Proton VPN Review 2025: Is It Safe + Trustworthy?

Proton VPN includes top-notch privacy features, feature-rich apps, and advanced server architecture. It maintained fast speeds in all of my speed tests. The VPN has apps for all major platforms, including Apple and Android TV, and browser extensions for Chromium and Firefox-based browsers. It works with 90+ streaming sites and allows 10 simultaneous connections on a single account.

Proton VPN also has:

• Open-source apps — Anyone can check the source code for Proton VPN’s apps to make sure they’re safe to use. Proton VPN’s apps have also been independently audited and verified.
• Full leak protection — Proton VPN provides full protection against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks.
• Split-tunneling — Allows you to route some of your internet traffic through the VPN and some through your local network.
• NetShield — Blocks ads, tracking sites, and malicious websites.
• VPN Accelerator — Uses state-of-the-art technology to increase VPN speeds while connected to distant servers.
• Dedicated servers for torrenting — Works with all major torrenting clients like uTorrent, BitTorrent, qBittorrent, and Vuze.
• Tor over VPN — Lets you access the Tor privacy network using regular web browsers, like Chrome and Firefox.
• Secure Core Servers — Lets you route your traffic through 2 servers instead of 1.
• Stealth — Proton VPN’s obfuscation tool that makes your traffic appear as normal traffic, allowing you to bypass network firewalls.
• Proton Pass — A great password manager that’s separate from the provider’s VPN app.
• And a lot more…

Proton VPN is a great VPN, but a couple of things need improvement. For starters, Proton VPN doesn’t work well in restrictive countries — so if you live in a country that restricts the internet, Proton VPN isn’t a good option (ExpressVPN is the best for that). I’d also like to see Proton VPN include access to a smart DNS for devices that don’t support VPNs, allow non-premium users access to live chat, and respond to customer support emails quicker.

Proton VPN has a really good free plan and monthly and yearly subscription deals that come with a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Proton VPN Full Review — Excellent For Online Privacy

I spent a few weeks testing and researching Proton VPN to see how it compares to other top VPNs, and I can safely say it’s a good, privacy-focused provider. This makes sense as it comes from the same company that makes the ultra-secure, encrypted email service Proton Mail.

All of Proton VPN’s apps are open-source, and they’ve been independently audited and confirmed. Plus, it issues transparency reports, its no-logs policy passed an external audit, and the company is based in a privacy-friendly nation. In addition, you get cool features like Secure Core servers, which add an extra layer of privacy, and Tor access on your regular browsers.

And this VPN really has strong streaming, torrenting, and gaming support, very fast connection speeds, and easy-to-use apps.

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Proton VPN Plans & Pricing — Reasonably Priced Plans + Good Free Plan

Proton VPN has a free plan and paid plans starting at $3.59 / month for the 2-year deal. All paid offers come with the same features and only differ in the subscription length (1 month, 1 year, or 2 years).

Proton VPN Free gives you unlimited data and access to servers in 5 countries ( the US, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, and Poland). The data allowance is pretty generous considering most free plans cap free bandwidth, but the downside is you don’t get to choose the server you want to connect to — Proton VPN automatically connects you to the fastest. There are other limitations, such as you don’t have access to Plus servers for streaming, dedicated torrenting servers, or NetShield (its ad and tracker blocker), and you can only connect 1 device at a time (though the free plan works with routers, so you can connect all of the devices in your home).

Proton VPN’s Plus plan allows access to all servers in 117 countries (including the Plus servers for streaming, dedicated torrenting servers, Secure Core servers, and Tor servers), and the NetShield ad and tracker blocker.

All Proton VPN premium deals are backed by a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee — this means that you are charged for each day that you use Proton VPN up until the 30-day deadline. So, if you cancel Proton VPN after using it for 15 days, you will only receive a 50% refund — not a 100% refund like other competitors offer (including ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access). Regardless, in the grand scheme of things, you’re still not going to be charged a lot of money.

Proton VPN accepts payment via credit cards and PayPal if you’re a first-time buyer. If you wish to upgrade your subscription, it offers payment via Bitcoin and cash, which provides excellent privacy — top competitors like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access don’t accept cash payments. If you’re subscribing to Proton for the first time and want to pay in cash or Bitcoin, you can sign up for the free plan and upgrade to a paid subscription.

Overall, there are much cheaper VPN options than Proton VPN on the market — for example, CyberGhost VPN includes similar features, faster speeds, a 45-day 100% money-back guarantee, and costs $2.03 / month. But if you’re looking for a VPN that places a heavy emphasis on security and privacy, Proton VPN is a very good value.

Learn more about Proton VPN’s pricing

Proton VPN Features — Includes Essential & Advanced Security Features

Proton VPN includes all of the essential VPN privacy features, like:

• 256-bit AES encryption. This is one of the strongest encryption algorithms in the world (sometimes called “military-grade” encryption).
• No-logs policy. Proton VPN doesn’t keep logs of personal information or online activity.
• Kill switch. This feature automatically disconnects you from the internet if your VPN connection fails. Proton VPN’s in-app kill switch is only available on iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows, but there is an option to enable it from the app on newer Android models, too (there’s no kill switch on Android 7.x or earlier).

Proton VPN also has a few advanced security features, like:

• Perfect forward secrecy. This changes your encryption key each time you connect to a Proton VPN server, so if one encryption key is compromised, only the data on that one key is vulnerable (and not any past or future sessions).
• Full-disk encryption. If a Proton VPN server is compromised, disk encryption keeps all of the data on that server secure and unreadable.

Proton VPN has 4 protocols, including WireGuard, IKEv2/IPSec, OpenVPN, and Stealth. WireGuard and IKEv2/IPSec provide fast speeds and very strong security, OpenVPN has decent speeds and really good security, and Stealth is the provider’s proprietary protocol that provides obfuscation, which hides your VPN traffic. There’s also a Smart protocol option that automatically picks the best protocol for your network.

Proton VPN also has built-in leak protection for DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 — this is great to see, as some competitors (like Surfshark and VyprVPN) require you to manually disable IPv6 and WebRTC to avoid leaks.

Split-Tunneling — Great & Flexible Tool, but It’s Not Available on Mac

Proton VPN’s split-tunneling lets you include or exclude web browsers, apps, and IP addresses from the VPN tunnel — this is better than most competitors’ split-tunneling features (ExpressVPN only lets you redirect apps).

However, Proton VPN supports split-tunneling on Windows and Android only — I’d love to see Proton VPN add split-tunneling to the Mac or iOS app, but considering that very few competitors provide this feature for Apple users (ExpressVPN has split-tunneling for macOS 10.15 and below, and Private Internet Access supports split-tunneling on macOS 11), I can’t say this is a dealbreaker.

The split-tunneling feature works as promised. I tested it by connecting to a US P2P-optimized server and leaving my Chrome browser traffic out of the VPN tunnel, and it worked seamlessly — while I downloaded a file connected to the VPN, I checked my email and favorite social media sites via my local IP address in North Macedonia. Plus, it improved my browsing and torrent speeds.

Overall, Proton VPN’s split-tunneling feature is really good — it does what it says it does, there are no glitches, and it’s easy to set up.

NetShield — Blocks Ads & Dangerous Websites

NetShield blocks ads, trackers, and malicious sites. I tested this feature by visiting websites that are usually littered with ads — NetShield blocked every single ad. These websites were then much less cluttered and even loaded a little faster because there were no more ads. NetShield is ranked on our list of the best VPN ad blockers.

I like Proton VPN’s NetShield tool. In my tests, it always blocked all shady HTTPS sites I tried to visit. It’s also pretty convenient that you can customize it — for example, you can set it up to block malware only and not ads.

NetShield is no doubt one of Proton VPN’s best security extras — it doesn’t have the full-featured phishing protection that many antiviruses have, but it blocked all ads and pop-ups and prevented me from visiting malicious and tracking websites.

VPN Accelerator — Boosts Speeds on Distant Servers

Proton VPN has a speed-boosting feature called VPN Accelerator, which increases your connection speeds on distant servers by up to 400%, according to Proton (my speeds were essentially unchanged on local servers). It’s available on all of Proton VPN’s apps, and it’s easy to find (under the Connection tab in the Settings menu) and easy to turn on (with 1 click).

VPN Accelerator speeds up your connection by making better use of your device’s processing power, splitting the workload across multiple CPU cores instead of overloading a single one. It also shortens the routes that your data travels through the internet, helping it reach its destination faster. It also uses a technique called BBR to reduce delays and avoid slowdowns from heavy internet traffic.

If you aren’t tech-savvy or don’t understand in-depth internet connection speed processes, all you need to know is VPN Accelerator works to boost your speeds on distant servers.

In my tests, VPN Accelerator provided me with faster speeds than I had without VPN Accelerator on servers located in North and South America and Asia (I’m located in North Macedonia). For example, here are my speeds with and without the feature while connected to the same server in the US.

My download speeds, ping, and upload speeds all improved by at least 10% when I enabled VPN Accelerator. With the feature, websites loaded in 1 second, and videos started in about 2 seconds. However, when I turned off the feature, the same websites loaded in 3 seconds and videos began playing in about 4-5 seconds.

Overall, I really like VPN Accelerator — it’s easy to use, it works as it’s intended, and I’m not aware of any other provider that has a similar feature.

Secure Core — Adds an Extra Layer of Privacy

Proton VPN’s Secure Core server architecture passes your data through 2 servers before it leaves the Proton VPN network. This way, if a third party hacks the final destination server (or a government seizes that server), it will only be able to trace your connection back to the Secure Core server — not to your real IP address or location. Proton VPN’s Secure Core servers are based in underground data centers in Switzerland and Sweden, and also on a former military base in Iceland. Plus, they’re fully owned, built, and transported to these safe locations from Proton’s offices.

Secure Core is similar to a double VPN connection. However, unlike double VPN connections that bounce your data through normal servers in 2 different countries, Secure Core first routes your traffic through 1 hyper-secure server that’s in an ultra-secure location, and only then, it sends the data through the server you picked.

Routing your traffic through 2 servers will naturally slow down your speed more than when you’re connected to just one server — when I manually connected to a Secure Core server, websites took 3–4 seconds to load. But Secure Core servers are still faster than most competitors’ double VPN features (Perfect Privacy’s double VPN connection took me an average of 10 seconds for websites to load).

I only recommend using this feature if you’re looking to take extra measures to keep your online identity anonymous or if you’re in a high-risk country that may monitor your internet traffic. Even still, Proton VPN’s Secure Core is an excellent privacy feature that is not available with many other VPNs.

Stealth — Proprietary Protocol Masks Your VPN Connection

Stealth is Proton VPN’s proprietary protocol, which provides obfuscation, meaning it hides VPN traffic and makes it look like regular internet traffic. It’s available on Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS and is great for hiding your VPN connection while connected to a network that uses a firewall to block VPNs, such as at a school or a company office.

The protocol is optimized for high performance, and you can even use it together with the VPN Accelerator feature. This is great, because VPN obfuscation methods usually cause noticeable slowdowns. In my tests, my VPN speeds were only 15–20% slower when I used the Stealth protocol, which is pretty good.

However, I can’t recommend that people in restrictive countries use it. The Stealth protocol doesn’t work in China, and there’s no guarantee it’ll work in other restrictive countries. If you need a VPN for these countries, I recommend ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access instead.

Overall, Proton VPN’s Stealth protocol provides obfuscation and is good for bypassing VPN blocks at your school or office, but it unfortunately doesn’t consistently work in restrictive countries.

Alternative Routing — Improves Access to the VPN

Alternative Routing should help you connect to Proton VPN’s service if it’s blocked. The feature does that by trying alternative third-party routing methods that are unlikely to be blocked, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). Alternative Routing is available on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.

Alternative Routing may work in some restrictive countries, but it doesn’t work in China. If you need a VPN for restrictive countries, I recommend ExpressVPN.

Proton Pass — Stores Your Passwords in a Secure Vault (& Creates Email Aliases)

Proton Pass is a secure password manager that comes with industry-standard features, like password generation and an auto-filling feature, plus a couple of extra useful features. Proton Pass is separate from the VPN app — it has a dedicated app for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux, a web app, and browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave. It comes with a paid plan and a pretty good free version.

I like the password generator in the app. It lets you create either “Memorable” passwords, which include a combination of words and numbers, or “Random” passwords, which combine letters, numbers, and symbols. You can adjust these passwords further by setting the number of words or characters or picking the type of word separator for memorable passwords (like full stops, for example).

I also think the autofill feature is great. It worked well on every app I tested on my phone and desktop computer — the only thing I had to do was choose the credentials I needed, which took just 1 click.

One of my favorite Proton Pass features is its ability to create email aliases — a randomly-generated email address that helps hide your real email address. This feature allows you to avoid sharing your real email address when filling out online forms, which can help protect your email from being part of an online leak or being shared with third parties.

Proton Pass also supports passkeys (which let you log in securely without needing passwords), and it includes an integrated 2-factor authentication (2FA) authenticator. It stores your 2FA codes and automatically displays and auto-fills them, which is very convenient.

In addition to its core features, Proton Pass includes dark web monitoring, a handy security tool that keeps you informed if your credentials are ever compromised. It sends instant alerts if your passwords are found in a data breach or exposed on the dark web, allowing you to take immediate action.

It also checks the health of your passwords, warning you if they are weak or reused, and it encourages stronger security with prompts to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) — if you haven’t already.

Proton Pass is very secure. Like all Proton products, it passed independent security audits, and it’s open-source, which means anyone can verify that the encryption works as described. Also, all information you add to the app is protected by end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption.

Overall, Proton Pass is an impressive tool. The only other VPN that offers a similar password manager is ExpressVPN, but its ExpressVPN Keys tool doesn’t let you create email aliases, provide dark web monitoring, or come with a 2FA authenticator feature (however, ExpressVPN Keys is included with your VPN subscription). That said, both Proton Pass and ExpressVPN Keys are missing important features that the best password managers have, like emergency access.

Tor over VPN — Dedicated Servers for Browsing Tor on Your Browser

Proton VPN supports The Onion Router (Tor) over VPN on designated servers located in the US, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.

These servers automatically route your traffic through the Tor network. What this means is that once connected, you can safely surf .onion sites in a regular browser like Chrome and Firefox — typically, you’d need the Tor browser to access .onion sites. Just note that you’ll have to configure your browser to properly resolve onion domains. Proton offers easy-to-follow step-by-step guides for all browsers on its website.

Proton’s Tor over VPN servers are labeled with an onion icon next to them and a “-TOR” suffix, so they’re easy to find. If you don’t want to scroll through Proton’s long list of servers, you search for “-TOR” and the app will list every available Tor server.

The one drawback is your internet speed slows down significantly (because it encrypts your traffic several times) while connected to the Tor network — it took me more than 15 seconds for websites to load.

Overall, Proton VPN’s Tor over VPN is an easy and quick way to access the Tor network. Most users won’t need this tool (Proton VPN’s regular servers are secure for normal browsing, streaming, and torrenting), but it’s an excellent (and very convenient) option for those who do need it.

Proton VPN Privacy & Security — Transparent & Verified Policies + Features

Proton VPN is based in Switzerland, which has some of the toughest data privacy laws in the world. Switzerland also doesn’t have any mandatory data retention laws, and it isn’t a part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (a group of nations that have agreed to share intelligence data).

Proton VPN also has a strict no-logs policy — it only collects your email address (for communication purposes), payment details (like your name and partial info), and a timestamp of the last login attempt (but it doesn’t include any identifiable information). To remain more anonymous, you can pay with cash or Bitcoin.

I also like how Proton VPN’s no-logs policy has been confirmed several times by an independent third party — competitors like ExpressVPN have also undergone third-party audits to confirm their privacy policies, and Private Internet Access has even had its no-logs policy tested and confirmed in court (multiple times).

I really like that all of Proton VPN’s apps are open-source. This means anyone can investigate Proton VPN’s security. Plus, all of Proton VPN’s apps have been independently audited and verified for vulnerable security risks (the audits found only “medium” and “low” risks that Proton VPN quickly resolved) — I think this is really great because most people don’t have the technical background to audit the apps’ code themselves. Private Internet Access also has open-source apps, but they haven’t been audited like Proton VPN’s apps.

Proton VPN also issues transparency reports that detail all of the requests it receives for user data (from law enforcement and government agencies). When you look at these reports, you may notice large gaps in between the dates each report is published, but this is because Proton VPN rarely receives user data requests.

Overall, Proton VPN has a transparent no-logs policy, is headquartered in a country with strict data privacy protection laws, and has open-source apps that have been audited and confirmed to be safe.

Proton VPN Speed & Performance — Maintains Blazing-Fast Speeds on All Servers

I conducted speed tests for a server in each of the 117 countries where Proton VPN has a server to find the average VPN speed using VPN Accelerator — and my average decrease in speed was 20%, which is above average.

Overall, Proton VPN had very good speed on local servers (I’m located in North Macedonia) as well as distant servers in North and South America, Africa, and Asia. I maintained really good speeds for browsing, watching videos, gaming, and torrenting on nearby servers, and I had a similar experience when I connected to a distant server in Australia.

I first ran a speed test connected to my local internet service provider (ISP) to get a baseline of my internet speed.

Then, I clicked on Proton VPN’s Quick Connect tool (which finds the fastest server) and was connected to a nearby server. My download speed actually increased by 29%. Although my ping slightly increased, I was able to surf the web, watch videos on YouTube, and share files with no noticeable delay.
In fact, it felt as if I wasn’t even connected to a VPN.

Next, I connected to a Proton VPN server in the US. My ping (the time it takes for the internet signal to travel from the device to the VPN server) significantly increased, but my download speed slightly decreased (yet, it was still faster than my connection without a VPN in North Macedonia). Websites loaded almost instantly, and I still downloaded large files at a fast speed.

Finally, I connected to a Proton VPN server in Australia, which is one of the farthest servers from my location, and I experienced slightly slower browsing speeds — my download speeds decreased by about 19% from what it was in the US). Websites averaged about 3-4 seconds to load.

Overall, Proton VPN has some pretty fast speeds to support almost any online activity. I maintained great speeds when I connected to servers in North Macedonia (my home country), and Proton VPN still provided me with sufficient speeds on distant servers to watch videos and share P2P files. That said, Proton VPN still isn’t as fast as ExpressVPN, but it is one of the fastest VPNs in 2025. If you’d like to compare other features of the two VPN services, check out our comparison of Proton VPN and ExpressVPN.

Proton VPN Servers & IP Addresses — Offers a Huge Network + Speed Metrics

Proton VPN has servers located in 117 countries. Some top VPNs have similar server coverage (CyberGhost VPN has servers in 100 countries, and ExpressVPN in 105 countries). But Proton VPN’s server network is way bigger than other competitors, such as PrivateVPN (servers in 63 countries). While most of Proton VPN’s servers are located in the US and Europe, it has servers in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia — so you’ll be able to connect to a nearby server no matter where you live.

It’s also great that Proton VPN allows you to pick individual cities to connect to — that way, you can pick the city that’s closest to your location to get good speeds.

Most of Proton VPN’s servers are physical servers, meaning they’re physically located in the country that you’re connected to, but there are also virtual servers, which Proton calls Smart Routing servers, that are located in a different country than the one you connect to. I like how these servers are clearly labeled in the app with a globe icon and if you want to find out where these servers are actually located, you can check the full list on Proton’s website.

Plus, Proton VPN displays the server load on desktop, which shows how many active users are connected to a server — that makes it very easy to find the fastest servers. I always had faster speeds while connected to servers with low load than servers with high load. Top competitors like ExpressVPN and TunnelBear don’t have this metric.

Overall, Proton VPN has a good server network, has physical and virtual servers, and displays the server load.

Proton VPN Streaming Support — Accesses All Popular Streaming Services

I think Proton VPN is great for streaming because it works with 90+ streaming apps (including both popular and small streaming platforms). Proton VPN’s free plan doesn’t support streaming, so you’ll need to get a paid subscription to get access to the Plus servers, which are optimized for streaming.

Proton VPN is a good Netflix VPN because it reliably works with 25+ Netflix libraries 100% of the time. In addition to Netflix, Proton VPN works with other top streaming sites like Max, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer, as well as DAZN, ABC, NOW TV, Peacock, Fubo, and Pluto TV. I like that Proton VPN lists the streaming sites it works with in its support articles, providing a fast way to find out if the VPN is compatible with a particular streaming app.

Unfortunately, Proton VPN is missing a smart DNS, which is a service that works on devices that don’t natively support VPNs, like gaming consoles or certain smart TVs — top competitors like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN, and Private Internet Access all provide access to a smart DNS.

On the plus side, you can manually set up Proton VPN on your router, so that all your devices (even the ones that don’t natively support VPNs) can connect to Proton VPN. Proton VPN provides helpful tutorials that include screenshots, so the setup process is pretty straightforward — for example, it only took me about 9–12 minutes to set up Proton VPN on my router.

Overall, Proton VPN is good for streaming — it consistently works with Netflix, and it’s also compatible with 90+ other streaming apps (including top sites like BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Max, and Disney+).

Proton VPN Torrenting Support — Large P2P Network + Port Forwarding

Proton VPN provides really good torrenting support. It offers P2P-optimized servers in all 117 countries, but in some countries, torrenting isn’t supported on all servers. For example, Proton VPN has 50+ servers in Norway, but only half of them allow torrenting. However, Proton VPN puts its torrenting logo (two arrows facing opposite directions) next to each server that supports P2P traffic — this way, it’s easy to find optimized torrenting servers.

I downloaded files using 6 different torrent clients, including qBittorrent, BitTorrent, and uTorrent, and Proton VPN worked seamlessly with each torrent client.

Proton VPN also comes with port forwarding on Windows and Linux (you can manually configure it on macOS). This tool lets you connect to more peers to get faster P2P speeds — in my tests, I always had 25% faster download speeds when using port forwarding. Port forwarding is very easy to use — you only need to enable it inside the VPN app.

Proton VPN provides good security while torrenting, as it comes with a kill switch and full leak protection, so there’s no risk that your data will be leaked while downloading torrents. I ran IP leak tests with 4 different P2P clients to check if the torrent apps were exposing my real IP, and in every test, the results showed only Proton VPN’s IP addresses.

NetShield also got rid of ads on torrent sites, which actually makes them load faster — what’s more, it can also block connections to malicious sites to protect you from fake P2P websites.

Overall, Proton VPN is a really good VPN for torrenting — you can torrent on all server locations, works with the most popular torrenting clients, and has an intuitive port forwarding feature. The VPN also provides very strong security via full leak protection and its ad blocker.

Proton VPN Gaming Support — Good Ping + DDoS Protection

Proton VPN provides a great gaming experience. I used it to play 10+ games of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and I always enjoyed stable connections. When I gamed on a local server in North Macedonia, I had good ping (20–50 ms) and fast connections. My ping was much higher when I used a distant server in the US (100–150 ms), but my gaming experience was still decent since my connections to the gaming server never dropped. While I experienced some lag, it wasn’t game-breaking.

I like that Proton VPN prevents others from ruining your game with DDoS attacks — it hides your IP address so opponents can’t boot you mid-match.

You can also use Proton VPN on your PlayStation or Xbox console by setting it up on your router. The provider has helpful tutorials (which even include screenshots) for the router setup — it only took me about 12 minutes to manually set up Proton VPN on my router to use it to play Elden Ring on my PlayStation 5.

Overall, Proton VPN is good for basic gaming, as it provides smooth connections on local servers and only minor lag on distant servers, it protects you from DDoS attacks, and it works on routers. That said, if you’re a hardcore gamer who mainly wants to use a VPN for gaming, I recommend checking out ExpressVPN instead because it provides lower ping, support for cloud gaming, and even has a router app (so it’s easier to use the VPN on your gaming consoles) — plus, it’s also the #1 gaming VPN on the market.

Proton VPN Bypassing Censorship — Sometimes Works in Restrictive Countries (But Not in China)

Proton VPN is not the best option for overcoming internet censorship in countries that restrict online access — despite offering obfuscation.

The VPN doesn’t reliably work in China and may work in other restrictive countries like Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.

If you’re in a censorship-heavy country, I recommend ExpressVPN instead, as it consistently works in restrictive countries.

Proton VPN Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps — Simple to Install on All Devices

Proton VPN offers apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook, Android TVs, Apple TVs, and Fire TVs. It also works on some routers. Downloading and installing Proton VPN is very easy —  I added Proton VPN onto my Android and iOS smartphones in about 1 minute, and it took less than 5 minutes to install the app on my Windows and Mac computers.

Android — Quick to Find & Connect to a Server

Proton VPN’s Android app is really good — it’s feature-rich, provides fast speeds, and is very easy to navigate.

You can use the Quick Connect option, which automatically connects you to the fastest server by default. I like how this button is configurable — you can set it to connect you to your last connection or any server from the server list.

Proton lets you browse servers by type, like P2P, Secure Core, and Tor. You can also just tap on the drop-down button next to any server location in the server menu to pick a city (note that this is only possible for some countries) or find a specialty server.

The Android app lets you choose between Type 2 (Moderate NAT) and Type 3 (Strict NAT). Type 2 NAT makes it easier for apps that need direct connections, like gaming, VoIP calls, and remote access. Type 3 NAT is stricter, blocking most incoming connections for better security but potentially causing issues with some services.

I like the app’s “Profiles” option. This is where you can create custom 1-click connections for different types of activities. For example, you can set a Gaming profile that connects you to the fastest server location, use WireGuard for lower latency, and enable Type 2 NAT, allowing for better matchmaking, reduced lag, and improved voice chat connectivity.

The kill switch isn’t supported within the Proton VPN app for Android. Instead, there’s an Always-on VPN & kill switch option, where you get instructions on how to enable a permanent kill switch via your phone’s Settings (this means you won’t have access to the internet unless you’re connected to a Proton VPN server).

Finally, there’s a unique “Discreet app icon” option on the Android app, which lets you disguise the VPN app as a weather, notes, or calculator app — a clever addition that can be useful in countries with strict anti-VPN rules where you might face random device inspections by law enforcement.

Overall, I like Proton VPN’s Android app — it’s very easy to use, has excellent security features, and is easy to customize.

iOS — Well-Designed Interface

The Proton VPN iOS app is nearly identical to the Android app. There are some small differences — for example, the iOS app shows you whether a server location includes P2P or Tor servers in the server menu. On Android, you have to tap the server location. The iOS app also lets you connect to a server using a map to click on a country pin.

The biggest difference is the iOS app doesn’t have split-tunneling. However, most VPNs that have split-tunneling don’t support it on iOS (TunnelBear is one of the few that have it).

I also really love how the iOS app comes with a kill switch option, which is an essential security feature.

Proton VPN’s iOS app is as good as the Android app — it’s well-designed, user-friendly, and includes great security features.

Windows/Mac (Desktop) — Feature-Rich & Customizable

Like the Android and iOS apps, the Windows/Mac apps are very similar to one another. You can connect to a Proton VPN server with just one click by using the Quick Connect tool. When you connect to a server, it’s neat how Proton VPN displays the steps your connection is taking as it’s happening — initializing a connection, authenticating the user, establishing a VPN tunnel, and assigning you an IP.

At the top of the window, Proton VPN displays the name of your server (for example, United States > US-NJ#11), your IP address, the load percentage, and your protocol. At the bottom of the screen, Proton VPN displays “Session Traffic” metrics to highlight your network usage and time.

To manually connect to a server, scroll down the list of countries under the Countries tab (or you can select a country on the map). Proton VPN lists the cities where each server is located and the load percentage is indicated by a green, yellow, or red circle.

I appreciate how Proton VPN keeps it simple to find special servers — the P2P servers are identified by arrows on top of one another pointed in opposite directions, and Tor servers have an onion icon next to them.

The Windows and Mac apps include most of the same features, but there are a couple of small differences. The Windows app doesn’t offer the IKEv2 protocol (you get OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Stealth), and the Mac app is missing the OpenVPN protocol option and doesn’t have split-tunneling.

Overall, the Windows and Mac apps are full-featured, come with a lot of great customization tools, and are very user-friendly.

Routers — Provides Good Configuration Tutorials

You can manually set up Proton VPN on a router, but only if it’s compatible with Proton VPN’s service. Luckily, Proton VPN supports a decent number of router models and firmware — some competitors (like TunnelBear) don’t even allow manual router setups.

Manually setting up a VPN connection on your router is usually difficult — luckily, Proton VPN provides access to helpful step-by-step tutorials that are very easy to follow, so the setup process isn’t very time-consuming (in my case, it took less than 15 minutes to set up Proton VPN on my router).

If you’re willing to pay extra, you can also get an InvizBox 2 router, which is an open-source router that’s tested and configured to easily connect to your Proton VPN account. Proton VPN claims it takes less time to set up the VPN connection using this router, and it also says you get more control over your VPN connection — for example, you can quickly change the VPN server’s location, the VPN server itself, and the VPN protocol (IKEv2/IPSec, OpenVPN over TCP, or OpenVPN over UDP) using dropdown menus inside the router’s dashboard.

But even so, I think ExpressVPN is a much better option if you want to use a VPN on your router because it’s one of the only VPNs to include a router app, which is significantly easier to set up (it only took me 8 minutes to do it) and use thanks to its intuitive interface — plus, the router app uses ExpressVPN’s proprietary Lightway protocol, which is the fastest VPN protocol out there.

Overall, Proton VPN supports manual setups on a decent number of router models and firmware and also provides helpful setup tutorials.

Apple TVs — Easy-to-Use App That’s Great for Streaming

Proton VPN’s Apple TV app is an intuitive app that’s great for Apple TV HD devices and all 3 generations of Apple TV 4K, and it supports streaming.

The app is super simple to install, and I like how you can skip typing out your username and password with the remote when logging in, saving time and hassle. Instead, once you download it from the App Store, it’ll display a code that you’ll need to enter through your Proton account on another device.

The app is very easy to navigate with a remote. You can connect to the fastest server or to any of Proton VPN’s recommended server locations with the tap of a button right on the main screen.

If you’re looking for a specific server location, you can easily browse through the full server list that’s also on the same tab. I also like how all countries with servers are easily recognizable by their flag icons. In my tests, the app ran smoothly, and I never experienced any lag.

However, you need a paid Proton VPN subscription to access Proton’s Apple TV app (it’s not available on the free plan). I’d also like to see it add NetShield to the app — ExpressVPN’s Apple TV app includes its Advanced Protection feature.

Overall, Proton VPN’s Apple TV app provides easy access to all server locations, good streaming support, and seamless navigation on Apple TV.

Browser Extensions (Chromium- & Firefox-Based Browsers) — Offers Extensions for Tons of Browsers

Proton VPN’s browser extensions are great if you only want to protect your browser traffic. The user interface is very intuitive and minimalistic, so you’ll have no trouble connecting to a server or toggling the settings.

I like that the browser extensions list all of the server locations (including cities). You can manually scroll down or use the search function to find a server and click on it to connect.

You get access to Proton VPN’s Secure Core servers and there’s a WebRTC leak protection toggle. The browser extensions provide split-tunneling and an option to set the extension to auto-connect you to a server on launch, so you don’t go online unprotected.

The browser extensions are available on all Chromium-based and Firefox-based browsers, including Google Chrome, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Chromium, Opera, and Vivaldi, as well as Firefox itself, LibreWolf, and Waterfox. This is convenient considering most top VPNs like ExpressVPN only have browser extension apps for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Overall, Proton VPN’s browser extensions are good for protecting your web traffic within your browser. They’re available on a long list of popular browsers, include access to Proton VPN’s Secure Core servers and split-tunneling feature, and they’re very user-friendly.

Proton VPN Apps: Is Proton VPN Easy to Use?

Yes, Proton VPN’s apps are really easy to use and full of features, except for the Apple TV app, which is missing almost all features. You get almost all features on all of Proton VPN’s apps, with only a few exceptions — the iOS, macOS, and Linux apps don’t come with split-tunneling, the Linux app is missing the Profiles feature, the Windows app is missing the IKEv2/IPSec protocol, the macOS app is missing the OpenVPN protocol, and the Linux app is missing the WireGuard and IKEv2/IPSec protocols. But, other than that, all apps share a very similar design (so it’s really easy to switch between them) and work without any issues.

Proton VPN Customer Support — Offers Multiple Platforms (Live Chat Only Available on Paid Plans)

Proton VPN provides a thorough library of support guides and a support form, and a live chat.

Its email support (via the ticketing system) is average at best. I received a reply after a day, which isn’t terrible, but most premium VPNs respond in less than 24 hours. The responses from the reps were thorough and useful, but I did get some responses that didn’t directly answer my question.

I like that it has a live chat option, which is the easiest and fastest way to get an answer. I contacted the live chat reps a couple of times and it always took less than 10 seconds to connect. The reps were very friendly and helpful.

The live chat is only available for paid users and the representatives are only available Monday through Friday between 9 am–12 pm CEST. Top providers like ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access have a 24/7 live chat option that is open to anyone.

Overall, I like Proton VPN’s customer support. It has a comprehensive support library that I found to be extremely useful and offers both email and live chat assistance. My primary gripe with the live chat was its limited availability during specific hours only. However, both the live chat and email support staff excelled in addressing all of my queries and they were super friendly, too.

What Proton VPN Can Do Better — Work in Restricted Countries + Offer Live Chat to All Users

Proton VPN is a standout VPN, but it can use improvement in some areas. For example, it doesn’t work in restrictive countries, live chat is only available for paid users and isn’t available 24/7, and it’s missing some additional features that the best VPNs (like ExpressVPN) offer.

First, I’m disappointed that Proton VPN can’t be used in countries like China and only maybe works in countries like Indonesia and Russia. Unfortunately, Proton VPN’s obfuscation isn’t good enough to work in highly restrictive countries, even though it does work for bypassing ordinary internet restrictions.

Proton VPN’s customer support is mostly excellent, but I don’t like how its live chat isn’t available 24/7, and you have to be a paid subscriber to use it — users on the free plan and potential customers with questions must use the email service. Almost all VPNs with live chat are available at any time of day or night, which is really convenient. So, I’d like to see the VPN extend its live chat support hours in the future.

Plus, Proton VPN is also missing a smart DNS tool, which means you won’t be able to use the VPN on devices that don’t have native VPN support. This includes certain smart TVs and gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation. All top VPNs, such as Private Internet Access, have this tool to improve their streaming support and device compatibility.

Is Proton VPN Good for Security & Privacy?

Proton VPN is a really good VPN. It provides great security and privacy features, has easy-to-use apps for all major OS and browser extensions, maintains blazing-fast speeds, works with top streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu, supports P2P file sharing on dedicated servers, and allows up to 10 connections.

When it comes to security and privacy, it’s difficult to top Proton VPN. In addition to including all industry-standard VPN security features, it has fast and secure protocols, and comes with extras like Secure Core servers (double VPN server routing), NetShield (ad/tracking blocker), Proton Pass, and Tor over VPN. Its apps are open-source apps and have been independently audited, and it uses advanced features like perfect forward secrecy, full-disk encryption, and full leak protection. Proton VPN has a strict no-logs policy and is based in privacy-friendly Switzerland, which doesn’t have mandatory data-retention laws and is located outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.

In my speed tests, Proton VPN was fast and provided really good connection speeds for browsing, watching videos and streams, torrenting, and gaming. Thanks to VPN Accelerator (increases VPN speeds), websites took only 1–2 extra seconds to load, even on the most distant servers.

But Proton VPN isn’t perfect. I’m disappointed that Proton VPN doesn’t work in restrictive countries like China. Also, it’s missing a smart DNS for devices that don’t support VPN apps — ExpressVPN has all of the above.

All that said, Proton VPN has a good free VPN plan, and all of its paid offers are backed by a prorated 30-day money-back guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions