Proton VPN stands out for two main reasons: it's one of the only virtual private networks (VPNs) to include a free plan with no data limits, and it's one of the few services majority-owned by a nonprofit. It's the best VPN in both of those categories, and it makes a strong case for being the best overall.
Even if you don't care about the work of the Proton Foundation, Proton VPN is a service worth using. It's easy to install and manage, runs like the wind and meets high standards for security and privacy. It has more IP locations in Africa than any of its competitors. It's even looking toward the future by working toward full IPv6 support.
In short, Proton VPN gets our enthusiastic recommendation, especially for torrenting (which it supports on almost every server). It's not perfect — the apps for Apple systems lag behind their Windows and Android counterparts, and the free servers can be noticeably sluggish — but the cons pale in comparison to the pros. We'll get into it all below.
Table of contents
Findings at a glance
The table summarizes what we found while reviewing Proton VPN, both good and bad. Keep it open in a tab while you comparison shop for a VPN.
Category |
Notes |
Installation and UI |
Windows has the best interface, but all apps are smooth Android users get unique preset protocols Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox can be used for split tunneling on Mac and iOS |
Speed |
Retains 88 percent of download speeds and 98 percent of upload speeds Global latency average stays under 300 ms, with 52 ms on the fastest server |
Security |
No DNS leaks or WebRTC leaks on any servers Full IPv6 support is available on Android, Linux and browser extensions; Mac, Windows and iOS still block IPv6 to prevent leaks WireShark test showed active packet encryption |
Pricing |
Best plan costs $81.36 for two years ($3.39 per month) Free plan includes unlimited data and critical security features, but you can't choose your server |
Bundles |
Proton Unlimited saves money if you want two or more Proton products |
Privacy policy |
General Proton policy prevents collection of IP addresses unless a user has violated the terms of service (such as by using a Proton VPN server to abuse another site) No third parties are allowed to handle personally identifiable information Confirmed by Securitum audit in 2024 |
Virtual location change |
Unblocked Netflix repeatedly in all five testing locations, with new content proving a successful location change A free server in Romania got into Netflix but had trouble loading the library |
Server network |
154 locations in 117 countries More servers in Africa than any other VPN, plus many others across the globe About two-thirds of server locations are virtual |
Features |
NetShield can block just malware, or all malware, ads and trackers Kill switch on all platformsSplit tunneling on Windows, Android and browser extensions only Secure Core servers route VPN through two locations, one of which is physically secured in Iceland, Sweden or Switzerland Almost all paid servers are P2P-enabled Tor over VPN servers in six countries let you access dark web sites from any browser Profiles saves time when you repeatedly need specific connection settings |
Customer support |
Most articles in the online help center, while well-written, are invisible unless you use the search function Live chat is only for paying customers, and is unavailable from midnight to 9 AM CET |
Background check |
Launched in 2017 by the same company that developed ProtonMail Majority owned by the Proton Foundation, whose board includes the company founders and can resist takeover attempts While ProtonMail has worked with Swiss authorities in the past, Proton VPN is not governed by the same laws that compelled this Claims of a vulnerability in WireGuard's memory don't hold water |
Installing, configuring and using Proton VPN
This section explains how it feels to run Proton VPN on the various platforms it supports. As a rule, it's not difficult. Proton VPN has more features than ExpressVPN, and a couple of them might trip up new users, but you'd have to really scrounge to find an actual inconvenience to complain about.
Windows
Proton VPN installs easily on Windows — you'll need to grant it permission to make changes, but that's it. Once you've signed in on the app, you'll reach one of the best interfaces we've tried on a VPN. The server network is immediately visible as both a list and map, and the location search bar, connect button and major features are all laid out around the same window.
It's honestly amazing how much you can reach from the launch window without anything feeling cluttered. They even squeezed in keyboard shortcuts for the search field. We also love that settings open in the same window, since dealing with both the main VPN app and a separate preferences panel can get annoying. Our only real gripe is that there should be an easier way to adjust the size of the map.
Mac
The desktop app for Mac isn't quite as deftly laid out as the Windows app. You can reach most of the important features from the main window, including Profiles, NetShield, Secure Core servers and the kill switch. However, there's no longer a way to filter out a list of the P2P or Tor servers, except by digging through the Profile controls. On the plus side, you can adjust the size of the map, so it's now a viable alternative to the server list.
The other preferences are hidden in the menu bar — go to Proton VPN > Settings to reach them. They're laid out in four tabs, and shouldn't take more than a minute to go through at setup.
Android
The Android app takes the same design cues as the Windows app, and works as well. Four tabs along the bottom switch between the home screen, the country list, Profiles and all other settings. You can search the list of countries by tapping the magnifying glass at the top-right. In another nice touch, tapping the dots by any virtual location will tell you where the server is physically located.
Android users get some nifty exclusive Profiles, including "anti-censorship," which automatically connects to the fastest country except for the one you're in. The Settings tab is a single menu with subheadings and no unnecessary complication.
iOS
Proton VPN for iPhone and iPad looks almost the same as it does on Windows and Android, but with some of the same drawbacks found on Mac. The server list is more cluttered, and once again there's no easy way to sift out the P2P and Tor locations.
The Settings tab puts all the feature descriptions in the open, which makes it look denser than it is. But these are minor quibbles — this is still a VPN that's very easy to activate and forget about.
Browser extensions
Proton VPN has browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. These serve as de facto split tunneling, as connecting through the extension protects only browser traffic; everything else goes unprotected. You can split the tunnel further by setting the VPN to not work on certain URLs (unlike the other apps, you don't need to know the IPs of those sites).
Proton VPN speed test: Impacts of VPN Accelerator
We used Ookla's Speedtest app to determine how much Proton VPN drags on a user's latency, measured in milliseconds (ms), and download and upload speeds, measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Together, these three stats show whether a VPN will noticeably slow down your internet, especially during demanding tasks.
We had high hopes for Proton here because of its VPN Accelerator technology, which runs VPN communications across several parallel tracks to process everything faster. It didn't disappoint — for the most part. Although download speeds didn't reach the heights we saw from ExpressVPN, Proton VPN's browsing performance still looks excellent nearly across the board.
To choose our locations for the test, we checked Proton VPN's list of
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