Proton VPN Review — Is It Fast & Safe in 2024?

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In this Proton VPN review, we test its top features and explore how the user interface fares on different devices and platforms.

Choosing the right virtual private network (VPN) is an important decision since you’re going to entrust the provider with a lot of sensitive data, and they’ll be responsible for your privacy on the internet. Proton VPN is among the leading companies building privacy-first tools for internet users, including its paid and free VPN app.

If you’re new to VPNs, the technology establishes a secure connection between you and the internet, masking your private data like IP address and browsing history. This lets you safely access information that would otherwise be out of reach, like blocked Netflix content or government-censored sites.

Read on to know if Proton VPN’s military-grade encryption tool is worth your time at a starting price of $4.99/month.

Proton VPN Pros and Cons

Before we dive into our Proton VPN review, here’s a quick look at its pros and cons so you know what to expect.

Is Proton VPN Good?

Proton VPN is a Switzerland-based VPN service that offers both paid and free VPN options, helping you mask your IP address on up to ten devices.

VPN technology has become popular in recent years, with internet users now more aware of their privacy rights and potential security concerns. It creates a secure connection between your smartphone or PC and the network so no one can pilfer your data or locate your address.

Between 2019 and 2022, the number of VPN users in the US increased from just 22.9% to a staggering 79%, according to Statista. Companies like Proton offer secure, high-speed, encrypted tunnels to process your internet traffic. This prevents browsing data from being exposed to others.

Proton VPN is a good virtual private network as it offers ad blocking and malware protection in addition to the core VPN service. The paid plan supports high-speed P2P downloads and streaming despite passing traffic through an encrypted connection.

Thanks to its consistent performance, Proton VPN has won multiple awards, including UptoDown’s Best VPN for Android award in 2018, ProPrivacy’s Best Free VPN award in 2019, and a 5/5 rating on PC Mag in 2023.

Is Proton VPN Safe and Trustworthy?

This is one of the safest VPN services available today, according to our Proton VPN review and tests. Users can choose one of two VPN protocols when encrypting their data: OpenVPN/IKEv2 VPN or WireGuard VPN.

If you choose the former, then the AES-256 encryption standard comes into action, which would take billions of years to break with a brute-force attack. Or, if you choose the latter, the ChaCha20 standard is activated, which is equally safe but slightly faster.

Interestingly, ChaCha20 is best suited to devices with limited resources (like mobile phones), while AES encryption can outperform it on desktops and servers. Luckily, Proton VPN supports both.

Additionally, Proton VPN supports perfect forward secrecy, which means that each time you connect to the internet, it generates a unique set of encryption keys. Even if a VPN session is compromised, your past sessions will remain safe, as they used a different set of keys.

Finally, keys are generated using the Diffie-Hellman method, where the server and the client agree on the key without ever communicating it. In other words, even the Proton VPN app doesn’t know the key that’s generated, even while it processes the encryption.

Proton’s History as a Safe and Trustworthy Brand

One of the reasons Proton VPN is so safe is its rich legacy as a privacy-conscious technology provider. The company was founded in 2014 by former research scientists (physics) and members of the CERN, who recognized the need for safe and secure internet services.

Its first product was the email app Proton Mail, the first email service to offer client-side encryption. This means that even Proton doesn’t monitor and can’t read the contents of your inbox, unlike other providers such as Gmail and Outlook.

Gmail and Outlook launched options for client-side encryption only a few years ago, but only for its paid users.

In contrast, Proton Mail offers free (and paid) encrypted email and calendars for individuals, families, and businesses. Proton VPN and Proton Mail share the same management team, technical resources, and offices based out of Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland.

In fact, its HQ location is another reason why Proton VPN is trustworthy. Switzerland isn’t part of any intelligence-sharing agreements, and data requests from foreign governments must be first approved by Swiss authorities. This keeps your data safe from all prying eyes.

Proton VPN is Audited and Built on Open Source Principles

One of the top reasons to use a VPN is the amount of data your internet service provider (ISP) can collect, such as browser history and IP address. But the problem is your VPN provider might be able to see this data too! That is why Proton VPN takes proactive steps to demonstrate its trustworthiness.

Besides this, the company doesn’t store any log data that could identify you. And if your internet connection is ever interrupted, we found that Proton VPN’s kill switch immediately terminates all traffic to prevent your IP address from being exposed.

Best Use Case for Proton VPN

Our Proton VPN review found that the service works well for individual users and business customers. In fact, there’s a dedicated offering for businesses starting at $6.99/month/user.

If you own up to ten devices for work and home use, Proton offers a suitable VPN solution. It’s extremely versatile, with high-speed streaming and fast downloads to accommodate your file transfer needs. If you’re looking for a free VPN, Proton also offers a free forever plan with no data limits.

If you’re a power user who needs protection beyond only a VPN, Proton VPN also has something for you. Its Proton Unlimited plan bundles all of the company’s services in one convenient subscription. This includes Proton Email, a secure calendar, cloud storage, password management, and a calendar.

Coming to Proton VPN’s business offering, we found that the tool is best suited to professionals looking to bypass censorship and those monitoring their networks. For instance, its Stealth Protocol feature lets you bypass government and ISP censorship and access restricted websites.

IT managers can also benefit from Proton VPN’s admin features. You can add users in bulk, set permissions, configure gateways and more from a central control panel. You can also enforce two-factor authentication (2FA) for your users to prevent VPN misuse.

Proton VPN Features – Key Benefits and Drawbacks

If you’re wondering, ‘Is Proton VPN good?’ take a look at its 15+ features and the benefits it offers. It’s not without a few drawbacks, as we found in our testing. Here’s our review of both its benefits and potential shortcomings.

Proton VPN Benefits

1. IP Address Masking

Proton uses strong encryption standards to protect against DNS and IPv6 leaks. In addition to IP masking, it also hides your browsing activity from your ISP. This is a massive plus for journalists and activists conducting research. It also prevents advertisers from monitoring your online activity.

2. No Logs Policy

Since the company is headquartered in Switzerland, it is able to implement a strict no-logs policy, which an independent audit verified in 2022 and 2023. This means that the company can’t monitor or record your IP, browsing history, session length, and other information.

3. Built-In Ad Blocker

In 2021, Proton launched a new privacy tool called NetShield, a built-in ad blocker for its VPN service. Once you enable NetShield, every website you visit will be checked against a massive database of malicious sites.

NetShield then automatically blocks any site that turns up on its threat intelligence database. It also uses DNS filtering to block ads and online trackers to protect your privacy from advertisers. Another benefit is that it blocks unnecessary content from loading, speeding up your browsing.

4. VPN Accelerator

This unique feature redistributes CPU load between multiple processes to prevent a single processing thread from becoming overloaded. This increases speeds by up to 400%. It also splits the path between the VPN server and its destination into shorter paths to improve performance.

5. DNS Security

This feature encrypts all DNS service requests automatically, which means they can’t be intercepted by a third party while the data is in transit. Also, Proton has its own DNS service, which means that no one else can access your DNS requests in an unencrypted state.

6. Tor Network Access

Tor, or The Onion Routing project, is an open-source privacy network that lets you browse the internet anonymously. You can download the Tor browser or use applications like Brave that offer a Tor option.

With Proton VPN, you can use your regular browser to connect with Tor. This is an important benefit for those using Chrome, Edge, or Safari, as you don’t need to install another app to hide your identity online. Tor support is available for every device.

7. Anti-Censorship Features

Proton gives you several ways to bypass government censorship, unblock geo-restricted websites, and change your IP address to a different country. Besides this, it offers alternative routing and a unique feature called Smart Protocol.

Thanks to alternative routing, you can continue to access Proton VPN when connections to the company’s servers are blocked. In that case, your connection will be passed through a third-party service like AWS so you can continue to benefit from a VPN even where its use is censored.

Smart Protocol is a feature that keeps the VPN active even when some protocols or standard ports are blocked. If the default protocol is blocked by a censorship body, Proton automatically switches to a different protocol.

8. Two-Factor Authentication

2FA is among the most useful features we found in our Proton VPN review. You can enable it yourself so that it always checks your identity during login and doesn’t just rely on the password. This adds an extra layer of security. For business use, IT admins can enforce a 2FA policy for all VPN users organization-wide.

9. Kill Switch

You can turn on the kill switch when accessing sensitive information on the internet or keep it on permanently. The feature monitors your VPN connection so that if it accidentally drops and your data becomes unencrypted for a second or two, Proton VPN will automatically block your internet access.

10. Physical Disk Encryption

Proton goes to great lengths to ensure that the physical servers where your VPN data is stored remain protected. Its infrastructure is housed in secure data centers or on former military bases, with full disk encryption. This almost eliminates the chance of a data breach occurring from physical access.

11. Up to 10 Gbps Speed

Proton has servers in 70+ countries worldwide, so users can always connect to a nearby server. This results in allegedly up to 10 Gbps of browsing speeds with your VPN on. In real-world conditions, users report download speeds between 300 Mbps and 500 Mbps, which is still impressive for a fast VPN.

12. Port Forwarding

Port forwarding is a feature of Proton VPN’s Windows app. It improves download speeds when using peer-to-peer (P2P) file transfer software like BitTorrent. Essentially, it routes incoming connections through a firewall while making sure the firewall doesn’t impact file uploads or downloads.

13. Secure Core Network

Secure Core is a special network architecture designed to protect data behind two layers of encryption. Traditionally, when your VPN is on, traffic passes through a VPN server before reaching its destination. If someone takes control of the VPN server, your data will be compromised.

That’s why Proton VPN passes certain types of user traffic through a multi-server architecture managed by the company itself and not a public cloud provider like AWS. Our Proton VPN review found that requests to highly regulated jurisdictions like the US are routed through the Secure Core system.

Now, to answer your question, ‘Is Proton VPN safe?’ Secure Core is connected to IP addresses owned and managed by Proton VPN as part of its Local Internet Registry (LIR). This makes it safe from external requests for data, for example, from the government.

14. Split Tunneling

The split tunneling feature lets you route traffic from specific apps via a VPN while excluding others. For example, you can choose to use a VPN when downloading P2P and torrent files but not when you’re using a regular browser. You can also configure split tunnels based on IP addresses.

15. WireGuard

WireGuard is a VPN protocol launched in 2015 that enables high-speed performance while reducing the attack surface area. Proton VPN adopted the protocol in 2021, and it’s available on all devices. This feature can improve performance, battery life, and download speeds.

Proton VPN Drawbacks

Now let’s look at some of the features we didn’t find quite so impressive in our Proton VPN review:

Proton VPN Pricing – How Much Does It Cost?

This VPN service has several pricing tiers, starting with the Free Forever app. You can use Proton VPN for free on any one device, with limited speed, browser support, and VPN server access. The paid plans come in two variants – Proton VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited.

1. Proton VPN Free

This is one of the few free VPN apps offering ad-free services without artificial speed limits. For comparison, NordVPN doesn’t have a free version at all, and ExpressVPN only offers a free trial.

But there are a few caveats. It supports only one device at a time, and you can access VPN tunnels in only three countries – the US, Japan, and the Netherlands. This means you’re essentially barred from routing your traffic through more privacy-focused countries.

Also, the free VPN doesn’t offer any browser extensions, unlike its paid counterpart. You’ll have to download the Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, or Chromebook app. The Android TV app is also missing, but it’s still a great unlimited VPN solution if you’re looking for a free tool.

2. Proton VPN Plus

Proton VPN Plus is the subscription plan we thoroughly tested for our Proton VPN review and has all the features we discussed.

If you subscribe to the monthly plan, it’ll cost you $9.99/month. A one-year contract gets you 40% off, which means you’ll pay $5.99/month. The two-year plan is the cheapest at just $4.99/month.

For comparison, NordVPN’s entry-level plan starts at $3.79/month, and ExpressVPN at $8.32/month.

3. Proton Unlimited

As the name suggests, Proton Unlimited is the company’s most comprehensive offering for privacy-conscious internet users. It bundles together all of Proton’s services, including its first launch, Proton Mail, a calendar, up to 500 GB of storage, password management, and VPN capabilities.

Considering the range of tools included, Proton Unlimited is reasonably priced. It costs $12.99/month if you sign up for the monthly plan. Annual plans cost $9.99/month, and the two-year contract is available for $7.99/month, just $3 more than the standalone VPN option.

Like most providers, Proton VPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. All you need to do is contact the company within 30 days of purchasing a plan. In our Proton VPN tests, we found that only payments via credit/debit cards, PayPal, or Bitcoin can be refunded.

Proton VPN Interface – Is it Easy to Use?

The VPN service operates through two types of interfaces: native apps and browser extensions. The latter is useful when you’re shopping online, streaming content on your browser, or playing online games.

Once you download and install the extension from your browser’s store, the Proton icon will appear in the top right corner. Simply click on the icon to choose your preferred country for VPN tunneling. You can also connect or disconnect the VPN with one click.

We found that the extension only gives you limited capabilities. To unlock all of Proton VPN’s features, you’ll need to download the dedicated app for your PC or mobile device.

Proton offers widespread compatibility, and you can install it on iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as Windows, MacOS, Chromebook, and Linux PCs. We were happy to see that Proton VPN works on Android TVs as well, but there’s no compatibility for Apple’s tvOS or Linux-based smart TVs.

Proton’s apps are all downloadable from the website. They are smartly designed, based on a dark color scheme that doesn’t strain your eyes when using the device for extended hours or in low light.

Further, you can install the app on as many devices as you want. It’ll only work on 10 devices simultaneously. Not only is the VPN highly secure (protecting you from malicious attacks and government data requests), but it is also easy to use.

Is Proton cross-platform compatible?

Another positive is that the macOS and the Windows OS apps follow feature parity. If you’re switching between different devices, you benefit from the same user experience and range of features. When you open the PC app, you’ll be greeted with the server map in the center and the VPN controls on the left.

The smartphone apps are also easy to use and have the same features as the desktop app. Some of the features will be grayed out if you’ve signed up for Proton VPN’s free plan. That said, we found the mobile apps easy to use and full of useful data that helps choose the right server.

One of the highlights of the tool’s user interface is the ‘Quick Connect’ button (the Proton VPN icon in the bottom right). It analyzes your VPN request and the current server load to automatically connect you to the fastest VPN server for your location.

What Security Does Proton VPN Offer?

ProtonVPN includes two types of encryptions, secure core servers, an ad blocker, a no-logs policy, and privacy-centric jurisdiction in Switzerland.

Next, in our Proton VPN review, let’s look at the company’s server footprint and how this contributes to security.

Proton has over 3,000 servers in 71 countries around the world.

Of these, approximately 2,600 are Plus servers, generally used for activities such as content streaming, P2P file sharing, and ad blocking. Around 100+ servers are part of Proton VPN’s Secure Core architecture, used for VPN tunneling in high-risk jurisdictions.

Proton VPN has the highest number of servers in Canada, France, and Germany (100+ in each country). With such a broad server network, users are sure to find a high-speed VPN tunnel close to their location.

We found that the company is highly committed to a culture of privacy, transparency, and accountability.

It offers a free app because it believes privacy should be a fundamental right. As part of being transparent, it publicly discloses its company information, data usage policies, and guidelines for interacting with law enforcement.

Through regular independent audits, it maintains accountability. These factors make Proton VPN a highly secure app, even if it doesn’t have extra features like built-in password managers or free storage like some of its competitors, such as NordVPN.

Proton vs Other VPNs

To understand if Proton VPN is right for you, take a look at some of its competitors. You’ll find VPN options in every price bracket, but remember that a low-cost option may compromise the safety of your confidential data.

As you can see, Proton VPN is reasonably priced, keeping in mind its feature set and the organization’s commitment to transparency and privacy. The fact that it has a free, unlimited VPN app positions it among the best VPN services you can choose.

Proton VPN Reviews – What Do People Think?

Apart from our internal Proton VPN review and tests, the provider is highly rated among real-world users across review sites, such as Techjockey, Capterra, and TrustRadius. Its ease of use and free app are among its most recommended features, but users also note that it can be slow sometimes.

On Techjockey, Proton VPN earns a rating of 4.7 out of 5. Users appreciate the strength of its encryption and multi-device support. Its no-logs operation is also a winner. However, users report that servers tend to be concentrated in Europe and the Americas, a challenge for those in Asia and Africa.

On Capterra, the provider has a rating of 4.5/5. Users note that Proton VPN offers high-speed internet, great for downloading and uploading audio/video content, but the limitations in the free plan can be a drawback for some.

Proton VPN has a score of 9.8 out of 10 on TrustRadius.

The Best Proton VPN Alternatives

If you’re on the hunt for the best VPN for your needs, check out our comprehensive VPN reviews:

Why You Can Trust Our Review of Proton VPN

At TechReport, we are committed to bringing you the latest, most reliable information on software apps and services to help you find the right solution for your tech stack. We research a wide range of VPNs in our publications across use cases like gaming, streaming, social media, and Netflix.

Our Proton VPN review is the result of extensive tests. We signed up for the monthly plan and reviewed its mobile app, desktop app, and browser extension experience in detail to bring you these insights and conclusions.

We also compared the provider’s value proposition against other top VPN services we’ve reviewed, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN. This allows us to give you an objective, unbiased assessment.

Our results are further bolstered by real-world user opinions. We’ve conducted in-depth research on Proton VPN user sentiment, its pros and cons, and where it may fall short.

How to Use Proton VPN Step-By-Step

To start using Proton VPN, sign up for a VPN Plus plan, install the app on your desired device, and configure it as per your requirements. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Purchase Proton Plus

The first step is to go to protonvpn.com/pricing and select a pricing plan (monthly, annual, or two-year contract). Enter your email address, which is also your sign-in credential when you install the app. Next, proceed to checkout and choose your preferred payment method.

After your payment is processed, you’ll be prompted to set up and confirm your password.

2. Install the Proton App

Download the appropriate app for your OS from the website. We installed the Windows application. Click on the download link to obtain the .EXE file. The installation wizard guides you through the next steps, which will take several minutes to complete.

Once the installation is complete, open Proton VPN on your device and enter your username and password.

3. Configure the App

Technically, you can skip this step and directly click the ‘Quick Connect’ button to auto-select the fastest VPN server for your location. If you want to optimize the settings further, navigate to the ‘Countries’ and ‘Profiles’ tabs, where you’ll see all the available servers in different countries.

You can also select a server based on your use case. The app will show you Tor servers, which have an Onion icon next to them, streaming servers with a play button icon, or P2P servers, which have a double arrow.

Click on one of the four icons below ‘Countries’ to set up features like Secure Core, NetShield ad-blocker, kill switch, and port forwarding.

Navigate to the ‘Profile’ tab to set up custom connection profiles for different use cases, a lot like how you’d set up audio profiles on your smartphone.

Should You Use Proton VPN?

Proton VPN is a great choice for privacy-minded individuals. Whether you’re a journalist trying to access government-censored information or a Netflix user looking to watch a show locked out of your country, the app makes it a fast, simple, and intuitive process.

On the downside, it is priced slightly higher than some of its competitors, like NordVPN, particularly if you want to pay monthly. The free app can be a little slow, and it only includes the core VPN service.

That said, Proton VPN enables high-speed, secure internet connections with thousands of servers around the world. If you’re looking for a free or long-term answer to your online privacy needs, this could be a solution for you.

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