Almost every primary free VPN comes with a significant restriction: a likely far-too-low bandwidth cap. You’ll be shut out for a few weeks if you use it excessively—which might sometimes be as low as 500MB per month. The Swiss-based Proton VPN is regarded as one of the top VPN service providers and is excellent for almost any usage. But what indeed strikes out in this Proton VPN review?
The business that runs ProtonMail, an encrypted email service, also established and runs Proton VPN. Proton VPN wants consumers to feel secure when using its free services, which include transparency reports that are often updated and photos of its underground Swiss data facilities.
What will you see here?
Desktop App
While it’s an important, powerful tool, Proton VPN Free doesn’t overwhelm you with features making it simple to use without delving into the accessible manuals. You can select a server location using the interactive map, and Proton VPN Free will handle the rest.
Under Settings, you can enable additional safeguards or features and a little information if you’re unsure what each one accomplishes. The default settings will provide adequate protection if you don’t understand what the other functions perform.
Some features are unavailable to Mac VPN users. Split tunneling is one example. This functionality allows you to choose which data or programs to encrypt and send through the VPN while leaving others alone. This improves connection speeds through the VPN and on your regular network, so you don’t have to deal with excessive lag – but it’s not a deal-breaker.
Mobile Apps
The mobile VPN programs are simple to use. Because of the smaller screen size, you won’t be able to see all of the dashboard’s features and capabilities as you would on the desktop version. However, it is still relatively straightforward, has the same basic look and feels as the desktop version, and is simple to change between the required capabilities.
Users of Android VPNs have a modest edge over users of iOS VPNs. This is because they can use their phones’ split tunnel capability and have added DNS leak protection, which is especially useful. After all, cell phones tend to connect to open and unprotected networks as people wander around town, making them more accessible to sneaks and hackers.
Privacy and logging
When selecting a VPN, whether paid or free, one of the first things to consider is whether it can be trusted – whether it has the talent, experience, and goal to secure your privacy effectively. Proton VPN offers a solid foundation due to the company’s history of security accomplishments. The Swiss team, established in 2014, started by developing ProtonMail, which now bills itself as “the world’s largest encrypted email service.” This business demonstrates a good understanding of providing safe online services globally.
An in-depth examination of the applications is available to experts seeking further proof. Unusually, they are all open source, allowing anybody with the proper credentials to download and scan the code for errors or security flaws. We discovered that the applications did a great job safeguarding our privacy during actual use. For example, they exclusively employ the most secure protocols (WireGuard, OpenVPN). No DNS or other leaks were discovered. Furthermore, the kill switch effectively halted our internet traffic, protecting it from unintentional exposure, despite the considerable measures we took to stress test it.
Despite all, there is still more the business could accomplish. We’d also want to see Proton VPN undergo a more thorough examination. TunnelBear now audits its applications, servers, website, and backend infrastructure annually. Even yet, the company deserves praise for its extraordinary openness, which significantly exceeds that of practically the whole competition.
Proton VPN Free is not recommended for torrenting and streaming.
YouTube and other open video sites may be accessed with Proton VPN Free because they don’t usually detect and ban VPN connections. However, Netflix, Prime Video, HBO, and many other streaming services were incompatible with the free VPN. Utilizing free, tested-to-work Netflix VPNs is advised. To use BBC iPlayer and Disney+, you must upgrade to the premium product.
Proton VPN is secure enough for P2P. However, it restricts access to torrenting on all of its free servers. The Proton VPN software stopped our connection and displayed the notice “Torrenting is a function reserved only for premium users” when we attempted to download a torrent file using BitTorrent. The premium edition of Proton VPN is required for torrenting, the same as for streaming. Alternatively, utilize a safe free VPN that supports torrenting.
Email support, a knowledgebase, and a subreddit are all available from Proton VPN.
The information on Proton VPN’s website is helpful. Although the self-help content is limited, it is searchable, well-written, and covers the most critical issues.
Proton VPN also has a dedicated r/ProtonVPN subreddit, which clearly and efficiently addresses various issues. The personnel responds to the majority of questions within 24 hours.
Live chat help is not yet accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While paid users can start one by logging in to the Proton VPN website, if you’re from Asia or the Americas, don’t anticipate a rapid response.
Pricing
Proton VPN has three pricing levels to select from monthly, yearly, and biannually. Apart from the price, there are no variations between them.
- The 1-month plan is $9.99/month.
- A one-year plan costs $5.99 each month for $71.88.
- A two-year plan costs $4.99 monthly for a total of $119.76.
Payment methods include credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, and cash. Please keep in mind that existing users only accept Bitcoin and cash payments. As a result, you must first create a free account before purchasing. The premium solutions are ideal for those who prioritize security above speed and are content with only US Netflix.
As we have seen in this Proton VPN review, it has one of the best free VPN packages available. The no-logs policy protects subscriber anonymity, and they have access to three locations (the United States, the Netherlands, and Japan) with over 100 servers.
Is ‘Proton VPN free’ safe to use?
It is. In reality, Proton VPN is one of the best free options available today. By downloading the free app, you will ensure that your online activities are secure. Furthermore, the speeds are excellent for ordinary surfing and online content streaming.
Can you rely on Proton VPN?
Considering the above Proton VPN review and its characteristics, Proton VPN is one of the most dependable services on the market today. Military-grade encryption, an independently audited no-logs policy, and Secure Core servers ensure that your security and privacy requirements are met.
Conclusion
A clean and professional free VPN service with excellent apps and performance. As we have seen in the above Proton VPN Free review, this VPN is a fantastic bundle and a viable alternative to a paid provider. Proton VPN is ideal for security-conscious individuals wishing to stream Netflix or download torrents privately. It is a massively ambitious project led by CERN workers, and it is already one of the most fantastic options for individuals looking for a reliable free VPN. With the adoption of the WireGuard protocol, this provider has taken another step toward being one of the best VPN providers worldwide. It will be fascinating to see what Proton VPN has in store for 2022.
