protonvpn

In an era when online privacy and data security are increasingly important, ProtonVPN distinguishes itself as a service built around privacy principles. Launched by Proton Technologies AG, the company behind Proton Mail, ProtonVPN benefits from Switzerland’s strong privacy laws and a clear focus on protecting user data. Core features make ProtonVPN attractive to a wide range of users. Connections use modern, secure tunneling protocols — WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 — and AES-256 encryption, ensuring traffic remains confidential. The no-logs policy is a central promise: ProtonVPN states it does not collect or retain activity logs, which has been reinforced by transparency reports and independent audits of its software. Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS are open source, allowing security researchers to review code and improving trust in the platform. A defining capability is Secure Core, ProtonVPN’s multi-hop approach. Traffic can be routed through privacy-friendly countries in Proton’s Secure Core network before exiting to the public internet. This mitigates risks from compromised exit servers or network-level surveillance. Additionally, ProtonVPN offers Tor over VPN: a one-click option to route traffic through the Tor network without running a Tor browser, providing an extra layer of anonymity for sensitive browsing. Practical conveniences include a built-in kill switch, split tunneling (on some platforms), and optimized servers for P2P file sharing and streaming. ProtonVPN Free is a notable entry-level option: it provides access to a limited set of servers with no data caps, making it useful for basic protection on public Wi-Fi or casual browsing. Paid tiers — often labeled Basic, Plus, and Visionary — unlock higher speeds, a larger server network, streaming-optimized servers, and multi-device connections. Visionary bundles ProtonVPN with Proton Mail as a combined privacy suite. Performance is generally competitive, especially when using the WireGuard protocol and well-located servers. That said, speeds can vary depending on geographic distance and server load; Secure Core routing can add latency because of the extra hops. Pricing places ProtonVPN in the mid-to-premium range, reflecting its emphasis on privacy and development of open-source, audited clients. Who should consider ProtonVPN? Privacy-conscious users, journalists, activists, or anyone wanting a trustworthy no-logs provider with advanced privacy options will find it compelling. If you mainly need the fastest possible speeds or the largest global server footprint for gaming, you may want to compare benchmarks against other providers. A good approach is to try the free plan to evaluate compatibility, then upgrade to Plus or Visionary for higher performance and additional features.