Proton VPN runs the only free plan on our list with no data cap. We used it as our daily VPN to find out whether "unlimited and free" comes with a hidden catch. Short answer: the limits are real, but they're the ones Proton tells you about up front.
The free plan gives you the same apps, the same encryption, and the same audited infrastructure as Proton's paid tiers. You connect to free servers in five countries (the United States, the Netherlands, Japan, Poland, and Romania) on one device at a time. And that's it for restrictions on quantity: browse all day, every day, and nothing throttles you into a paywall.
That model only works because Proton treats the free tier as a funnel, not a product to squeeze. The company makes its money from paid subscribers across Proton Mail, Drive, and VPN, so the free plan doesn't need ads and doesn't need your data. In this market, that business model is the single most reassuring thing about it.
Three things separate free from paid. First, you get one connection, so you can't protect your phone and laptop at the same time. Second, you can't pick a specific server or country; the app picks the fastest free server for you. Third, streaming and torrenting are off the table. Proton reserves those for paying customers, and in our testing the free servers didn't unblock the major streaming platforms. If streaming is the goal, PrivadoVPN's free plan is the better tool.
This is where Proton pulls away from the pack. The no-logs policy has been through repeated independent audits, the apps are open source so anyone can inspect them, and the company operates under Swiss privacy law. Plenty of VPNs promise they don't log; very few invite outsiders in to check. For a free product, where the usual suspicion is "you are the product," that verification matters more than any feature.
Free servers are busier than paid ones, so expect some slowdown at peak hours. In normal use we found it comfortable for browsing, video calls, and standard-definition video, with occasional slow patches in the evening. The kill switch works on the free plan, auto-connect works, and the apps stay out of your way. It behaves like a paid VPN that happens to cost nothing, not like a demo.
Anyone whose main goal is privacy on one device: public Wi-Fi protection, keeping your ISP out of your browsing, or an always-on VPN you never think about. If you need several devices, country selection, or streaming, that's the point where Proton wants you on a paid plan, and honestly at that point you should compare paid options anyway.
Yes. The free plan is permanent, not a trial. You create an account with an email address, no payment details, and it doesn't expire.
Not on the free plan. The app automatically connects you to the fastest available free server. Country selection is a paid feature.
No ads anywhere, and the audited no-logs policy covers free users the same as paid ones. Proton funds the free tier through its paid subscriptions.
See how it compares in the full free VPN ranking, or check the runner-up, Windscribe.