ProtonMail, well known for its encrypted email service, has expanded to offer VPN protection without hampering internet speed and performance.
ProtonVPN currently operates servers in more than 65 countries, placing itself among its mid-tier rivals; users regularly take polls for country additions to expand its service offering.
Features
ProtonVPN is a virtual private network (VPN) designed to protect users on multiple devices from prying eyes online and track your IP address for tracking purposes. ProtonVPN uses strong encryption protocols to ensure no one spies on or tracks your internet activity; furthermore it masks online activities in order to ward off hackers and advertisers and access geo-blocked content such as streaming video services like Netflix and Disney Plus.
This VPN is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android platforms. Mobile apps feature a clean and user-friendly interface with one touch connecting, automatic country selection and quick connect button; while desktop app provides full suite of tools to manage and configure service.
ProtonVPN’s software is built on OpenVPN protocol, using secure UDP and TCP transmissions to encrypt your data. In addition, this innovative VPN offers kill switch and split tunneling – one of the most sophisticated implementations we’ve seen of this technology that allows you to decide whether all or just certain applications require encryption.
NetShield, which blocks privacy-invading ads and trackers while improving device performance, is another key feature. Additionally, the company employs DNS protection measures to prevent malware infections as well as ChaCha20 cipher for additional data encryption.
ProtonVPN has a stellar reputation for offering secure and trustworthy VPN services, with its no-log policy and Switzerland location offering added privacy benefits. Regular security audits also take place, as do its higher prices compared to some other VPNs; yet its prices still make ProtonVPN an appealing option for businesses and individuals looking for reliable protection of their privacy online. Plus, ProtonVPN works seamlessly with major payment methods including credit/debit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin and more!
Pricing
ProtonVPN is a user-friendly VPN service with both free and paid plans, owned and operated by Swiss firm Proton Technologies, known for their encrypted email service ProtonMail. Both services operate with strict privacy measures in mind – they don’t log user data like many competitors do and use AES 256-bit encryption with kill switch to protect user connections and IP masking for added anonymity as well as custom DNS servers for maximum anonymity.
ProtonVPN provides an impressive selection of servers and bandwidth at reasonable prices, boasting 3,024 servers in 69 countries – while this may not be as large a selection than some competitors, it still gives users plenty of choices from all locations around the globe. ProtonVPN’s servers include streaming support as well as ad blocking capabilities.
The company prides itself on its no-logging policy, which pledges not to store any information regarding your usage or device type and does not limit bandwidth usage. They also offer an expansive free plan with multiple connections and excellent performance levels.
ProtonVPN is an ideal option for individuals and small businesses that require top-of-the-line security protocols and fast speeds, including activists or journalists working in regions where VPN use is restricted. Unfortunately, though, ProtonVPN may not be suitable for companies needing multiple connected devices at once as its Visionary plan costs $30 a month but may be too pricey to justify for small business owners.
Servers
ProtonVPN boasts more than 2,900 servers worldwide, making it easy for you to select servers near your location and experience fast internet speeds. Their user-friendly interface enables easy selection by country and viewing of server loads; also showing active users on each server so you can avoid those that have too many people online and thus may be slower compared to others; something not found with top competitors such as ExpressVPN or TunnelBear.
Paid plans offer you access to a wider variety of servers, including those dedicated to streaming content like Netflix and BBC iPlayer. You can quickly identify these special servers by clicking on their information icon next to a country name in the server list. Our service is headquartered in Switzerland – one of the safest jurisdictions for VPN services as it does not belong to 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance and does not mandate that VPN providers log user activity.
Proton VPN’s no-logs policy ensures that hackers, advertisers and government agencies cannot track your activities. They employ a double VPN system which encrypts data twice before it reaches its final destination – adding another layer of protection against hacker attempts at tracking you down. They do not discriminate against device types or throttle connections but do log timestamps from previous sessions which get overwritten upon every new connection session.
Windscribe and TunnelBear both offer generous 30-day money-back guarantees on all paid plans; their refund policies offer more generous refund policies.
Apps
ProtonVPN apps for desktop and mobile are well-designed and intuitively intuitive, featuring an attractive layout with an interactive world map that displays each company location; you can hide this view to reveal a standard list where you can filter by load (green means low, red means high) or server speed.
The app includes numerous customizable settings to let you adjust your protocol, encryption level and more. Additionally, it supports various connection types – TCP/UDP, UDP over SSL, SSTP, L2TP/IPsec OpenVPN IKEv2/IPsec WireGuard are among them – and has options to enable or disable AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption depending on which VPN protocol is chosen.
ProtonVPN boasts an excellent set of security features, such as kill switch, DNS leak protection and split tunneling. In addition, ProtonVPN stands out with some unique offerings like Adblocker/Tracker Blocker through NetShield as well as Secure Core servers which provide extra protection from data attacks.
Notably, this company does not store your payment details – though an email address will be required when signing up – but for maximum privacy they do accept payments made in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency of your choosing.
ProtonVPN was my go-to choice for an all-around VPN that delivered consistently fast speeds during my tests. Boasting strong Swiss privacy features, an anti-logging policy, over 3,000 servers in 69 countries and multiple pricing tiers that range from one month to two years commitment, you can use ProtonVPN simultaneously on up to 10 devices simultaneously – it may not offer quite as many powerful features as free VPNs but remains an attractive alternative option for most users.
Customer support
Proton is a company offering an impressive array of products tailored toward online privacy. Their VPN service features an industry-leading no-logs policy, is located in a country with strong data protection laws, and provides open-source apps which have been audited. Furthermore, Proton offers an amazing 30-day money-back guarantee without any data usage restrictions or additional caveats attached to its refund guarantee.
Service’s No-Logs Policy stands out in the industry by not collecting information like traffic or IP address, which would allow law enforcement agencies to access it easily. Furthermore, transparency reports detailing requests it receives from government and law enforcement bodies are published regularly by this company.
Though this service doesn’t offer live chat support, they do provide a comprehensive help center with troubleshooting tips and setup tutorials, as well as secure email accounts to contact customer support should any issues arise.
From our tests, we discovered that this service performed exceptionally well with Netflix and other popular streaming apps. Their website lists which streaming services it works with so you can verify if their solution will support specific apps before signing up.
The free version of the service only allows one connection and access to 65 servers; therefore it may not meet the needs of those seeking multiple connections and top speeds. However, paid plans provide excellent value for privacy concerns.
Paid plans offer additional features, such as built-in leak protection for DNS and WebRTC services. In contrast to some competitors, our service allows split tunneling that redirects apps or web browsers directly to our VPN service – an added security measure against malware tracking your activity across multiple devices.
