Proton VPN
Audited, open-source VPN with a genuinely usable free tier.
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Start with the free plan and see if it fits your workflow — no credit card required.
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Our Verdict on Proton VPN
Proton VPN is the pick when you want a serious no-logs VPN backed by an audited, open-source company rather than a marketing brand.
Proton VPN sits in the privacy & security space and is best suited to privacy-conscious individuals, journalists, activists and families.
Across our five rating lenses — ease of use, value, speed, accuracy and ROI — Proton VPN scores 9.3/10. That places it in the top tier of tools we've tested this year, and it comfortably earns its spot in our recommended stack.
- Only major VPN with a free tier that respects users
- Open-source apps, independently audited
- Secure Core multi-hop
- Swiss jurisdiction
- Slightly fewer servers than NordVPN
- Streaming needs paid plan
Proton VPN Pricing
Free, Plus $9.99/mo, bundled in Proton Unlimited
Available — perfect for testing the product with no commitment.
Free + Paid Plans (Free / from $4.99/mo)
For most users, the mid-tier paid plan delivers the best balance of features and cost.
What Proton VPN does well
Perfect for
The complete Proton VPN review
Proton VPN is the pick when you want a serious no-logs VPN backed by an audited, open-source company rather than a marketing brand.
Proton VPN sits in the privacy & security space and is best suited to privacy-conscious individuals, journalists, activists and families.
Across our five rating lenses — ease of use, value, speed, accuracy and ROI — Proton VPN scores 9.3/10. That places it in the top tier of tools we've tested this year, and it comfortably earns its spot in our recommended stack.
In short — Proton VPN earns its 9.3/10 rating. It's a tool we happily recommend to privacy-conscious individuals, journalists, activists and families., and one we return to ourselves. Read the pros and cons above, click through and try the free plan, and make your own call on real work.
Frequently asked questions
For anyone working on privacy-first vpn users who value open source and a real free plan., Proton VPN pays for itself quickly. It combines strong output quality with a workflow that respects your time, which is why it earned a spot in our recommended tools.
Compare Proton VPN with alternatives
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How we work
Every tool is used on real projects before we score it — no press-release rewrites.
Five lenses: ease of use, value, speed, accuracy, ROI. Averaged, not cherry-picked.
Some links pay us a commission at no cost to you. They never change our scores.
Editorial rankings are separate from partnership status. See our editorial policy.
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