Is ProtonVPN or SST better?

Neither clearly leads. ProtonVPN starts at Free and SST at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, ProtonVPN or SST?

ProtonVPN starts at Free and SST at Free.

Does ProtonVPN or SST run on more platforms?

ProtonVPN runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. SST runs on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.

Can I use ProtonVPN for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is ProtonVPN best used for?

ProtonVPN is most often used for privacy-focused browsing without subscription cost, multi-device protection with plus plan supporting 10 devices, integrated access to proton email and cloud services via unlimited plan. Of those, privacy-focused browsing without subscription cost and multi-device protection with plus plan supporting 10 devices are not what SST is typically brought in for.

What can ProtonVPN do that SST cannot?

ProtonVPN covers No-logs policy, Secure Core, Kill Switch, DNS leak protection. SST covers Single config file, Resource linking, Local development, Multi-cloud support.

Cybersecurity · head to head

ProtonVPN vs SST

ProtonVPN

Cybersecurity

High-speed Swiss VPN that safeguards your privacy

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

SST

Cloud

Build full-stack apps on your own infrastructure

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: ProtonVPN free plan limited to one device at a time; SST primarily optimized for AWS with Cloudflare support
They diverge on capability: ProtonVPN covers No-logs policy, SST covers Single config file.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ProtonVPN and SST actually diverge.

Attributes where ProtonVPN and SST differ
Attribute	ProtonVPN	SST
Pricing model	freemium	Unknown
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js
Category	Cybersecurity	Cloud
Founded	2014	Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ProtonVPN

No-logs policy
Secure Core
Kill Switch
DNS leak protection
Tor over VPN
Split tunneling
NetShield ad-blocker
VPN Accelerator

Only in SST

Single config file
Resource linking
Local development
Multi-cloud support
Multiple deployment stages
VPC tunneling

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ProtonVPN

Privacy-focused browsing without subscription costnot SST
Multi-device protection with Plus plan supporting 10 devicesnot SST
Integrated access to Proton email and cloud services via Unlimited plannot SST

SST

Deploying Next.js frontends with serverless backendsnot ProtonVPN
Managing databases and storage alongside application codenot ProtonVPN
Creating staging environments for feature testingnot ProtonVPN

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ProtonVPN

Free plan limited to one device at a time
Free plan restricted to 10 countries with random selection
Pricing amounts not clearly published; shown as variable

SST

Primarily optimized for AWS with Cloudflare support
Learning curve for developers unfamiliar with infrastructure concepts
Limited documentation for some advanced use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

ProtonVPN

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the ProtonVPN review.

SST

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SST review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ProtonVPN if

You need no-logs policy.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
You also want secure core.

ProtonVPN review

Choose SST if

You need single config file.
You want to start without paying.
You work on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.
You also want resource linking.

SST review

Questions people ask

Is ProtonVPN or SST better?: Neither clearly leads. ProtonVPN starts at Free and SST at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ProtonVPN or SST?: ProtonVPN starts at Free and SST at Free.
Does ProtonVPN or SST run on more platforms?: ProtonVPN runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. SST runs on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.
Can I use ProtonVPN for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ProtonVPN best used for?: ProtonVPN is most often used for privacy-focused browsing without subscription cost, multi-device protection with plus plan supporting 10 devices, integrated access to proton email and cloud services via unlimited plan. Of those, privacy-focused browsing without subscription cost and multi-device protection with plus plan supporting 10 devices are not what SST is typically brought in for.
What can ProtonVPN do that SST cannot?: ProtonVPN covers No-logs policy, Secure Core, Kill Switch, DNS leak protection. SST covers Single config file, Resource linking, Local development, Multi-cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SST: Is SST free?

Yes, SST is open source and free. You only pay for cloud resources from AWS and other providers.

Source

SST: What cloud providers does SST support?

SST supports over 150 providers through built-in AWS and Cloudflare components, plus Pulumi and Terraform providers.

Source

ProtonVPN vs SST

ProtonVPN

SST

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in ProtonVPN

Only in SST

What people use each for

ProtonVPN

SST

Where each one falls short

ProtonVPN

SST

Pricing, plan by plan

ProtonVPN

SST

Which should you pick?

Choose ProtonVPN if

Choose SST if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on ProtonVPN

More on SST

Keep looking

Other head to heads