support enabling the kill switch and split tunneling at the same time, but in our last round of testing this has been remedied. So, if you want 24/7 VPN protection with the kill switch active, but you need something to route outside the VPN – perhaps a game, or other software – you can now set this up.
Proton VPN supports a number of VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, WireGuard and Stealth, which is finally available on Windows after two years of only being accessible on Android, iOS, Mac.
Stealth is Proton VPN's proprietary protocol designed to obfuscate your VPN traffic. It's one of Proton VPN's numerous anti-censorship features – an area it excels in.
Notably, IKEv2 is only available on Mac, and OpenVPN is only available on Windows. For most people, this won't be an issue – WireGuard has largely taken over, and is fit for almost every use – but if you're a Mac user who wants OpenVPN, consider ExpressVPN or NordVPN.
Proton VPN has a good range of protocols, but the Mac app doesn't support OpenVPN.
Part of Proton VPN's ultra-private reputation comes from its Secure Core servers. Secure Core is essentially an ultra-private version of the multi-hop feature seen in other VPNs, first routing your connection through data centers in Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden – all countries known for their good data privacy laws – before sending you on to your chosen location. This is more than other top providers, like Surfshark and NordVPN, currently offer.
The app's layout is fairly simple, with a list of countries with servers in that you can connect to, and a big "connect" button that can get you connected to the best server for you in seconds. Notably, the map-based interface has been cleaned up but is no longer interactive. Additionally, all its apps are open-source.
If you have specific protocols and/or a server country you wish to connect to, you can set up a "Profile" for this, allowing you to quickly connect to it once you have chosen its settings.
Another positive is Proton VPN's expansion of its server network. Not only has it yet again increased the amount of servers it offers from around 16,000 to more than 20,000 and increased the amount of countries it has servers in from 127 to 145.
This server count outdoes rivals ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark. Although NordVPN boasts more locations in 211 cities, more important is the number of countries, and no top-tier VPN has more than Proton VPN. Notably, Proton has 31 locations in Africa, too, which is an area many other VPN providers often overlook.
Proton has the best server spread of any top-tier VPN
With all this being said, Proton does come up a little short when it comes to extra features in its apps. Despite being more expensive than the likes of ExpressVPN and Surfshark, it offers fewer bells and whistles. The only extra offered by Proton VPN is NetShield, a feature that blocks ads, trackers, and malware.
On paper, this is an excellent feature to have, and is similar to ad and malware blocking offered by other providers (e.g. Surfshark's CleanWeb or NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro). However we found its performance varied.
In our testing, NetShield blocked 32% of phishing sites and 88% of ads. When it came to malware however, it blocked only 4%. In comparison, NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro blocked 92% of phishing sites, 21% of ads, and 80% of malware.
Solely as a VPN, Proton VPN offers a very robust set of features, and all the essentials like a kill switch, split tunneling, and a wide range of server locations are present. However, other VPNs do offer more outside the core VPN. If you're looking for more of a privacy suite than just a VPN, NordVPN and ExpressVPN may be better options.
Rating: 8/10
Server network
As of April 2026, Proton VPN's server count is a whopping 20,000+ servers across 145 countries, making it more extensive than that of NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN. In fact, it covers more countries than any of the VPNs we recommend.
An interesting thing about Proton is that it has dedicated servers in a good amount of African countries, a region often overlooked by other VPN providers. This optimized server spread makes it one of the best travel VPNs.
Proton VPN's location breakdown as of April 2026:
- North America: 39
- South America: 10
- Europe: 53
- Asia: 48
- Oceania: 7
- Africa: 31
Another thing that's important to note is that Proton VPN has eliminated all third-party risk when it comes to its servers by owning and operating all of them. This is Proton's dedication to user privacy and security coming out to play, and its a welcome addition.
Many VPNs use virtual servers to offer locations in countries that are difficult to set up a physical server in. Proton VPN is no exception, and while the majority of servers it runs are physically located in the country they claim to be in, a handful are not.
For example, of the server locations recently added, all but one are virtual. This includes Haiti, Gabon, Greenland, Cameroon, Paraguay, and Uganda, to name a few.
It's important to note that virtual servers are not a privacy risk when implemented correctly. Essentially, the only difference between them and a physical server is that they provide an IP in a different location. However, it's important that VPN companies outline which of their servers are virtual, because they can impact speeds, and throw up some location-based anomalies when browsing.
Proton has ticked this box well. On the site, it clearly outlines exactly which servers are virtual, as well as where the servers were really hosted. When we tested this, everything proved to be in order.
Overall, Proton VPN arguably has the strongest VPN server network around, especially in less-frequently used locations – and it deserves praise for that.
Rating: 10/10
Streaming and torrenting
Proton VPN is known as one of the best streaming VPNs, and for good reason. When testing we try to be as real-world as possible. To do this we connect to servers in the countries we want to test and attempt to watch content only available in that region, just like a real-life user of the VPN would do.
When I tested Proton's ability to unblock Netflix content from Japan, Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, I was pleased to see that it unblocked everything without an issue. Its streaming support like this which makes it one of the best Netflix VPNs.
Beyond Netflix, Proton VPN unblocked most other streaming services we tested it with, including Disney+, and regional streaming services including BBC iPlayer, ITV Play and Channel 4, as well as 9Now and 10 Play.
However, in our latest round of streaming testing, almost every VPN had some kind of issue with one service or another.
Proton VPN notably had trouble unblocking Amazon Prime Video in Australia, Canada, and Japan, and we had to switch servers a couple of times to unblock Disney+ in the UK.
What's important to outline here, though, is that previously very reliable VPNs like NordVPN, Surfshark and ExpressVPN had more issues than Proton VPN, and only surprise contender Norton VPN performed a clean sweep. In fact, besides Norton, Proton VPN delivered the best streaming results overall.
Proton VPN also is one of the best torrenting VPNs, and supports P2P sharing in all but two server locations – Myanmar and North Macedonia – which is rare for a VPN service.
Its important to note, however, that Proton VPN does not offer port forwarding on iOS, but it's now available on Mac. This means so you can torrent to your heart's content, wherever you are, without being worried that you'll run out of bandwidth.
Rating: 9.5/10
Connection speed
When it comes to speed, ProtonVPN performs very well. In fact – spoiler alert – we rate is as the fastest VPN.
VPN connection speeds are an undoubtedly important part of our VPN reviews, but it is important to remember how difficult it is to accurately test a VPN's speed without constantly monitoring its performance while connected.
We can't do this, so instead we try our best to offer an accurate representation of a VPN's speeds by looking at snapshots in time. Your own experience and results may vary, but we have tested all the VPNs we review in the same way and our figures should give you a very good idea of what a VPN is capable of.
We also went further than we usually do in our speed testing, and check Proton VPN's latency and jitter out, to get an even more accurate representation of how fast the VPN will feel. This is due to the fact that most people's base connections will be as fast as the VPN, meaning that latency will have more of an impact on your connection overall.
Proton VPN's latency was lower than both NordVPN and Surfshark.
In our latest round of testing, Proton VPN achieved average WireGuard speeds of 1,475 Mbps. This is very similar to Proton's results in our previous round of speed testing, demonstrating good performance over time.
To put it in perspective, you only need speeds of 25 Mbps to stream Netflix in 4K, so you definitely won't be stuck watching a buffer wheel. While these speeds won't increase your device's maximum potential speed or the allowed bandwidth from your internet provider, it does mean that the VPN won't slow you down.
For US to UK testing, Proton's speeds were even faster, averaging 1,548 Mbps, meaning that even if you're connected to a server across the world, your speeds shouldn't be impacted. This result is remarkable, and is by far the fastest average speed over long distances that we've seen from any VPN.
Proton VPN is more than 50 times faster than you need to stream 4K, and capable of faster speeds than most people's domestic base connection.
At best, ProtonVPN's servers had latency of 37 milliseconds, and a jitter of 16.8 ms. Latency especially will make a difference in your everyday browsing, as it measures the time for your request to be processed. Anything below 30 ms is excellent, but bear in mind our testing involves using a cloud PC, and we've found that latency figures can be slightly higher when using this method.
Overall, Proton VPN is incredibly fast, regardless of which server you're planning on connecting to. Top marks.
Rating: 10/10
Privacy and security
Proton uses either AES-256 (supported by OpenVPN) or ChaCha20 encryption (supported by WireGuard) to protect your data, both of which are rock-solid. It supports a range of protocols, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, Stealth. These secure encryption protocols ensure that your data is kept private.
In testing, we work a VPN's kill switch to its limits to make sure you stay 100% protected, 100% of the time. In our testing, Proton's was rock-solid, not failing once. It also has a fully-functioning kill switch, meaning that if the VPN connection fails, your internet connection will be blocked, protecting your identity in the process.
You'll also get access to Proton's Secure Core servers, which further protect you by allowing you to multi-hop to any location. These Secure Core servers route your traffic through hardened servers in Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden, all countries with strong privacy laws to keep your data safe.
This is similar to both NordVPN and Surfshark's Double VPN feature, however with ProtonVPN your data is guaranteed to be routed through these extra-secure servers to ensure your data stays as private as possible.
This increases security as your connection is sent through multiple VPN servers, meaning even if one of them is compromised, your IP address and online traffic remains secure.
Proton also claims to have DNS leak protection, and in testing via DNSLeakTest.com on both mobile and desktop, we discovered that it holds true on this promise, with no DNS leaks detected.
When it comes to logging, Proton says on its website: "ProtonVPN is a no logs VPN service. We do not track or record your internet activity, and therefore, we are unable to disclose this information to third parties."
Proton barely logs anything, with the only thing recorded being the timestamp of the last successful login attempt.
Proton stays true to this ethos by barely logging anything, with the only thing recorded being the timestamp of the last successful login attempt. While you do have to provide an email address when you sign up for an account, you have the option to create a one-time use email or a proxy, or use Proton's email service ProtonMail for an even more anonymous option.
Additionally, in September 2025, Proton passed its fourth independent no-logging audit which verified that the service doesn't log any data that can be used to track what you do online, including session data (e.g. servers accessed or connection times) and user activity.
Proton also does not have any tracking cookies on its website, further proving its dedication to its user's privacy.
Rating: 10/10
Proton VPN review: apps
Proton VPN is available across a range of different platforms and devices, including Android, iOS, Chrome, macOS, Windows, Linux and Firefox. It also offers Android TV and Fire Stick VPN apps, allowing its unblocking abilities to be used on smart TVs as well as desktop and phones.
The apps are easy to use thanks to quick-connect and a handy list of countries that you can connect to. It has a map-based interface that used to be functional, but is now for aesthetics more than anything else.
This change is part of a major redesign Proton VPN has undergone, with the rollout across its iOS, Android and Windows apps.
This redesign also got rid of one of my major gripes from the last time I reviewed Proton VPN. The mobile apps used to have a central "disconnect" button exactly where the "home" button would be on other apps, which could lead to accidental disconnections if you were working off muscle memory when navigating the app for the first time. Now, there's no more button, so this isn't an issue anymore.
Speaking of its mobile apps, they're both powerful, but its Android VPN is more so than its iPhone VPN app. It's still a perfectly good app, but it does lack the split tunneling feature that is available on its other platforms.
That being said, there are some features that the iOS Proton VPN app offers that the Android one doesn't. This includes having always-on features that Android users have to toggle on, including Always-On VPN, kill switch and NetShield.
Proton VPN's redesign also got rid of one of my major gripes from the last time I reviewed it.
While its apps are simple, it does have options for more advanced users. If you like to have complete control over your VPN connection, Proton VPN allows you to fully configure it, including what country it connects to, what server it uses within this country, what encryption protocol is uses and even if it uses a Secure Core server. You can even name and save these configurations to a profile after they are set up, allowing you to connect to them in just one click.
Overall, with its new app redesign in mind, its clear that Proton VPN is putting real effort into making its apps as streamlined as possible and easy to use for beginners, as well as including some more advanced features for more technically-minded users. However, we'd really like to see the Mac app catch up with every other platform.
Rating: 8/10
Proton VPN review: ease of use
When researching for this review, I used Proton VPN basically every day for 4 weeks. In my opinion it's a good mix of simple and technical – it's easy to get set up and started, with more complex features easily available. So, it has options for those more familiar with VPNs but shouldn't be too intimidating for VPN newbies.
Installing Proton is quick and simple, with every platform it supports available to download via its download page. Plus, once you're all set up, you can get started in a single click thanks to ProtonVPN's "quick connect" feature. This will automatically connect you to the fastest server for you.
If you want to connect to a specific server, this is simple too. You can just scroll through the list of countries available, and just click on the country you want to connect to. The default view for Proton's servers used to be a pretty cluttered map-based interface, but its recent app overhaul has got rid of this, making it a lot less overwhelming to look at.
Proton VPN's app redesign improved a lot, but it's unfortunate that Mac users have been left waiting for over a year.
If you're more technically minded, and want to configure your own VPN settings, Proton has made this easy by including a "Profiles" feature. When you set up a profile, you can select the features, protocol, country and server you want to use, and even give it a name. This profile will then appear on your homepage, and you can connect to it by clicking the "connect" button.
Proton VPN provides a huge amount of detailed and comprehensive support articles via its site to help users troubleshoot common issues. While this is overall a great thing to offer, especially as they are helpfully sorted into categories based on common issues, many of the articles are very technical and may be confusing to users that are less experienced with VPNs.
One great feature is Proton VPN's "report an issue" tab on its apps, as it allows users to quickly and easily fix their problems. Plus, if these fixes don't work, you can get more direct help from Proton VPN thanks to a "contact us" form.
Rating: 7/10
Proton VPN review: customer support
Proton VPN has a decent amount of options when it comes to customer service. For those who prefer to troubleshoot themselves, there is Proton's extensive library of support articles. With this being said, these articles do tend to be quite technical, so they may be a little alienating to VPN newbies.
For issues that crop up while using their apps, Proton includes a handy "report an issue" tab, which takes you to a series of troubleshooting tips to help solve the issue. If these are unsuccessful, you can just click the "contact us" button which takes you directly to a form which allows users to report their issue directly.
For issues that crop up while using their apps, Proton includes a handy "report an issue" tab.
Proton does have a live chat, but I personally found this more difficult to find than other support avenues, as it's only accessible from the website. This support option is great, but it should be easier to get to for those who want to speak with a customer service agent about their problem.
In independent, customer-posted reviews, many users complain of slow response times from Proton's customer service agents. However, I personally did not experience this.
Overall, there's plenty of help on offer from Proton, but when compared with some providers – ExpressVPN comes to mind – it could be a little smoother, and help for real beginners is a little thin on the ground.
Rating: 8/10
Proton VPN review: history and the future
Proton is most well-known for its fully encrypted mail service, which is often praised for being one of the most secure email services. With this in mind, it stands to reason that their VPN would have a similarly high reputation for privacy.
However, this does come with some drawbacks. If you're a full-suite Proton user, who uses Mail, VPN, and more, there is the chance the, if compelled to do so, Proton Mail may hand over your data. As stated in Proton Mail's privacy policy:
"Using Proton services for activities that break Swiss law is against Proton’s terms and conditions. Under Swiss law, we're required to cooperate with law enforcement agencies on criminal investigations within the framework of Swiss laws and privacy regulations."
In 2021, Proton was compelled to share the IP address of a Proton Mail user's backup email address. This is due to different regulation for email platforms compared to VPNs alone.
Despite this, Proton VPN alone has had no such scandals, and we can confidently say that used alone, your personal data is safe.
Rating: 8/10
Proton VPN review: final verdict
Subscribe if:
✅ VPN security is of upmost importance. Proton VPN offers top-of-the-line VPN security and privacy, routing your data through hardened servers in data centers located in countries known for their data provacy laws.
✅ Streaming and Netflix is your top priority. Proton VPN is excellent at unblocking Netflix libraries, and is capable of getting access to almost every other streaming site in the world.
✅ You want to use a VPN for torrenting. Proton VPN supports torrenting on all of its servers, allowing you to torrent to your heart's content.
Don't subscribe if:
❌ You want to use split tunneling on iOS. Proton VPN does not offer split tunneling in macOS or iOS.
❌ You want the cheapest VPN. Proton VPN may not be the most expensive VPN, but there are cheaper options out there.
Alternatives to Proton VPN
If you feel that Proton VPN doesn't quite offer exactly what you want, have no fear. There are plenty of other excellent VPN services on the market that might be perfect for you.
Proton VPN review: FAQ
How to cancel Proton VPN
Cancelling Proton VPN is fairly easy. Either you can downgrade your account on your account settings Proton's free VPN, or you can simply fill in a form via Proton VPN's Support page. You can also cancel your subscription during Proton's 30-day money-back guarantee period.
Does Proton VPN work in China?
Proton VPN does not work in China, as the Chinese government blocks access to it. If you're looking for the best China VPN, check out NordVPN.
Who owns Proton VPN?
Proton VPN is owned by Swiss-based Proton AG. Proton itself was founded in 2014 by a group of scientists who met at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). These scientists would go on to create the encrypted email service, ProtonMail.
Feature |
Comments |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
Design |
Interface may seem a little crowded but list of countries is useful |
⭐⭐⭐1/2 |
Ease of use |
Quick-connect feature makes getting started incredibly easy |
⭐⭐⭐1/2 |
Performance |
Not the fastest VPN on the market, but still decent speeds |
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 |
Unblocking |
Unblocks most content streaming platforms with ease |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Security and privacy |
Excellent encryption and Secure Core help keep your data private |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Customer support |
Good amount of articles, but they can be a little complex for VPN novices |
⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Price |
Decent value for money, but more expensive than other, better VPNs |
⭐⭐⭐ |
How we test VPNs
We put the VPNs we review through a series of tests to ensure that we have looked at every feature they offer, no matter how. Understanding how our experts conduct these tests is important, as it lets you know that we go above and beyond just doing a rundown of the specs available on the VPN provider's website.
With this being said, we do check provider's websites, and take note of any useful information provided, including the variety of operating systems a VPN runs on, the number of servers and locations, whether you can use every server for P2P, what encryption protocols it supports and more. We also check the VPN's pricing.
This helps us understand what claims the VPN service is making so we can verify them during our tests, as well as getting an overall picture of what the VPN offers.
After this, we get into the nitty gritty of the VPN's privacy policy. While privacy policies are important for any company, for VPNs it's imperative that they're completely sound. We also check out the provider's no-logging or zero-logging policy to look for any discrepancies or gaps. We'll also check independent audits of the VPN service.
All apps the VPN offers are tested on how easy they are to download, install and get up and running. During this process, we check to see if any data collection options are clearly outlined to users. Then, the default configuration is checked to see what features are available as standard, and which ones you need to 'opt in' for. Then, we look at any additional features available and check them out, for example ExpressVPN’s server speed test or NordVPN’s Double VPN.
Then comes the fun bit – trying to break them.
We'll connect to oddly configured networks, kill processes to see if we can get the VPN to stop without activating its kill switch, and more to really take the VPN to its limit.
We'll also check out the support the VPN has available, to make sure its support team are helpful and any support pages it has are up to scratch. We'll also check out its streaming and unblocking capabilities to make sure it is able to access geo-blocked content. We'll also run a series of speed tests over a few days and nights so you get an idea of what kind of connection speeds the VPN is capable of.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
