How Much Does
Proton VPN Cost in 2026?
Proton VPN is the most ethically-positioned VPN — built by the team behind ProtonMail, all apps open-source, based in Switzerland with no data retention requirements. The Free tier is genuinely usable (1 device, 10 countries, medium speed). Proton Unlimited at $9.99/mo annual bundles VPN + Mail + Drive (500GB) + Password Manager — replaces ~4 other subscriptions.
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
Plans & Pricing
Proton Unlimited (Annual)
$9.99/mo billed annually
- devices 10
- driveStorage 500GB
- scope VPN + Mail Plus + Drive + Pass Premium
From the StackScored blog
Features
Our Verdict
Proton is what you buy when you care about privacy as a principle, not just a feature. All apps are open-source (you can verify no telemetry). Switzerland jurisdiction has the strongest privacy laws in the category. SEC Consult audited. No-logs policy is genuinely enforced (they've published transparency reports showing government requests that they couldn't fulfill because they didn't have the data). The Free tier is unusual in VPN-land: 1 device, 10 countries, medium speed, no ads. Enough to use for real privacy protection on a single device. Most 'free' VPNs are data-harvesting operations — Proton's free tier funded by paid subscribers, not by selling your data. VPN Plus at $4.99/mo on 2-year, $6.66/mo annual, or $9.99/mo monthly is the core VPN product: 10 devices, 15,000+ servers, streaming support, NetShield ad blocker, Secure Core (multi-hop routing). Competitive with NordVPN Basic and Surfshark Starter at higher price points. The real value is Proton Unlimited at $9.99/mo annual: bundles VPN Plus + ProtonMail Plus (15GB mail) + Proton Drive Plus (500GB cloud storage) + Proton Pass Premium (password manager). If you're paying for a VPN + Gmail replacement + Dropbox + Bitwarden separately, Unlimited replaces all of them at competitive total cost. The honest weakness: streaming reliability is slightly less consistent than ExpressVPN or NordVPN for region-locked content. If Netflix US access is critical, those are more reliable picks.
Pros
- Only VPN in this comparison with a legitimately useful free tier — 1 device, real speed, 10 countries
- All apps open-source — you can audit the code for backdoors, telemetry, or logging
- Switzerland jurisdiction has the strongest privacy protections in the category
- Proton Unlimited at $9.99/mo annual bundles VPN + Mail + Drive + Pass — replaces $30-40/mo of separate subscriptions
- Transparency reports published annually — only VPN showing actual government requests and responses
Cons
- Streaming reliability is 80-90% vs ExpressVPN/NordVPN's 95%+ — Netflix US unlocks fail occasionally
- Fewer total servers than NordVPN (15k vs NordVPN claim but reality close) — less geographic density in some regions
- Pricing display has rendering issues on the pricing page (shows $0.00) — marked unverified until confirmed at signup
- Proton Unlimited value depends on using the bundle — if you only want VPN, VPN Plus standalone is cheaper
Affiliate link — you pay the same price
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How much does Proton VPN cost per month?
- Proton VPN plans start at $9.99/mo. They offer 5 plans total.
- Does Proton VPN have a free plan?
- Yes, Proton VPN offers a free plan. See the feature comparison above for what's included and the limits.
- Is Proton VPN worth the price?
- With a score of 9/10 and plans from $9.99/mo, Proton VPN delivers strong value for the price.
- What are cheaper alternatives to Proton VPN?
- Cheaper vpn alternatives include Mullvad ($5/mo). See all options on our [VPN pricing comparison](/pricing/vpn/) page.