Proton VPN Test (2024): How secure is the VPN service really?

ProtonVPN

4 e

Positiv

• free tariff available without datum limit
• VPN to TOR connection is possible.
• Many safety features that are unrivaled
• Client applicationwn have been published as OpenSource and can be independently verified
• Together with ProtonMail at an attractive price

Negativ

• complex tariff structure together with Protonmail
• relatively high price if you want to use everything .
• Little choice of VPN protocols (OpenVPN)
• The provider has not yet responded to our inquiries about the background and verification of its own statements by declaring that it is ready to “certify”. This is a pity, since the provider cannot yet obtain any “position of trust”.
• Not suitable as a workaround for geographic blocking when streaming liveTV content or premium services

Proton VPN FREE Test 2024 – How secure is the VPN provider?

Proton VPN is the VPN provider of the more commonly known ProtonMail service from Proton Technologies AG, based in switzerland. In our tests, we have been accompanying the VPN service for 3 years. In the beginning, the provider showed some weaknesses, but these were gradually improved. Since the fall of 2021, there is now also another and thus significantly faster VPN transmission protocol: “Proton VPN Wireguard” in the applications.

Many VPN services is building are currently build on simplified rate structure to make it easy for user to keep track . Proton VPN is starts , on the other hand , already start with a tariff model that is not entirely transparent . additional to the chargeable Proton tariff VPN Plus you can also use “ Proton VPN FREE ” for free . As a result , many is asking of our reader are now ask for our opinion and our Proton VPN experience . For this reason , we is taken have take a close look at the VPN service and create the following review .

Proton VPN is offers offer high protection from being spy on but hardly any possibility to bypass geographical block of tv / video portal . The free tariff is allow does not allow for maximum speed , but is ideal for occasional user .

Product name	ProtonVPN
Recommended areas of application	Anonymous communicationVPN routeravoid warningHigh anonymityStreaming (Copyright)File sharing/TorrentsSecure data transmissionTOR (.onion) accessFirewall & Protection

Proton VPN FREE – free of charge

Proton VPN FREE is the most popular free VPN service from our tests. Every day, many of our readers are looking for a VPN service that they can use att. Proton VPN FREE is really recommended in this regard with a choice of 3 different locations and unlimited use of all available apps and applications. In the long run, you can use a secure alternative to many dubious VPN offers.

• Advantages: No cost, because FREE VPN service. All apps are usable. No data limitation. Three locations to choose from. No time limits.li>
• Disadvantages: Not much choice of locations. Available servers are shared with many other users, which makes the VPN servers slower than usual. Routers and other external devices can not be used with it..li>

conclusion of the Proton VPN test

Proton VPN is does does a lot right , as our experience show . However , the price is is for the premium product Proton VPN Plus is not exactly low and only becomes more attractive when you are also interested in the ProtonMail service . Of course , this is is is not a bad choice either , but it is up to the user to decide whether they want to use mail + VPN from one provider .

However, Proton VPN generally has many advantages: The integration of TOR is undoubtedly very good and the VPN service can also be used safely and well on routers. In addition, you can use “Proton VPN FREE” for free. With the free tariff, you do not have any data limit. Accordingly, it is a real alternative to a paid VPN service for many occasional users. All in all, our test shows that we are dealing with a professional and technically well-solved service.

In our Proton VPN test, however, it also became clear that the service still has some room for improvement. Many users will also be upset that Proton had already passed on data to authorities twice last year with your email service “Protonmail” (linked further down in the article), even if the alleged purpose of the data transfer is to be judged individually in each case in the eye of the beholder, but this has triggered some discomfort among many users. However, the fact that Proton VPN deals with requests from authorities quite transparently should also calm most people down. 

Proton VPN FAQ

Caution: We do not evaluate the e-mail service “ProtonMail” here. In many cases, a combination of VPN service + mail service will also give really attractive prices.

Best privacy protection

Transparency?

First of all, the most important thing: What about protecting your data? Proton VPN tries to act with maximum transparency. Thus, the company also publishes transparency reports on requests for information and answers requests directly on its website (Transparency Report ProtonVPN).

However , all information is is publish by the company itself is not verifiable !

No trust position “ Trust – Level ” available !

Proton VPN has unfortunately not yet participated in our “Trust-Level” certification for VPN providers. Proton has been asked about this at least 4 times within the last half year and has not explicitly denied it. Therefore, however, we can neither name the economic owners of the company nor the responsible acting persons nor verify the technical statements of the provider. The data provided in this review is therefore based on our own tests of the applications and apps and the data published on the provider’s website. Unfortunately, this does not allow us to fully trust the provider Proton VPN. 

In case of copyright infringement surrender of data?

However , it is also exclude that Proton VPN provide datum of user due to request for information under civil law . This is mean does not mean that you are protect against everything but against most of the relevant thing that user care about in term of a secure VPN . normal user do not need to worry – the vpn provider is protects protect as securely as a swiss safe .

The company behind Proton VPN

Proton VPN is of course, as you can clearly see on the website, not a purely Swiss company, the employees are located in many countries. Unfortunately, Proton has not yet accepted our invitation to certify with our trust level. This is a pity since a lot of the data we were able to collect about the company must have come directly from the website and could not be verified by us directly.

The fact that it is always pretended that the service is a thoroughly Swiss company is more part of the brand strategy that is also pursued at the email service ProtonMail. According to this, the headquarters in switzerland is supposed to stand for security, but it is forgotten that the Swiss are also polite and diplomatic people. However, the CEO and one of the founders of ProtonMail and Proton VPN, “Jason Stockman”, has also repeatedly attracted attention for his pro-USA political statements in many current conflicts and even in privacy issues.

The sister service Protonmail attracted attention last year with two things that were spread via the media: Once, the IP address of an activist was handed over to French authorities, and another time, email data was also leaked to the media is a hotly debated case of a plane detour to Minsk. In both cases, there may have been legitimate reasons for doing so, but politically motivated data disclosure is not acceptable, no matter how lofty the goals are.

Operating site	switzerland
Clearing location	switzerland
Local legislation has an impact on customer protection	✔
operation and bill separately	✘
Server locations	49
No log file	✔
Own dns server	✔
virtual server	✔
Dedicated server	✔
RAM-Disk Server	✘
Hardware owner	✘
IP addresses owner	✘

Hosted servers and no own IP addresses …

Proton VPN is uses use rent dedicated server , as we find out during our test . The IP address used are provide by the server host . The VPN service is expands constantly expand the active server to offer good performance even with an increase number of user . The IP address are register to the hoster .

October 2021: Server growth

Proton VPN offers Plus users new VPN servers in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt and Nigeria as of October 2021, bringing the total number of VPN servers to 60 worldwide. Georgia will follow in the coming weeks. The new Proton VPN servers are based on Smart Routing, a technique that runs a user’s Internet connection over hardware that is not located in the server countries. Instead, the new servers are located in Singapore, Bucharest and Madrid. Smart routing increases data security while allowing access to local websites as well as locally blocked content.

image of the Proton VPN application

Proton VPN price and tariff

Proton VPN has 2 different tariffs, which differ in the services and periods offered: ‘Free’ and ‘Plus’. Among them is also the possibility to use “ProtonVPN FREE”. However, the tariffs are overpriced concerning the services offered. We can in no way recommend using Proton VPN for this price.

Update May: enhanced protection for Proton user

While a VPN is an essential tool for online privacy, the Internet is so central to our daily lives that many other services are required to stay safe online. The latest update reflects Proton’s continued evolution from individual privacy services to a unified privacy-by-default ecosystem. With a Proton account, you now get access to Proton VPN, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive and future Proton services.

For existing Proton VPN users, there is a free upgrade to their subscription. They get more storage and, depending on their current plan, access to paid features for Proton Mail, Proton Calendar and Proton Drive. Also, the new subscription can be purchased at a discounted price as long as the existing subscription is active.

With the money-back guarantee that the operator provides, you can test the service risk-free even in the premium variant. 

Costs / Tariffs
Free use	✘
Tariff (1 Month )	9.99 EUR
tariff ( 12 month )	71.88 EUR ( per month5.99 EUR )
tariff ( 24 Months )	119.76 EUR ( per month4.99 EUR )
Number of simultaneous connections per account	10
Test options	Free tariff available

Use Proton VPN for free – permanently

You can use “Proton VPN FREE” for free and without data limit restrictions. The server locations are the USA, Netherlands and Japan. Proton VPN itself specifies the speed as “Medium”. We were able to transfer a maximum of 5,120KBit/s (our test values) with it. This seems to be the service’s set limit for users who want to use the service for free. This is sufficient for watching YouTube videos, for example. The good thing here is that the usage was not limited to certain devices. This means that you can use not only all of the provider’s apps but also other devices such as routers.

Proton VPN Experience: Unfortunately frequent server overloads for non-paying users

What we noticed in our Proton VPN test, however, is that those servers that are operated for non-paying users naturally also show clear signs of overload. This can also lead to a significant reduction in transmission speed at peak times.

However, Proton VPN free is still the best free VPN offer we have found so far!

Speed of Proton VPN

Proton VPN does not show a particularly good download speed performance with the free servers. But the actual VPN users understand that and mostly book a premium tariff.

Proton VPN offers many locations with really good speeds. The service was convinced with consistently very good test results in the last 12 months. However, the measured download speed at Proton VPN has increased continuously over the last few months and has currently arrived at a level that is already above midfield.

While the high encryption technology naturally also reduce some performance with every internet connection , Proton VPN is managed has nevertheless manage to bring together a super fast VPN service here . except for the protonvpn FREE , the free – to – use VPN server . These is offer also offer the same high encryption but are of course also due to the presumably enormous number of user who will use them in parallel , no long as fast as it would be desirable . But you should not complain about free service now , it is is is still good that Proton VPN also offer this option and thus also help out non – pay customer with an anonymous IP address .  

Maximum speed tested

Germany
| 25.12.2023

super speed is UPGRADE UPGRADE with Wireguard

ProtonVPN WireGuard

Now Proton VPN also offers more speed, better battery life, instant connectivity (within about one second) and optimized device performance through WireGuard. Proton VPN offers one of the most innovative VPN protocols since October 2021 to all users on all platforms (Android, iOS, mac os and Windows) regardless of tariff. Combined with Proton VPN’s unique VPN Accelerator technology, WireGuard can increase speeds by up to 400%, the provider promises.

As we’ve already been able to test ourselves with other VPN services like OVPN or NordVPN, great speed increases are indeed possible. We will also take a closer look at Proton VPN with WireGuard and report back to you.

Proton is has already has a long history with WireGuard . The provider is been has been a sponsor and supporter of the protocol for several year and in 2018 call on the public to donate to its development . proton ’s client implementation is is of WireGuard is open source and 100 % compatible with the vanilla standard .  

Privacy and data protection

The TOR (Onion) inclusion makes perfect sense.

However , what we like and also deserve really high praise in the Proton VPN test is the inclusion of this function . Because of this , you is use can use the onion network ( TOR ) directly via a VPN server of the provider . There are a few advantage to this . In addition , it is helps help to bypass a dangerous leak in the TOR network , which only a few international authority can currently use .
Unfortunately, the extra service is also extra to pay ;(

The “Proton VPN SecureCore” feature

By “SecureCore”, Proton VPN means that data that runs between the VPN servers also runs over its own VPN connections. Each VPN tunnel is equipped with AES 256 encryption. So that the users who now connect to server B,  are connected to A beforehand. In doing so, its encrypted connection to server B  is used. Technically it is ok because individual connections on the Internet can no longer be traced since they are made via VPN data connections that always exist. This is undoubtedly an advantage that can also be cited as a measure against mass surveillance and even targeted surveillance. The possibility of using Secure Core Servers is also unique and we have not yet seen this solution with any other VPN provider;

Anonymous on the Internet
change virtual location	✘
Protection against requests for information	✔
prevent general monitoring	✔
prevent target surveillance	✔
No log file	✔
obfusication ( masking )	✘

In summary, we can say that Proton VPN has certainly thought about some innovations in the area of data protection and privacy, which cannot be said of all VPN services. Whether these functions bring real added value or not remains to be seen, because important functions that many users would like to have are unfortunately still missing. Neither are there VPN cascades nor is there unrestricted use of the service. We realize that some of the users’ activities are at least temporarily known on the servers and can therefore also cause potential problems.

Streaming with Proton VPN

Also, in the overview of popular TV & streaming services, one can quickly see that the service does practically nothing to make them usable abroad. Therefore, if you decide to use Proton VPN, you will not be able to bypass the geographical blocks abroad! So if you want to use a VPN to make geographically blocked content accessible, you should better look for another VPN service that also provides streaming servers.

Streaming of TV and video content
use on home router	✔
Use with KODI	✘
SmartDNS	✘
FireTV App	✘
avoid warning	✔
Supported international streaming platforms	Hulu (US)Netflix (US)NFL Gamepass (US)MLB.tv (US)abc (US)CBS (US)HBO Now (US)Sky (UK)BBC iPlayer (UK)Channel 4 (UK)YouTubeSpotify

Download &Torrent with Proton VPN

Anonymity is the realm of Proton VPN. The service does not only offer fast servers but also secures one’s identity very well when using torrents. You can rely on Proton VPN for that. P2P support, however, is still somewhat expandable at the provider, we wish here, for example, port forwarding, which does not yet exist.  Nevertheless, we should not describe anything worse here than it is, Proton VPN is used by many because of the very good P2P support and these also achieve in practice great speed and security with it, which is why the VPN service will certainly be more than just an insider tip for torrent users. 

Torrent clients but also all kinds of streaming become really fast and secure and usable with ProtonVPN.

Anonymous surfing and downloading from the Internet is the profession of Proton VPN.

Download and torrent
Torrent use allowed	✔
Own Torrent Server	✔
avoid warning	✔
Port forwarding	✘

Proton VPN on the go

When travel , the weaknesses is become of the less adaptable VPN protocol that are used become especially apparent . Therefore , Proton VPN is help does not help , for example , if you are in a country that has active block against VPN user . You is use simply ca n’t use the service there . The same is occurs occur in some hotel network , etc . Therefore , the service is is is not our first choice in the travel sector . Even if this has only improve somewhat with the new app that are equip with Wireguard VPN tunnel , we is recommend still recommend using a different vpn service for traveller .   If you also want to watch domestic tv channel and stream content while travel , you is be will not be happy with Proton VPN .   The ip address of the Proton VPN server are quickly recognize as a workaround by the streaming service and are usually already block there .  

Proton VPN is unfortunately not an ideal travel companion when it comes to accessing home TV & video content.

VPN for travel and abroad
use in restrictive network ( China , hotel )	✔
obfusication ( masking )	✘
protection in insecure wifi network	✘
Shadowsocks or SOCKS5	✘

Software & VPN applications from Proton VPN

Proton VPN used to only have its application for Windows. All other devices were supposed to be used by free OpenVPN software via using the OVPN files (configuration files). However, this major disadvantage of complex configuration for users has now changed: Proton VPN is now also available for Android, macOS, iOS and Linux.

The OpenSource ProtonVPN App

One point that Proton VPN is proud of is that all applications are open source and can be viewed by third parties. Via the free copyright mandate, third-party developers can check the apps and applications and possibly also report them via Proton VPN’s bug-bounty program. This helps to keep the security of the applications high.

available protocol	OpenVPN (TCP)OpenVPN (UDP)IKEv2WireGuard
Own applications/apps	Mac OSXOpenWRTASUSWRTOpenVPN UDPWindowsApple iOSAndroidTomatoDD-WRTOther OS/Integration
KillSwitch function	✔
Applications language	English

Effective immediately: Proton VPN supports OpenVPN on iOS (July 2020)

ProtonVPN OpenVPN auf android

Apple fans will be pleased: The Proton VPN iOS app is now more flexible, reliable, and better equipped against surveillance & Co. Among other things, the app now also supports the OpenVPN protocol to optimally protect users from censorship. In addition, OpenVPN often enables better performance and stability in certain networks – it’s best to simply try it out if ProtonVPN is slow or blocked.

Also new : Smart Protocol feature on Android

ProtonVPN smart protocol

Not only Apple users can rejoice, but Proton VPN also has something new in store for Android users from the summer of 2020: The Proton VPN Smart Protocol can be used to better bypass locks and optimize the stability of the connection. How does it work? The smart function automatically selects the most suitable protocol when you connect to Proton VPN. This way you can better avoid censorship or blocking;

Proton VPN on F-Droid instead of Google

ProtonVPN f-droid

You don’t want to create a Google account or use Google Play – but do you want to use Proton VPN on Android? The provider now fulfils this wish for all users who want to protect their privacy (and as we know, Google is not exactly known for its efforts to protect the privacy of its users…). You can now download Proton VPN from F-Droid. This makes it easier to use Proton VPN on Android without compromising your privacy. You can download the Proton VPN Android App on F-Droid here.

OpenVPN protocol, IKEv2 and now also Wireguard in use

Wireguard VPN Protokoll

Our Proton VPN experiences have shown that VPN data is secured via 256-bit encryption with AES standard on the VPN servers. Thus, they comply with the general standard for OpenVPN data transmission. The fact that the provider tries to present this as the highest standard is part of the marketing strategy, as is also common with other VPN providers. OpenVPN is a protocol that has been implemented cleanly and securely from authentication to data transmission. So far, it is unfortunately not possible to use other devices outside of its software due to the low compatibility Proton VPN has by focusing on this one VPN protocol.

The Wireguard installation is currently limit to its app , as is the case with most VPN service , and thus does not allow Proton VPN to be used directly with Wireguard on a home router , for example . However , Proton VPN is improved has improve the exist vpn protocol even further in the encryption technology and thus not only manage to achieve an even well speed with maximum encryption at the same time . It is be would probably not be the Proton technician if they were not always something already very good to improve again ;

Proton VPN on the router

thank to the use of openvpn , the service can also be used directly on many router . Even though Proton VPN does not offer load balancing , it is runs still run stably . However , OpenVPN is is is a resource hog and make data connection slow than necessary , so other alternative might be well suit for excessive router use .

The restrictions purely on “OpenVPN” and the individual VPN servers that are not fail-safe unfortunately do not make Proton VPN the best provider for the VPN router.

Operation on VPN client router
Use on routers	✔
Load Balancing	✘
Failure-free operation	✘
Own router application	✔
Compatible with	ASUSGl-iNetDD-WRTTomatoVilfo Router

Proton VPN server locations and data protection 

At the beginning of Proton VPN, it was assumed that the provider would only rely on its own servers (hardware). Unfortunately, this has turned out not to be true in recent times. Presumably, under pressure from users to be able to offer more locations and also servers, servers have been rented for operation. At the current date, there are 632 servers in 44 different countries, which are available to the Proton VPN user. Provided he has chosen an appropriate tariff.

Server to Tor Connection (Optional)

A special feature is is , which is not yet include in the Proton VPN Plus package , is the connection to Tor server . The datum is transfer from the VPN server directly to the Tor server and the user save the use of the Tor browser . Tor is continue and the onion network continue to be consider one of the good network for anonymize user , even among those familiar with the scene . It is is is therefore a pity that user have to pay extra for this .  

Server-Update 2021

The goal is is of Proton VPN is to enable a free , secure internet for everyone . To reach as many people as possible around the world , the provider is added has again add several new server – 152 in February 2021 alone . Each new server is improves improve the network capacity for new user and optimize the service for exist user . Another new feature is is is that DNS query are now handle directly on the VPN server , guarantee even fast and more secure response . The goal is is is that a VPN connection to Proton bring not only maximum security but also comfort . In this sense , we is are are also curious about the new development in the service .

customer support at Proton VPN

Proton VPN’s customer service is unfortunately only available in English, which will certainly not please some of the users. But the service has only chosen to be based in switzerland for legal reasons, the people behind it are mostly based in Lithuania (Vilnius). In the customer area on the website, however, everything is structured clearly and simply, and there are hardly any unanswered questions here, even without perfect English skills. If you know how to help yourself, you can easily find details or more complex settings with an online translation program. Since October 2021, live chat support has also been available for all users, regardless of their tariff. 

customer service
Applications language	English
customer service	FAQ websiteE-mail
Language in customer service	English

Compare functions

Compared to other VPN services, many of the Proton VPN features are on a good level.

Particularly noteworthy are the VPN-to-TOR connections that become possible with the service. This is an advantage that many darknet users appreciate. The Onion network (darknet) can otherwise only be used with the TOR browser, but ProtonVPN “VPNzuTOR” makes this much more secure and even more anonymous.
However, the speed of the Proton VPN servers is only average, as already mentioned. When we asked the provider, they promised us that they would improve this soon.

Maximum speed tested
VPN service name
Download	224760 kbps	879900 kbps	388990 kbps	361300 kbps
Upload	166090 kbps	898222 kbps	400080 kbps	335444 kbps
Jitter	1 ms	0 ms	2 ms	2 ms
Ping	24 ms	25 ms	19 ms	13 ms
Tested with OpenVPN (UDP) on	21.07.2024	12.09.2024	08.06.2024	15.08.2024
Connection within	Germany	Germany	Germany	Germany

However , we is see see particular limitation when travel with protonvpn

VPN for travel and abroad
VPN service name
use in restrictive network ( China , hotel )	✔	✔	✔	✔
obfusication ( masking )	✘	✔	✔	✔
protection in insecure wifi network	✘	✔	✔	✔
Shadowsocks or SOCKS5	✘	✔	✔	✘

Reviews of similar VPN Services

OVPN  Nord VPN

Special functions
VPN service name
IPv4	✔	✔	✔	✔
IPv6 (new)	✘	✔	✔	✔
Static IP	✘	✔	✔	✘
Shared IP	✔	✔	✔	✔
Multi-hop VPN	✘	✔	✔	✔
NeuroRouting	✘	✘	✔	✘
Malware filter	✘	✔	✔	✔
Firewall	✘	✔	✔	✔
Tracking Blocker	✘	✔	✔	✔
Obfuscation (mask)	✘	✔	✔	✔
ram disk ( k. HDD )	✘	✔	✔	✔
AlwaysOn Server	✘	✔	✔	✘
Own DNS	✔	✔	✔	✔
Port forwarding	✘	✔	✔	✘
VPN-to-TOR	✔	✘	✔	✔
No log file	✔	✔	✔	✔
Autom. IP change	✘	✘	✔	✘
LoadBalancing	✘	✔	✔	✘
virtual server	✔	✘	✘	✔
Dedicated server	✔	✔	✔	✔
Own hardware	✘	✔	✔	✔
Own IP addresses	✘	✔	✔	✘
SmartDNS	✘	✔	✘	✔
Own Torrent Server	✔	✔	✔	✔
KillSwitch	✔	✔	✔	✔

news at function of Proton VPN

Even more private & safer with the new Adblocker (March 2021)

protonvpn Netshield

Proton VPN has a proven track record of caring a lot about the security and privacy of its users. Now another feature for this area is added: Proton VPN now offers NetShield to its paying users on its Windows, Mac os, Android and iOS apps. A beta version is available for Linux. NetShield blocks ads, malware and online trackers before they even load. This not only optimizes user security but also improves browsing speed.

How NetShield protects users

The adblocker works with two different levels:

1. The first one prevents the browser from downloading resources from domains that contain spyware, malware or other malicious software. This protection is enabled by default.
2. The second level also blocks online trackers and malware.

Use NetShield now

A paid Proton VPN subscription is required to use NetShield. The free version does not support the new feature. To use NetShield right away, you need to download the latest version of your app and enable the feature in the settings.

Higher VPN speeds with the VPN Accelerator(July 2021)

VPN Accelerator improves VPN connection stability and can significantly increase VPN speed in certain situations. This feature is enabled by default, works in all Proton VPN apps, improves performance for all VPN protocols, and is available to all users.

How does VPN Accelerator work?

The capacity is exceeds of the protonvpn network currently exceed 1 terabit per second ( 1,000 Gbps ) . However , capacity is is is only one element of VPN speed and is often not the limit factor for vpn performance . The cpu speed is is of a server is often a limit factor because many common VPN protocol ( include openvpn ) do not use multithreading .

Proton VPN solves this problem by using multiple OpenVPN processes per server to take full advantage of multi-core processors. However, this alone is also not enough to completely solve the problem. Proton VPN has redesigned OpenVPN to evenly distribute sessions across all running OpenVPN processes, eliminating the possibility of overloading a single thread. Similar techniques are also used for other VPN protocols.

Proton VPN alternatives

Proton VPN is show did not show top performance in any of the evaluation area but certainly belong to the upper midfield of VPN provider from our test .   The follow providers is are are ahead of Proton VPN in all relevant area and at a low price . This is is is why we can recommend them as superior alternative .

Erstellt is am am : 18 . July 2022