Proton VPN doesn’t just call itself a VPN but wants to be a champion of digital rights. Two things that make it stand out in the crowd: it indeed offers a free plan-unlimited data, plus a nonprofit organization fighting for internet freedom backs it. It is king in both spheres, really vying for the crown of VPN application itself.
The notion of Proton Foundation aside, Proton VPN isn’t your humanitarian sort of VPN; it is one powerful VPN. Now picture this: A slick VPN with an easy installation, one that runs like the wind, and one that closes the security doors like Fort Knox. But the gist is that Proton VPN enjoys the best access in Africa, bane of setting more IP addresses on the continent than anybody else. And they’re not stopping yet… they are already planning tomorrow, zapping in full support for IPv6. Proton VPN is simply the dawn of tomorrow, today.
On our solemn word of honor, we would recommend it, especially if you love torrenting – it does welcome P2P traffic on practically every server. The Apple apps could really do with a dash more speed so that they can compete with the Windows and Android counterparts, and there may be the odd free server that might try your patience from time to time. But honestly, the good outweighs the bad, so go ahead and read on to find out more.
Proton
Best VPN for privacy
Proton VPN
Proton VPN: Privacy powerhouse, Netflix unlocker, and speed demon. Fight online censorship while enjoying buffer-free streaming.
Pros
- Keeps internet speeds fast
- Physically secured data centers
- Free plan with unlimited data
Cons
- High proportion of virtual server locations
- Live chat support only for paid users
$3 at Proton VPN
Table of contents
- Findings at a glance
- Installing, configuring and using Proton VPN
- Proton VPN speed test: Impacts of VPN Accelerator
- Proton VPN security test: Watertight protocols
- How much does Proton VPN cost?
- Proton VPN side apps and bundles
- Close-reading Proton VPN’s privacy policy
- Can Proton VPN change your virtual location?
- Investigating Proton VPN’s server network
- Features of Proton VPN
- Proton VPN customer support options
- Proton VPN background check: The CERN origins of Proton AG
- Final verdict
Findings at a glance
Learn all the secrets of Proton VPN. Packed with useful pros and cons, this cheat sheet is your shortcut to making an informed smart VPN purchase. Keep it handy, as your perfect digital shield is just a click away.
| 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
Any easy mode worthy of the adjective would be a peanut butter and jelly one. Definitely it scrambles in more options than ExpressVPN, and it may distract the nouveaux from contemplating with an extra pair of eyebrows. Now, when it comes to a real usability snag, you’d have to go on purpose to find one.
Windows
The process of installing Proton VPN on Windows is simple: a few moments for permissions and the software is ready for use. It will impress anyone with its well-designed UI. Consider your server network being presented as a list with interactive qualities and on a map. One click to connect and one click for search, plus all major features are available in a single window with style.
Proton VPN’s app for Windows.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
That launch window really felt like an epitome of neatness and organization while never getting stiff. Even those keyboard shortcuts for the search bar? Such a nice thought! Genius moments struck again with the opening of settings inside the same window: curtains on the never-ending scenes where one juggled the main VPN app on one side and a clunky preferences panel on the other. Our only wish? A more natural zooming mechanism for that marvelous world map.
Mac
Mac desktop application? One mixed bag. Main functions such as Profiles, NetShield, Secure Core, and that all-important kill switch can be turned on and off from the main window. Something seems… a little… off. The Windows one is much more refined. Forget quickly filtering for P2P or Tor servers; you better start looking hard within the Profile settings. One good thing: map is finally resizable; this makes the map a worthwhile alternative to the server list. Consider it progress, leaning heavily on “could be better.”
Proton VPN’s dark mode interface on macOS.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Proton VPN is lined up tempered in the menu bar where anything can be played under customization. Four airy tabs open to greet the user to a fully personalizing VPN adventure, taking less than a minute. A brief lick-around will outfit your connection with everything for polish.
Alternatively: Tucked into the menu bar, go to Proton VPN > Settings for customization pleasures. Just four simple tabs provide a fully personalizing VPN adventure in less than a minute. A breezy tour equips your connection for perfect.
Android
The Android app sustains pristine design aesthetics and buttery smooth execution witnessed in the Windows app. Navigation is absolute easy with four tabs aligned at the bottom: Home, Country List, Profiles, and Settings. Searching for a target location? A tap on the magnifying glass at the top-right of the screen triggers the search bar to display immediately. As an added help, pinpoint theexactserver location by tapping the ellipsis next to any virtual location.
Proton VPN’s Android client.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Practice anti-censorship, Android hoodwink! Dive into exclusive Profiles such as the “Anti-Censorship Mode” that cleverly routes your connection through the speediest worldwide serveroutsideof your current location to ensure unfettered access. The Settings tab can hardly afford clumsy overhead; its single-screen design favors clarity-wisdom instead of complication.
iOS
The Proton VPN for the iPhone and iPad resembles its Windows and Android versions quite a lot but comes with some Mac-specific quirks. Get ready to drown a bit in a chaotic server array while the servers open to P2P and Tor remain hidden, demanding some extra effort to locate them.
Proton VPN’s app for iPhone and iPad.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
In the settings menu, all options look a tad overwhelming at first glance-a small price for a VPN that is so simple it practically disappears once activated-to protect your data without begging for your constant attention.
Browser extensions
In Chrome and Firefox, Proton VPN extensions create a cyber-underworld of split tunneling. Picture a VIP lane for your browser traffic, protecting just what appropriate is viewing, while everything else goes unprotected. Yet this tunnel is also finely customizable to those needs. Unlike a traditional VPN app, Proton VPN actually allows you to make exceptions on website addresses instead of IP-based blacklists. Checking and unchecking boxes for what needs protection feels just so plain and simple.
Proton VPN speed test: Impacts of VPN Accelerator
Have you ever wondered whether your VPN is a speed demon or just a slowpoke in disguise? We went ahead and tested Proton VPN against Ookla’s Speedtest servers to see what effect it had on your connection. Latency: those naughty milliseconds that could throw a wrench in your game, and download/upload speeds, measured in Mbps, are essential for streaming and file-sharing. So here goes a triple-threat test to find out if your VPN is purposely holding back your internet experience, mainly when you need it the most.
Proton VPN’s “VPN Accelerator” promises a warp-speed connection via parallel data streams, truly enticing hopes. And there, it pretty much fulfilled the expectations. For download speeds not quite at the ExpressVPN-wrought record-breaking few seconds, Proton VPN gave us a very smooth browsing experience that we did appreciate.
Proton VPN barely makes a dent in your download speeds.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
To pinpoint our test locations, we tapped into Proton VPN’s clever smart routing servers – think digital sleight of hand, using servers in one locale to project IP addresses from another. Our investigation centered around five global hotspots where these servers cluster: Miami, London, Marseille, Bucharest, and Singapore. All tests were conducted on a Mac, leveraging its automatic protocol setting for seamless operation.
| Server Location | Latency (ms) | Increase factor | Download speed (Mbps) | Percentage drop | Upload speed (Mbps) | Percentage drop |
| Portland, OR, USA (unprotected) | 16 | — | 58.93 | — | 5.82 | — |
| San Jose, CA, USA (best server) | 52 | 3.3x | 55.82 | 5 | 5.58 | 4 |
| Miami, FL, USA | 160 | 10x | 54.33 | 8 | 5.49 | 6 |
| London, UK | 332 | 20.8x | 52.55 | 11 | 5.72 | 2 |
| Marseille, France | 309 | 19.3x | 45.42 | 23 | 5.59 | 4 |
| Bucharest, Romania | 408 | 25.5x | 52.51 | 11 | 5.57 | 4 |
| Singapore, Singapore | 394 | 24.6x | 52.26 | 11 | 5.50 | 5 |
| Average | 276 | 17.3x | 52.15 | 12 | 5.58 | 4 |
Proton VPN tops the list for speed test results. Picture downloading at about 88% of the speed you get without any protection! If you are still lost: Imagine you have a 30-Mbps connection (which is half of whatweare seeing). Activate Proton VPN, connect toanyserver, and your 4K streaming is buttery smooth. Lagging? Don’t even think about it! Proton VPN is keeping you fast.
Performance-wise, Proton VPN nearly got a perfect score on the speed test. There was one unusual dip from the Marseille server, and such dips seem to be the norm in the vast world of VPNs. You’ve got to think of it as a momentary detour that can be cleaned away by a quick disconnect and reconnect. Although it is unusual for one’s speed to drop to 75% of the usual, it is worth thinking about-they are warnings of mere probabilities, never certainties.
Proton VPN security test: Watertight protocols
When it comes to VPN safety, one central issue is trustworthiness: will it loyfully build its encrypted tunnel, keeping one’s data serene at all the time? Proton VPN was put to the ultimate trial, subjected to relentless probing into its security. Not a single chink appeared in its armor, so to speak. Read below for a thorough analysis of this impregnable security shield.
Proton VPN protocols: WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and Stealth
Proton VPN gives you four avenues to online freedom. All three- WireGuard-the Rock Star, OpenVPN-well the Subaru of VPNs-if you call it right, and IKEv2-probably the fastest-will be good enough in normal circumstances. However, in face of the digital iron curtain, Proton VPN has unsheathed the secret weapon: Stealth. The invisible cloak comes on only when the regular paths are blocked-to preserve-that connection remains unseen and unblocked.
The protocol selection screen on Proton VPN’s Android app.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Feeling vulnerable online? Meet OpenVPN, the Fort Knox of VPN protocols. OpenVPN does not logically scramble your data; instead, it truly encrypts every step of the process, providing almost no openings for hackers! It’s like putting a secret message inside another secret message! With OpenVPN, the disguise is almost absolute- it can effectively hide itself as regular web traffic and bypass firewalls and censorship! So if you truly want to be secure and have a VPN that’s all but invisible, OpenVPN is the way to go.
Forget clunkiness of OpenVPN. With smooth code and pretty much state-of-the-art cryptography, WireGuard stands far ahead. But it asks for static IPs, compromising security. Proton VPN has found a great solution: they just replaced those predictable IPs with constantly changing randomized ones, acting as a barrier to any possible exploit.
IKEv2: The unsung hero, sometimes speedier than OpenVPN or WireGuard. Within the realm of this protocol, think of it as the hidden gem in the “Smart” choice of your VPN client. Not in vogue anymore; so Proton VPN must let it go.
InferenceVPN Stealth protocol: really, an technically correct synonym for being an invisibility cloak. Nothing new in the idea, Stealth cleverly hides in an outer TLS tunnel the very tough WireGuard architecture. A clever disguise that allows slipping by some network censors maybe actively trying to block VPN traffic. The speed drops with the added security layer. Think of this one as a mommy protocol–you’ll put it in action only when all others are led astray by the digital barricades.
Tired of VPN jargon? The app’s “Smart” option is your shortcut to speed. Forget fiddling with protocols – it intelligently picks the fastest one for your connection. All options are secure, so go Smart and enjoy a seamless, speedy experience.
Leak test
You think your VPN is impregnable? Firing up Proton VPN, we tested its connection protocols with brute force using the AirVPN IP leak tool to hunt down any instability. DNS and WebRTC leaks are the ways through which your true IP gets revealed, even when connected. Proton VPN routes requests through its own DNS servers to decrease chances of that happening, but can still have leaks. Very simple methodology: Did the IP scream “VPN active!” or did it very softly whisper an actual physical location? And I think the results will surprise you.
Three days, several locations, and an important question: Is our IP address really secure? We gave Proton VPN a thorough test, attempting to get our real IP through their network. We even went beyond the very secure Secure Core servers into data centers that might be managed by third parties-but found zero traces of it. Is it guaranteed? I would say no. It’s, however, an excellent sign, as this shows that Proton VPN’s security is not just in words but permeating its entire server network.
Proton VPN successfully masked our real IP address, even on a virtual location in Angola.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Covering all aspects of privacy protection, the WebRTC leaks were investigated by BrowserLeaks’ tool. A WebRTC leak is mainly related to browsers and can expose your IP address. At the Bombay end, Proton VPN made sure not to give any hits. We enabled WebRTC in the browser and conducted severe network tests on our servers. Zero WebRTC leaks detected, ever bolstering your anonymity. A VPN is essential in case your browser gives way, thereby making this layered protection vital.
Proton VPN and IPv6
Rather than sprawled in the past, Proton VPN is charging into the future Heads-On with IPv6 Compatibility. The problem is: Most VPNs punt off IPv6. And frankly: Tell any forced IPv4-only VPN to entertain an IPv6 request and it just simply ends up creating an IP leak. So, it blocks it. Proton VPN, however, is envisioning a world of IPv6 dominance and is building a VPN to fit that landscape, thus laying a stake in privacy protection that will stand the test of time.
Hats off to Proton VPN users! IPv6 is marching ahead. On Linux apps and browser extensions, it works by default, while users can switch this on via the Android app. For other platforms, IPv6 traffic is blocked presently, but the wait is nearly over stay tuned for updates!
Encryption test
Like many providers, Proton VPN spoke loudly about its security. But was it ever really tested? We fought tooth and nail to break into it. With Wireshark, the digital magnifying lens that sees it all, we dug deep to uncover loopholes in its encryption. Under no conditions and metrics witnessed with our toolged system showed clear text so encrypted remains never broken down- proving Proton VPN’s implementation is rock solid. This means victory: Proton VPN’s encryption is indeed at stake.
How much does Proton VPN cost?
Get the maximum VPN power from Proton with the Plus subscription- your key to online freedom for $9.99 per month. Here’s another thing: chop that price in half. Commit to secure protection for a year by paying a single payment of $59.88 and you’ll pay just $4.99 per month. The best thing about it: your Proton VPN Plus account will, in fact, unlock all Proton apps, so consider this an all-access pass for your safe, private digital life.
Go for the two-year-plan for $107.76. That is really just $4.49 a month. Convenience? Sure. Savings? Not really. The yearly plan is the better option regarding cost/commitment balance. Just a quick fling? One month will not pinch your pocket much. Best part? Essentially, every plan is paired with a 30-day “love it or leave it” guarantee.
Engadget readers, your online privacy just matured! Have an exclusive deal on Proton VPN: Secure a 12-month plan at $3.99 per month ($47.88 total) or double up your protection with a 24-month plan at $3.39 per month ($81.36 total). So, thinking about trying ultimate security? Dive into details. For an all-in-one security setup, look at the Proton Unlimited subscription below.
The Proton VPN free plan
Say goodbye to monthly data caps! Proton VPN refashions limitless browsing free of charge. With a considerable background in premium VPN services, they do stand for freedom without bounds and annoyances. The catch? You will be surfing the webs from US, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, and Romanian servers – a small price to pay for unlimited and secure surfing.
Never been fond of server roulette? Proton VPN will select your server for you-to get you to the least congested option. According to Proton, this is due to some algorithm tweaks, better load balancing, and shiny new servers in Poland and Romania. Not happy with your connection? Just go on ahead, hit that change server button, and try again.
Similar Listings:
- GoServer (new servers just in) in Bucharest, Romania
- Europe (connect to the least congested server among entry-level choices)
Free plan of Proton VPN: The champion of content blocking? Maybe not-so-much. Imagine it as an invisibility cloak, with priority set on protecting your privacy rather than bypassing geo-restrictions. The strategic placements of free servers near Russia and China indicate a priority on anonymity over long streaming sessions. Crucial here is that it might not be able to unlock Netflix libraries around the world, but it does not compromise on any native security features whatsoever.
Proton VPN side apps and bundles
Launch into full Proton experiences with Proton Unlimited! Proton Unlimited Package grants access to the six Proton powerhouses for the price of $12.99 a month, or just $9.99 a month with an annual subscription ($119.88 billed yearly). Give privacy and productivity a complete boost. Want the very best savings? Go for two years at $7.99 a month ($191.76 total). A deeper look into the products will have to wait, but here is just a small preview of what you have in store!
Proton Mail: Your messages, locked from an unseeing eye. While inside a Proton vault, your emails go through end-to-end encryption, retaining their private content. Yet, your IP remains exposed. It is as if an anonymous letter lands at your doorstep and the postman knows exactly where the letter came from.
- Proton Calendar:An encrypted scheduling app with events and reminders.
- Proton Wallet:A self-custody wallet for storing Bitcoin unconnected to any exchange.
- Proton Pass:A password manager that generates, stores and autofills passwords for online accounts.
Why pay more for less? Just having a Proton VPN plus a Proton Mail account without the Proton Unlimited subscription means you are actually missing out on savings! Instead of paying $14.98 monthly for both, you are now saving $2. Consider that a built-in discount, which becomes even greater with an annual plan.
Close-reading Proton VPN’s privacy policy
Want crystal-clear privacy? Proton breaks down its policies into two digestible documents: first, the overarching general Proton policy, then the Proton VPN-specific policy. We’ll unpack them in that order, so you know exactly what’s protected.
General Proton privacy policy
At Proton, user privacy isn’t just a policy; it’s built into the system. We analyze website activity using our own marketing tools, with user experience in mind, not identity tracking. Think of it as studying footprints in the sand: we see where people walked but never exactly who they are. Meanwhile, email addresses remain retained for account communication, while IP address tracking is an outright ban. Your online locational glory will stay forever a mystery to us except if you are in violation of the terms of service.
“But how does Proton catch miscreants without any activity logs, you ask? Well, the idea is simple. Imagine a digital neighborhood watch keeping an eye on things. There is no need to read everyone’s mail when there is an outrageous case of abuse occurring loudly. Perhaps a server on Proton VPN had suddenly been leaking data in an egregious way in a DDoS attack. Our team does not need the logs from days before-they act right there on the spot, putting out the fire and catching the criminal in the act. It is real-time observation and not a look back that matters.”
The Proton’s privacy claim is cushioned on transparency: data is shadowed in the trails of five processors outside the company-Zendesk, PayPal, Chargebee, Atlassian, and Stripe-none is legally permitted to store or monitor one’s activities. While Proton swears it will share data only when legally compelled to do so under mandatory Swiss laws, they also promise to fight every legal battle possible beforehand. This position, laid out in their transparency report, is not something extraordinary for VPNs trying hard to stay alive. Referring to the report, the company has gone to the courts to fight back, proving that theirs is not just lip service.
Proton VPN privacy policy
According to Proton VPN’s privacy policy, they have the potential of becoming a data Fort Knox for you. Hence, this is a lean privacy shield: there exists a zero logging policy concerning your online activities or device fingerprints. Your bandwidth should not be covertly throttled either; Proton assists in keeping it blazing. The best part? Even free users have VIP access to privacy.
A VPN privacy policy asks for your trust while giving you very little concrete assurance for that trust. They are binding contracts and violations can be grounds for legal proceedings. Proton VPN’s very brief no-logs policy is thus quite reassuring. This commitment is not merely lip service, given that independent audits in fact, the most recent being in July 2024 (drive.proton.me/urls/ED8G4GC5MG#pM52Y8RMXIKn) have continually confirmed it.
Can Proton VPN change your virtual location?
Do you want to know if a VPNreallymasks your location? Ditch the thick technical jargon. We have subjected VPNs to the best streaming test: Netflix.
Through some sort of quantum-machine-influenced teleportation, we somehow vaulted from one end of the gurus’ grid to the other, firing Netflix on each location. Did we manage it? Directly watching another batch of shows from one angle-west European dramas in London, French comedies in Paris. If our Netflix feed turned around, then the VPN was passing the location-masking test. Easy.
| Server location | Unblocked Netflix? | Library changed? |
| Canada | Y | Y |
| Romania | Y | Y |
| Ghana | Y | Y |
| Japan | Y | Y |
| New Zealand | Y | Y |
After having undergone trials in five locations, Proton VPN aced the test of reliability. Only the Romanian location got a dreadful glare in its face. But, then again, it was a free server we were testing. Netflix put up a game. Buy your rights to a server, and streaming just happens. I consider that a subtle nudge towards the premium experience offered by Proton VPN.
Proton VPN changed our virtual location so we saw the Japanese Netflix library.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Investigating Proton VPN’s server network
Unlock the world with ProtonVPN’s free plan! You can pick servers in the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, United States, or Japan. Have the fastest lightning-fast connections in the days when the system picks the server that is best located for your location.
A premium plan unlocks a world of opportunity, giving you access to a whopping 154-server network spread throughout 117 countries and territories. Africa opens up with many options, more than any other VPN we’ve seen lately. Keep sniffing around through the Middle East to the heart of Central and Southern Asia, and for residences in the States, a varied collection of 20 U.S. locations will just be waiting for you.
Proton VPN lets you know which of its locations are virtual.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Ever thought if your internet traffic is actually traveling where you are imagining of it? Check reality: many “server locations” are not much but an illusion. Data bouncing about Africa, maybe? Unfortunately, only South Africa and Nigeria are actualities. South America? It is Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina where your deposits are physically made. For the Middle East, server ones can only be counted in the countries of Turkey, Israel, and UAE. For Asia, should one tread cautiously? Quite possibly, South Korea, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines may just be digital mirages.
Think of virtual locations as master illusionists, masking your IP with as much trickery as their mortal brethren. The snag is Distance; running after a server halfway across the globe can mean lag when speed and responsiveness become critical. But don’t worry! The speed of Proton VPN skirts right around distance, and you’ll forget that miles divide you.
| None | Countries | Virtual Locations | Cities |
| North America | 6 | 3 | 25 |
| South America | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| Europe | 42 | 6 | 51 |
| Africa | 25 | 23 | 26 |
| Middle East | 13 | 10 | 14 |
| Asia | 22 | 16 | 25 |
| Oceania | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| TOTAL | 117 | 62 | 154 |
Features of Proton VPN
The leg-up ProtonVPN offers beyond common VPN security is no joke. Stealth protocol? Support for IPv6? These questions are only meant to be viewed as the surface. There is a further list of five amazing features that may be the final straw and blow your mind.
NetShield ad blocker
Annoyed with digital clutter? NetShield by Proton VPN is a quick one-click answer. From the main screen, toggle it on to wipe out all your digital terrors. Select your protection to be malware only, or choose to block malware, ads, and trackers. Maximum security is precluded for you so that you can be protected from the word go.
The Netshield page on Proton VPN’s iOS app.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Envision a digital guardian quietly going about its duties in your online world. That is the nature of NetShield. In a way, it is an internet connection bouncer that checks in a millisecond where you are trying to go against an infamous list of digital criminals: malware sellers, ad injectors, and sneaky trackers.
Here’s the catch: Consider it like the DNS doorman. It only blocks access at the address level. So, if the ad isinsidethe building (with YouTube being one example), it simply cannot stop it. The upside of having this door, however, is that the protection covers the whole device, and not only one window of the browser.
NetShield swore to keep an elevator pitch standing record of the digital baddies it had put down for good. It excels at slapping down the greater-means of banner ads, but it could be worth it to add a browser ad blocking extension for a much more sculpted online clutter shield.
Secure Core servers
If ever you think of your internet traffic taking a secret path with one fortification-the VPN, let alone two–then that’s the Secure Core, the James Bond of internet security. The names- doubleVPN or multi-hop VPN- and the world is turned upside down with Secure Core. One server turns rogue and you need not worry about your data being exposed for it is encrypted by the second layer. Think of it as the last-minute escape route for digital privacy if all else fails.
Secure Core servers add a second node to your VPN connection.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Think of Proton VPN as more than a way to mask your location. With Secure Core enabled, your data embarks on a clandestine journey. Grounded in secrecy, it passes through hardened servers set deep within the safe borders of Iceland, Sweden, or Switzerland, before finally reaching the destination you have assigned to it. Consider Secure Core your Innermost Vault with the latest cutting-edge digital infrastructure and unimaginable jurisdiction. Keep in mind, these servers are not just your average lot. Instead, they’re designed with utmost resilience in mind.
-
All three countries are safe jurisdictions, with consumer-friendly privacy laws and courts sympathetic to privacy claims. Obliging a serene aura, Secure Core’s datacenters must be impenetrable. Imagine a lair for a Bond villain and cutting-edge technology, meshed together by a mad scientist; the Iceland hub is a major contender here, being a former military base repurposed into data protection. And in Sweden, we just went deeper and placed de facto banking into a literal underground bunker.
-
Proton owns and operates all Secure Core locations itself, with no rentals or third-party managers.
Secure Core of the Proton VPN: Your Fort Knox. The slow double-hop might not be too good for the speed, but if your online operations are very sensitive, consider this term mission critical. Because some secrets are just worth an interminable wait.
Kill switch
Consider Proton VPN’s kill switch your digital safety net. Imagine the situation of sudden VPN disconnection: utter panic, isn’t it? Not with Proton VPN. Our kill switch immediately cuts off the internet, thus protecting your real location and identity. No unintentional momentary exposures are allowed. Imagine it being the shield against the malicious TunnelVision attack, which tricks users into fake VPN traps. With Proton VPN, you are eternally safe.
Split tunneling
Unleash the Power of Choice: Split Tunneling!
Windows and Android users, rejoice! Native split tunneling is here. But the joy doesn’t stop here: extend this beautiful feature to almost any device by using our browser extension. Your traffic only needs to go through the VPN ifyousay so; all other traffic zooms down its regular connection. Ultimate control, ultimate flexibility!
Split tunneling with Proton VPN on Android.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Proton VPN offers laser-precise split tunneling, letting you route specific apps or even IP addresses outside the VPN tunnel. Imagine surgically directing traffic – keep your sensitive browsing under VPN protection while letting bandwidth-hungry apps run free. Unlocking this power requires knowing the IP address of the websites you want to exclude. No sweat! A quick visit to a DNS checker (like DNS checker) arms you with the IP address you need for ultimate control.
Torrenting servers and port forwarding
Torrenting with Proton VPN? Clever. Torrenting traffic is routed over dedicated P2P servers, so torrenting is safe and fast. Only the few ultra-secure Secure Core servers and some free servers are excluded. Proton VPN gives you real bang for a buck with close to nil drops in speed. Upload speed clocks at anywhere near 96%, and that implies very fast downloads with absolutely no buffering worries. READY. Set up your torrent client, and enjoy!
Proton VPN’s list of P2P servers.
(Sam Chapman for Engadget)
Maximize your torrenting speeds with the implementation of port forwarding! Without extra fuss, Windows and Linux users hit a switch and called up an active port to configure a private server. Mac users, however, are also free to go the extra mile and manually adjust their connection through OpenVPN or WireGuard, to their heart’s content.
Tor over VPN
If ultimate privacy is what you desire, Proton VPN has got specialized servers acting as gateways into the Tor network. Connect to the server emblazoned with “TOR” and the famous onion symbol, and your traffic is masked through multiple layers of encryption. The best part about this system is that you can access those elusive .onion sites from your regular browser, no extra work needed.
A perfect ally for venturing fearlessly into the dark web-with Tor over VPN. Imagine it as an IP cloaking device. Your traffic takes a route amended through the VPN first. Hence it’s impossible for anyone on the Tor network to identify you. No malicious node could ever know your real identity. For supreme privacy, sign up for Proton VPN through Tor Browser. The entire process is anonymous. So, no footprints!
Proton VPN states Tor servers sprinkled through six countries — U.S., France, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and Hong Kong-the ultimate doorway to privacy. In most locations, just one Tor server is maintained, yet the U.S. has two. Would you want to send your traffic over Tor through Proton VPN? You almost can on every device. Just do remember, Mac and iOS users: switch on that kill switch for it to be working.
Profiles
Getting tired of fiddling with different VPN settings? Proton VPN Profiles are your shortcut to all ease of security. You can think of them as pre-configured “recipes” for your VPN connection. Standard shipping includes “Fastest” – an instant connection to the fastest server in the network – and “Random” that assures you get a fresh server every time. But the real power lies in creating your own profiles. Change just four settings, and thousands of customized VPN experiences are waiting for you to discover.
- Feature:The type of server used. Choose from Standard, Secure Core, P2P or Tor over VPN.
- Country:The country to which the profile connects.
- Server:A server within that country. You can also select “fastest” or “random.”
- Protocol:Which VPN protocol the profile will use. “Smart” can be selected.
Imagine this: That Canadian Netflix exclusive has you hungry. No problem! A custom “Netflix Canada” profile can be created with just a click, and you are connected to the fastest Canadian server. Sometimes profiles might seem unnecessary, but they really save time when you have a long VPN routine.
Proton VPN customer support options
Wondering about Proton VPN? We mustered through their FAQs to find answers to two predominant topics: Which servers are managed by third parties? And why do some locations, such as Marseilles, crawl despite showing a green light in the app?
The Proton VPN’s help center seems like a hide-and-seek game. Though accessible through apps or the website, articles are disjointed. Selecting a topic shows a fraction of the content-weight, as does, for example, Troubleshooting, which initially shows only five pieces of content. But wait! Fling a word like “troubleshooting” onto the search bar, and bilious infuriated resources pop up. Sections, such as Billing, are practically ghosts altogether: absent from the main page. Be ready for a digital treasure hunt when you try to find support.
The support section feels like a digital ghost town, a relic from a website past. Forget navigating – just unleash the search bar. While the articles themselves are, for the most part, well written, it is a struggle to get through the outdated design, which is best to avoid until the time comes for Proton to bring it into the 21st century.
Getting quick help
According to my analysis, ownership and server load questions were insufficiently resolved. What the documentation does provide are vague answers, leaving us clutching for a lifeline. Luckily, we found one in the live chat of ProtonVPN. Bear in mind, this live chat is only available to paying customers. However, do not fret, because r/protonvpn is fairly busy, and Proton employees often lurk to give you answers!
Fortunately, the live chat works like pirate treasure because it is well-hidden. Navigating our way to the bottom of the website involved long scrawling, and, on arriving at the footer, the area appeared to be devoid of batter. From the chats, the team is really there in the late evenings until midnight around CET. That very urgent query regarding Marseille servers? Yes, it got stuck in ticket submission purgatory.
Sam Chapman for Engadget
The form actually practically filled itself out: what a change from this drudgery. What was even better was that a real person answered in under 24 hours. Since it proved impossible to reproduce the slow-down on the French servers, the matter came to an end. Still reassuring to know they will give you a fast answer.
Proton VPN background check: The CERN origins of Proton AG
Proton VPN came into being in 2017, but its history went far deeper. Think of a brain trust formed amidst the birthplace of scientific discovery at CERN, Switzerland. In this domain filled with groundbreaking happenings, the founders of Proton AG, who are considered the parent body of Proton VPN, first met. Hence, since its inception in physics at the forefront of thought, the Proton VPN has been operating under the aegis of Swiss laws that impose severe privacy directives.
Back in 2014, the likes of Proton Mail arrived on the scene with a fiery, record-breaking crowdfunding campaign behind them, promising to reform and bring justice to email security. Having been adopted by glittering numbers of users to the tune of 100 million-plus, it would seem they have struck a chord. Not willing to just bask in its glory, Proton AG later introduced Proton VPN, which upholds the same ethos of privacy across a freemium model that anyone could use to ensure security in internet access.
I loved how the name Proton suggested something that could not be split. From Bitcoin’s inception, the team understood all the necessity for privacy, which lies at the heart of all Free Software. Initially intent on developing an encrypted e-mail service based on open-source software, the company ultimately grew into a large-scale privacy ecosystem. The year 2020 welcomed Proton Calendar into the ecosystem, followed by secured cloud storage in 2022 by Proton Drive. The final product, Proton Pass, came into existence in 2023 to encrypt passwords with end-to-end encryption that was unbreakable, the same as in the Proton suite, regarding your data as something that belongs to you and nobody else.
The Proton Foundation
Imagine Proton, a digital stronghold built upon privacy, suddenly subjected to a hostile takeover. Almost did it happen. Fear not! A masterstroke in strategy plucked away in 2024 setting Proton for its own destiny, preventing anyone from stealing it. Currently, several shares sit comfortable inside the Proton Foundation, a non-profit entrusted solely to protect the core Proton ethos. This can be thought of as a digital Vatican City, where Proton’s independence is guaranteed and held to its mission. Sell out? It’s a no-go. Every single trustee of the Foundation would have to agree, a more improbable event than seeing a unicorn sipping tea in Zurich. Privacy is not just a feature for Proton; it is embedded in its very DNA now protected forever against any forces attempting to snatch and tarnish it.
The entire lifespan of Proton only had two incidents that really called for a public statement. Fascinatingly, one of those was the only incident involving Proton VPN. Let’s dive into these rare happenings.
ProtonMail law enforcement collaboration allegations
A dive into Proton’s annual transparency report reveals a chilly confession: Swiss law may require them to reveal user data. This is not a mere technicality but actual chains on the hand of Proton: in 2021, acting on the warrant of a French court, Proton had to give away the ProtonMail user’s IP address and device logs to Swiss police. The poor guy was just a French environmental activist who is now arrested. The incident should hurtfully remind us of the friction between the promise of privacy and actual law.
That sinking feeling when promises around privacy meet the hard wall of legal reality came to bear on ProtonMail. Well, before you rush out of there, consider this big startling difference: ProtonMail was and still remains under Swiss law onemailproviders, where the law did prescribe that the company obey Swiss court orders when it came to handing data over. In contrast, the VPNs do not face these binding retention laws. So the ProtonMail instance was more akin to that funny doctor-patient situation where the doctor is forced under certain laws to report a gunshot wound: an awkward smash of reality.
Big boon for privacy! Swiss email providers including Proton just got a major boost. Thanks to a hard-won change in the policy, pushed for by Proton, they now enjoy an exemption from mandatory data retention. Meaning exactly as you think: no more forcing these companies to log your connections.
As Proton confirmed, “Under Swiss law, we are not obligated to save any user connection logs.”
Say, that is irony at its best: even after subpoena, Proton could not surrender the email contents-almost as if your privacy enjoys the ultimate protection. Imagine something akin to Fort Knox, but for your inbox!
Alleged WireGuard memory vulnerability
Venak Security throwed a bombshell soon in 2025: the claim that the implementation of the WireGuard protocol by Proton VPN lacked proper protection of memory. The report went on to say that this flaw could be used to expose encryption keys, leaving user communications open to decryption by malicious actors who managed to intercept them.
The claim was quickly rebutted by ProtonVPN with a detailed explanation, asserting that their security measures are strong. This response continues to be their official statement on the matter and launched a debate about VPN security, user privacy, and how difficult it has become to stay private in the harsh digital world.
The so-called “Venak revelation”? More like a parade of public keys. Just calling something on apublickey doesn’t really break the cryptosystem if you ask me. Asymmetric encryption-the very basis of VPNs such as the WireGuard-needs both a private and a public key to speak secrets. Snatching a private key, if that is ever possible, is akin to taking away just one puzzle piece from an always changing mosaic. WireGuard is very much alive, and with perfect forward secrecy, old keys are shredded as fast as a shredder would: making any stolen key useless in a flash.
Final verdict
Cast in the role of an all-rounder, Proton VPN is the choice of many. Security freaks? Streamers? It has everything you need. Two very minuscule cons include the fact the longer the subscription, the higher it burns a hole into the pocket, and that support outside Europe becomes a little sluggish.
Proton VPN: celebrated ever so modestly as a free VPN. The thine catch? Server choice is not available to you. Proton VPN will remain your digital invisibility cloak should escaping the gaze of your ISP and those dirty targeted ads be thy one and only mission.
Thanks for reading Proton VPN review 2025: A nonprofit service with premium performance
