Proton AG

Proton VPN — Swiss-Based Privacy VPN

Swiss-jurisdiction VPN with a usable free tier, Secure Core multi-hop, NetShield ad-blocking and audited open-source apps from Proton AG.

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Snow-capped Swiss Alps evoking Proton VPN's Switzerland-based privacy jurisdiction
4.3/ 5
Our score
01

What we liked

  • Switzerland is one of the few strong privacy jurisdictions outside the Five/Nine/Fourteen Eyes intelligence alliances and has no mandatory data retention for VPNs
  • Free tier is genuinely usable — no logs, no bandwidth limit, no time limit, no ads (limited to 3 countries and 1 device)
  • Secure Core multi-hop routes traffic through hardened servers in Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden before exiting — useful for higher-threat-model users
  • Open-source apps with regular independent security audits by Securitum
  • Tight integration with the broader Proton ecosystem (Mail, Drive, Pass, Calendar) at one bundled price
02

What we didn't

  • More expensive than Mullvad on the rolling tier (£8.95/month vs €5 flat)
  • Free tier server choice is deliberately limited to encourage upgrades
  • The Unlimited bundle pulls you deeper into one provider's ecosystem — fine if you want that, less appealing if you prefer to mix services
  • Streaming support is solid but not on the same tier as a streaming-first VPN
Country
Switzerland (Proton AG)
Free tier
Yes — unlimited bandwidth, 3 countries, 1 device, no logs
Pricing (Plus)
£8.95/month rolling, ~£4/month on 24-month plan
Pricing (Unlimited)
Bundles VPN + Mail + Drive + Pass + Calendar
Protocols
WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth (obfuscation)
Server network
~7,000 servers in 110+ countries
Devices
10 simultaneous connections (Plus)
Audits
Open-source apps audited by Securitum (2022, 2023, 2024)
Special features
Secure Core multi-hop, NetShield, Tor over VPN, port forwarding
Streaming
Decent — Netflix regions, BBC iPlayer hit-and-miss
Payment options
Card, PayPal, Bitcoin, cash (by post)