Virtual private networks (VPNs) are now essential tools for keeping your online privacy, keeping your data safe, and getting to content that is only available to certain people. Proton VPN stands out among the best in 2025 because it has strong privacy features, a large network of servers, and a free plan that is widely praised. Proton VPN was made by Proton AG, a company based in Switzerland that also makes Proton Mail. It has a good reputation for protecting users’ privacy and security. We will go into great detail about Proton VPN’s features, performance, price, and overall value in this 1000-word review to help you decide if it is the right VPN for you. Based on a lot of testing and information from reliable sources, this article gives a fair and critical look at Proton VPN in 2025.
A look at Proton VPN
A group of scientists from CERN started Proton VPN in 2014 with the goal of giving everyone safe and private internet access. Proton VPN is based in Switzerland, a country with strict privacy laws. It has a strict no-logs policy, which means that it doesn’t track or store user activity. As part of a larger group of privacy-focused tools, such as Proton Mail, Proton Drive, Proton Calendar, and Proton Pass, the service is a great choice for people who want a single privacy solution. Proton VPN has both free and paid plans. The free plan is one of the best in the business because it has no ads and unlimited data.
Important Things About Proton VPN
Proton VPN stands out because it has a lot of features that are useful for both casual users and people who care about privacy. Here are some of the best things it has to offer:
1. The best free plan
Many people think that Proton VPN’s free tier is the best one on the market. Proton VPN Free is different from many other free VPNs because it doesn’t have data limits, annoying ads, or privacy issues. It has the same no-logs policy as its paid plans. Users can connect to servers in five countries: the US, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, and Romania. However, they can only connect to one server at a time and can’t choose which server to connect to. This makes it a great choice for people who want to try a VPN without having to pay for it or for people who just want to protect their privacy. But only paid plans allow streaming and torrenting.
2. A large network of servers
Proton VPN has one of the largest networks of servers in terms of country coverage, with over 12,000 servers in 117 countries. This wide reach is especially impressive in areas that don’t get enough attention, like Africa (22 locations) and the Middle East (14 locations), where many VPNs have trouble providing enough coverage. This makes Proton VPN a great choice for people who travel a lot or want to access content that is only available in certain regions. The servers are bare-metal, which means Proton owns them physically. Some of them use Smart Routing to give you IP addresses that may not be in the same place as the server.
3. More advanced privacy and security options
The features of Proton VPN show that it cares about privacy. Some important security features are:
No-Logs Policy: Proton VPN’s strict no-logs policy has been checked by outside groups many times, most recently in July 2024 by Securitum. They found that user activity and IP addresses are not stored. Proton VPN couldn’t give any data in a Swiss court case in 2019 because of its no-logs architecture.
Secure Core: This multi-hop feature sends traffic through two servers, starting with Proton-owned servers in countries that are good for privacy, like Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden. This gives you one more way to protect yourself from possible server breaches.
Stealth Protocol: Proton’s own protocol hides VPN traffic as regular HTTPS traffic, which helps users get around VPN blocks and censorship in places where it is strict.
Tor over VPN: Proton VPN lets you connect to Tor over certain servers, which lets you access .onion sites without the Tor browser. This is great for people who want to be as anonymous as possible.
NetShield is an ad, tracker, and malware blocker that speeds up and protects your browsing, but it doesn’t work as well as dedicated ad blockers like AdGuard.
Open-Source Apps: All of Proton VPN’s apps are open-source, which means that anyone can look at them to find security holes. They work with a number of protocols, such as WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. WireGuard is the default because it is faster.
A kill switch, split tunneling (for Windows and Android), DNS leak protection, and Perfect Forward Secrecy are some of the other features. This means that each session uses a different encryption key.
4. Downloading and streaming
Proton VPN is great for streaming because it always works to unblock big sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and more. Paid plans give you access to servers that are optimized for streaming, and even the free plan can unblock some services, but only to a certain extent. Proton VPN lets you use P2P connections with dedicated servers and port forwarding, which speeds up seeding when you torrent.
Speed and Performance
Speed is very important for any VPN, and Proton VPN works well, but it doesn’t always match the fastest ones, like NordVPN. Proton VPN got speeds close to the highest possible on local servers. With a 1 Gbps fiber connection, WireGuard connections reached speeds of over 950 Mbps. With WireGuard, long-distance connections, like those from the UK to the US, averaged about 630 Mbps. This is fast enough for 4K streaming and big downloads. OpenVPN speeds were slower, usually between 200 and 250 Mbps, but they were still fast enough for most tasks.
Proton VPN’s VPN Accelerator technology makes high-latency connections, like those to faraway servers, work better by using multithreading and advanced TCP routing. This feature keeps speeds steady, with little jitter and latency, so it’s good for gaming and video calls. However, gamers may notice a small lag on servers that are far away because of higher ping times.
Prices and Plans
There are three main levels of Proton VPN: Free, VPN Plus, and Proton Unlimited. Prices are competitive, but they are on the higher end compared to some competitors.
Proton Free: No cost, unlimited data, access to servers in five countries, and one device connection. It lets you use Proton’s basic services (Mail, Drive, Pass), but it doesn’t let you stream or torrent.
VPN Plus costs $9.99 a month, $59.88 a year ($4.99 a month), or $107.76 for two years ($4.49 a month). This plan lets you use all servers, stream, torrent, Secure Core, NetShield, and up to 10 connections at the same time.
The Proton Unlimited plan costs $12.99 a month, $119.88 a year, or $191.76 for two years. It includes all the features of VPN Plus and gives you premium access to Proton Mail, Drive (500GB of storage), Calendar, and Pass.
Proton VPN also has Proton Duo ($14.99/month for two users) and Proton Family ($23.99/month for six users) plans that save money for more than one user. Unlike many other companies, Proton VPN doesn’t raise the price of renewals by a lot, which keeps things clear. You can pay with a credit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin, and cash is also accepted for more privacy.
Apps and Usability
You can get Proton VPN apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, Android TV, and Apple TV. There are also browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. The apps have a sleek, dark-themed interface with a world map showing where servers are located. However, some users think the design is a little too busy or scary for new users. The Linux app stands out from other VPNs because it has a full GUI.
The apps are easy to use. They have a Quick Connect button that lets you connect to the fastest server right away, and you can make profiles for different uses, like streaming or Secure Core. But macOS and iOS don’t have features like split tunneling, and the MacOS kill switch has been criticized for not being clear about what it can and can’t do when switching servers. Proton has promised to fix this.
Help for Customers
The customer service at Proton VPN is hit or miss. Live chat is only available from midnight to 3 p.m. PT, which can be a problem for people who live outside of Europe. Email support takes longer, with replies taking 24 to 48 hours. The help center has detailed guides and frequently asked questions, but it doesn’t have live chat 24/7, which is a drawback compared to competitors like NordVPN.
Privacy and Openness
Proton VPN has some of the best privacy credentials in the business. It is based in Switzerland, which is outside the Five Eyes surveillance alliance, and has strong privacy laws. Its open-source apps, no-logs policy that is checked by an outside party, and servers that only use RAM make it as safe and open as possible. The Stealth protocol and Secure Core features make it a great choice for people who live in places where the internet is censored or who are very concerned about their privacy.
Things that are bad
Even though Proton VPN has some good things about it, it also has some problems:
Higher Cost: The monthly plan ($9.99) and long-term plans are more expensive than those from competitors like Surfshark ($2–$3/month for two years) or Mullvad ($5/month).
Inconsistent Speeds: Proton VPN is fast, but its speeds, especially on OpenVPN, aren’t as good as NordVPN’s best speeds.
Limited Support: Users who need help right away may get frustrated by the lack of 24/7 live chat and slower email responses.
App Complexity: The interface has a lot of features, which may be too much for beginners. Also, not all platforms support all features (like split tunneling).
Limitations of NetShield: The ad and malware blocker doesn’t work as well as separate programs.
Is Proton VPN worth it? The answer is yes.
In 2025, Proton VPN is one of the best VPNs because it has great privacy, security, and streaming features. Its free plan is the best because it gives you unlimited data and strong privacy without ads. This makes it perfect for people who are on a budget or just want to try it out. The paid plans are a little pricey, but they are worth it because they give you access to a huge server network, fast speeds, and advanced features like Secure Core and Stealth protocol. Because it is open-source, has apps that are easy to see, and is based in Switzerland, it is a popular choice for privacy advocates, journalists, and anyone else who needs to stay safe.
But Proton VPN isn’t perfect. Some users may not want to use it because it costs more, some protocols don’t always work as fast, and customer support is only available during certain hours. The app’s complexity might be a problem for beginners, and the fact that there is no live chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is a big problem. Proton VPN’s unique strengths are its privacy features and free tier. NordVPN has a slightly better interface and speeds, while Surfshark is cheaper.
Proton VPN is a great choice if privacy is your top priority and you want a full set of tools. NordVPN or Surfshark might be better for people who don’t use it often or need the fastest speeds possible. In the end, Proton VPN strikes a good balance between security, speed, and price, making it a good choice for 2025.
