Proton VPN is one of the most respected virtual private network (VPN) providers available today. With strong encryption, a strict no-logging policy, and different pricing packages to choose from, it offers a robust service for protecting your privacy and securing your internet connection.
But how much does Proton VPN cost? In this in-depth review, we’ll break down ProtonVPN’s various pricing tiers and plans, features offered, and overall value compared to competitors. Read on for a comprehensive overview of Proton VPN pricing so you can determine if it’s the right private VPN solution for your budget and needs.
- Overview of Proton VPN Pricing Plans
- Paid Plan #1: Proton VPN Plus Features & Pricing
- Paid Plan #2: Proton VPN Visionary Details
- Proton VPN Tor Plan Specifics
- Factors That Impact Cost
- Discounts and Promos
- Evaluating True Value Against Competitors
- Cancelling Your Paid Subscription
- Proton VPN Pricing: Frequently Asked Questions
- Proton VPN Price: Final Thoughts
Overview of Proton VPN Pricing Plans
Proton VPN offers users both a limited free VPN option as well as three paid tiers:
- Free
- Plus
- Visionary
- VPN Tor
Below we summarize what you get at each tier and associated pricing:
The free Proton VPN plan gives you access to servers in just three countries. It allows one connected device and has average speeds. Data usage is unlimited. This plan is suitable for basic users wanting to test out the VPN.
Proton VPN Plus connects up to five devices simultaneously with servers in over 30 countries. It delivers faster speeds perfect for streaming. The yearly Plus plan costs $96, saving you 33% or $48 dollars compared to paying monthly. This middle-tier plan adds advanced security features like Secure Core and Tor connectivity.
The Visionary package expands your server options to 55+ countries. You can use Proton VPN on up to 10 devices concurrently. It offers the fastest available speeds to minimize buffering. Additional privacy tools are unlocked for maximum security. Opting for yearly billing lowers the cost to $24 per month, saving you 33% annually.
For users wanting to access the Tor anonymization network, the Proton Tor plan costs $5 a month. It omits some servers but focuses purely on anonymity online by routing your traffic through multiple encryption hops.
Next, let’s do a deeper comparison of what each paid Proton VPN package includes.
Paid Plan #1: Proton VPN Plus Features & Pricing
The mid-range ProtonVPN Plus plan adds several useful features over the basic free version. Here is an overview of what is included:
- $8 per month or $96 per year (33% savings)
- Access servers in 32 countries with unlimited data
- Connect on 5 devices simultaneously like desktop, mobile, tablet
- Fast VPN speeds for smooth HD streaming
- Site filtering tool to restrict malicious/phishing sites
- Secure Core feature for routing traffic through ultra-secure servers
- Tor over VPN integration for anonymous browsing
- P2P/BitTorrent support
- Split-tunneling to customize which apps use the VPN
- 24/7 customer support
The Plus plan delivers strong encryption and faster speeds to unlock more of Proton VPN’s network potential. Countries covered include popular regions like United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia. Connections are routed through 550+ fast VPN servers to facilitate activities like HD Netflix streaming.
For privacy-conscious users, special features like Secure Core and Tor integration add extra layers of protection. Secure Core routes your traffic through hardened servers controlled directly by Proton VPN for maximum security, preventing surveillance and interference.
At only $8 per month, ProtonVPN Plus hits the sweet spot of affordability while still providing ample security and performance. Those who pay annually get it for only $96 total due to the 33% discount, working out to just $8 per month.
Paid Plan #2: Proton VPN Visionary Details
The top-tier Proton VPN Visionary plan delivers the full suite of features for premium users who desire ultra high speeds along with enhanced privacy and the most server locations. Let’s look at what Visionary includes:
- $24 per month or $288 per year (33% discount)
- Access servers in 55+ countries with unlimited data
- Connect on up to 10 devices simultaneously
- Fastest VPN speeds offered by ProtonVPN
- All the same features as Plus (Secure Core, Tor, etc.)
- Added privacy tools like Tor over VPN servers
- Highest priority customer support
The Visionary plan expands your VPN server options to over 1,100 worldwide across 55+ countries. This allows you to unblock geo-restricted content nearly anywhere and route your traffic through a wider selection of locations. Countries covered include Australia, Singapore, Japan, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
With support for connecting up to 10 devices concurrently without speed loss, it facilitates protecting all your household and office devices. You can install Proton VPN on everything from laptops, phones, tablets, smart TVs and gaming consoles to routers.
By unlocking the full suite of Proton servers, Visionary provides the fastest VPN speeds to minimize lag and buffering. Activities like 4K streaming, gaming, torrenting and video conferencing will benefit thanks to ultra-low ping times.
You also get full access to all of Proton’s advanced privacy and security tools like Secure Core traffic obfuscation, dedicated Tor over VPN servers, and encrypted DNS.
For $24 a month, Visionary delivers maximum features and flexibility. Yet by paying for 1 year upfront at $288 total, you lower the cost to only $24 per month and save $144.
Proton VPN Tor Plan Specifics
In addition to the three main tiers, Proton also offers a special Proton Tor plan focused purely on sending all your VPN traffic through the Tor network for anonymous browsing. Details include:
- $5 per month (no yearly discount)
- Available in just 3 countries so far
- Route VPN protection through the Tor network
- Hides your IP address and encrypts traffic
- Allows only 1 connected device
- Significantly slower speeds due to Tor
The Proton Tor bundle gives you easy access to Tor’s protection without needing to manually configure a Tor browser. It sends all your VPN traffic through the Tor network, preventing tracking and surveillance. Your IP address and DNS requests are also hidden by encrypting everything end-to-end.
However, speeds can be quite slow compared to Proton’s other plans since everything goes through Tor, which is latency-heavy. The network locations are also greatly limited during these early access phases. Thus Proton Tor works best for users focused purely on anonymization over fast streaming.
Factors That Impact Cost
When evaluating your budget for a Proton VPN subscription, keep the following factors that determine pricing in mind:
- Server Locations & Countries: More countries covered means higher costs for Proton to operate those servers. Visionary unlocks the full 50+ country network.
- Number of Connected Devices: Supporting simultaneous multi-device connections requires greater server capacity and costs more. Visionary supports up to 10 devices concurrently without speed loss.
- Internet Speeds Offered: Faster VPN speeds require more bandwidth capacity, leading to higher operating expenses that translate to increased prices.
- Security & Privacy Tools: Advanced features like Secure Core and Tor integration require specialized servers and development, increasing costs. Visionary includes full access to all privacy tools.
Understanding these key elements that factor into Proton’s pricing models can help explain why faster, full-featured plans cost more than basic packages. But you get what you pay for with enhanced security, speeds, and flexibility.
Discounts and Promos
Proton does offer special limited-time discounts and promotions from time to time. These are worth checking out around major holidays and sales events.
Some current deals include:
- Special pricing bundles like 2 year Visionary plans
- Percentage discounts or dollar-amount coupons off longer term plans
- Free additional months added onto 1 or 2 year subscriptions
- Refer a friend to get free month credit rewards
Be on the lookout on their pricing page and email newsletter for any active coupons during major sales like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and New Year’s. Bundle pricing during these promotions can drop the monthly cost down more.
Evaluating True Value Against Competitors
When we analyze the value of Proton VPN’s pricing against alternatives like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, IPVanish, TunnelBear and others, it remains very competitive:
- Unlimited data usage vs caps imposed by some rivals
- Ability to access streaming sites like US Netflix at all tiers
- No upcharges for additional device connections
- Range of pricing from free to premium instead of one-size-fits-all
- All essential VPN features included like Kill Switch
- Discounts for longer 12 and 24 month subscriptions
- Average monthly pricing across plans beats competitors
Proton VPN manages to beat competitors in areas like no data limits, allowing P2P traffic, permitting connections to streaming sites, and not upcharging for more device connections. It offers flexible pricing tiers while keeping average monthly costs very reasonable.
The Plus package at $8 per month sits below the pricing of many competitor’s single plan options. And Visionary’s $24 monthly charge remains lower than popular rivals despite offering maximum features and server locations.
Cancelling Your Paid Subscription
If you decide after testing Proton VPN that you want to cancel an active paid subscription, you can easily do so from inside your account dashboard.
- Log into protonvpn.com and go to Dashboard
- Click on “Manage Plan” from left sidebar
- Select “Downgrade Account” option
- Choose the Free plan, then confirm downgrade
Your paid subscription will remain active until the next billing cycle, at which point it will downgrade to the Free option automatically. This prevents disruption to your secure VPN access.
You must downgrade or cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date to prevent being charged again. But you continue benefiting from full paid features until the expiration date.
Proton VPN Pricing: Frequently Asked Questions
To wrap up this complete overview discussing Proton VPN’s costs, discounts, and value comparisons, let’s answer some frequently asked buyer questions:
Does ProtonVPN charge taxes on purchases? No, taxes and VAT are not applied currently. All advertised pricing is the final amount you will pay.
What payment methods are accepted? Major credit/debit cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express are accepted. Also PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and cryptocurrencies.
Can I get a refund after purchasing?
Yes, Proton has a 30 day money-back guarantee. Simply contact support to process a refund if dissatisfied for any reason within 30 days.
Who qualifies for student discounts? Anyone with a valid .edu student email address from an accredited university or college can sign up for 20% off.
Can I switch between paid plans anytime? Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade from Plus to Visionary, Free to Paid, etc. anytime without waiting for renewal.
Does Proton VPN offer split-tunneling?
Yes, their dedicated apps allow you to customize which apps route through the VPN vs your ISP based on your preferences, split-tunneling traffic accordingly.
Proton VPN Price: Final Thoughts
We hope this complete yet easy to digest Proton VPN pricing guide covered everything you need to know before deciding if one of their plans is right for your budget.
The range of tier options ensures everyone can benefit from VPN protection. Choose your plan based on countries needed, devices utilized, preferred speeds, desired privacy tools enabled, and tolerance for cost. Taking advantage of lengthier contracts nets the biggest savings off monthly pricing as well.
Try out the unlimited data Proton VPN free plan if still unsure. But the comprehensive paid packages deliver faster speeds, more server locations, and enhanced security at very affordable rates compared to most industry providers.