shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use Proton VPN?

The best VPN for speed and security - protonvpn.com

Worth it. Buy if you want a privacy-first VPN with a genuinely usable free tier; Plus at ~$4.49/mo unlocks the full 5,000+ server network. Skip it if you want the cheapest name-brand VPN or enterprise-grade per-user tooling on a budget.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; source snippets were truncated, so verbatim user quotes were unavailable.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence in sources
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityOnly indirect Trustpilot complaint signals
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Proton Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
VPN Plusfrom $4.49/mo
Premium$25/mo

Best for

  • Privacy-focused individuals
  • People wanting a trustworthy free VPN
  • Journalists and activists needing Secure Core
  • Multi-device households

Not for

  • Casual users the free tier already covers — paying for Plus is overkill
  • Bargain hunters; cheaper mainstream VPNs exist
  • Businesses needing granular per-user admin controls
  • Anyone needing guaranteed identical pricing — Proton was accused of A/B price testing

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Pricing sources conflict ($4.49 vs $25 tiers) — confirm current price at checkout

medium

Proton was accused of showing different users different prices

medium

CVE-2022-50917 Windows privilege escalation — keep the desktop app updated

low

Free tier restricts servers and speed; real use pushes you to Plus

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free plan praised as better than most paid rivals
  • 5,000+ servers across many countries
  • Independent auditors confirmed the no-logs policy
  • Secure Core multi-hop routing for high-risk users
  • Funded by paying users, not ad data

Cons

  • Windows app has had privilege-escalation CVEs (2018, 2022)
  • Free tier has meaningful limits vs paid plans
  • Mixed Trustpilot sentiment; some customers complain
  • Accused of price-sensitivity A/B testing on customers
  • Top premium tier costs $25/month

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/03/2026 - 12 sources - No-logs policy independently audited; two past Windows privilege-escalation CVEs (2018, 2022) and a 2019 kernel-flaw statement on record.

official x3review x4security x3news x2
  • CVE-2022-50917 — Windows privilege escalation, ProtonVPN Windows client privilege escalation vulnerability, disclosed January 2026 in NVD.
  • CVE-2018-10169 — Windows client advisory, Security advisory affecting the ProtonVPN Windows client, disclosed by VerSprite.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Strong free tier; premium pricier than rivals
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence in sources
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Secure Core, 5,000+ servers, multi-platform apps
  • Support quality. Only indirect Trustpilot complaint signals
  • Security posture: 4/5. Audited no-logs; past Windows CVEs patched
  • 5,000+ Servers Worldwide (June 2024)
  • $4.49/mo Starting price VPN Plus, per PCWorld
  • Yes Free tier Proton Free plan
  • $2.6M Funding Crunchbase, revenue-funded

Pricing

Proton Free

$0

  • No-logs free VPN
  • Limited servers and speeds

VPN Plus

from $4.49/mo

  • Full 5,000+ server network
  • Secure Core routing

Premium

$25/mo

  • Top tier with higher limits
  • Best for heavy multi-device use

Security

No-logs policy independently audited; two past Windows privilege-escalation CVEs (2018, 2022) and a 2019 kernel-flaw statement on record.

  • CVE-2022-50917 — Windows privilege escalationProtonVPN Windows client privilege escalation vulnerability, disclosed January 2026 in NVD.⁶
  • CVE-2018-10169 — Windows client advisorySecurity advisory affecting the ProtonVPN Windows client, disclosed by VerSprite.⁷

What users say

Reviewers praise the free tier and security record, while some Trustpilot and Reddit users voice support and trust complaints.

Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; source snippets were truncated, so verbatim user quotes were unavailable.

Trustworthy audited no-logs VPN with a strong free tier; paid starts ~$4.49/mo. Watch for A/B-tested prices.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; source snippets were truncated, so verbatim user quotes were unavailable.

Sources

  1. Proton VPN review: Great paid plan, even better free plan — PCWorldpcworld.com
    review
  2. Proton VPN Review 2026 — Security.orgsecurity.org
    review
  3. Proton VPN Reviews — Trustpilottrustpilot.com
    review
  4. Proton VPN for Business Reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  5. CVE-2022-50917 — SentinelOne vulnerability databasesentinelone.com
    security
  6. CVE-2022-50917 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  7. CVE-2018-10169 advisory — VerSpriteversprite.com
    security
  8. Proton VPN pricingprotonvpn.com
    official
  9. Proton VPN now offers 5000+ serversprotonvpn.com
    official
  10. Proton VPN pricing guide — Privacy.comprivacy.com
    news
  11. Proton VPN accused of price A/B testing — Privacy Guidesdiscuss.privacyguides.net
    news
  12. Proton VPN plans explainedprotonvpn.com
    official

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.