PrivacyTools.io
Reviewed by Marco Wollank
ProtonVPN logo

ProtonVPN

protonvpn.com
5.0 (5)

Based in Switzerland. Operating since 2016. Subscription covers 10 devices.

Amount of servers in Sep 2024: 6638 VPN servers available in 112 different countries.

Threat level
Covered

A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels

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Our take

Unusually for a commercial VPN, the apps are open-source and independently audited, which is exactly what privacy-minded users should weight heavily, alongside a genuinely usable free tier. Switzerland’s jurisdiction and the Proton ecosystem tie-in round out the case. The honest limit is that the free plan is slower with fewer locations, and the best features sit behind a paid plan. For people who value verifiable clients over flashy extras, it’s one of the easiest VPNs to recommend.

GitHub at a glance
ProtonVPN/android-app
Stars
3,789
+ 105 this week
Last commit
25d ago
healthy
License
GPL-3.0
Latest release
5.18.75.1
25d ago
Stars, last 35d
Website at a glance
protonvpn.com
B score 75
Solid website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 3d ago

Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.

ProtonVPN alternatives

ProtonVPN license, in plain English
GPL-3.0
Strong copyleft

Free to use and modify, but anything you distribute that is built on it must also be open under the same license.

Permits

  • Commercial use
  • Modification
  • Distribution
  • Patent use
  • Private use

Requires

  • Disclose source
  • Same license
  • State changes
  • License and copyright notice

Does not provide

  • Liability cover
  • Warranty

Why it matters: Strong copyleft keeps every distributed version open. A vendor cannot fold this into a closed product and ship it without releasing their changes.

Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.