ProtonVPN review

Supported devices

The service includes access to a range of apps for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, and a command-line tool for Linux. There are currently no browser extensions available. This means you cannot secure your connection on computers where you can’t install software -- such as at your work computer.

Ease of Use

ProtonVPN impressed reviewers with how easy it was to use and how good the app itself looked. Selecting a server and securing their connection was quick and simple. Unlike many VPN applications, ProtonVPN also allows you to see how loaded each server is so you can choose the least congested options in real time.

They also allow you to create two profiles for specific activities -- one to connect to the faster server and another to connect to a random server. Of course, you can adjust your profiles to fit your needs.

Simultaneous Connections

Supported devices range from 2 on the lowest monthly plan to up to 10 at the most expensive option. This gives you plenty of flexibility in keeping all of your phones, tablets, and computers secure.

Included Features

• Kill Switch protection
• TOR connections
• P2P servers
• OpenVPN protocol
• Access to ProtonMail at highest payment tier
• Amazon Prime and Netflix support
• DNS leak protection

If you want an extra layer of security, TOR connections help conceal your identity and online activity by separating your identification and routing.

More into P2P? ProtonVPN also has several servers that support common protocols, including BitTorrent. However, experts were a bit let down that the client didn’t indicate which servers support P2P. You might have to try a few before you see good results.

Privacy and Logging

Due to its Swiss location, ProtonVPN gets an immediate advantage over other VPNs. The country itself has very strong privacy laws and is not a member of the “14 Eyes” surveillance network.

ProtonVPN states their policy clearly as a no log service. When tested, reviewers were impressed with how little logs were actually kept. The only thing they could uncover was a timestamp of the last successful login. This timestamp was overwritten the next time they logged in.

If you’re looking for privacy on the billing side, ProtonVPN accepts Bitcoin as well.

PCWorld states, “Overall, ProtonVPN provides good privacy protection…”

Performance

ProtonVPN currently has 30 server locations but the number of servers available is growing yearly. Even with limited servers, reviews indicate that the paid service tiers perform quite well. Critics were impressed with both download and upload speeds -- at least when connected to the correct server.

Unfortunately, performance varied wildly across the different servers for many reviewers and finding one that worked well was often just guesswork. And, as expected, the further they were from the server, the slower their performance.

Support

As the first line of defense, ProtonVPN offers a useful page where you can hopefully find answers. If you still cannot figure out your issue, you can fill out their support form and expect a response in around 12 to 24 hours. While support is certainly not the fastest, most critics had no complaints.

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Summary

Overall, ProtonVPN might not offer the most servers or the fastest support in our VPN summaries. What it offers instead is excellent privacy and fairly decent performance for the price. While the tiered pricing might be a turn off for some, critics found it provided a good deal of flexibility for people who might want a simpler experience.

PC Magazine states, “You won’t go wrong with ProtonVPN, but it is not with its drawbacks… it may need some time to mature before it can match the ease of use and robust networks of… NordVPN, Private Internet Access, and TunnelBear. But its free plan is peerless.”