Why you’ll be able to belief TechRadar
We spend hours testing each services or products we assessment, so that you could be certain you’re shopping for one of the best. Find out more about how we test.
Proton VPN Free is undoubtedly among the many finest free VPNs obtainable. Providing a broad spectrum of compatibility throughout units, spectacular speeds, and limitless bandwidth, it will be straightforward for anybody searching for a free VPN to get began utilizing Proton VPN Free.
That stated, its apps aren’t the only, you are restricted to just one related gadget at a time, and you may’t select which of its 5 obtainable areas you connect with. Plus, our testing discovered some regarding throttling indicators which might make Proton VPN Free one to keep away from do you have to be searching for a free streaming VPN or torrenting VPN.
Options
Proton VPN Free does precisely what a VPN must do and little else. Included within the free plan is your VPN connection, a kill change, all of Proton VPN’s protocols, and the power to customize your app icon, in case you end up in a area with VPN restrictions.
In our testing, we discovered no motive to be involved by the kill change. It was straightforward sufficient to arrange, although it does require the VPN to be set as an ‘always-on VPN’ on Android units.
Upgrading to a paid Proton VPN plan unlocks a plethora of additional capabilities for the VPN.
For starters, NetShield, Proton VPN’s advert, tracker, and malware blocking software program. You too can entry Proton VPN’s Safe Core server community, which is its equal of multi-hop, use Proton for P2P downloading and file sharing, acquire one-click entry to Tor, split-tunnel your VPN visitors, and unlock Proton VPN’s full suite of customization choices.
These customisation choices vary from customized DNS, to LAN connections, and even particular NAT sorts, plus you’ll be able to arrange particular profiles with tailor-made settings. One thing to notice is that whereas Proton VPN Free does let you create these absolutely custom-made profiles, you’ll be able to solely use them when you improve to a paid plan.
Options rating: 4/10
Server Community
Proton VPN Free highlights one of many usually missed advantages of paid VPNs, the power to decide on the server location you want, somewhat than merely being supplied with one.
Proton VPN Free affords 5 server areas: the US, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania. Nonetheless, you don’t get to decide on which of those servers you connect with; as a substitute, you’re auto-connected to the quickest server obtainable to you, which, as a rule, is the closest.
Whereas not an enormous concern, ought to your intention be to make use of Proton VPN Free merely to safe your on-line visitors, it does restrict Proton VPN Free’s capabilities as a streaming VPN. Plus, you are virtually assured to have pace limitations except you are near any of those areas.
Selecting Proton VPN paid drastically will increase the providing. Upping the international locations obtainable to a whopping 117, and, extra importantly, you acquire the power to decide on the precise location you need to connect with.
Server community rating: 5/10
Apps
Regardless of being free, Proton VPN Free affords a wide variety of apps. Free plan customers can entry Proton VPN on Home windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, and Chromebook.
The most important omissions from this listing that you simply’d be capable to entry do you have to select Proton VPN’s paid plan are its sensible TV apps. This consists of compatibility on Apple TV, Android TV, and Hearth TV Stick.
Typically, nonetheless, the unfold of compatibility obtainable is spectacular. What’s extra, every of Proton VPN Free’s apps carefully resemble one another, and options that is perhaps hidden on smaller display screen units, similar to mobiles, are simply accessed do you have to be wanting to make use of Proton VPN free in your pill or laptop.
You too can relaxation assured that you simply’re not lacking out on any options, relying on the gadget you select, as, not like some free VPNs, Proton VPN Free has the identical options and protocols obtainable to make use of throughout all of its apps.
Apps rating: 8/10
Ease of use
Proton VPN throughout each its paid and free plans shouldn’t be the only VPN to take a look at, although this does not make it bother to make use of, even when freshmen would possibly want a contact extra time.
What have to be stated, although, is that whereas Proton VPN Free is not the only to take a look at, it’s arguably one of the best free VPN to take a look at for sheer aesthetics. Its darkish purple theme, partnered with a easy sufficient map interface, makes for terribly nice viewing, even when all you are able to do with the free plan is click on the join button earlier than you set about your shopping elsewhere.
Picture 1 of 2
Organising Proton VPN Free is appreciably easy. Most notably, you are not immediately pushed to make a paid plan account from the outset, not like many free VPNs. As a substitute, ought to it’s essential to join, you merely create your account by clicking the button on the login menu, and after going via the steps and signing in, you are greeted with the same old house display screen, and a bar telling you what you are lacking out on by not having the paid plan. No hidden free plan signup, no trial it’s essential to navigate, simply fast entry to the free service, and simple methods to improve do you have to select to.
As soon as in, there are solely two buttons it’s essential to fear about: join, which you are greeted with on the principle display screen, and your kill change. As talked about already, given the shortage of server alternative, the join button does all the things for you as soon as clicked, connecting you to the quickest server in a matter of seconds. Your kill change could be discovered shortly through the settings tab on cell phones and tablets, or through the kill change icon on computer systems.
Ease of use rating: 8/10
Pace and efficiency
Proton VPN Free is, no doubt, one of many quickest free VPNs obtainable. Nonetheless, our newest testing revealed a few unlucky points you could want to think about earlier than leaping to your individual conclusions.
Firstly, by way of speeds, Proton VPN free achieved a most of 335 Mbps, which is certainly not gradual. These sorts of speeds would comfortably let you stream, recreation, or browse with none main points. Our concern with this comes from the truth that our earlier spherical of testing noticed the free service obtain round 900 Mbps, which is a concerningly massive drop off.
What’s extra, testing on an Android gadget noticed our speeds when related to the VPN halve when in comparison with what we noticed and not using a VPN connection utilizing both WiFi or a cell information connection. Whereas this nonetheless noticed us obtain speeds properly over 100 Mbps, it is a notable quantity of pace to lose, relying on the duties you are aiming to attain.
A closing concern we discovered was that there was proof of considerable throttling of speeds after a specific amount of information was used. In testing, after utilizing 3-4GB of information, we noticed our speeds drop to solely round 5 Mbps, which, whereas high-quality for shopping or emails, would go away you struggling do you have to want to stream or obtain in your VPN connection.
Given the shortage of server alternative, it is unlikely you’d select Proton VPN Free for streaming anyway, however this could undoubtedly come into consideration. Do you have to be searching for a quick and easy answer to day-to-day web wants, Proton VPN Free is a significantly robust choice.
Pace and efficiency rating: 7/10
Unblocking
Testing Proton VPN’s skill to unblock content material is not a easy feat as a result of, as we have talked about, you aren’t getting to decide on the placement you connect with.
This implies seeing the complete scope of Proton VPN Free’s capabilities is not attainable from one testing location, like now we have. What we will say is we had been flawlessly capable of entry Dutch streaming companies, together with Disney+, Netflix, and Prime Video.
Though we can’t assure the identical ranges of success in different areas, our testing of Proton VPN’s paid plan suggests it’s best to have equal ranges of success. It is because the paid plan was capable of comfortably unblock all of the streaming companies we examined in all 117 areas, together with Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, 10Play, 9Now, and extra.
Unblocking rating: 5/10
Privateness and safety
Regardless of not with the ability to entry Proton’s full suite of security measures with Proton VPN Free, you haven’t any motive to really feel as if your information is at any threat, because of how the service has been arrange.
At the start, Proton VPN is consistently proving that it not solely would not retailer your information, but in addition that it has no vulnerabilities which will put your on-line privateness in danger. An unbiased audit by Securitum in July 2024 marked the third consecutive 12 months of Proton yearly proving its claims, and, whereas on the time of writing we’re but to see an audit in 2025, we count on this to proceed.
When utilizing Proton VPN Free, you should utilize any of its varied safe VPN protocols, together with OpenVPN, WireGuard, and its proprietary Stealth protocol. Each WireGuard and OpenVPN have lengthy been widespread within the VPN business, and each have been confirmed numerous instances to be safe and dependable protocols. WireGuard makes use of its conventional ChaCha20 encryption with Proton VPN, whereas Proton VPN’s OpenVPN deployment makes use of AES-256, one other impressively safe encryption methodology.
Stealth, Proton VPN’s proprietary protocol, is an obfuscated model of WireGuard that runs over TLS. This makes your shopping information seem like regular encrypted shopping information to anybody who would possibly analyze your visitors to identify VPN utilization. For many, that is an added bonus that will not be fully obligatory, however do you have to be tackling enterprise rule-based firewalls or DPI-based firewalls, this protocol might show to have higher luck.
Key issues lacking from Proton VPN Free embrace Proton VPN’s equal of multihop, known as Safe Core, in addition to its NetShield advert, malware, and monitoring blocker, and any sort of break up tunneling. Whereas lacking out on split-tunelling and multihop is unlucky, we might often advocate operating an exterior advert and malware blocker alongside a VPN anyway, so NetShield would not show as large a loss.
Privateness and safety rating: 8/10
Monitor file
Given Proton’s extensive suite of safety instruments and claims to be a privacy-first firm, it will get nice consideration when put beneath scrutiny. Fortunately, for essentially the most half, it has confirmed to be flawless. An occasion in 2019 the place Proton Mail was pressured to log a local weather activist’s IP after a regulation enforcement request proves to be the one mark on an in any other case problem-free file throughout its product vary.
It ought to, nonetheless, be remembered that Swiss regulation works otherwise for VPN suppliers. VPN suppliers can’t be compelled to hold out bulk surveillance by both Swiss or overseas regulation enforcement. This makes Proton VPN a lot much less susceptible to requests that may put privateness in danger. At a person account stage, Proton VPN does have to adjust to legally legitimate instances introduced by the Swiss courtroom, even when made by overseas entities. Nonetheless, Switzerland has no ties to the EU, US, or NATO intelligence sharing pacts, and sometimes would not acknowledge requests from international locations with a poor judicial popularity.
Monitor file rating: 9/10
Buyer Assist
Proton VPN’s buyer assist choices are extra restricted than most, particularly on its free plan.
Do you have to encounter any points whereas utilizing the free plan, you’ll be able to both use its assist website to browse articles which will enable you repair your situation, or you should utilize a contact e mail handle to get some type of assist from a human, relying in your situation.
In follow, Proton VPN’s assist articles are impressively useful, and there is greater than sufficient of them to cowl most points you face, and, whereas it may be gradual to contact a human through e mail, it is at the least a viable different do you have to run into any points not lined.
The most important omission for Proton VPN Free clients isn’t any dwell assist functionalities. Even paid Proton VPN clients aren’t fairly capable of entry 24/7 assist, however the lack of any sort of dwell chat does imply freshmen might be left within the chilly if struggling to seek out the assist they want early on of their time utilizing a VPN.
Buyer assist rating: 7/10
Pricing and plans
Proton VPN Free does lack a good quantity in comparison with what a paid Proton VPN plan can supply, however that does not imply it is not a supremely succesful free VPN, relying in your wants.
By selecting to improve to Proton VPN’s paid choice, you’ll be able to entry:
- 12,000 servers throughout 117 international locations – plus the power to decide on which server you connect with!
- Servers able to speeds as much as 10 Gbps with VPN Accelerator
- Netshield advert, malware, and tracker blocking
- Safe Core (multihop) connections
- P2P downloading and file sharing
- 10 simultaneous connections
- The Tor community inside your common browser
- Break up tunneling
- VPN Profiles
- Superior VPN customisation settings
Given Proton VPN begins from $3.59 per 30 days, that may be a lot to incorporate in that value. Whereas it isn’t as low cost as Surfshark or NordVPN, its paid plan additionally proved to be able to speeds which matched the very quickest VPNs all through, and it additionally proved flawless at unblocking streaming companies.
So, whereas Proton VPN Free is a good free VPN option to safe your day-to-day on-line actions, upgrading to a paid plan might show to be extraordinarily useful relying on what you need to obtain along with your VPN.
Pricing and plans rating: 9/10
Do you have to use Proton VPN Free?
If you’re searching for a free VPN to guard you whilst you’re out and about, working abroad, or on vacation, and also you’re fearful about privateness whenever you’re related to public Wi-Fi or to another person’s community, Proton VPN Free is no doubt a sensible choice for you.
Whereas it doesn’t have a lot in the way in which of additional options, you’ll be able to set up it in your gadget, connect with the VPN, after which just about overlook all about it. With speeds that may comfortably deal with most duties, an easy-enough interface, and a easy setup course of, it is a breeze to get related in a matter of minutes with out being pressed into upgrading to its paid choice.
Total rating: 70/100
Alternate options
We check and assessment VPN companies within the context of authorized leisure makes use of. For instance: 1. Accessing a service from one other nation (topic to the phrases and situations of that service). 2. Defending your on-line safety and strengthening your on-line privateness when overseas. We don’t assist or condone the unlawful or malicious use of VPN companies. Consuming pirated content material that’s paid-for is neither endorsed nor accepted by Future Publishing.