ProtonVPNvs
1Password
1Password: The world's most-loved password manager
ProtonVPN
High-speed Swiss VPN that safeguards your privacy
As of 30 August 2026, ProtonVPN is free to use. ProtonVPN is a security-focused VPN service developed by CERN scientists and MIT graduates. Softwr lists it under Cybersecurity. ProtonVPN is made by Proton AG, launched in 2014, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS.
Overview
What ProtonVPN does
ProtonVPN is a security-focused VPN service developed by CERN scientists and MIT graduates. Based in Switzerland, it offers strong privacy protection with a free tier and advanced security features.
What people use it 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
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of ProtonVPN
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- ProtonVPNvsBitdefender Total Security
Bitdefender Total Security: The world's #1 rated antivirus
- ProtonVPNvsLastPass
LastPass: Simplify online life with LastPass password manager
- ProtonVPNvsNorton 360
Norton 360: Powerful protection against evolving threats
Capabilities
Features
No-logs policy
Secure Core
Kill Switch
DNS leak protection
Tor over VPN
Split tunneling
NetShield ad-blocker
VPN Accelerator
Tor network
Integration with Tor network
AES-256 encryption
AES-256 encryption security feature
Swiss privacy laws
Swiss privacy laws security feature
Open source audited
Open source audited security feature
Behind it
Who makes ProtonVPN
- Company
- Proton AG
- Based in
- Geneva, Switzerland
Keep looking
Where to go from ProtonVPN
- ProtonVPN alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- ProtonVPN pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- ProtonVPN badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Cybersecurity softwareThe full category
- Best Cybersecurity softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Cybersecurity software for
Compare ProtonVPN with
- Surfshark
- Norton 360
- Bitdefender Total Security
- LastPass
- 1Password
- Avast One
- IVPN
- Mullvad VPN
- Private Internet Access
- Windscribe
- CyberGhost VPN
- Cosign
- Dahua Technology
- Descope
- Drata
- DTiQ
- ExpressVPN
- CyberGhost VPN
Other Cybersecurity software
- I
IVPN
Privacy-focused VPN with anonymous account numbers instead of email signup
From $6/mo6 researched notes Privacy-first VPN with one flat price and no email required to sign up
From $5/mo6 researched notesLong-standing VPN service with a large server network and flexible multi-year plans
From $11.99/mo6 researched notesVPN and firewall service with a generous free data tier and a customizable Build-A-Plan option
Free, then $3/mo6 researched notesConsumer VPN operated from Romania and owned by Kape Technologies, with a no-logs claim audited by Deloitte.
From $2.19/mo14 researched notesSigns and verifies container images and artifacts, with or without managing keys
Open source12 researched notesLarge Chinese video platform that US federal buyers and federal contractors cannot lawfully use
Pricing on request12 researched notesManaged video loss prevention with human auditors for restaurants, convenience stores and retail
Pricing on request12 researched notesConsumer VPN registered in the British Virgin Islands, owned by Kape Technologies since 2021, with repeated third-party audits.
From $6.67/mo14 researched notesConsumer VPN operated from Romania and owned by Kape Technologies, with a no-logs claim audited by Deloitte.
From $2.19/mo14 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for ProtonVPN, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
ProtonVPN pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare ProtonVPN
Put it head to head with anything we hold
ProtonVPN badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
Best Cybersecurity software alternatives
Large Chinese video platform that US federal buyers and federal contractors cannot lawfully use
quoteManaged video loss prevention with human auditors for restaurants, convenience stores and retail
quote
Workforce and customer authentication from a certificate authority
Per user per month
Privileged access management, endpoint privilege management and secure remote access
quote
Cloud video surveillance billed per camera per month, where retention length drives the bill more than anything else
Per camera per month
AI video search that runs on cameras you already own, starting near five dollars per camera per month
Per camera per month
Phishing-resistant passwordless authentication with device trust enforced at every login
quote