Proton VPN review, free download
Basics about Proton VPN, cons/pros
This section contains the main things you need to know about this VPN, including the limitations of the free plan. I have attached a complete comparison table of Proton VPN Free and Plus tariffs, compiled independently, in the corresponding chapter.
Key points (regardless of tariff):
✅ Shareware service (there is a multifunctional free subscription)
✅ Works under conditions of strong network restrictions (with Internet filtering).
✅ It is possible to connect to servers without using the official application. For example, through OpenVPN.
✅ The headquarters of the service is located in Switzerland, which means the company is not part of the 5 and 14 “eyes” intelligence alliance.
✅ Very high level of security for users. Backed by independent audits + open source applications can be studied by anyone.
✅ Strict no-logs policy: Proton VPN does not store or leak customer data to anyone. The site has a clean and clear privacy policy and rules for everyone.
✅ No advertising.
✅ High speeds.
✅ No traffic restrictions.
✅ Unlimited connection time with servers.
✅ KillSwitch function for emergency disconnection from the network.
✅ 5 protocols for connection: WireGuard, OpenVPN TCP, OpenVPN UDP, IKEv2/IPsec, Stealth (not all devices support yet)
❎ There is no trial subscription to test the Plus tariff: either a free version or a paid version with a refund guarantee.
❎ The standard method via the AppStore cannot be installed on iOS (iPhone / iPad)
❎ Mandatory registration even for free use.
❎ There are negative user reviews. But there are no services without such moments.
❎ ⚠️ The refund guarantee is valid with restrictions: they can return the full price, or they can only return the remaining unused days.
Review of Proton VPN, test results
In this section I will provide comprehensive information about this VPN service for free and paid subscriptions, which I was able to find out and check myself. I will try to avoid deep technical details, giving only the main essence.
In addition, we will compare the full Plus and Free tariffs and in conclusion I will leave my verdict - an assessment, drawing an analogy with other services I have already tested.
Selecting countries, servers to connect
|
Free |
Plus |
|
|
Countries |
5: USA, Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Romania |
85 |
|
Servers |
Currently 204 pcs. |
Almost 3500 servers |
|
No restrictions on connection time to the server |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Selecting locations/servers manually |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Changing servers |
With frequent changes, delays from 1.5 to 20 minutes appear. |
No limits |
|
Distribution of servers by purpose (streams, torrents, etc.) |
❎ |
✅ |
The list of free servers is available only in your personal account after registration, among them there are 205 to date (the figure may change over time). That's a huge amount for a free subscription.
The inability to choose your own server on a free plan is both a negative and a positive point. This ensures better load distribution. Imagine, everyone suddenly wants to connect to USA servers and we get maximum load, and therefore a drop in performance and speed. The option to automatically select a protocol and server "Smart" works well: it quickly finds a suitable location and connects.
The distribution of servers is not directly displayed as groups in programs. It’s just that in the list of locations there are corresponding icons and it’s clear from them which one is better to connect to for watching live broadcasts, online games, and downloading via torrents.
Restrictions on changing servers are made so that Free users do not try to reconnect too often, because the quality of communication is usually good (see the next chapter). Therefore, if you click “Change server” over and over again, you will be prohibited from pressing this button for up to 20 minutes.
Speed, connection quality, traffic
|
Free |
Plus |
|
|
Speed |
⚠️ High |
✅ Unlimited |
|
No traffic restrictions |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Communication stability |
✅ |
✅ |
Speed tests really impress me (details below): even on the free plan they reach 90 Mbit/sec. for the most remote locations (approx. USA, Japan). There were no connection interruptions or connection failures. Well, with a paid service, almost everything that the Internet provider (ISP) itself can give you in terms of bandwidth, you will receive through Proton’s VPN servers.
In addition to speed - unlimited traffic for downloading and uploading. Download as much as you want. This also doesn’t happen very often with Free subscriptions.
The stability of the connection is also excellent: for numerous connections, sessions from 5-10 minutes to 1-2 hours, there were no connection breaks.
Proton VPN features to improve speed:
- Server throughput up to 10 Gbps.
- A set of "VPN Accelerator" technologies (in Plus subscription) to bypass standard obstacles that slow down the connection.
- Port forwarding (in Plus subscription) allows you to improve file sharing over Torrent networks and improve performance on online gaming sites, without sacrificing security.
Results of Proton VPN speed checks
|
VPN server |
IP address |
Test date/time |
Download speed FROM the network (Mbit/sec.) |
Upload speed to the network (Mbit/sec.) |
Ping (ms.) |
Distance to VPN server |
|
Netherlands |
212.8.250.217 |
03.09.2024 19:35 |
90.40 |
91.01 |
86 |
1350 |
|
Netherlands |
169.150.218.24 |
03.09.2024 19:43 |
81.01 |
82.64 |
82 |
1350 |
|
Netherlands |
185.107.94.205 |
03.09.2024 19:45 |
77.42 |
89.20 |
95 |
1350 |
|
USA |
37.19.199.130 |
03.09.2024 19:51 |
90.46 |
85.31 |
235 |
4700 |
|
Netherlands |
169.150.196.85 |
03.09.2024 19:56 |
89.77 |
91.22 |
82 |
1350 |
|
Japan |
138.199.21.197 |
03.09.2024 20:14 |
75.05 |
77.04 |
510 |
4650 |
|
Romania |
149.102.239.229 |
03.09.2024 21:38 |
90.20 |
88.98 |
133 |
950 |
|
USA |
89.187.180.56 |
03.10.2024 6:59 |
84.38 |
81.62 |
289 |
5000 |
|
Connection without VPN |
79.139.132.192 |
03.09.2024 19:30 |
94.74 |
94.82 |
4 |
0 |
In the table you see 9 measurements, 1 of which is the original cable connection from the Internet provider, and another 8 are via Proton VPN servers with a Free subscription. Load average = 84.8; recoil = 85.8.
Do you often find almost home-like Internet speeds (and usually only over a wire) on free VPNs? Neither am I. God willing, at least 5-10 Mbit, I already call this normal. With such speeds, you can easily play any online games.
Proton's paid servers squeeze out maximum speeds very close to the provider's standard, including through the "VPN Accelerator", which powerfully improves performance.
Anonymity, access to sites
In this chapter, I will talk about the level of anonymity when accessing the Internet through Proton VPN, as well as the ability to access certain sites (social networks, services, platforms).
Differences in anonymity and access to closed resources Proton VPN Free and Plus
|
Free |
Plus |
|
|
Access to streaming platforms |
⚠️ Limited (may work, maybe not, depending on the resource and the selected server). |
✅ |
|
Access to social networks and other sites |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Payments on foreign sites |
✅ |
✅ |
The
developers do not guarantee the normal operation of streaming
services on free servers. For example, I was able to get to
Disney+ through a US server from five available countries,
changing several servers in them. Through others, it was not
possible to either log into the account or re-register a new
account.
Services most likely see
the use of most free VPN servers and block your attempt to log
in with an error message. This is normal for free subscriptions
of any company; their servers are usually quickly added to the
blacklists of sites that support high-level protection against
block bypass. But you also need to take into account that some
streaming and similar protected services are available only from
certain countries, which may simply not be among the free
locations in the VPN (more information is provided below).
There are no problems
with a paid subscription, but sometimes you need to change the
country in the VPN (not all work to access certain platforms).
You can log in to any other resources without any problems: approx. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter... But on Proton Free I also encountered the problem of accessing the official ChatGPT bot through the application on an Android smartphone. Everything works through the browser.
Due to the high level of camouflage, it allows you to make payments on foreign services that determine the location of the visitor. For example, the same ChatGPT may not be paid if you pay with a United States card and enter through a VPN with a different server location.
Checked the ability to access various sites. Got access without problems.
In general, the variety of servers around the world allows you to access almost any necessary content, which is limited only to users of specific countries. For example, even in Hong Kong there are servers, which means you can take advantage of unique content on the corresponding sites in China.
Using a VPN in highly restricted environments
In countries with enhanced Internet filtering (Russia, China, Turkmenistan, Iran), it currently works with restrictions. A successful test of logging into your account in applications on phones (Androids and iPhones) was carried out, and a connection to the servers was also established without problems and quickly. But it is impossible to establish a connection through a computer (this can be solved by distributing a connection from a phone).
Proton works, among other things, through the Smart, Stealth protocol and alternative routing functions. Smart allows you to choose the best protocol for connection in your conditions. However, there may be problems on computers.
User safety, leak tests
Proton is indeed a leader in security among VPN services. But protecting user data is a key important point of any VPN. Moreover, if we take even other leading VPN providers in the field of security, many of them do not have at least one function that Proton has.
Everything that is responsible for protecting user data, the underlying policy of Proton VPN, applies to both Free and Plus subscriptions. Below in the table are additional security features that are not available in the free version.
Proton VPN Security Features Based on Free/Plus Subscription
|
Free |
Plus |
|
|
Blocking threats |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Function of transmitting traffic through multiple servers |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Tor over VPN |
❎ |
✅ |
And now about the security features that are included even in the free subscription.
In this regard, Proton has distinctive features from most VPNs:
1. Independent audits . Various companies and experts check Proton products regularly, either by application code or by checking for saving logs. The company openly publishes reports to once again show users that everything is fine with their security and privacy. Not many VPN services publish results. Some are completely hidden for obvious reasons, others simply haven’t been checked yet.
2. Open source code of all programs for all devices. This means that any person who understands programming can look at it, analyze it and understand whether there are any pitfalls in it. It is clear that this is another bold step by a company that has nothing to hide. Proton provides a link to the official Github page with codes: https://github.com/ProtonVPN
3.“Vulnerability” search program - any specialist can apply and participate in the search for application errors, bugs, security holes and other vulnerabilities for a reward of up to $30,000! Only a company that is seriously confident in the safety of its products will agree to such a “deal.”
4.Only physical servers - the company refused to use virtual servers (more details below). While this may complicate the rapid deployment of server infrastructure across countries, it will improve security.
5.Reliable protocols. To connect to the VPN, only protected WireGuard, OpenVPN TCP / UDP, IKEv2/IPsec and Stealth protocols are used. The latter is currently only for devices. Android, iOS and MasOS. Proton has stopped using the less secure PPTP and L2TP/IPSec on all servers.
6.Perfect forward secrecy (PFS) - a new encryption key is generated every session (at the time of a new connection). Therefore, even if the key were revealed at one moment, it will not be able to decrypt the data of old and future connection sessions.
7.Enhanced security of your personal account . The functions of two-factor authentication and two-password mode have been introduced. Both are turned on at the user’s request and I have also never seen this from competitors.
8.Transmitting traffic through several servers (the "Secure Core" function, also known as "Double VPN" or "MultiHop") - allows you to transfer data through a VPN tunnel through several servers. Not everyone can boast of this.
Below are standard security features , but in principle, any normal VPN provider that respects itself and its clients must have them.
1.Mandatory registration of users, even to use a free VPN, allows Proton to more effectively identify and counter abuse, attempted network attacks. And also better monitor, plan and allocate resources. This ensures security for all users.
2.KillSwitch - an emergency blocking function for all traffic when disconnected from the VPN to protect against IP address leakage.
3.Advanced encryption of network traffic . However, without a VPN it would no longer be normal. The well-known AES-256 and ChaCha20 algorithm is used - also secure, but faster for certain protocols. Just to give you an idea, AES-256 would take the most advanced computer billions of years to decipher.
4.Private DNS servers . All normal VPNs use their own DNS servers, otherwise there is a risk of data leaks and privacy violations.
Regarding the mandatory registration: at first I myself was surprised, since there are many VPN services that you can use without registration, not only for free access, but even after paying for a subscription.
Then I realized that from registration you still can’t get any information about the user except email, which you can create as much as you like. But I agree that this will help make security even better, because it will allow us to identify violators and attackers!
Leak tests
Proton VPN has built-in leak protection, so I had no doubt about the good test results. If a VPN service leaks, it's a bad VPN. Many free ones do not have such protection, or it does not work well.
I carried out checks through services (they are not the only ones, you can find any others and they will all show similar conclusions):
ipleak.net - IP / WebRTC / DNS leaks;
dnsleaktest.com - DNS leaks;
Result (explanations of the results under the images): there are no leaks in any parameters. The check was carried out specifically on the free tariff, because if everything is fine on it, then there is nothing to say about the paid one.
Confidentiality, rules of use
Having studied the official website, the privacy policy, the terms of use of Proton VPN products, and also looked at the audit reports, there was no doubt that the service seriously does not have any pitfalls in this regard.
But precisely in terms of confidentiality, many companies that attract customers through free tariffs behave not only in bad faith, but even commit malicious violations in some cases.
1.VPN is not part of the 5th and 14th Eyes intelligence alliance as Proton is headquartered in Switzerland. It is a country with some of the most progressive privacy laws in the world, ensuring the protection of user data. This is exactly the point below.
2.Strict no-logs policy . Proton VPN does not keep any activity logs, user sessions, does not see what sites you visit, does not store, or “leak” customer data to anyone. Under Swiss law there is no obligation on the company to store such information. A minimum of technical data is still collected, but in an anonymized form and in order to combat spam and fraud. To be honest, absolutely all services collect the minimum for normal functioning and the fight against intruders.
3.In general, the site has a clean and clear privacy policy and rules for everyone. No fine print or "broad" concepts that some companies do to confuse things.
4.Proton provides absolutely transparent, open information about the company and team on its pages.
5.In your personal account there is a function for deleting an account. For those who have stopped using the services and want to erase even their account data, they can do this in a couple of clicks.
How requests from courts and other authorities are processed:
the transparency report clearly states that the company operates under Swiss law, which allows for no customer logs and provides maximum privacy for users.
Requests directly from Swiss courts are the only ones that Proton is obliged to comply with.
Interesting fact: in January 2019, Proton received a data request from a foreign country, which was referred to the Swiss court. Since the company does not store logs or data about IP addresses, they were unable to provide the court with the necessary information and explained this to the court.
❎ The only thing that, in my opinion, Proton still lacks in terms of security and privacy, so that it would be ideal is to use diskless server technology. May be called "TrustedServer" (from ExpressVPN), RAM-only servers" or "diskless servers".
This technology assumes the absence of conventional disk arrays on servers for storing data. Instead, the data is stored in temporary RAM memory, which is reset after each server reboot.
Proton already has many of its own powerful features, but I think similar technology will also be introduced in the future.
Applications, features, convenience
Let's start with the functionality of paid and free subscriptions. Basically, even the free version of Proton VPN has the most necessary functions in which you can work freely and at the same time safely. A description of the capabilities is given below the table.
Availability of Proton VPN features in free and paid subscriptions
|
Free |
Plus |
|
|
Supported devices (systems) |
⚠️ Windows / Linux / MacOS / Android / iOS (iPhone, iPad) / Chromebook. No browser extensions. |
✅ All devices and systems, including Android TV browser extensions |
|
Simultaneous connection on multiple devices |
❎ Only 1 device |
✅ Up to 10 devices |
|
Downloading Torrents |
❎ |
✅ |
|
No ads in apps |
✅ |
✅ |
|
VPN Accelerator |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Installing the application on the router |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Split tunneling |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Ad and Threat Blocker |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Creating profiles for quick connection |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Secure Core |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Port Forwarding |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Moderate NAT |
❎ |
✅ |
What is important to know based on the table above:
To download the application and use it, you must register. I recommend registering in advance before logging into the application. To do this, click on the link and click the "Get Proton VPN Free" button. After registration, you can download the application for your device on the download page and log in to the created account. The procedure is quick and standard: enter your email, create a password.
Proton VPN does not work on Windows XP; it does not work because applications are no longer optimized for it, and to connect to a VPN manually, only the outdated L2TP and PPTP protocols are available in the system, which Proton does not use for security purposes.
Easy Router Installation is for models that support VPN clients only. Otherwise, “firmware” will be required, which carries the risk of causing the device to fail.
Browser extensions have been released for Mozilla Firefox and any browsers based on the Chromium engine (Google Chrome / Yandex Browser / Microsoft Edge / Brave).
As for the functionality and settings (in the image below, the “+” icon with the Proton logo means that the option is available in the Plus subscription):
Everything that is included in the free subscription, in principle, will be enough for someone, except for one big BUT! For example, I miss 5 standard locations, and I also like to work at maximum speeds and with the highest possible security and level of confidentiality. I also like the split tunneling feature and the ability to download and distribute torrents.
What surprises me is that even in the free Proton there are no annoying ads in applications on any device! She doesn't exist at all.
Ease of use of applications
Applications on all devices look approximately the same.
It’s extremely easy to use like any normal VPN service:
1.The application has a selection of countries, and when you open the desired one, a list of servers available there appears.
2.Having selected a server, connect to the VPN.
3.Or we use the fast connection function (Proton itself selects the optimal location and server for fast communication).
The free version does not allow you to manually select a location to connect to. Only the “Quick Connect” button will be available, which will automatically connect to one of hundreds of servers in 5 locations.
I liked the overall interface of the apps for all devices: it’s convenient, the most important functions are at your fingertips, and a huge plus is that advertising doesn’t interfere, as is very often the case in other free VPN apps.
Of the minor shortcomings, I noticed only one thing in the applications: the program for Windows takes a very long time to open (tested on Windows 11), but on the phone it loads instantly.
Support service work, language, communication channels
|
Characteristic |
Implementation |
|
Response speed |
✅ In the chat for Plus clients - quickly, within an hour exactly during business hours. By email or by request through the application - approximately once a day. |
|
Response language |
❎ English |
|
Quality of solutions |
✅ Good, like any support from a normal company. |
|
Ease of communication |
⚠️ “Plus” clients have access to a convenient live chat, but “free” users only have access to email. |
|
chats/channels in Telegram, etc. |
⚠️ Blog / social networks in English. |
A list of social networks and a blog for tracking news is located on the pages of protonvpn.com at the very bottom. Nowadays, everywhere you can quickly turn on a translator, so news in a foreign language (for those who don’t know it) is not a problem.
There is a status page (status of Proton systems), where you can track information about problems in the operation of the application and company services: status.proton.me
My review of Proton VPN support: everything is at a good level.
Price, payments, refund
This is an equally important chapter for all those who may want to buy Proton VPN Plus. Let's go through the important issues in this chapter, which I have already figured out. There are some interesting points here!
Let me remind you that Proton has a free (Free) and paid (Plus) subscription for regular users. There are also extended tariffs for families and businesses, but more on that below. There is no paid trial subscription! Although in 2020 they gave 7 days of test access to Plus.
There are some nuances: the company somehow does not clearly explain whether it specifically refunds the entire cost for the VPN product (there are simply other services) or only the days not yet used.
To begin with, the most important thing about returns (extract from the rules):
1.A full refund of Proton VPN is possible within 30 days. In some cases - only the unused period.
2.A return can be made from 1 client only 1 time during the entire period.
3.You must apply for a refund within 30 days maximum.
4.The refund guarantee does not apply when paying in cash or by bank transfer.
5.The guarantee specifically from the company only applies to purchases through the official website. If the service was paid for through phones in Google Play or AppStore, then these services have their own return policy and you will need to contact them directly.
6.To make a return, it is important to contact us through the official feedback form.
Regarding the first point: I spent a long time studying all the company’s pages regarding returns, and did not find any specifics. In the terms of use, the 2 sentences slightly contradict each other in my opinion.
But on the other hand, everything is understood like this: specifically for the Proton VPN and Drive (cloud storage) service, the company can make a full refund of the entire price paid. True, “may”, apparently, depending on the situation - not always and not for everyone. You can also find negative reviews on this score, saying that they promised a refund, but only paid the rest (more about reviews from other users below in a separate chapter).
In general, I think that in order to avoid misunderstandings, when filing a return, you should immediately take a screenshot from the rules for technical support, which states that you promise a full refund specifically for the VPN service. So please...
I tried to make a return in 2020, when I fully tested the services of this VPN service. Then they returned my money in full - $10.
Interestingly, the price has not changed since then! You can buy Proton VPN from
The current price for Proton VPN is always on the official website in the purchase section.
The price is average. There are much more expensive services, and there are also cheaper ones.
Like everyone else, there are more favorable rates for 1 and 2 years.
Available purchase options:
1. Payment with Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
2. Payment via Google Play (Android) and AppStore (iOS).
3. PayPal.
4. Cards.
5. Cash (by mail).
6. Direct bank transfer using IBAN number.
Important! After paying in some ways (I know for sure - by card and Google Play / AppStore), the subscription is automatically renewed after its expiration. For example, if you paid for a month by card, then after a month the funds for the next period will be automatically debited. You just need to disable the renewal in your personal account or upon request to technical support.
All the differences between Proton VPN Free and Plus, other services
The table below contains exactly ALL the differences in tariffs. Everything that is the same for them is not included in this list.
|
Free |
Plus |
|
|
Countries |
5: USA, Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Romania |
85 |
|
Servers |
Currently 204 pcs. |
Almost 3500 servers, |
|
Speed |
⚠️ High, possible restrictions due to load |
Unlimited |
|
Increase speed (VPN Accelerator) |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Selecting locations/servers manually |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Server change frequency |
With frequent changes, delays from 1.5 to 20 minutes appear. |
No limits |
|
Split tunneling |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Access to streaming platforms |
⚠️ Limited (may work, maybe not, depending on the resource and the selected server). |
✅ |
|
Browser extensions |
❎ |
All browsers based on the Chromium engine; Firefox |
|
P2P support (torrents) |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Number of simultaneously connected devices |
1 |
10 |
|
Profiles for quick connection |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Internet threat/ad blocking (NetShield) |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Function of transferring traffic through several servers (SecureCore) |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Tor over VPN |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Port Forwarding |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Moderate NAT |
❎ |
✅ |
|
Support |
⚠️ Limited (simple feedback form) |
✅ Fast, chat for clients |
About additional tariffs
The company not only provides VPN services, they also have a secure email service (Proton Mail), calendar (Proton Calendar), cloud storage (Proton Drive) and a password manager (Proton Pass). A detailed comparison is available in your Proton personal account.
Even with Proton VPN Free, we can use mail, calendar, storage and securely store passwords, with some restrictions. The Plus subscription for these services is no different except for one thing - 150 messages per day by mail versus an unlimited number of letters.
Other tariffs:
Unlimited: advanced features in products other than VPN;
Family (for family) - you can work from several accounts, including VPN applications;
For business - Essentials, Business, Enterprise.
The Enterprise business tariff implies an individual package of options by agreement with the company.
Should you buy Proton VPN or use Free?
Proton VPN for me is the leader in terms of security features, privacy policy, confidentiality, honesty with users, quality of communication, among all the VPN services I have tested so far.
1.Those who have enough capabilities of the free version can freely use the Free subscription and not have to worry about security and privacy.
2.The paid version is good! If you need additional functionality, don’t hesitate!