Review · VPNs
Proton VPN review: the privacy pick, with a free tier that's actually good
Proton VPN is the one we recommend when privacy is the point — audited, open-source, Swiss, and backed by one of the strongest no-logs records in the business. Here's what it does brilliantly, where NordVPN beats it, and what it costs.
Last updated: July 10, 2026 · Researched by the Privacy Intact team. We don't run a VPN speed lab; performance and audit claims are cited from independent testing and Proton's published audits, not a test we ran. See how we review.
Our take
Best for privacy — and the only free VPN we'd recommend
Proton VPN wins on the things that are hard to fake: an independently audited no-logs record, open-source apps, Swiss jurisdiction, and Secure Core multi-hop. Add the only genuinely unlimited free tier in the mainstream, and it's the easiest VPN to trust. The one honest mark against it: for sheer streaming speed, NordVPN edges it.
Pick it if you want
- • Audited, proven privacy
- • A safe free VPN
- • Open-source + Secure Core
Look elsewhere if
- • Top streaming speed is the priority → NordVPN
- • You want total anonymity → Mullvad
Our editorial rating for Proton VPN, scored on the criteria in How We Review — not user reviews.
Why it earns trust
Most VPNs ask you to take "no-logs" on faith. Proton doesn't: multiple consecutive independent no-logs audits, most recently in 2025 (Securitum). On top of that it has open-source apps and Swiss jurisdiction: the apps are open-source (so the code can be inspected), it's based in privacy-friendly Switzerland, and Secure Core routes your traffic through hardened servers before it leaves the network. For anyone whose reason to use a VPN is genuine privacy, this is the package.
The free tier, and the speed caveat
Proton's free tier is its quiet superpower: unlimited data, no logs, no ads and no data-selling, where almost every other "free" VPN is a data-harvesting operation. It's limited to fewer countries and isn't tuned for streaming, but for safe everyday browsing it's genuinely enough.
The honest caveat is speed. Proton is fast, but NordVPN is quicker for streaming: it's among the fastest VPNs in independent testing — Security.org measured just a ~5% average speed loss, with more reliable streaming unblocking. If your main use is Netflix from another country at full quality, that gap is the reason to consider Nord. For everything privacy-related, Proton's speed is more than sufficient.
Pricing
Free, with no data cap. The full VPN Plus plan runs $2.99/mo on the 2-year VPN Plus plan, up to $9.99/mo month-to-month, and Proton Unlimited — which also bundles Proton Mail, Drive and Pass — from $7.99/mo on a 2-year plan if you want the wider Proton suite (Mail, Drive and Pass) bundled in. Every paid plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
VPN pricing moves with promotions — confirm the current figure on Proton's site before subscribing.
Pros and cons
Pros
- +The only mainstream VPN with a genuinely unlimited free tier
- +Multiple consecutive audited no-logs reports (most recently 2025, Securitum)
- +Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, Secure Core multi-hop
- +30-day money-back guarantee on paid
Cons
- −Free tier is limited to a few countries, one device, and won't reliably stream
- −For the very top streaming speeds, NordVPN edges it
- −Secure Core and streaming are paid-tier features
Verdict
Proton VPN is our anchor pick for one honest reason: when the job is privacy, nothing mainstream beats its combination of audited no-logs, open-source transparency, Swiss jurisdiction and a safe free tier. It isn't the absolute fastest — that's NordVPN — and it isn't the most radically anonymous — that's Mullvad. But for the most people, most of the time, it's the VPN that does the right things and proves it.
FAQ
Proton VPN, answered
Is Proton VPN good?
Yes — it's our top pick for privacy. multiple consecutive independent no-logs audits, most recently in 2025 (Securitum), and it has open-source apps and Swiss jurisdiction. It's also the only mainstream VPN with a genuinely free tier (unlimited data, no logs, no ads and no data-selling). It isn't quite the fastest for streaming — NordVPN edges it there — but on trust and transparency it's hard to beat.
Is Proton VPN really no-logs?
As far as anyone can verify, yes. Its no-logs policy has been confirmed by multiple independent audits (most recently in 2025), and because its apps are open-source, the code itself can be inspected. Repeated outside audits plus public code is the strongest assurance a no-logs claim can realistically have.
How much is Proton VPN?
Free for the basics, with no data cap. The full plan (VPN Plus) is $2.99/mo on the 2-year VPN Plus plan, up to $9.99/mo month-to-month; Proton Unlimited — which also bundles Proton Mail, Drive and Pass — from $7.99/mo on a 2-year plan. All paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee. (Verify the current figure before buying — VPN pricing shifts with promotions.)
Proton VPN or NordVPN?
Proton for privacy and a free tier; NordVPN for the fastest speeds and the most reliable streaming. Both have audited no-logs policies, so neither is a wrong choice — it comes down to whether your priority is trust-and-transparency or speed-and-streaming.