Proton VPN
Swiss-based privacy-first VPN with audited no-logs policy and unlimited free tier
Proton VPN is a Swiss-based VPN service from the creators of Proton Mail, offering a genuinely unlimited free plan alongside premium tiers with advanced privacy features. It operates over 20,000 servers across 140+ countries with open-source, independently audited apps and focuses on transparency, security, and digital freedom under Switzerland's strict privacy laws.
How we scored it
A weighted average of the 4 dimensions below, each judged 0–10 from published pricing, vendor documentation and independent user feedback. We do not run hands-on tests, and no vendor has any say in a score.
2 further dimensions are not scored for this product yet, so they are left out of the average rather than counted as zero. How the score works.
What it actually costs
Intro pricing shown — see the renewal note for what you'll pay after the introductory term. We don't hide the second-act price.
VPN Plus (Monthly)
20,000+ servers in 140+ countries; 10 devices; NetShield ad blocker
VPN Plus (1-Year)
20,000+ servers in 140+ countries; 10 devices; NetShield ad blocker
VPN Plus (2-Year)
20,000+ servers in 140+ countries; 10 devices; NetShield ad blocker
Proton Unlimited (2-Year)
All VPN Plus features plus Mail, Drive, Pass, Calendar access
Proton Unlimited (Monthly)
All VPN Plus features plus Mail, Drive, Pass, Calendar access
What to check before you rent Proton VPN
Infrastructure is cheap to start and expensive to leave. These four questions decide what it costs you over three years rather than three months.
The renewal, not the intro price
Introductory pricing is normal in this category and the renewal is the price that matters. Check the renewal rate on Proton VPN’s own pricing page before the first term ends, not after.
What the commitment buys
Longer terms carry the lowest headline rate and the least room to change your mind. Price the shortest term you would actually be comfortable with, then decide whether the discount is worth the lock-in.
The cost of leaving
Moving a site or a workload is the hidden switching cost: migration time, DNS and TLS changes, and whatever egress the provider charges to hand your own data back. A provider is only cheap if leaving is.
What is actually metered
Bandwidth, storage, backups and support tiers are usually the lines that grow, not the base plan. Find the ceiling on each before you commit, because that is where the bill moves.
These are the checks we apply across vpn, in the same order, so two pages can be compared line for line.
How much does Proton VPN really cost?
Our calculation from the vendor's published prices — not a figure the vendor advertises.
Price steps up at thresholds. Crossing one moves you to the next tier's price for everything, not just the excess. Flat-rate plans at different monthly price points; longer commitment periods (annual/biennial) offer progressively lower per-month costs; Free tier available.
| Team size | Per month | Per year | Over 3 years | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $2.99 | $35.88 | $107.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 5 people | $2.99 | $35.88 | $107.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 10 people | $2.99 | $35.88 | $107.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 50 people | $2.99 | $35.88 | $107.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
Based on the VPN Plus (Monthly) plan at $9.99 a month. Three years at the current monthly price. The vendor does not publish a renewal rate, so no increase is assumed.
- The vendor does not publish a renewal price, so three-year totals assume today's price holds.
Work out your own cost
- Flat rate — the price does not change with team size.
- No renewal increase is published, so today's price is held flat.
Proton VPN against the field
The highest-scoring alternatives in the same category, compared on the figures we hold for all of them.
| Proton VPNThis page | ExpressVPN | NordVPN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReviewCost score | 8.2/10 | 8.5/10 | 8.4/10 |
| Cheapest plan | Free | — | — |
| From | — | $3.49/mo | $3.09/mo |
| Renews at | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Biggest strength | Audited no-logs policy and full open-source codebase provide exceptional transparency | Proprietary Lightway protocol delivers consistently fast speeds, particularly with Lightway Turbo on Windows | Fastest VPN in independent 2026 tests—82% speed retention with NordLynx protocol, minimal latency on local and mid-distance servers |
| Biggest drawback | No 24/7 live chat support—email-only, with 1-3 day response times reported | Device limits (10/12/14) lag behind competitors like Surfshark and PIA that offer unlimited simultaneous connections | Renewal pricing jumps significantly—2-year Basic plan renews at $219.48/year ($18.29/mo), a 529% increase over introductory $3.09/mo rate |
Prices are the published figures at the time of writing and change often. Renewal pricing is shown where the vendor publishes it. See how we review.
What people ask about Proton VPN
Straight answers to what buyers actually ask, drawn from the documentation and published user reports.
Is the Proton VPN free plan genuinely unlimited?
Does Proton VPN work in China?
What's the real renewal price after the introductory discount?
Why doesn't Proton VPN offer live chat support?
Page history
- Published
- 22 May 2026
- Last updated
- 1 October 2026
- Pricing checked against vendor
- 26 September 2026
Sources & verification
Pricing on this page was taken from the vendor's published pricing page on 26 September 2026.
- Pricing | Proton VPNOfficial pricing page · Proton VPN · read 26 September 2026