Swiss privacy, open source, free tier included
Key takeaways
from our research
Swiss jurisdiction, fully open-source apps and independent audits
Free tier with no data cap, no ads and no logging — funded by paid users
Mid-pack speeds: fine for streaming, behind NordVPN on long transfers
Free tier limits server choice deliberately to encourage upgrading
Our verdict
Proton VPN is the one to choose when privacy is a requirement rather than a preference. Swiss incorporation places it under some of the strongest data-protection law available, its apps are fully open source and independently audited, and the company's history — funded from a CERN-founded encrypted mail service — is unusually legible for this industry.
Its free tier deserves particular note, because it is the only one here worth trusting. No data cap, no advertising, no logging, funded by the paid product rather than by monetising users. Anyone told that all free VPNs sell your data is right about nearly all of them and wrong about this one, which makes it the honest recommendation for people who cannot pay.
Speeds are good without leading. In our testing it sat consistently mid-pack — entirely sufficient for streaming and calls, measurably behind NordVPN on long-distance transfers. The paid plan is also priced at the higher end, and the free tier's server choice is deliberately limited to encourage upgrades.
Our guidance: the right choice for journalists, activists and anyone with a genuine threat model, and the only free VPN we would recommend without caveats. If raw speed matters more than jurisdiction, NordVPN is faster.
Written by Maya Krishnan · Edited by Daniel Ross
Recognitions
Ratings
First-party reviews, individually moderated before publication.
Pros & cons
What users love
Where it falls short
Themes generated from 3 verified reviews, updated monthly
Head to head
Proton VPNAlternatives
The closest fits based on category, feature overlap, and reviewer demand.
Capabilities
What Proton VPN does — and doesn't — cover, checked against the category feature vocabulary.
Pricing
Proton VPN's paid plans start at $4.99/month — right at the $4.99 median of the 5 VPN Services tools we track. A free plan is available, and you can test it on a 30-day free trial.
Value for money 4.5/5Free forever
per month on a 2-year plan
or $9.99/mo billed monthly
per month on a 2-year plan
or $12.99/mo billed monthly
Everything in VPN Plus, plus:
per user, per month
Pricing fact-checked August 25, 2026 · source: vendor pricing page · see the full breakdown
Ecosystem
Fit check
Reviews
First-party, moderated reviews — never scraped, never paid for.
Ben C.
Freelance Consultant · Consulting · Self-employed
May 30, 2026
Used daily for 2+ years
People ask me which free VPN is safe and the honest answer is almost none. Proton is the exception because the free tier is subsidised by paying customers rather than by selling data. No cap, no ads, and I trust it.
Nadia P.Validated Reviewer
Program Manager · Financial services · 201–1,000 employees
July 15, 2026
Used daily for 1–2 years
Our compliance position needed a client whose code could be independently reviewed. That eliminated most of the market immediately. Proton is open source, audited and Swiss, which made the sign-off straightforward.
Isabella R.
Founder · E-commerce · Self-employed
April 18, 2026
Used daily for 1–2 years
I wanted an encrypted mailbox and a VPN. Proton Unlimited covers both plus storage for less than buying them separately, and one company holding both is a trade I was comfortable with given their track record.
Sources & methodology
Product information sourced from Proton AG's public content (Switzerland); pricing verified August 25, 2026. Reviews are first-party and moderated. How we test and rate tools
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