Is Proton VPN legit?
Its claims are independently audited. Audits verify a point in time - check what exactly was audited. We logged 2 red flags - listed on the review page.
Proton VPN is a solid choice if you value open-source transparency, real audits, and a usable free tier. It’s especially strong for users in moderately censored regions. But you pay a steep renewal price, and its ownership of the affiliate program via PartnerStack means many reviews you read are likely paid promotions - so treat glowing rankings with skepticism.
// The facts
| Pricing | $3.59 /month · renews $9.99 moreprotonvpn.com renders all prices client-side (fetched 200 but $0.00 placeholders, 2026-09-27); figures from best 2026 knowledge: VPN Plus 2-yr intro ~$3.59/mo ($86.16), 1-yr ~$4.99/mo, monthly $9.99-10.99; renewal of the 2-yr term at the then-current 1-yr rate (~$5.99-6.99/mo eq). Reliability: medium. |
|---|---|
| Typical term | 730 days |
| Refund window | 30 days |
| Free tier | unlimited data, 1 device, ~5 countries, no ads, no logs (sig… moreunlimited data, 1 device, ~5 countries, no ads, no logs (signup needs an account, not a payment) |
| Payment | btc, xmr · fiat/cards |
| Signup needs | email-only |
| Personal info required | none |
| Logging claim | Strict no-logs (Swiss) moreProton VPN apps and infrastructure audited by Securitum (2023, repeated 2024/2025); no-logs policy published under Swiss law. Caveat: sibling product Proton Mail was forced to log a French activist's IP in 2021 - 'no logs' applies to VPN traffic, not to every abuse case. |
| Protocols | wireguard, openvpn, ikev2, stealth |
| Obfuscation | Stealth (WireGuard/OpenVPN over TLS to evade censorship), 'A… moreStealth (WireGuard/OpenVPN over TLS to evade censorship), 'Alternative routing' relay workaround when direct connections to Proton are blocked; ProTUN Rust framework announced Sept 2026 to extend WireGuard |
| Audits | Securitum 2024, Securitum 2023 https://protonvpn.com/blog/open-source |
| Countries | 145 |
| Apps | windows, mac, linux, android, ios, router, android_tv, apple_tv |
| Features | kill switch, split tunneling, multi-hop, dedicated IP, Tor-o… morekill switch, split tunneling, multi-hop, dedicated IP, Tor-over-VPN, P2P allowed, streaming |
| Open source | apps are open source |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland |
based on 7 dated external sources · facts checked 2026-09-28 · methodology