Proton AG
open-source VPN from a Swiss non-profit, with a free tier
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Company | Proton AG |
| URL | protonvpn.com |
| Pricing | varies— Genuinely free tier (unlimited data, no ads, one device, 5 countries). Paid plans add
more countries, up to 10 devices, and streaming/P2P; often bundled with Proton Mail/Drive/Pass. |
| License | open |
| Hosting | cloud |
WireGuard/OpenVPN provider from Geneva, operated by Proton AG and majority-owned by the non-profit Proton Foundation. Founded by scientists who met at CERN; same organisation as Proton Mail. Every client app (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS) is open source.
Usage Notes
Why it's our usability fallback: Switzerland sits outside the EU and the 5/9/14 Eyes blocs with strong data-protection law, and the non-profit foundation structure means the company answers to a mission rather than an acquirer. No-logs infrastructure has been audited annually by Securitum since 2022, plus a 2025 SOC 2 Type II audit. The free tier is a rare honest one -- unlimited data, no ads -- which makes it a safe thing to recommend to non-technical members. Bundling with Proton Mail keeps the whole stack under one Swiss non-profit.
Tradeoffs: the free tier is limited to one device and five countries; the full app suite is heavier than Mullvad's; and it's a larger, more mainstream service than the anonymity-first options. Account creation typically uses an email address (less anonymous than Mullvad/IVPN account numbers).
Best fit: the "just works for everyone" recommendation, and anyone already in the Proton ecosystem. For maximum anonymity prefer Mullvad or IVPN; to eliminate the operator entirely, WireGuard on your own server.
Rejected Alternatives
Kape's ExpressVPN / CyberGhost / PIA / ZenMate, Hola VPN, and Hotspot Shield / Betternet are rejected on ownership grounds -- see Category:VPN.