ProtonVPN Review, Pricing & Features

What is ProtonVPN?

ProtonVPN is a VPN software used by a wide range of businesses and individuals to securely access blocked content as well as change and protect their IP address. Its standout points are its user-friendliness and ad blocker.

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Table of Contents

ProtonVPN Review Summary

ProtonVPN was founded in 2014 by Swiss company Proton Technologies AG. It was founded by the same company that created ProtonMail, a popular encrypted email service.

ProtonVPN’s features are tailored more for small businesses with basic VPN needs. Its strongest features are its usability as well as its additional ad-blocking capabilities.

ProtonVPN is one of the more affordable VPN software solutions. Its pricing starts at $4 per month, and it also offers a free plan.

Overall, ProtonVPN is a robust solution built for individuals and businesses in need of easy-to-use VPN software. ProtonVPN makes changing your IP address and unblocking websites very simple to do. Do note, however, that some advanced security features are locked in its premium plans.

ProtonVPN Pricing & Cost

ProtonVPN is one of the most affordable solutions on the market today. Its pricing starts at $4 per month, and it also provides a free plan with 23 servers in 3 countries.

Here are ProtonVPN’s pricing options:

Plan NameFreeBasicPlusVisionary
Price per Month$0$4$5.99$24
Servers2335013001300
Countries3406161

ProtonVPN Features

Let’s discuss the major features that ProtonVPN offers and how they can help your VPN needs. Product screenshots are included to add context and demonstrate the user interface.

Location & Device Coverage

ProtonVPN offers location coverage for up to 61 countries with speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second. You can choose from 1,300 servers with its Plus plan. Compare this with NordVPN, which offers over 5,000 servers in 60 countries.

ProtonVPN offers support for the following devices and operating systems:

  • Windows
  • MacOS
  • Linux
  • Chromebook
  • Android
  • Android TV
  • iOS/iPadOS

Multiple device capability increases for up to 10 devices depending on which plan you’ve selected.

ProtonVPN’s free plan comes with coverage in three countries: The U.S., Japan, and The Netherlands. Although these coverage options are enough for the everyday user, advanced users will enjoy the flexibility of ProtonVPN’s paid plans.

Security

ProtonVPN comes with a number of features dedicated to keeping your connection secure. This operates on a top-down approach, meaning security is prioritized both in terms of ProtonVPN’s real-life server locations as well as its software features.

ProtonVPN has core servers in the following countries:

  • Switzerland
  • Iceland
  • Sweden

Each country is selected due to their strong privacy laws, and each server is operated on ProtonVPN’s own dedicated networks. ProtonVPN also features high strength encryption with AES-256 as well as VPN protocols such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, and Wireguard.

ProtonVPN Security

ProtonVPN also comes with a built-in kill switch. This kill switch is best used when users lose connection with the VPN server. Kill switches block all network traffic to prevent your privacy from being compromised.

Moreover, ProtonVPN offers a Secure Core feature that adds an additional layer of protection for users. In the event that attackers monitor servers you are connected to, they will only be able to trace traffic back to ProtonVPN’s physical Secure Core servers.

Essentially, Secure Core makes tracking your IP and location much more difficult. Unfortunately, this feature is only available for Plus and Visionary members.

ProtonVPN Secure Core

Finally, ProtonVPN does not require any personal identifying information to obtain an account. Users can sign up with an anonymous ProtonMail email account and sign in without disclosing their identity. This is just one more precautionary measure ProtonVPN takes to ensure security.

Advanced Features

ProtonVPN offers a number of advanced features that help with usability and connection speed. Its most noteworthy advanced feature is its ad blocker: Netshield.

ProtonVPN Netshield

Netshield is particularly helpful due to its flexibility. You can choose to block malware only, or block malware, ads, and trackers that companies use to target advertisements to you. The fact that ProtonVPN’s ad blocker is integrated into its software means you have a centralized system to prevent trackers and malware.

ProtonVPN Customer Service

ProtonVPN’s customer support team is decent. Although its customer support team is attentive and its knowledge center comes with helpful tips, near-instant customer support through live chat is not available.

Customer Support ChannelsEmail
Other Support ResourcesKnowledge center
Application Status PageYes

ProtonVPN Alternatives & Competitors

ProtonVPN has a number of competitors. Its most comparable alternatives are Visme and Adobe Spark.

Here’s a full list of ProtonVPN competitors:

  • NordVPN
  • ExpressVPN
  • Surfshark
  • Private Internet Access
  • ZenMate VPN

Is ProtonVPN Right for You?

Overall, ProtonVPN is a robust solution built for individuals and businesses in need of easy-to-use VPN software. ProtonVPN makes changing your IP address and unblocking websites very simple to do. Do note, however, that some advanced security features are locked in its premium plans.

If you're interested, you can try ProtonVPN today.

Yousef Fatehpour

Yousef Fatehpour is a Junior Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit. He graduated from University of California, San Diego, where he studied Human Centered Design and Communications. His work at UCSD's Design Lab emphasized UX research and product management.

Yousef's primary areas of interest are software design, user journeys, and how user experience is handled across software markets. Yousef also has experience in product design and multimedia content production. You can connect with Yousef on LinkedIn.

Yousef is an expert in several software categories including:

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