Proton VPN Review

Proton VPN is one of precious few VPNs that actually has a truly zero-logs policy — almost no information about you is stored whatsoever. This policy is exactly the same whether you use the free or premium version of the app.

The only thing that Proton VPN stores is the email you give when you create an account. You can easily distance yourself from this by using a brand new, anonymous email address.

All profile data is encrypted and stored locally on its servers and is immediately deleted when you terminate your account.

Proton VPN’s logging policy clearly describes what information is and is not retained by the service.

This is one of the best VPN logging policies we’ve ever seen — especially as it’s been proven to be true.

Proton VPN was put to the test in January 2019, when a Swiss court approved a request asking for information about a Proton VPN user. Proton VPN was unable to provide any user data, as it simply hadn’t stored any.

This means Proton VPN is part of a small number of VPN services to have had their logging policies verified by a real-world test — we believe this to be the ultimate test of a VPN’s privacy policy.

Proton VPN has also had its logging policy audited by a third party. Published in April 2022 by Securitum, the audit confirmed that Proton VPN doesn’t retain any user data.

Proton VPN is Based in Switzerland

Proton VPN operates under the jurisdiction of Switzerland, which is a good base for a VPN service provider.

The country has strong privacy laws, a history of respecting user privacy, and does not require VPN providers to store data on users. It’s also not part of the EU, allowing it to sidestep all EU data retention laws, like the Data Retention Directive (2006).

Switzerland is not a member of the 14 Eyes alliance or any other intelligence sharing coalition, meaning it does not have a formal structure set up for collecting and sharing surveillance data with other nations.

All of Switzerland’s privacy-hostile laws, like BÜPF and NDG, do not apply to Proton VPN since the company isn’t considered a “major telecommunication operator” nor a “major internet service provider.”

Proton VPN’s streaming ability depends on the plan you subscribe to. While its free servers are blocked by Netflix, its Plus servers consistently work with US Netflix and 5 other regions.

Proton VPN works well with US Netflix.

Although Proton VPN claims it works with Netflix “in almost every country,” our tests reveal it unblocks just 6 Netflix regions.

Though higher than average, this is significantly fewer than other top VPNs, like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, which can access 18 and 17 regions respectively.

Proton VPN also fails to unblock many of the most popular Netflix regions, including Australia, Canada, and the UK.

Works with Popular Streaming Services

Not only is Proton VPN a great Netflix VPN, it also unblocks Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video. In our latest round of tests, we even found it worked to watch the Australian Football League from abroad.

Proton VPN worked with BBC iPlayer every time we tested it.

Here is a list of Proton VPN’s servers we tested that successfully unblock popular streaming services:

Free Version Doesn’t Work with Streaming Services

Proton VPN Free is a shockingly poor choice for streaming. This is due to the fact that it doesn’t let you select a country, so you can’t unblock streaming services from other regions or other Netflix libraries.

The VPN used to offer three server locations (the US, the Netherlands, and Japan), but in 2024 Proton VPN now connects you to your nearest country from the above three, plus Romania or Poland.

Though its paid option is reliable, Proton VPN Free can’t bypass Netflix’s geo-blocks.

This is extremely disappointing, as it used to unblock streaming services like F1TV to stream live F1 races without paying.

If you want a free VPN for streaming, we recommend checking out Windscribe Free or PrivadoVPN Free instead.

We’ve made an up-to-date list of the best free VPNs for Netflix to help you find one.

Oddly, despite testing from New York, US, Proton VPN actually produced faster download speeds on several other test servers located farther from us than its New York server.

There’s a chance that its New York servers may just be slower or more congested than others, and that the download speeds you get on a server near you will be faster.

While Proton VPN’s local download speeds are good, we’ve seen plenty better.

Proton VPN did struggle with download speeds on servers located extremely far away, though: 64Mbps in South Africa and 76Mbps in Australia are decent numbers, and better than a lot of less reputable VPNs, but it’s still slower than big-name rivals like Hotspot Shield or even Ivacy VPN.

We recommend toggling on the VPN Accelerator in Settings.

Proton VPN Free Is the Fastest Free VPN

Proton VPN’s free app, however, really impressed us in our testing. In fact, Proton VPN Free is the fastest free VPN we’ve ever tested.

Not only are its raw upload and download speeds impressive, but Proton VPN Free is the only reputable free VPN with no data cap.

This means you’ll never run out of bandwidth for downloading, streaming, gaming, or anything else.

Just beware that with only 200 free servers available to connect to (versus 6,587 for the paid app), your speeds might not be as consistent due to server congestion.

Proton VPN’s Highly Encrypted Connections

As part of our security tests, we inspected Proton VPN’s connection logs to assess the strength of the encryption used. We were impressed with what we saw.

Proton VPN successfully encrypted our test data transfers.

Our tests confirm Proton VPN’s encryption exceeds the security needs of most users. The VPN’s encryption will protect and hide your data from your ISP and any potential snooper or attacker.

We also love the fact the VPN uses Perfect Forward Secrecy, another security measure that protects against data breaches.

Dependable Kill Switch on Windows & Android

A VPN kill switch is a key security feature. Without one, you risk exposing your IP address to snoopers if your VPN connection disconnects unexpectedly.

Proton VPN includes a kill switch on its Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android apps. It’s not enabled by default, so make sure you turn it on from the home screen.

We put Proton VPN’s kill switch to test by running a series of manual IP and DNS leak tests, while disconnecting the VPN connection. The kill switch worked perfectly on Windows and did not expose our true IP address.

It takes just two clicks to turn on the kill switch from Proton VPN’s homepage.

However, on macOS Proton VPN warns its users of a T2 security chip bug on certain Apple devices, which causes serious system crashes.

We contacted customer service to find out more: they confirmed the bug has been fixed from their end, but Apple have yet to implement a fix that will stabilize the kill switch on all Mac devices.

For this reason, we suggest caution when using Proton VPN on a Mac device. Fortunately, not all Mac devices have a T2 chip, it’s only present in MacBooks introduced from 2018-2020

Our MacBook Pro was flagged for its T2 chip, which could cause software crashes when the VPN’s kill switch is enabled.

Passed Our Data Leak Tests

Before trusting a VPN with your sensitive data, conducting a real-world IP and DNS leak test is a good way to verify the VPN is working properly.

All of Proton VPN’s apps include IPv6 and DNS leak protection, but to verify these tools actually work, used our IP and DNS leak testing tool to tested Proton VPN on macOS and Android for VPN leaks.

We didn’t detect any IP, DNS, WebRTC, or Geolocation leaks with Proton VPN.

We experienced no DNS leaks with Proton VPN. This is no surprise, as Proton VPN operates its own DNS servers, and therefore directly handles your DNS requests. This removes the risk of leaks from third-parties.

Open-Source Apps & Bug Bounty Program

Proton VPN’s Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS apps are all open-source. The source code is freely available to view on Github, and all vulnerabilities discovered so far have been fixed.

The benefit of open-source apps is that anyone can view and contribute to their development. This, combined with Proton VPN’s bug bounty program, improves the app’s security due to the error checking of a larger community.

This represents a level of transparency and commitment to security that we rarely see from other VPN providers — we love that Proton VPN has made the effort to do this.

Most of Proton VPN’s servers are physical, bare-metal servers that are actually located in their listed country.

Ensuring that servers are genuinely based in such a wide spread of countries is really impressive. Even though there are the exceptions, we really like Proton VPN’s approach here.

That said, Proton VPN does rent the vast majority of its VPN servers from third-party data centers. We prefer VPN services to own most of their servers, as it reduces the possibility of servers being compromised or subject to interference by hackers.

A Proton VPN representative told us the company has taken extra steps to ensure its rented servers are secure and do not log any information. Proton VPN has always advocated for user privacy and security, so we trust it when it says this.

Proton VPN does own some of its servers, too. These are part of its Secure Core network.

Proton VPN Free Doesn’t Allow You to Choose Server Location

If a premium VPN has a free version, then it’s almost guaranteed that the server selection will be heavily reduced, and Proton VPN is no exception.

Disappointingly, while Proton VPN Free used to let users choose between servers in Japan, the Netherlands, or the US, it now automatically connects you to the nearest server based on your location. This means you’ll be connected to a server in one of these three countries, or possibly in Poland or Romania.

Proton VPN Free disappointingly doesn’t let you pick a server location.

This change is a significant downgrade. For example, from the US, we can no longer use Proton VPN to get a Japanese IP address or change our location for services like YouTube TV, as we were always connected to a server within our home region.

Similar to other high-ranking VPNs, Proton VPN is extremely easy to install. If you want a paid account, simply select your plan length, enter your email address, and pay using a credit card or PayPal. You’ll be given an auto-generated password, or you can create your own.

To use Proton VPN Free, it’s even simpler. Go to Proton VPN Free, sign up with your email address and install the app on your chosen device. We love the fact you can use the free version without entering any payment details.

The VPN has apps for all popular devices: Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. You can also manually configure Proton VPN onto your device to cover an entire household.

Proton VPN’s purple, black, and white color palette has a distinct modern and sleek feel to it. It was a much-needed upgrade from its previous green and black combination, which looked dull and outdated in comparison.

However, the interface itself could still do with some improvements. We find map interfaces on desktop a bit confusing, especially when zoomed out and countries are all bunched together, especially in Europe.

Not only that, but we like that you can quickly turn on essential features like a kill switch and multi-hop servers from the home screen. You can also access your preset Profiles from the home screen, making it that bit quicker to unblock your favorite Netflix show or start torrenting.

We found relying on Proton VPN to be a pretty seamless experience. Once you learn how to set up Profiles and tweak settings, you can customize the VPN to behave exactly how you would want it to.

We didn’t experience any hiccups like connection failures or bugs in the software. If we did, there were clear in-app notifications and helpful communication via Proton’s website and live chat support.

Overall, Proton VPN excels as a daily driver with feature-rich, intuitive apps, and streamlined navigation. In our experience, it’s windows and tabs are well-thought-out and easy to use.

Proton VPN Free doesn’t let you choose a server location on Android.

Our P2P tests found that torrenting with Proton VPN is private, secure, and fast.

All Proton VPN’s server locations allow torrenting through P2P VPN redirect, which means that your traffic may be securely re-routed to a server closer to you for better download speeds.

Proton VPN is an excellent choice for torrenting.

There are also high-performance servers specifically optimized for torrenting — they’re clearly marked within the app, but you can torrent on any server you like.

Proton VPN has recently increased the number of these P2P-optimized servers, improving the spread of their locations. There are now torrenting-optimized servers in 85 countries, compared to just 20 previously.

However, while testing these, we noticed almost zero difference in download bitrates between P2P-labeled servers and regular servers.

Whichever server you choose and wherever you are in the world, Proton VPN is a great torrenting VPN — we just wish you could use the free version for it, too.

Proton VPN Supports Port Forwarding

Proton VPN is one of only a few VPNs that support port forwarding. Using this, you can bypass the NAT firewall on your router and transfer files faster.

We configured Proton VPN on Windows to enable NetShield (malware-blocker), the kill switch, and port forwarding.

Proton VPN is a fast torrenting VPN anyway, but port forwarding increased our P2P speeds by 10%. The only downside is that it’s currently only available on the Windows app. We hope Proton VPN adds it to other platforms soon.

Free Version Blocks P2P Traffic

If you want a free VPN for torrenting, we suggest looking elsewhere because Proton VPN Free actually blocks P2P traffic.

Proton VPN doesn’t have a Smart DNS feature for unblocking video content on devices like Apple TV or PlayStation, which makes it much more difficult to use.

The only workaround is to install Proton VPN on your home router, but it’s unlikely your router is supported. The full list of compatible router models is available on the support section of Proton VPN’s website. Your router’s firmware needs to be one of the following types:

• AsusWRT
• DD-WRT
• OpenWRT
• pfSense
• Tomato
• FreshTomato
• Vilfo

Alternatively, you can buy a router pre-flashed with Proton VPN. This removes the difficult set-up process, but is expensive.

If you really want to use a VPN for streaming via games consoles and other such devices, we strongly recommend just using a VPN with a good Smart DNS service instead — CyberGhost and ExpressVPN are both excellent choices.

You can see a summary of the differences between Proton VPN’s apps in the table below:

Profiles Feature Is Useful & Convenient

A unique benefit of Proton VPN is its Profiles feature, which lets you create a custom preset combination of servers and settings to exactly suit your needs.

Profiles allows you to choose the type of server (standard, Secure Core, P2P, or Tor), the server location, which specific server, and which protocol (WireGuard, WireGuard TCP, IKEv2, or Stealth).

For example, if you know there is a specific server that always works with US Netflix, Profiles allows you to create a shortcut to that specific server which you can access from the home screen from the Profiles tab.

This is an advanced feature that’s meant for power users, but it’s also one of Proton VPN’s very best.

We used Profiles to pre-set server combinations for torrenting, unblocking US Netflix, and staying safe on public WiFi.

Split Tunneling

With split tunneling, your VPN creates a separate tunnel that goes directly through your ISP, just like you weren’t using a VPN at all.

This feature is particularly useful for retaining compatibility with devices and services that require a local IP address, like a wireless printer, for example.

Proton VPN includes split tunneling on its Windows and Android app, but it isn’t included on macOS or iOS. To use it, simply toggle on the apps that you want to be excluded from the encrypted VPN tunnel.

Proton VPN lets you select certain apps or IP addresses to bypass or be included in your VPN tunnel.

We tested split tunneling and were able to access devices on our local network, all while using a Netherlands VPN server, to safely download a torrent file.

NetShield Is a Poor Ad Blocker

Proton VPN Plus and Unlimited subscribers have access to NetShield, the company’s ad, malware, and tracker blocker. You can enable this by clicking on the shield icon from the app home screen.

We found NetShield stops malware and trackers effectively, but it was very poor at blocking ads.

Running NetShield through d3ward’s ad block test tool it reported just a 27% success rate.

Unlike other ad blockers, NetShield doesn’t fully prevent advertising elements from showing on web pages. Instead, it replaces them with a gray box, which is an eyesore.

On top of this, NetShield only works when you’re connected to a Proton VPN server. Therefore, you’ll have to stay constantly connected to Proton VPN to stop ads from showing.

Proton VPN’s Secure Core Servers

Proton VPN owns servers in 68 of its locations. These make up its Secure Core network.

This feature — only available on Plus and Unlimited plans — bounces traffic via a Secure Core server before relaying it onto another server in Proton VPN’s network.

This feature is an example of Double VPN, also known as Multi-Hop. Double VPN typically routes your traffic through two VPN servers instead of one, increasing your security.

Because Proton VPN owns and has sole access to these servers, Secure Core is even more secure than similar solutions like NordVPN’s or Surfshark’s Double VPN.

It wasn’t long ago that Secure Servers only existed in three countries – it’s great to see Proton VPN expanding that number so frequently.

Proton VPN’s Secure Core servers setting in the iOS app.

The drawback of using Secure Core servers is that they noticeably slow down your internet speed.

Download speeds are much slower using the Secure Core network given the increased encryption overhead and the extra distance the data has to travel.

Additional Features We’d Like to See

• A seriously improved ad blocker. As demonstrated above, NetShield just isn’t good enough. We like that it’s included in the app, but Proton VPN desperately needs to improve it.
• A working Stealth protocol. Currently, Proton VPN does not reliably work in China, despite having Stealth protocol available. We’d like to see it improved to the point where it works consistently to beat the Great Firewall.
• An advanced kill switch. With Proton VPN’s kill switch activated as it is, you have no choice but to lose access to your local network and all the devices on it. A more advanced version could add some customization there.