Proton VPN vs IceVPN (2026): Which Is Better?
A Trustpilot reviewer put this pair well: she switched from Proton VPN to IceVPN because it felt faster and had fewer captchas, then found it could not stream ITVX, Netflix or Disney+ where Proton could. That is the trade. Proton VPN, tested here at 8.9, averaged 541 Mbps on our line, unblocked 11 of 14 streaming services, has port forwarding, a Securitum audit and a no-logs claim that has held up in court, and its free plan has no data cap. IceVPN, provisionally 5.7 and untested by us, is cheaper — $2.99 a month yearly against $4.49 on Proton's two-year plan — offers a $249 lifetime plan, and its free tier lets you pick from three countries where Proton's chooses for you. For privacy, streaming and torrenting, Proton. For the cheapest paid plan and a lifetime option, IceVPN, eyes open.
Who wins each category
- Privacy & securityProton VPNProton 9.8 · IceVPN 5.5
- SpeedProton VPNProton 8.6 · IceVPN 7.0
- StreamingProton VPNProton 8.4 · IceVPN 3.0
- Apps & easeProton VPNProton 8.8 · IceVPN 5.0
- ValueProton VPNProton 8.9 · IceVPN 7.5
Sub-scores from this month's tests, except IceVPN, whose scores are provisional (published tests and user reports — see the review); weights are privacy & security 30%, speed 25%, streaming 15%, apps & ease 15%, value 15%. Methodology
Choose Proton VPN if…
- Tested here: 541 Mbps average and 11 of 14 streaming services, against IceVPN's reported failures on Netflix, Hulu and Disney+
- A no-logs policy audited by Securitum and tested in court — and Swiss jurisdiction, with servers Proton operates itself
- Port forwarding for torrenting and a free plan with no data cap; IceVPN's free tier stops at 20 GB
Choose IceVPN if…
- Cheaper paid plan: $2.99 a month for a year against Proton's $4.49 on two years, and a $249 lifetime option Proton does not offer
- The free tier lets you choose from three countries; Proton's free plan picks the country for you
- Users report cleaner IPs — banking sites work and captchas are rarer than on Proton
Proton VPN vs IceVPN: the numbers
 Proton VPN | IceVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.9 | 5.7provisional — not tested by us |
| Rank · badge | #4 · Best free tier | Not ranked · Cheap lifetime plan |
| 2-year price / mo | $4.49 | $2.99 (1-year — no 2-year plan) |
| 1-year price / mo | $4.99 | $2.99 |
| Monthly price | $9.99 | $4.99 |
| Renewal | renews at the same rate | renews at the listed regular yearly price ($59.88, about $4.99 a month) |
| Money-back | 30 days | 30 days |
| Simultaneous devices | 10 | 5 |
| Avg download speed | 541 Mbps | Not tested by us |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland | Gibraltar |
| Owner | Proton AG (Proton Foundation) | Ice Privacy Ltd (the Icedrive company) |
| No-logs audit | Securitum no-logs audit, 2024 | None |
| Servers | 12,000+ in 117 countries | 82 locations in 68 countries (rented, Atom white-label) in 68 countries |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPsec |
| Torrenting | P2P allowed on P2P servers (paid plans) | P2P allowed; no port forwarding |
| Free plan | no data cap, no ads, 1 device, auto-chosen country | 20 GB/month, 3 countries, 1 device |
| Support | email, help centre, live chat (paid plans) | email / ticket, 24/7, Icedrive community forum, no live chat |
| Visit Proton VPN | Visit IceVPN |
Full reviews: Proton VPN · IceVPN
What each one actually costs
The advertised rate covers the first term only. These are the totals once the renewal is counted.
| Proton VPN | IceVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan priced | 24-month plan | 12-month plan |
| Intro rate / mo | $4.49 | $2.99 |
| Then renews at / mo | $4.49 — no jump | $4.99 (+67%) |
| First term, up front | $107.76 | $35.88 |
| Total over 2 years | $107.76 | $95.76 |
| Total over 3 years | $161.64 | $155.64 |
| True cost / mo over 3 years | $4.49 | $4.32 |
| Money-back | 30 days — pro-rated refund, processed in 5 days | 30 days — not yet claimed by us; the plans page says 30 days, the terms of service say 14 |
| Check Proton VPN price | Check IceVPN price |
IceVPN is cheaper both ways — lower to start and $6.00 less across three years once the renewals are counted. Same arithmetic as our price calculator: the first term at the advertised rate, every month after it at the rate the provider publishes for renewals.
Speed by region
Download on a 940 Mbps line, 3 runs per server, median reported. Highlighted cell = fastest.
IceVPN has not been through our speed rig yet, so there is no region-by-region chart for this pair. Speed figures other people have published are on the IceVPN review, attributed to whoever measured them.
Proton VPN averaged 541 Mbps on our 940 Mbps line, adding 9 ms of latency.
Streaming, service by service
| Proton VPN | IceVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Unblocked | 11 of 14 | 3 of 7 reported (not tested by us) |
| Netflix US | ||
| Netflix UK | n/r | |
| Netflix JP | n/r | |
| Netflix CA | n/r | |
| Netflix AU | n/r | |
| Prime Video | ||
| Disney+ | ||
| Hulu | ||
| Max | ||
| Paramount+ | n/r | |
| Peacock | n/r | |
| BBC iPlayer | ||
| ITVX | ||
| DAZN | n/r | |
| n/r — no published result found | n/r — no published result found |
Security features
| Proton VPN | IceVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunnelling | ||
| Obfuscation / stealth | ||
| Port forwarding | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Ad & tracker blocking | ||
| Multi-hop (double VPN) | ||
| RAM-only servers | ||
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, routers | Windows, macOS (no kill switch or split tunnelling), Android (last updated Oct 2025), Linux (manual OpenVPN only) |
Has the no-logs promise ever been tested?
Every VPN on this page says it keeps no logs. The claim only means something once someone has demanded the data — a police raid, a court order, a subpoena. Here is what happened to each of these two when that came up, and what it means if it never has.
- Proton VPNHeld
Fought data requests in court. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: Securitum no-logs audit, 2024 · Switzerland
- IceVPNNever tested
No police raid, court order or subpoena against IceVPN has been made public. That is not a mark against it — most providers have never been asked — but it does mean the policy has never had to hold up under pressure.
Audit: None · Gibraltar
What each one is our top pick for
One of these scores higher overall, which does not make it the right buy for every job. These are the use cases where each one comes first on its own list.
- Proton VPN2 categories
No data cap, no ads, no logs, open-source apps on every platform. Limits: one device, an auto-chosen country, no streaming or P2P.
- IceVPNNo category
IceVPN is not our top pick in any of our use-case lists. It can still be the right buy on price or on one feature — the rest of this page is where that case gets made.
Questions
Is Proton VPN or IceVPN better?
Proton VPN, unless price is the only criterion. It is tested here, audited, court-tested, faster on our line than any figure reported for IceVPN, and it streams and torrents properly. IceVPN's yearly plan is about a third cheaper and it sells a lifetime plan, which are real advantages for a budget buyer who only needs a basic connection.
Which has the better free plan, Proton VPN or IceVPN?
They are good at different things. Proton's free plan has no data cap and no ads but chooses the server country for you, so it is for privacy rather than location. IceVPN's gives you 20 GB a month across three countries of your choosing on one device, which makes it the better free plan for occasionally reaching a site in another country — and the better free trial of the paid service, since the refund terms are disputed.
Is IceVPN more private than Proton VPN?
No. Proton's no-logs policy has been audited by Securitum and tested in Swiss court, and it runs its own servers. IceVPN has no audit, rents white-label servers, collects your full legal name at signup, and the one reviewer who read its privacy policy closely called it concerning. IceVPN's Gibraltar jurisdiction is fine; the rest of its privacy case is untested.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Scores and the winner are decided by the tests before any commercial consideration. Disclosure