Home › Best VPNs › Proton VPN review
Single review · October 2026Proton VPN Review 2026: the privacy purist's choice
Our verdict
Swiss jurisdiction, yearly public audits, open-source apps — and a free tier that isn't a trap.
Swiss jurisdiction, public yearly audits, and open-source apps matter more to you than the lowest renewal price.
you need more than 10 devices on the Plus plan, or you want the cheapest renewal on the market.
Speed trials, leak tests, and streaming unblocks not yet run \u2014 launch score from verified audits, pricing, and features.
Privacy: the audit record
Switzerland jurisdiction. Securitum no-logs audits every year 2022–2026 (latest on-site May 2026, published June 2026, reports public), plus SOC 2 Type II (July 2025). Yearly audits with public reports — not a one-off badge — plus open-source apps you can inspect yourself: this is the transparency record the rest of the industry is measured against.
Speed & streaming: lab results pending
Proton's free tier is in the lab queue too — an unlimited-data free tier is rare enough to deserve its own measured row in the streaming-unblock matrix. The protocol is documented, the rig isn't built yet; no numbers on this page until they're real. Read the protocol we're running.
Pricing — including the part they downplay
| Plan | Intro price | Renewal price |
|---|---|---|
| 2-year Plus | $2.99/mo | $2.99/mo $83.88/yr |
The renewal at $83.88/yr is the honest caveat — $4.88 a year more than Surfshark's, and the Plus plan caps you at 10 devices. The free tier (no data cap) stays the fallback if pricing is the blocker. We publish renewal prices because the industry hides them. Intro promos drift — verify at checkout. Prices checked October 2026.
Pros
- Yearly public no-logs audits since 2022
- Switzerland jurisdiction
- Open-source apps, independently audited
- Free tier with no data cap
Cons
- Renewal $83.88/yr — more than Surfshark
- 10-device limit on Plus
Bottom line
Five straight yearly Securitum audits with public reports, Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps — nobody in our five is more auditable. The cost of that transparency is $83.88/yr at renewal and a 10-device cap. The honest answer is the privacy gap between Proton and Nord is narrower than either brand admits; pick Proton if public reports and a Swiss flag genuinely matter to you. It scores 8.8because transparency is the one thing it never asks you to take on faith.
Compare it: Proton VPN vs NordVPN →