Notes 
Based in Switzerland. Operating since 2016. Subscription covers 10 devices.
Amount of servers in Sep 2024: 6638 VPN servers available in 112 different countries.
Reviewed by Marco Wollank
ProtonVPN
protonvpn.com 4.4 (31)
Rate ProtonVPN: No account needed
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
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 GPL-3.0 androidikev2javakotlinopenvpnprotonvpnstrongswanvpn
Stars
4,240
+24 this week
Forks
524
107 watching
Last commit
12d ago
healthy
Latest release
5.20.98.0
12d ago, 100+ total
Star history
Issues
50% closed
81
open
82
closed
+4 / -0
opened / closed, last 4 weeks
Opened vs closed, last 12 weeks
Commits, last 26 weeks
258 commits, active 25 of 26 weeks
21 contributors since Dec 2019
Languages
- Kotlin 95.3%
- JavaScript 3.9%
- Java 0.5%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 15, 2026.
Website at a glance
protonvpn.com
B score 75
Solid website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 3d ago
Inspect this site yourself
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
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Surfshark Based in The Netherlands. Operating since 2018. Obfuscated, RAM-only servers. Audited by a reputable German cybersecurity firm Cure53. Currently 3 months FREE. Unlimited devices.
AdGuard VPN Based in Cyprus. Operating since 2009. Everyone gets a 3 GB free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. One subscription covers 10 devices.
Mullvad Based in Sweden. Operating since 2009. Accepts Monero, Bitcoin, BCH and Cash. Native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS and are easy to use. Money…
Obscura VPN Two-hop VPN where the entry and exit hops are run by separate companies, so neither can see both who you are and what you do.
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.