Proton VPN Security: Comparing Free and Paid Plans

Proton VPN is widely considered one of the safest services for anyone looking for a VPN that prioritizes privacy and transparency. It has a history, backed by regular third-party audits that emphasize strong encryption, public accountability, and minimal data collection.

If you've come here because you're wondering specifically about the free tier of Proton VPN compared to the various paid subscription tiers, we'll run through the differences there as well, but after testing both tiers extensively, reading through audits and checking up on the company, we can say, yes Proton VPN is safe as long as you understand what a VPN can and cannot do to protect you online.

We recently wrote an extensive Proton VPN review, and after testing, it's earned one of the top slots on our guide to the best VPN services.

• Proton VPN Plus - $9.99 $2.99 a month
• Proton VPN Unlimited - $12.99 $8.99 a month

Who's behind Proton - and why should you care?

Proton VPN is owned by Proton AG, a Switzerland-based company you might have heard of lately for its increasingly popular Proton Mail app, a privacy-focused email client. The company itself was founded by a group of privacy-focused scientists who met while working at CERN, no less.

Being based in Switzerland is a significant plus point for a privacy-first company like Proton AG, or any VPN brand, as the country has strong data-protection laws and isn't part of any major intelligence-sharing alliances like Five Eyes or Nine Eyes.

These elements matter because they affect what data a company might be asked to collect or disclose by the authorities.

How Proton VPN protects your data

Proton VPN uses the same core security standards expected from any respectable VPN provider. User traffic is encrypted with AES-256, a 256-bit key long symmetric block cipher.

Proton VPN uses a range of modern VPN protocols, including OpenVPN, WireGuard, and its own Stealth protocol, which leverages custom obfuscation to mask VPN traffic as regular traffic.

As expected, you also get essential features, such as an optional kill switch that cuts off internet access if your VPN connection drops. DNS leak protection prevents your traffic requests from being routed outside the encrypted tunnel. All of this applies to both paid and free Proton VPN users.

Proton VPN has an established no-logs policy

As a rule, I won't use a VPN without a no-logs policy, and even then, I want to see a recent third-party audit to back up any such claims. Thankfully, Proton has both in place.

This means they don't record your browsing activity, traffic destinations, or any IP addresses linked to VPN sessions.

Limited operational data is collected, which is standard among reputable VPN providers. This involves a timestamp of when an account was created, albeit one not linked to any further activity.

Is there a catch to the free Proton VPN plan?

Yes, but not one related to Proton VPN being a safe app. Unlike the vast majority of other free VPNs found on app stores, Proton is not making you the product in this free transaction.

One of the other big standouts of Proton VPN's free tier is that there is no data cap, which is a big deal and one of our favorite features that might mean many of you don't need the paid version at all.

One of the key downsides of the free tier, though, is the much smaller number of servers, which often means you might see slower Mbps speeds, making browsing more sluggish during peak times if the limited servers get busy. You'll only be able to connect to one device at a time.

You also can't choose a location manually. In my testing, I generally landed on a US server, but was sometimes given a European one, which would be even slower due to the extra distance. This isn't ideal if you're looking to access specific international streaming options.

Free users also miss out on a few bonus features, though only one is technically part of a VPN: the multi-hop connection, which lets users run through two different locations to create a double VPN for extra security. For most users, though, this might be considered overkill; it also affects download speeds quite a lot. The free tier is also missing ad and malware blocking.

• Proton VPN Plus - $9.99 $2.99 a month
• Proton VPN Unlimited - $12.99 $8.99 a month

Has Proton VPN been hacked or compromised in the past?

Proton VPN has not reported any major breaches. Of course, no service is entirely immune to risk, but the publicly available audits (other providers only allow access to their audits for paid subscribers) are a significant green flag for transparency fans. Proton also requests an audit every year, while some of the other big names might conduct them only every other year. Given how fast digital technology moves, annual seems like a better idea nowadays.

Proton VPN is open source as well, meaning independent researchers can inspect the code the VPN is built on, try to break it, and explore any exploits themselves.

How open source makes Proton VPN safer

Being open source means the code for Proton VPN's apps is publicly available for all to see. Of course, a high level of technical knowledge is required to read or verify the data accurately.

Going fully open source is rare for a VPN, as the best we usually see is a few of a provider's optional protocols being opened up, but Proton has 100% open-source apps across all platforms.

This extra level of transparency invites professional developers and engineers, as well as amateur enthusiasts, to poke around and check out the inner workings for themselves.

Proton takes its product's security seriously and even runs a bug bounty program with lucrative cash rewards for help identifying vulnerabilities in its VPN. Being open source really opens the door for detailed investigations and testing, which ultimately helps Proton continue to build an increasingly strong app.

Is Proton's free VPN safe?

Absolutely, and the third-party audits have verified it runs on the same encryption and operates under the same no-logs policy as the paid app. We've spent time testing both subscription tiers, and the free model performed just as well when we looked for IP leaks and when we tested the kill switch to see if it properly severed our online connection during any dropouts.

In addition to a wider range of servers that are far less congested and the option to choose your own location in the paid version of Proton, there are a few extra features for added layers of security and privacy, but nothing that makes us feel the free model is 'unsafe'.

Paying users get NetShield, which blocks DNS-level ad and malware while browsing. The Secure Core connections are behind the paywall, too, but most users might find this option a bit overkill. It's a double connection that routes your traffic through an additional country (specifically hardened servers in Sweden, Iceland, or Switzerland) before it reaches your chosen destination. This is a super cautious option that, admittedly, is much slower. If you're after this level of privacy, you're likely happy to pay for a feature-rich VPN rather than a free tier anyway.

Is Proton VPN right for you?

Proton VPN is one of the most reliable VPN providers we've tested, and the free version is certainly a tempting option if you're mainly looking for extra protection while browsing at home or on public WiFi and don't need a double VPN.

The paid plans are a better fit if you find the smaller server count and lower speeds are too slow for your needs. If you want to stream geo-blocked content from overseas, the free version is absolutely not for you. The ad blocker is an excellent perk of the paid plan as well, if you're just exhausted by the number of ads you see online nowadays.

Either way, both the paid and free versions of Proton VPN are safe to use, thanks to their use of AES-256 encryption, an established (and backed-up) no-logs policy, killswitch technology, and Swiss jurisdiction.

• Proton VPN Plus - $9.99 $2.99 a month
• Proton VPN Unlimited - $12.99 $8.99 a month

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Brendan Griffiths

Senior Commerce Director

Brendan is the Senior Commerce Director of Business Insider’s Reviews team. He oversees a wide range of our service journalism, covering deals, popular sales events, streaming guides, and VPN guides. ExperienceBrendan joined Business Insider remotely in early 2023 and relocated from the UK to New York City in March 2024. During his time at Business Insider, he’s played a key role in developing stories on how to watch your favorite shows and other streaming events, which VPNs you should use and why, and major shopping events like Prime Day and Black Friday.Prior to joining Business Insider, Brendan began his journalism career as a freelance gaming writer and service journalism editor. He later joined Future Publishing as their first-ever Deals Writer at TechRadar. He went on to become their Deals Editor, then Managing Editor of Hardware & eCommerce at GamesRadar before moving over to Future's mobile tech division to become the eCommerce Content Director for Android Central, iMore, and Windows Central.Why you can trust BrendanWith more than 17 years of experience in the industry, Brendan has a keen understanding of how to create well-tested buying guides, reviews, and deals guides. Over the years, Brendan has written about many different topics, including the best Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday deals, the hottest folding smartphones, gaming controllers, Kindles, international how-to-watch guides, and even international guides on buying a mattress. Expertise

• Streaming services
• VPN apps
• How to watch your favorite TV shows, movies, and sporting events including international content
• Video games
• Android phones
• Ticket sales

EducationBrendan graduated from UK University, the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, with a degree in Journalism and Film & Media.Outside of workOutside of work, you'll find Brendan exploring dive bars in New York or staying in with his cat and making a dent in watchlists across various streaming services, or gaming on Xbox Series X or PS5.

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