Proton VPN Free Review 2023: 2 Cons and 3 Pros

by Vít Nováček

✅ Fact-checked by Petr Novák​

updated July 5, 2023 (Report a bug)

1. Proton VPN Free: Unlimited Secure VPN at No Cost

   • Limited number of servers (189)
   • Restricted selection of countries (3)

   • User-friendly interface
   • No imposed speed limitations
   • Excellent security level

   Proton VPN Free provides a free service featuring a user-friendly interface, no imposed speed restrictions, and exceptional connection security. It serves as an ideal solution for users who desire a high degree of privacy but are not willing to pay for a VPN service.

   Like all free VPN services, Proton VPN Free has its limitations. These include the availability of only 189 servers across just 3 countries. Therefore, Proton VPN Free may not be the best fit for users who need to access geographically restricted websites and applications.

   Unlike many free VPNs, Proton VPN Free does not restrict users based on data transfer limits.

   An additional benefit of Proton VPN Free is its robust security measures, with support for AES-256 encryption and OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec protocols. Transferred data is encrypted and protected at a high level, offering safe internet usage without concerns of data leakage.

   Overall, Proton VPN Free is a sound choice for those seeking a free VPN with high-level security and a user-friendly interface. For users requiring access to a larger number of servers in multiple countries worldwide, we suggest exploring the paid version, Proton VPN Plus, with 3,064 servers in 68 countries or a competing service like NordVPN. The latter offers users 5,813 servers across 59 countries, solidifying its position as one of the top VPNs in the market.

2. Proton VPN Free Subscription: Discount Code, Free Trial, Money Back Guarantee…

   • Your Price:  Free (1 devices)
   • Money Back Guarantee: No
   • Free Trial: No
   • Cryptocurrency payments:
     No

     Bitcoin :No
     Dash :No
     Ethereum :No
     Ripple :No

   Download For Free

   Proton VPN Free comes at no cost and offers connections to 3 countries, which may be limiting for some users.

   For those requiring access to a multitude of servers and countries, the premium version, Proton VPN Plus, is available at a promotional price of $6.63 per month. The benefits of the paid option include faster connection speed, a broader range of servers and countries, and a superior set of features. For VPN wiki readers, Proton VPN Plus is available at a ​34% off.

3. Proton VPN Free and Supported Devices: Android, iOS, macOS…

   • Device limit: 1

   Platforms supported

   • Android:
     Yes

     Android is supported by 99 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Android TV:
     Yes

     Android TV is supported by 38 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Apple TV:
     No

     Apple TV is supported by 18 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Fire TV:
     Yes

     Fire TV is supported by 42 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromebook:
     Yes

     Chromebook is supported by 21 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromecast:
     Yes

     Chromecast is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • iOS:
     Yes

     iOS is supported by 99 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Kodi:
     No

     Kodi is supported by 23 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Linux:
     Yes

     Linux is supported by 60 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Mac:
     Yes

     Mac is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • NAS:
     No

     NAS is supported by 27 % of reviewed VPNs
   • nVidia Shield:
     Yes

     nVidia Shield is supported by 18 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Playstation:
     No

     Playstation is supported by 22 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Raspberry Pi:
     Yes

     Raspberry Pi is supported by 17 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Roku:
     No

     Roku is supported by 17 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Router:
     No

     Router is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Windows:
     Yes

     Windows is supported by 100 % of reviewed VPNs
   • xBox:
     No

     xBox is supported by 22 % of reviewed VPNs

   Browser Extensions

   • Brave :
     No

     The Brave browser add-on is offered by 47 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Chrome :
     No

     The Chrome browser add-on is offered by 47 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Edge :
     No

     The Edge browser add-on is offered by 20 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Firefox :
     No

     The Firefox browser add-on is offered by 35 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Opera :
     No

     The Opera browser add-on is offered by 47 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Safari :
     No

     The Safari browser add-on is offered by 0 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Vivaldi :
     No

     The Vivaldi browser add-on is offered by 47 % of reviewed VPNs.

   Proton VPN Free permits a 1 device connection at a time.

   The Proton VPN Free app is available for Android and iOS mobile phones, as well as for Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. It can also be used on Chromebook devices and Android TVs.

   The free variant, Proton VPN Free, does not support browser extensions; this feature is only available to subscribers of Proton VPN Plus.

   Alternatively, the browser extension offered by Free VPN, like Planet VPN Free, might be beneficial for users who prefer this method over app installation.

4. Proton VPN Free App: User-friendliness, whitelist, server selection…

   • App Languages: 🇺🇸 English +19 more🇩🇪 German 🇪🇸 Spanish 🇫🇷 French 🇵🇹 Portuguese 🇮🇹 Italian 🇷🇺 Russian 🇵🇱 Polish 🇯🇵 Japanese 🇹🇷 Turkish 🇺🇦 Ukrainian 🇳🇱 Dutch 🇭🇺 Hungarian 🇮🇩 Indonesian 🇬🇷 Greek 🇨🇿 Czech 🇷🇴 Romanian 🇧🇾 Belarusian 🇭🇷 Croatian 🇮🇷 Persian
   • Whitelisting:
     Yes

     Whitelisting is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs

   The Proton VPN Free app offers a user-friendly interface centered around a map for choosing the connection’s destination country. Click on it, and the application will automatically select the most accessible server. If you want to let the app decide on the country, click on the prominent “Quick Connect” button on the left side of the screen to swiftly connect via the optimal server at that moment.

   Another handy feature is the ability to choose a specific server in a particular country. Proton VPN Free displays the current load for this purpose. The Proton VPN Free application is available in 20 different languages.

   Available features include a whitelist, allowing you to designate a list of websites and applications that won’t be secured through the VPN connection. All other sites will be protected via VPN.

   Overall, we find the Proton VPN Free application user-friendly, offering a good range of features that allow quick and secure internet connectivity. The intuitive interface simplifies the process of country and server selection.

5. Proton VPN Free Connection Speed: Upload, Download & Latency

   • Traffic limit: Unlimited

   Download speed

   Higher is better. The average download of all tested VPNs is 101 Mb/s.

   Upload speed

   Higher is better. The average upload of all tested VPNs is 71 Mb/s.

   Server latency

   A lower value is better. The average response rate of all tested VPNs is 64 ms.

   During testing of Proton VPN Free, we repeatedly measured its speed. The average download speed was 7 Mb/s, and the average upload speed was 6 Mb/s.

   Both values are adequate for regular internet use and watching high-definition videos. However, for large data downloads or uploads, and for torrenting, Proton VPN Free may not be the best choice.

   The average response time of Proton VPN Free was 43 ms, which is significantly slower than the top VPNs available. For example, NordVPN had an average response time of 11 ms, while Surfshark averaged 10 ms.

6. Proton VPN Free Server Locations

   • Number of servers:
     189

     The average number of servers for the reviewed VPNs is 1662.
   • Number of countries:
     3

     The average number of countries available for the reviewed VPNs is 39.

   Europe	🇳🇱 Netherlands
   North America	🇺🇸 USA
   South America
   Asia	🇯🇵 Japan
   Africa
   Oceania

   Proton VPN Free provides a total of 189 servers across 3 countries, allowing users to choose their server’s location.

   Although the range is limited, it includes servers in the USA. The number of servers is sufficient for normal use, and we encountered no issues with server overload.

   The paid version, Proton VPN Plus, gives users access to 3,064 servers across 68 countries worldwide, including the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The subscription cost is $6.63 per month.

7. Proton VPN Free Security Features: DNS Leak Protection, Kill Switch…

   • DNS leak protection :
     Yes

     DNS leak protection is offered by 96% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Kill Switch:
     Yes

     Kill Switch is supported by 84% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Multi-Hop:
     No

     Multi-Hop connection is offered by 21 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Tor:
     No

     Tor support is offered by 15 % of the reviewed VPNs.

   Proton VPN Free offers users protection by integrating a variety of security features. One such feature is a kill switch, which automatically disconnects the internet if the connection to the VPN server is lost, preventing data leakage or exposure of the user’s real IP address.

   Its strengths include functional protection against DNS leaks and the option to secure the account via two-factor authentication, which necessitates a verification code from a security application to access the account. Consequently, even if an attacker gets hold of the password, they won’t be able to log in.

   During a connection, Proton VPN Free employs AES-256 encryption, regarded as one of the most secure methods available.

   Among its security features, Proton VPN Free does not offer multi-hop, a feature that routes the connection through two different VPN servers simultaneously. However, multi-hop is not typically available in free VPNs.

   Given that Proton VPN Free does not have servers in many countries, it is not ideal for situations when you want to secure your connection but appear to be in your home country. The solution for such situations is to upgrade to the paid version, Proton VPN Plus.

   Proton VPN Free does not support Tor connections, a feature provided by premium services like NordVPN and Surfshark.

8. Proton VPN Free & Streaming: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime…

   • Amazon Prime:
     No

     Amazon Prime streaming is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Disney+:
     No

     Disney+ streaming is supported by 55 % of reviewed VPNs
   • HBO:
     No

     HBO streaming is supported by 59 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Hulu:
     No

     Hulu streaming is supported by 49 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Netflix:
     No

     Netflix streaming is supported by 64 % of reviewed VPNs
   • YouTube:
     Yes

     YouTube streaming is supported by 89 % of reviewed VPNs

   In our testing of various streaming platforms, only YouTube was accessible using Proton VPN Free. We were unable to unblock video streaming from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, or HBO.

   Despite offering unlimited data transfer, Proton VPN Free is unsuitable for video streaming purposes. If your primary need for a VPN is video streaming, we recommend checking out our ranking of the best VPNs for Netflix, which includes top contenders like NordVPN and CyberGhost VPN.

9. Features of Proton VPN Free: AdBlock, Static IP…

   • Blocks Ads:
     No

     Ad blocking is offered by 45 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Malware:
     No

     Malware blocking is offered by 36 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Trackers:
     No

     Trackers blocking is offered by 39 % of the VPNs reviewed.

   The free version of Proton VPN Free does not offer ad blocking, malware blocking, or tracker blocking. These features are only available in the paid version, Proton VPN Plus.

   A static IP address can be set up in the Proton VPN Free application.

10. Proton VPN Free‘s CPU usage and App Performance

    Proton VPN Free may be more resource-intensive than some other VPNs. However, we did not notice any detrimental impact on device performance during testing.

    If needed, the Proton VPN Free application can be minimized and left running in the background.

11. Proton VPN Free Torrenting Servers

    • Torrenting servers:
      No

      Torrenting support is offered by 88 % of the reviewed VPNs.

    Proton VPN Free does not support torrenting.

    For these purposes, we recommend the paid version, Proton VPN Plus, or selecting from our ranking of the best VPNs for torrenting.

12. What is the country of origin of Proton VPN Free?

    • Country of origin: 🇨🇭 Switzerland

    Proton VPN Free is operated by Proton AG, based in Geneva, Switzerland. Switzerland is well-regarded for its high level of user protection. Additionally, it is not part of the 4/9/14 Eyes alliance, countries that share information about their citizens.

    As a result, with Proton VPN Free, users’ personal data is well protected against police and government interference.

13. Proton VPN Free and Privacy: Logging Policy, Security Issues…

    • No-Logs Policy:
      Yes

      The No-Logs Policy is followed by 79% of reviewed VPNs.

    Proton VPN Free adheres to a strict no-logs policy to safeguard user privacy. The VPN provider does not retain information about websites visited, traffic, communication content, IP address, session duration, or location.

    The robust level of user privacy is bolstered by the company’s Swiss base, known for its stringent data protection laws.

14. Proton VPN Free Support: Chat, e-mail…

    Users of Proton VPN Free can contact technical support in several ways. The preferred method is through a form on the website where you simply describe the problem. You can also reach them at the encrypted email address contact@protonvpn.com.

    Live chat is only available to paying users of Proton VPN Plus.

15. Proton VPN Free FAQ

    Does Proton VPN Free offer a mobile app?

    Yes, Proton VPN Free provides mobile apps for both Android and iOS. The apps are free to download from the Google Play and App Stores.

    Is Proton VPN Free secure?

    Yes, Proton VPN Free is one of the most secure free VPNs out there. It includes features such as a kill switch, DNS protection, and robust AES-256 encryption. The service is based in Switzerland, known for its strong user data protection laws.

    What type of encryption does Proton VPN Free use?

    Proton VPN Free uses AES-256 encryption with OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec protocols, widely regarded as secure and reliable. This encryption protects data in transit between the user’s device and the VPN server.

    Can I watch Netflix with Proton VPN Free?

    Unfortunately, our tests showed that Netflix cannot be unblocked using Proton VPN Free. For this purpose, the paid option Proton VPN Plus or NordVPN would be more suitable.