ProtonVPN Review 2026

Yes, it is one of the safest options available. It operates from Switzerland, features AES-256 encryption, and its no-logs policy has been verified by several independent audits.

Absolutely. In our tests, it unblocked Netflix regions in the US, UK, Japan, and Germany with 4K support. It successfully unblocked 25 out of 28 platforms we tested.

A single paid ‘Plus’ subscription allows for 10 simultaneous connections. This covers smartphones, laptops, and even your smart TV apps.

It is good for basic privacy because it has no data limits. However, it is restricted to 3 countries and does not support streaming or torrenting.

In our latest performance benchmarks, it reached 893 Mbps on local servers. This makes it one of the fastest VPNs for gaming and 4K video.

Yes, by using the Stealth protocol, it can bypass the Great Firewall. It also works in other restrictive countries like Russia and the UAE.

It depends on your needs. NordVPN currently has a higher overall score of 9.6/10 and is generally faster for remote connections, but many prefer this service for its Swiss jurisdiction and open-source apps.

Yes, they support Bitcoin and even cash payments sent to their Geneva headquarters, allowing for a completely anonymous signup process.

Yes, it has a built-in kill switch for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. We verified that it effectively blocks traffic if the VPN connection drops.

After the initial 2-year promo of $3.59/mo ends, it renews at $6.66/mo. This is a 86% increase, so it’s important to keep track of your billing cycle.

Yes. In our 2026 testing, ProtonVPN successfully unblocked Hulu, Peacock, Max (formerly HBO Max), Paramount+, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX on the first connection attempt. We had similar success with regional services like FuboTV, Sling TV, and 9Now. The dedicated Plus servers are flagged with a “streaming” icon in the app, which makes finding a working IP nearly instant. Note: the free tier does not support streaming: you need Plus or higher to access geo-restricted content.

Secure Core is a Proton-exclusive feature that routes your traffic through two VPN servers instead of one, with the first hop always located in a privacy-friendly country (Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden). Even if an attacker compromised the second server, your true origin would remain hidden behind the Swiss node. For everyday streaming or torrenting it adds unnecessary overhead (around 30% speed loss). However, for activists, journalists, or anyone with a high-risk threat model, Secure Core provides an extra layer of defense that no other major provider implements this way. It is included in Plus and higher plans at no extra cost.

Yes: and this is rare. ProtonVPN is one of the few major VPNs that still offers port forwarding, which significantly improves P2P torrenting speeds and seeding ratios on private trackers. The feature is available on WireGuard and OpenVPN across all desktop apps, and it works on the dedicated P2P-optimized servers. NordVPN and ExpressVPN both removed this feature years ago, so if you actively torrent, this alone can be the deciding factor. Port forwarding requires the Plus tier or higher.