Proton VPN is one of the few paid VPNs to offer a completely free plan, with no data or duration limits. But how good is this version? The answer is in our analysis.
Free VPNs are generally not recommended because they offer poor security and privacy guarantees. They are also limited in features, data volume, and bandwidth, and most often serve intrusive ads.
Paid VPNs are the only ones to offer solid privacy for serious use, but few have a free version that offers the same security guarantees. Proton VPN is the only app we tested that offers these benefits in its free version.
The Benefits of the Free Version of Proton VPN
While most of the best paid VPNs only offer an average 30-day money-back guarantee for those who want to test them, Proton VPN has a 100% free version that requires no upfront payment.
Unlike most free VPNs, this version offers several benefits:
- It has unlimited data volume
- No speed/bandwidth limits
- Same security and privacy guarantees as the paid version
- No logging of activity data (No Log)
- No advertising
- Proton Mail + 5 GB of encrypted cloud storage (Proton Drive)
The free version of Proton VPN is therefore the only one which, in addition to imposing no limits on the volume of data, offers solid security guarantees. It also doesn't display ads to compensate for its free nature.
Proton VPN: What are the limitations of the free version?
Proton VPN is certainly generous in its free version, but it still has some limitations that are important to know before using it.
- Only 5 countries available instead of 120 in the paid version: United States, Netherlands, Japan, Poland and Romania
- Limited number of servers per country
- Automatic selection of country and server (no manual choice possible)
- Connection on a single device
- No server compatible with P2P downloads (Torrent) and streaming (Netflix, Disney+, etc.)
- Tor servers via VPN not available
- No technical support via live chat
Note that while Proton VPN does not limit the bandwidth bandwidth in its free version, the quality of the flow can drop considerably at times due to the limitation of the number of servers. It all depends on their load, that is, the number of connected users.
Differences between the free and paid versions of Proton VPN
For users who want to remove all limitations and enjoy the full potential of Proton VPN, it is necessary to upgrade to the premium version.
Here are the advantages of Proton VPN Premium (Plus) compared to the free version:
- Maximum speeds
- Access to more than 13,000 servers in more than 120 countries
- Free choice of country and connection server
- Configuration of different connection profiles possible
- Up to 10 simultaneous connections
- Ability to watch your favorite movies and series in streaming
- Availability of servers optimized for P2P downloads
- Tracker, ad, and malware blocker
- Cross-platform password manager
- Up to 500 GB of encrypted cloud storage (Proton VPN Unlimited)
- Up to 15 Proton Mail addresses + 3 custom email domains (Unlimited)
- Priority support and live chat
As a reminder, the Proton VPN Plus subscription is available from €3.59 per month instead of €9.99 per month. You pay €86.11 all at once, instead of €239.76, which is equivalent to a 64% discount.
Conclusion
Proton VPN Free is a good option if you understand its limitations and they don't hinder your use. It's a version that offers a good level of security and confidentiality, but it doesn't allow you to select the server or country of your choice. The available servers are also limited.
Other limitations exist, such as variable connection quality depending on the load on free servers and the lack of servers optimized for P2P and streaming, to name a few. To bypass these different locks, the Proton VPN Plus subscription is available from €3.59.
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