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Proton VPN review

Privacy VPN with free plan, Switzerland · Proton AG · Last checked November 2026

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Proton VPN is run by Proton AG of Geneva, the company behind Proton Mail. Its strongest card is its audit record: Securitum has checked its no-logs policy every year since 2022, and the fifth audit, with fieldwork in May 2026, covered free and paid production servers and found no logging of browsing, DNS queries, destinations or identifying connection data. Proton links all five reports from one page. Like every audit, each is a point-in-time check of a sample of servers, not a guarantee.

It is also the only big-name VPN here with a free plan that isn't a trial: one device, no data cap and no ads, on servers in 10 countries that Proton picks at random. That makes it the default answer to "is there a free VPN I can trust?" (our free VPN guide has the alternatives). VPN Plus raises that to 10 devices and adds streaming and P2P support and port forwarding on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Two things to know. In 2021 a binding Swiss order made Proton log a Proton Mail user's IP address; Proton says the same law can't be used to force VPN logging, but it shows jurisdiction matters. And in 2025 Proton began moving much of its hardware out of Switzerland, citing proposed changes to Swiss surveillance rules, while saying it isn't leaving. Compare it with its closest rivals in Proton VPN vs NordVPN and Mullvad vs Proton VPN.

The facts

Price & refund

As listed on Nov 12, 2026 (US; promos change): VPN Plus is $2.99/mo on the 1-year plan, billed $35.88 for the first 12 months and then $83.88 a year, or $9.99 month to month (first month $1); the page's plan data lists the 2-year plan at $3.49/mo ($83.76). You get a full refund if you cancel within 30 days of the initial purchase, once per user, for purchases made directly from Proton; cash and bank-transfer payments aren't refunded. A free plan is also available.^[1][2]

Owner & jurisdiction

Proton AG is a Swiss company at Route de la Galaise 32, Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, supervised by the non-profit Proton Foundation. Citing proposed changes to the Swiss surveillance ordinance, Proton said in 2025 it is moving most of its physical infrastructure out of Switzerland, starting with its Lumo AI servers in Germany and sites in Norway, while saying it is not leaving Switzerland.^[2][3]

No-logs audits

Securitum ran Proton's fifth consecutive annual no-logs audit from May 20 to 27, 2026, reviewing a sample of production servers, their configuration and internal procedures. It found nothing indicating logging of browsing, DNS queries, destinations, traffic contents, or records linking a user to activity, and notes the audit is a point-in-time review of a sample, not the whole network. Securitum also did the 2022 to 2025 audits.^[4][5]

Breaches & incidents

In 2021 a binding order from the Swiss Federal Department of Justice, following a French police request through Europol, compelled Proton Mail (not the VPN) to log a French activist's IP address. Proton's CEO said Swiss law treats email and VPN differently, so the same kind of order can't force VPN logging.^[6]

Protocols & free plan

WireGuard over UDP or TCP, Stealth (built to get past VPN blocks) and Smart Protocol, which picks automatically; OpenVPN only in the Linux app and IKEv2 only on macOS. Port forwarding is on all paid plans (Windows, macOS, Linux). The free plan covers 1 device with no data or speed limits and no ads; streaming and P2P are sold as VPN Plus features.^[7][8][9]

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