ProtonVPN | Review and Cost 2024
ProtonVPN made its presence known in the VPN scene to high expectations. Being developed by the makers of ProtonMail, the VPN counterpart was anticipated to be better than its predecessor. The question on people’s minds, is the VPN as good as expected? Let me tell you more in this review of ProtonVPN.
Go for ProtonVPN: a tried and tested VPN provider known for strong encryption and excellent privacy protection.
Last updated: 15 April 2024
What is ProtonVPN?
Proton VPN is readily identifiable as the product of the brains behind ProtonMail – the popular email encryption service. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, it is a world-renowned project developed by CERN and MIT experts.
Activist aspirations lace the creation of Proton VPN. Its makers wanted to help activists and journalists get their message across by overcoming censorship and geo-restrictions imposed in several countries. Therefore, given their earlier success with ProtonMail and their Swiss roots, a highly-secure and efficient VPN brand was anticipated.
From its secure email roots designed for activism, Proton VPN evolved to become one of the most reputed commercial VPNs. For business organisations, VPNs thwart imminent cyberattacks that could be financially damaging. With users who crave entertainment, you can use a VPN for P2P, torrenting, streaming, and file sharing for maximum experience.
What a VPN does is to cloak you with a secure protection layer to ensure that whatever you do online, no one can know what you’re doing or identify you. In this ProtonVPN review, I’ll assess how well the VPN does in terms of price, features, ease of use, and reliability.
ProtonVPN Price and Plans
You’ll be happy to know that there is a ProtonVPN free trial. However, you’re limited only to access in three countries and not-so-fast speeds on the period of ProtonVPN trial. To take full advantage of Proton VPN features, you can choose from 3 subscription tiers.
- 1-month Plan: grants access to every country, allows P2P file sharing, high speeds, and two simultaneous logins
- 1-year Plan: gives you SecureCore features, Plus servers, and 5 simultaneous logins
- 2-year Plan: full functionality, plus ProtonMail, and 10 simultaneous logins
Payment channels accepted include cash, credit card, PayPal, and Bitcoin. For maximum consumer protection, every subscription includes a 30-day money-back guarantee with a 7-day ProtonVPN free trial. To use the 7-day trial, download the ProtonVPN client first. Next, register by following instructions. Afterwards, you can test the VPN to your heart’s content or start reading our ProtonVPN free review.
Summary sheet
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Does it register your activities? | No, you're safe with a strict no-log policy |
| Is it safe for torrenting? | Yes, you can use it for P2P |
| What Netflix catalogue is available? | US, UK, FR, AU, CA, DE |
| Simultaneous logins | Up to 10 connections simultaneously |
| How many countries do it cover? | 54+ |
| On what platforms is it available? | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Router |
| Money-back guarantee policy | 30 days |
| Available protocols | IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN |
| Type of traffic data? | Unlimited |
| Type of Cipher | AES 256 bits, the most secure encryption in the World |
| How many IP Addresses does it provide? | This provider does not disclose the number |
| How many servers are available? | 1,065+ |
Review of Proton VPN
ProtonVPN Netflix
Let’s tick the box for this VPN on Netflix access. Streaming services such as Netflix often get blocked by geo-restrictions in some countries. Using this VPN provider, servers in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan function without issue. Nevertheless, when you connect to servers in France and Canada, error messages may be encountered.
With ProtonVPN BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, Hulu, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Prime can be accessed to expand your selection. In addition, in terms of speed, the VPN delivers with a stable and fast connection. As a result, you can expect to stream your favourite shows without getting frustrated by buffering. Take note: these features only come with a paid plan and can’t be enjoyed under ProtonVPN free.
Torrent
In general, this VPN is an excellent option for torrenting and P2P file sharing as traffic capture is unlikely. However, ProtonVPN torrenting’s policy disallows downloading or sharing copyrighted files through BitTorrent applications. But the truth is, there’s no way to tell since no mechanisms can reinforce this prohibition. Protonvpn no logs history – they keep no logs, so it’s not likely that you’ll be monitored.
Proton VPN Features
Certainly, this ProtonVPN review would be incomplete without detailing its features.
Server locations
The VPN provider boasts a network of more than 700 servers in 44 countries around the world. Your range of access to these servers depends on your subscription. Therefore, those paid under the Plus and Visionary plans have an advantage over Basic or ProtonVPN Free plan subscribers.
Secure Core
When going online through a VPN, the possibility of exposure still exists. For example, network attacks could compromise servers located in extremely restrictive locations. Proton VPN’s architecture fends off these attacks through SecureCore servers. These servers route your traffic via the company’s secure network, giving you extra protection.
No-log policy
ProtonVPN’s zero-log system prevents anyone from tracking down your activity. With no record of traffic or activity, you can rest assured that your information does not fall into the wrong hands.
Multi-platform Support
The company allows you to download the ProtonVPN client for a wide range of devices. It is compatible with various operating systems, including Android, Windows, macOS, and IOS. You can also use this VPN for up to 10 devices simultaneously.
Kill Switch
The mark of a reliable VPN is an auto kill switch feature. Should you get dropped from a server, the kill switch blocks your Internet connection automatically.
DNS Leak Protection
Another excellent Proton VPN feature is DNS leak protection. With this feature, any efforts by hackers, cybercriminals, or government agencies to snoop on you or steal information are frustrated.
Windows client
Interface
The ProtonVPN app is user-friendly. After downloading the ProtonVPN client, a minimalist, intuitive interface greets you. It’s perfect for beginners to use. The software even briefs you on some of the essential things to take note of the first time you open it.
Settings
The ProtonVPN client also allows you to customise settings. You can add special features including, but not limited to, P2p, Secure Core, and Tor over VPN, among others. Therefore, Proton VPN will also please advanced users who like to tweak configurations. The VPN allows you to set UDP/TCP protocols and the auto kill switch feature.
And for someone who would like to download the apk for this VPN, it’s available. The ProtonVPN APK is now available to download on Github.
Customer service
A significant weakness of Proton VPN is that it doesn’t have any live chat support. As an alternative, you can contact their customer service team through a support ticket or email.
Conclusion
To wrap up this ProtonVPN review, this VPN rates excellent in terms of security and protection. So, is Proton VPN as good as expected? Yes, it is.
With an auto kill switch feature, Secure Core, and DNS leak protection, it rates highly on security and reliability. It’s user-friendly design also makes it one of the most approachable VPN providers today. There are demerits to the VPN however, such as the lack of live chat support. However, in the final analysis, its pros outweigh the cons, making it one of my strongly recommended VPNs.
