ProtonVPN

ProtonVPN is a virtual private network (VPN) service provider operated by the Swiss company Proton Technologies AG,[1] the company behind the email service ProtonMail.[1] According to ProtonVPN's official website, ProtonVPN and ProtonMail share the same management team, offices, and technical resources, and is operated from Proton's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland under the protection of Swiss privacy laws.[1]

ProtonVPN
Developer(s)Proton Technologies AG
Stable release
Latest versions 
Android 2.3.12.0
Linux 2.2.4
Microsoft Windows 1.16.1
iOS 2.2.1
Repository
Operating system
Platform
TypeVirtual private network
Websiteprotonvpn.com

Company

Proton Technologies AG, the company behind ProtonVPN and the email service ProtonMail, is supported by FONGIT (the Fondation Genevoise pour l'Innovation Technologique, a non-profit foundation financed by the Swiss Federal Commission for Technology and Innovation)[1] and the European Commission.[2] Proton has also partnered with Mozilla, the makers of the open source Firefox web browser to offer VPN to Firefox users.[3] (but Mozilla has since started using Mullvad for their VPN[4])

Features

ProtonVPN has (as of 1 May 2020) a total of 809 servers, sited in 50 different countries.[5] All servers are owned and operated by ProtonVPN through the company's network.[6] Its service is available for Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS,[7] and also has a command-line tool for Linux.[8] As of 2020, there is also a graphical user interface available for Linux in beta.[9]

ProtonVPN utilizes OpenVPN (UDP/TCP) and the IKEv2 protocol, with AES-256 encryption. The company has a strict no-logging policy for user connection data, and also prevents DNS and WebRTC leaks from exposing users' true IP addresses.[10] ProtonVPN also includes Tor access support and a kill switch to shut off Internet access in the event of a lost VPN connection.[6]

In January 2020, ProtonVPN became the first VPN provider to release its source code on all platforms and conduct an independent security audit.[11] ProtonVPN is the only VPN to do so, even though experts say this is a crucial factor in deciding whether to trust a VPN service.

Reception

In a September 2019 review by TechRadar, ProtonVPN received four-and-a-half out of five stars; the verdict read, "ProtonVPN's network is small, and we had some performance issues during testing. Still, speeds are generally better than average, the apps are well-designed and we have to applaud any genuine VPN which offers a free, unlimited bandwidth plan."[12]A November 2018 review of the free version by the same TechRadar writer concluded: "If you can live with a choice of only three locations, ProtonVPN's free plan is an excellent choice – there are no bandwidth limits, decent speeds, a privacy policy you can believe (probably) and clients for desktops and mobile devices. It’s well worth checking out, if only as a backup for your existing VPN service."[13]

A February 2019 PC Magazine UK review rated ProtonVPN at 4 out of 5, saying "When we first reviewed ProtonVPN, it was a young service looking to expand. It certainly has done that, and the service is definitely better now. It's still unclear if the company will be able to scale up to match its competitors, given its exacting standards for physical security. But that's a worry for the future. Right now, ProtonVPN is an excellent service at an unbeatable range of prices."[14]

See also

References
  1. ProtonVPN. "About Us". About ProtonVPN.
  2. European Commission. "CORDIS European Commission". ProtonSuite Project H2020.
  3. Mozilla. "Testing new ways to keep you safe online".
  4. Mullvad. "Mullvad partnerships page has been updated - Mozilla".
  5. "ProtonVPN - About Us". ProtonVPN. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  6. Williams, Mike. "ProtonVPN review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  7. "Best VPNs for Netflix – VPN's that Work with Netflix". vpngorilla.com. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
  8. Brian Nadel (2018-11-16). "ProtonVPN Free Review". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  9. ProtonVPN/linux-gui, ProtonVPN, 2020-06-03, retrieved 2020-06-03
  10. Mardisalu, Rob (2020-01-06). "ProtonVPN Review". thebestvpn.com. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  11. Osborne, Charlie (2020-01-22). "ProtonVPN apps handed to open source community in transparency push". ZDNet. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  12. Williams, Mike (17 September 2019). "ProtonVPN review". TechRadar.
  13. Williams, Mike (16 November 2018). "ProtonVPN Free review". TechRadar.
  14. Max Eddy (28 February 2019). "ProtonVPN". PCMag UK. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
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