Proton VPN Review (2026): The Only Free VPN We Recommend, and a Serious Paid One

Privacy and logging

If privacy is the reason you want a VPN, Proton has the strongest story in this ranking. The company is Swiss, majority-owned by a non-profit foundation, and its apps are open-source with audits published for anyone to read. The no-logs policy has been independently audited, and Proton has fought data requests in court. Secure Core routes your connection through hardened servers in Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden before exiting elsewhere, so a compromised exit server still doesn't see your real IP. Stealth is its obfuscation protocol for networks that block VPNs.

We have not run leak tests ourselves, on either the free or paid plan — run the free DNS leak test and WebRTC leak test on your own connection once you have it. The one structural difference from NordVPN and Surfshark is that Proton's servers are not all RAM-only, relying instead on disk encryption; that is a slightly weaker guarantee against physical seizure.

Speed

We have not measured Proton VPN's speed ourselves. WireGuard is available, alongside Proton's own VPN Accelerator feature built to push WireGuard's throughput higher, plus OpenVPN, IKEv2 and Stealth for restrictive networks. Its network spans 117 countries, among the widest on this site, so a nearby server is likely wherever you are. The free plan connects through a smaller, busier set of servers by design — expect it to feel slower than the paid tier, though neither has been measured here.

Streaming

We have not tested what Proton VPN unblocks. Streaming isn't the feature Proton optimises for — Secure Core and Stealth get more attention — and it is a paid-plan feature only; the free plan doesn't attempt it. The 30-day refund window on paid plans is the way to check the services you actually use.

Torrenting: port forwarding included

This is where Proton pulls ahead of the top three: port forwarding is included on paid plans, and P2P servers are clearly marked. We have not measured speed on those servers ourselves. Together with a Swiss jurisdiction, that makes Proton one of the two VPNs we point heavy torrent users to (the other is PIA).

Apps and ease of use

The apps are clean, open-source and available for Windows, macOS, Linux (a first-class client, not an afterthought), iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV and Apple TV, plus browser extensions. NetShield blocks ads, trackers and malware. Kill switch and split tunnelling are present on the platforms where the OS allows them. Ten simultaneous connections on paid plans; one on the free plan.

Proton VPN also fits into the wider Proton suite — Mail, Drive, Pass, Calendar — and the Proton Unlimited bundle is good value if you would use more than one of those.

Customer support

Support is by email and help centre on the free plan, with live chat for paid subscribers during business hours rather than 24/7. We have not put response times to a test ourselves. The documentation is excellent.

Is Proton VPN safe?

Yes — arguably the safest choice here on paper: Swiss jurisdiction, foundation ownership, open-source and audited apps, Secure Core. We have not run leak tests ourselves. The lack of universal RAM-only servers is the only privacy point where the top three do better.

Is Proton VPN worth it?

The free plan is worth it for anyone who needs basic protection on public Wi-Fi and refuses to pay — it is safe, and the limits are honest. The paid plan, at $3.49 a month on the 2-year rate, is worth it if privacy or port forwarding is your priority. If streaming is your main use case, know that it is not the feature Proton optimises for, and check the 30-day refund window against the services you need before you commit.

Get Proton VPN (free plan available)

Who should buy Proton VPN — and who shouldn't

Buy it if you want the strongest privacy credentials, need a free VPN that is safe, or torrent with port forwarding. Choose NordVPN or Surfshark if a wider server network or unlimited devices matter more, and ExpressVPN if you want the slickest apps.