Proton VPN
The only major VPN with a free plan that has unlimited data, no ads, and the same audited no-logs policy.
About
Proton VPN comes from the Swiss company behind Proton Mail, and its headline feature is the free tier. It is the only reputable free VPN with no data cap, no ads, and the same no-logs policy as the paid plans, funded by paying subscribers rather than advertisers. The free plan is limited to one device, medium speeds, and a handful of server countries with no streaming or torrenting. Paid VPN Plus starts around $2.99 a month on a two-year term ($3.49 per some 2026 trackers), $9.99 month to month, renewing near $6.99 a month. It opens up 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, 10 devices, and the full feature set including Secure Core multi-hop through hardened Swiss, Swedish, and Icelandic servers, NetShield ad and tracker blocking, a Stealth protocol for hostile networks, and Tor over VPN.
The transparency story is strong: all apps are open source, Proton published its fifth consecutive annual no-logs audit in June 2026 (Securitum), and it keeps a public transparency report. Proton documents its own limitations, like Apple DNS requests that can bypass the tunnel on macOS and iOS under some conditions, which is the kind of disclosure you want from a privacy vendor. The weaknesses are pricing creep at renewal and a free tier that deprioritizes speed. No published independent benchmarks for server speeds or audit-independent logging verification beyond the commissioned audits.
What it can do
- Free tier with unlimited data, no ads, and audited no-logs policy
- Secure Core multi-hop routing through privacy-friendly countries
- NetShield ad, tracker, and malware domain blocker
- Stealth protocol for VPN-blocking networks
- Open-source apps audited independently
- Tor over VPN and P2P-friendly servers on paid plans
- 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans
- Cash, bank transfer, and Bitcoin payment options
Setup
Create a free Proton account at protonvpn.com; the free tier needs no card. Upgrade to Plus from the account page for full speeds, servers, and streaming.
Prerequisites
An email or account for signup; none of the anonymous cash-only posture of Mullvad/IVPN.
Use cases
Works with
Trust score — 9/10
Scored 9/10 (verified tier, metrics-v1). Evidence: 2026 reviews confirm the genuinely free unlimited-data tier with no ads, Plus pricing ($2.99-$9.99/mo), 20,000+ servers across 140+ countries, open-source apps, five consecutive annual no-logs audits (latest Securitum, June 2026), Secure Core, and Swiss jurisdiction. Strengths: the only major VPN whose free plan is the marketing budget, with transparent limitations documented. Docked for: (1) renewal pricing roughly doubles the intro rate; (2) free tier is one device with medium speeds and no server choice; (3) signup requires an email, so not anonymous. License: proprietary service; clients open source.
How the trust score is built
Full methodology →- Adoption · stars/downloads, log-scaled vs peers
- 10.0/10
- Maintenance · recency, releases, issue load
- 9.0/10
- Openness · license + docs
- 7.0/10
- Manual review · sanity read + red-flag check
- 9.0/10
- · Proton AG, Geneva Switzerland; founded by the Proton Mail team
- · Free tier: unlimited data, no ads, same no-logs policy; 1 device, medium speed, few countries
- · Plus: 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, 10 devices
- · Five consecutive annual no-logs audits (latest Securitum, June 2026)
- · Open-source apps; Secure Core multi-hop; NetShield blocker; Stealth protocol; Tor over VPN
- · Documents its own limitations (e.g. Apple DNS bypass edge cases)
- · Cash, bank transfer, Bitcoin accepted via account credits
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these sources. Where a claim comes from the provider and couldn't be independently verified, the text says so.