Proton VPN Review 2025: Power User Privacy Without Sacrificing Casual Use

Proton VPN is the rare exception to the rule that free VPNs are underwhelming at best. Its free plan — while admittedly limited in server numbers and simultaneous connections — doesn’t restrict your monthly usage, sell your data or bombard you with ads, making it hands-down the best free VPN available. But if you’re willing to shell out for the company’s paid plan, you’ll enjoy an overall excellent VPN that balances serious privacy with fast speeds and solid streaming service unblocking. 

I scrutinized Proton VPN by running over 250 internet speed tests, assessing its apps on several devices and poring over its privacy policy. During my hands-on analysis, I checked for DNS leaks, tried all major privacy features and streamed several hours of movies and TV shows to assess its geo-unblocking prowess. During my evaluation, I talked with Proton VPN representatives via email and over video calls to learn about the company’s product roadmap.

Because of its well-rounded capabilities, Proton VPN is a great choice for a variety of folks. Whether you’re a Netflix streaming buff, a regular international traveler or have serious privacy concerns, Proton VPN is a compelling choice. Note, however, that its MacOS kill siwtch isn’t as transparent about limitations as I’d like it to be. Still, Proton VPN’s premium tiers excel nearly across the board, from providing fast speeds and superb streaming support to offering neat privacy features, including discreet app icons and a proprietary VPN protocol that caters to privacy-critical users. 

Proton VPN speed: Lightning-quick

Key takeaway: Proton VPN is fast and features a massive server network, making it great for travel and streaming. Its speed performance improved meaningfully from my previous year’s testing. In my everyday usage, Proton didn’t noticeably affect my internet connection, and I was impressed with how many different country servers I could pick from.

• Average speed loss: 15.8%
• Number of servers: 14,900-plus
• Number of countries: 122

Whether you’re on a blazing-fast fiber-optic connection, unreliable satellite internet or something in between, Proton VPN should give you the bulk of your standard bandwidth. 

All VPNs lower your internet speed somewhat. Normally, your internet-connected devices communicate directly with your ISP’s DNS servers, but when you’re using a VPN, there’s another stop your internet traffic has to make, which slows it down. The fastest VPNs only reduce your internet download speed by an average of 25% or less, and Proton severely undercut that with a solid 16% average internet download speed loss. Though not quite as speedy as NordVPN’s bewilderingly fast 3% average speed loss, Proton is no slouch, and one of the fastest VPNs on the planet.

For context, Netflix recommends an internet speed of 15Mbps or greater for a 4K video stream. So even if you’ve got a download speed of 25Mbps — slow by today’s standards — Proton shouldn’t affect your daily activities. 

Speed tests are great, but real-world performance is what matters. In my testing, Proton VPN worked smoothly for all of the bandwidth-intensive tasks I threw at it, like downloading large games and watching movies — I didn’t notice any buffering, even while streaming 4K videos.

Speeds remain snappy regardless of the server or protocol

Two main elements dictate speeds with a VPN: server location and VPN protocol. Based on my experience, Proton VPN should provide the bulk of your base internet speeds regardless of the VPN protocol or country server you use.

Usually, you’ll experience slower speeds on geographically distant servers because your data travels further before reaching its destination. While my benchmarking confirmed this, I didn’t experience drastic drops, even when tunneling through a server on the other side of the globe. I experienced a perfectly respectable average 31% internet download speed drop on Singapore servers, for instance, which are fairly far from my home office in North Carolina. Sure, that’s nearly twice as slow as its total 16% average speed loss, but it’s still faster than the overall average speed loss of some rival VPNs. 

Generally, the WireGuard VPN protocol is faster than OpenVPN, which remained true in my testing. The biggest overall average speed loss I measured was 25% using OpenVPN on Windows (even though some individual server averages were slower), which should still be usable, even on slow or unreliable networks. By comparison, I clocked an average 19% internet speed loss with WireGuard on Windows, and a blazing-fast 6% speed loss using WireGuard on MacOS. I didn’t experience alarming internet speed reductions using any combination of servers and protocols.

Proton VPN’s large international server network is great for travel and streaming

Boasting 14,900-plus servers across 122 countries, Proton VPN provides an extensive international footprint, making Proton VPN one of the best VPNs for travel. For context, Proton offers more overall servers and countries than most of the VPNs we’ve tested, giving you more connection choices than many rivals. When you’re visiting another location, you may want to use a local server for extra privacy, or a server from your home country to access region-restricted content. Because of its generous server selection, Proton gives you plenty of options — to the point where I’m considering using it on my personal devices when I galavant across the globe for my honeymoon next year. This means you can unblock tons of streaming services, including foreign Netflix libraries or region-specific sites such as BBC iPlayer and CBC Gem.   

Cost: Your money goes a long way

Key takeaway: Proton VPN offers great value for its paid plan, has great device support and even includes a rare Linux GUI app. While its apps are decent, they may be overwhelming for VPN beginners. Fast speeds and fantastic unblocking capabilities make Proton one of the best VPNs for streaming.

• Price: Free, $10 a month, $60 for the first year or $108 for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $80 per year)
• Money-back guarantee: 30 days
• Payment options: Credit card, debit card, PayPal, Bitcoin
• Apps available for: Windows, MacOS, Linux (with GUI), iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Chromebooks, browsers

If you decide to use Proton VPN’s paid plan, you’ll find good value with its excellent mix of fast speeds, solid streaming options and strong privacy practices at a price that meets or beats competitors offering similar service.

Proton’s one-year plan starts at $60 a year, which is less than ExpressVPN ($100 for the first year), the same as NordVPN and more expensive than Surfshark ($48 for the first year). Like most competitors, Proton hits you with price hikes. Its one- and two-year plans renew at $80 a year, which is considerably lower than the astronomical $140 that NordVPN charges. I like that with Proton, I don’t have to babysit my subscription. 

Overall, Proton VPN’s value is tough to beat. For the money, you get a fast VPN with stellar streaming chops that doesn’t sacrifice privacy.

Proton’s free plan is the best (and only) free VPN option we recommend

Usually, we at CNET don’t recommend using free VPNs. Often, if you’re not paying cash for a VPN, it’s costing you in some other way, from slow speeds or screens plastered with ads to malware-infected apps. But Proton’s free VPN plan doesn’t sell your data or have any in-app ads. If you need a VPN and can’t or don’t want to pay, Proton VPN is the only option we enthusiastically vouch for. You can even start using Proton VPN’s free plan without signing up for an account using a guest account on Android. 

Although Proton VPN’s no-cost tier doesn’t skimp on privacy, it does have some limitations. There are no monthly usage restrictions, but you can’t choose a server manually, meaning when you click connect, you’re automatically shuffled onto a server in one of five countries: Netherlands, Japan, Romania, Poland and the US. And you can only connect on one device at a time instead of the 10 simultaneous connections with its paid plan. The company says its free VPN servers don’t support streaming or torrenting, but I was nevertheless still able to unblock Netflix in my testing. By comparison, PrivadoVPN’s free plan lets you pick a server manually but limits you to 10GB of monthly usage. However, Privado hasn’t been audited, making it unsuitable for folks with critical privacy concerns.

The shortcomings of Proton VPN’s free tier ultimately feel reasonable for a zero-dollar service. Plus, you’ve got a great upgrade path in Proton’s solid premium plan.

Proton bundles offer decent value if you’re looking for a password manager and cloud storage

Many VPN companies are offering additional privacy or security software, like antivirus suites, password managers, cloud storage and other amenities in bundled subscriptions. There are pros and cons to bundling your VPN with other apps, but regardless of whether you bundle or go a la carte, a VPN, password manager and antivirus should all comprise your cybersecurity toolkit. Both the free tier and Proton VPN Plus — its basic VPN plan — give you free basic password manager, cloud storage and email features. But stepping up to Proton VPN Unlimited provides the company’s premium VPN, password manager, cloud storage and email service. Especially because of its transparent, open-source apps and strong commitment to privacy, Proton Unlimited could be a great alternative to Google Suite.

Proton VPN apps are pretty refined but could be better for beginners

Proton VPN’s apps aren’t bad, they’re just not quite as streamlined as some alternatives. I appreciated the app’s slick interface, which feels modern yet relatively intuitive. Essential VPN tasks like picking servers and changing protocols are fairly simple.

With the exception of its Linux app, Proton VPN offers a reasonably uniform experience across all platforms. I appreciated the app’s slick interface, which feels modern yet relatively intuitive. Essential VPN tasks like picking servers, changing protocols and toggling on settings are fairly simple.

With support for Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone/iPad, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and web browsers, you can install Proton on virtually any device you own. There’s even a graphical user interface for its Linux app, a rarity among VPNs, which makes it easier to use for Linux newcomers than command-line interface apps.

When you’re connected to a server, you’ll be able to see helpful information, like server load, your VPN IP address and the VPN protocol you’re using. There’s a simple-to-browse list of servers, plus an interactive map. Common privacy features, including a kill switch, split tunneling and port forwarding are all available on the main screen, which I liked for quick access. Especially with its port forwarding — which might provide faster speeds when downloading torrents — Proton VPN is one of the best VPNs for torrenting. Plus, other settings are available, like the ability to change VPN protocols or toggle on advanced networking options, so if you’re a power user, you can tinker with your VPN connection.

Proton VPN is an exceptional VPN for streaming

With its snappy speeds and terrific region-restricted content unblocking, Proton VPN is a fantastic VPN for streaming.

Because they mask your public IP address, VPNs can make it look like you’re in a different city, state or country. Accordingly, many folks rely on VPNs for streaming geographically restricted content, like foreign Netflix libraries. (You may even be able to save money using a VPN for streaming.) Proton VPN’s fast speeds make it an excellent option for watching 4K UHD and 1080p HD videos. I was able to stream buttery smooth 4K movies on a variety of services. With support for Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV, you can easily use Proton on your smart TV. 

In my testing, I was blown away by Proton VPN’s unblocking capabilities. I easily watched Murdoch Mysteries on a Canadian server from CBC Gem and Dead and Buried via BBC iPlayer using a UK server. Amazon Prime Video US and UK streaming worked with Proton, so I enjoyed Alex Garland’s Civil War on Amazon Prime Video UK (on HBO Max in the States). 

For Netflix, Proton unlocked US, Canadian, UK, South African, Romanian, Australian and Japanese libraries. I even successfully streamed from Netflix Egypt, which is notoriously difficult to unblock — only a handful of other VPN providers, including ExpressVPN and Surfshark, loaded Netflix Egypt. HBO Max US and international streaming support was pretty solid.

Hulu, Peacock, Paramount Plus and Crunchyroll all played fine using US servers. I experienced issues with Hulu on my Android TV box — it detected a VPN connection — but I had no such problems on Windows or MacOS. In a few rare instances, I encountered a hiccup, like Netflix Norway loading while tunneling through an Egyptian server (I suspect this was a virtual server) or Japan Netflix initially not playing, but a quick server change sorted out any kinks. 

Proton offers responsive support, although it’s not 24/7 yet

Proton VPN has a robust knowledge base, an active blog with helpful guides and live chat. Its support area is simple to navigate, covering everything from creating a free account and troubleshooting common VPN issues to using Proton on different platforms. Its help guides have plenty of pictures to complement the written text, although I didn’t find many videos, which could be handy for VPN newcomers. 

Unlike many VPN providers, Proton VPN doesn’t currently offer 24/7 live chat. Instead, its customer service is available from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. CET, and you’ll need to be an existing customer to contact its support team. However, a Proton VPN representative told me via videoconference and reaffirmed over email that it plans to roll out 24/7 live chat by the end of the year. Whereas many rivals, like NordVPN, first direct you to an AI chatbot, I got a real person in under one minute. I asked about what encryption Proton VPN’s proprietary Stealth protocol used, and the customer service agent gave me a detailed yet digestible answer within less than 5 minutes. Although it lacks round-the-clock live chat at the moment, Proton’s fast, knowledgeable customer help is great when you need it.

Privacy and transparency: Among the best in the game, with one MacOS wrinkle

Key takeaway: Proton offers a slew of privacy amenities, including specialty servers, discreet app icons, third-party audits and one of the most reader-friendly privacy policies I’ve encountered. Overall, it’s an excellent option for folks with serious privacy concerns, although a MacOS kill switch design oversight may be worrisome to Apple users.

• Jurisdiction: Switzerland (Not in the Five, Nine or 14 Eyes)
• Encryption: AES-256 or ChaCha20
• Open-source apps
• No DNS leaks detected
• Independently audited
• Protocols available: WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEV2/IPSec or Stealth

Proton VPN has built its reputation around privacy and transparency. Its privacy-friendly jurisdiction, which is outside the Five, Nine and 14 Eyes data-sharing alliances, is complemented by its open-source apps and nifty privacy features.

Its apps are open-source, so anyone can inspect the source code to look for vulnerabilities — a great move for transparency. Only a handful of our other VPN top picks, including PIA and Mullvad, have open-source apps. You’ll find a choice of different VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2 and Proton’s proprietary Stealth. The aptly named Stealth protocol masquerades as standard web traffic to bypass VPN blocks, so you may be able to use Stealth on school Wi-Fi or other networks that restrict VPN usage.

However, some features, like split tunneling, are absent on iOS/iPadOS and MacOS, although that’s true of most VPN providers since it’s an Apple-side limitation. Split tunneling lets you use a VPN for some apps but not others, so you can stream video from other libraries without slowing your download speeds for games, for example. Proton VPN’s Linux app does support split tunneling, though.

Killswitch works as expected, but MacOS limitations aren’t as clear as they should be

Proton offers a basic kill switch that disconnects your internet if your VPN unexpectedly gets disconnected, as well as an advanced kill switch that only lets you access the internet while your VPN is enabled — even if you restart your device, the advanced kill switch prevents you from accessing the internet.

While these features worked as expected, I experienced a confusing design oversight with Proton VPN’s kill switch on MacOS. A kill switch should prevent your public IP address from being viewed by apps you’re using and websites you’re visiting if your internet is disrupted. The kill switch prevented my public IP address from being accessible when switching servers or in case of an unexpected internet connection on Windows, but it didn’t on Mac. My public IP address was unmasked while changing servers. Notably, this is an Apple limitation and not Proton’s fault. Many VPNs function the same way but also display a pop-up notification explaining that your public IP address is available while changing servers.

I’d like more transparency that your public IP address is unprotected when changing servers. Technically, there is a notification saying “not connected”, which is clear enough, but that’s during the server change, at which point it’s too late to close out of any websites or apps to hide any activity you don’t want your ISP knowing about. There needs to be a warning message before jumping to another server to let folks know that their public IP addresses — and accordingly any internet activity — won’t remain private while changing VPN servers. Proton VPN’s MacOS app also displays a notification with your unmasked public IP address when hopping servers, but because Proton’s app blurs the screen when jumping servers, it’s not readable.

Advanced features: Secure Core servers and Tor over VPN servers

Aside from the standard privacy suite, Proton offers specialty servers, nifty platform-specific features and strong transparency. 

A standard VPN connection routes your internet traffic through an encrypted server before it reaches its destination and should suffice for the average user who needs essential privacy. But for folks with serious privacy concerns — like asylum seekers or political activists — Proton VPN packs a privacy punch. Proton VPN offers some specialty servers:

• Secure Core servers: Proton’s name for multi-hop or double VPN servers, which use a pair of VPN connections to make it even harder to trace your web traffic back to your machine than a standard VPN connection.
• Tor over VPN servers: Use Tor, or The Onion Router, in conjunction with a VPN connection, to make it harder to link your internet traffic back to your device.
• P2P servers: Optimized for file-sharing, such as torrenting.

Its Secure Core servers are double VPN, or double hop, servers, meaning a second VPN connection makes it even harder to trace your data back to its source (your device). Secure Core servers doubly encrypt your web traffic and are physically located in Iceland, Sweden and Switzerland, with extra protections in place, like biometric security to guard your data privacy. 

You also get access to Tor Over VPN servers, which deliver similar benefits to Secure Core servers — enhanced privacy compared to a standard VPN connection — but using The Onion Router instead of an additional VPN server. Both its Secure Core and Onion servers will be slower than a traditional VPN connection since your data makes extra “stops” with detours through additional servers. But if you’ve got critical privacy needs, Tor over VPN and multi-hop servers are nice inclusions.

Discreet app icons hide the fact that you have a VPN installed on your device

One of my favorite Proton VPN features is its discreet app icon functionality. You can change the Proton VPN app icon on mobile devices to look like a different application, like a weather or notes app. Accordingly, if your phone or tablet is seized and searched, it will look as though you don’t have a VPN installed. I could see this being a helpful option for folks traveling to countries that frown upon VPNs. This sort of thoughtful design sets Proton apart from many competitors. Currently, its discreet app icons are only available on Android.

Proton VPN has a reader-friendly privacy policy, undergoes regular third-party audits and publishes a decent transparency report

Privacy policies can be nearly impossible to decipher and sometimes make me feel like I’ve stumbled headlong into the maze from The Shining. Thankfully, Proton VPN’s privacy policy is one of the most reader-friendly — not just among VPN companies but in general. 

The company is pretty clear that it doesn’t log any user data:

“Account activity: Proton VPN is a no-logs VPN service. When you use the Service, we do NOT do any of the following:

• Log users’ traffic or the content of any communications
• Discriminate against devices, protocols, or applications
• Throttle your internet connection”

Like most VPN services, Proton maintains a strict no-logs policy, but you should remain skeptical of those claims from any VPN service. That said, Proton undergoes regular audits by reliable third parties to back up its zero-log claims. I appreciate its annual cadence: Proton underwent a successful no-logs audit in July 2024 conducted by Securitum, which found no evidence of logging practices. This followed up audits in 2022 and 2023. Although audits don’t paint a complete picture, they’re an important trust signal that VPN companies can provide. 

Proton’s transparency report states that it received 27 legal orders in 2024, denying all 27. I like that 100% completion rate because it indicates that Proton VPN has your back when other people come looking for data. 

With its clear, concise privacy policy and regularly audited no-logging policy, Proton VPN should put even the most privacy-conscious users at ease.

Proton’s non-VPN offerings may log IP addresses in rare circumstances

Although Proton VPN doesn’t log your session data, its non-VPN offerings — like its email client — may log your IP address. Its privacy policy states: “IP logging: By default, we do not keep permanent IP logs in relation with your Account. However, IP logs may be kept temporarily to combat abuse and fraud, and your IP address may be retained permanently if you are engaged in activities that breach our Terms of Service (e.g. spamming, DDoS attacks against our infrastructure, brute force attacks).”

Essentially, Proton doesn’t log IP addresses out of the box, but may under certain circumstances with its non-VPN product suite, like its Proton Mail email client. As TechCruch reported in 2021, Proton Mail complied with a request from Swiss authorities for a user’s IP address. That’s because under Swiss Law, VPNs and email are treated differently. Under Swiss Law, VPN services are exempt from IP address logging, whereas, with email, IP logs can be requested by law enforcement agencies. 

While IP logging may not affect VPN users, I can see how someone with strict privacy concerns may be worried about signing up for Proton Mail or Proton Drive. Still, all your files, including emails, are encrypted, so the identifiable information Proton has about you is limited to IP addresses.

Proton VPN is excellent for privacy-conscious people and streaming junkies alike

Because of its free plan that doesn’t sacrifice privacy, Proton VPN is the best free VPN provider available. But, while true, that superlative does its premium plan a disservice. Fast speeds, outstanding streaming service unblocking plus excellent privacy and transparency make Proton VPN a compelling alternative to rivals like NordVPN and ExpressVPN. Proton does just about everything well; whether you want to watch foreign Netflix libraries, have critical privacy concerns or want to travel internationally, it’s a solid choice. 

Although its apps aren’t quite as user-friendly as they could be, they’re not difficult per se, just not as polished as offerings from NordVPN, Surfshark or ExpressVPN. The big downside is Proton’s unclear kill switch on MacOS. I don’t expect every VPN provider to maintain an encrypted tunnel when changing servers, but the kill switch revealing public IP addresses when changing servers without an obvious warning is a blemish considering Proton’s reputation for privacy. I’d like to at least see a pop-up warning folks that their IP address may be temporarily unmasked. Notably, Proton promised a fix to the MacOS app in its next update, so I was impressed (although not surprised) with its receptive response to my feedback.

Otherwise, Proton VPN is a terrific VPN that works for various situations, from travel and streaming to serious privacy.