Tim Mocan
Updated on: November 23, 2024
Fact-checked by Hazel Shaw
Short on time? Here’s the best Proton VPN deal available right now:
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🥇 Proton VPN
:Save 70% on the 24-month plan! Click that link (or any other Proton VPN affiliate link on our website) to save 70% on Proton VPN’s 2-year plan.
Proton VPN’s pricing is very straightforward — the provider has a free version, and also a paid version with different plan lengths. Plus, it accepts multiple payment options, and it also has a generous money-back guarantee.
In this guide, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Proton VPN’s prices. I’ll also highlight the best Proton VPN deals you can get right now, talk about what kind of value the VPN provides, and mention affordable alternatives too.
Proton VPN Cost: Quick Overview
Proton VPN is a pretty affordable VPN, and it also provides great value, especially if you’re really focused on privacy, security, and torrenting. If you use our affiliate link, you can actually enjoy a 70% on the provider’s longest plan (the 2-year plan), so you’d pay £2.31 / month.
The provider has a 1-month, a 1-year, and a 2-year plan. All plans come with the same feature, but the longest one arguably provides the best value, as long as you’re comfortable with committing to a long-term subscription. Proton VPN also has a free plan, which lets you test the VPN risk-free before upgrading to a paid plan.
Recommended Proton VPN Deal:
Proton VPN Plans & Pricing Options
Proton VPN’s paid version (called Plus) has monthly and yearly plans. All plans provide access to the same VPN features. Picking between a monthly and a long-term plan mostly depends on what you want — flexibility or affordability. Here’s what I recommend:
- Monthly plan. This plan is a good pick if you only need short-term access to Proton VPN. For example, you can test the VPN to make sure it’s right for you. Or, it’s an ideal option if you’re traveling for two-to-three weeks out of state or outside the country and need to use a VPN to secure your traffic or access online services from back home. Just keep in mind that the monthly plan is the most expensive out of all Proton VPN plans.
- 1-year plan. This plan provides pretty good savings. I mostly recommend getting it if you’re sure you like Proton VPN but don’t want to commit to a lengthy subscription.
- 2-year plan. This plan is the most affordable option, as it starts at only £2.31 / month. I recommend picking this option if you’re sure that Proton VPN is the right VPN for you, and also if you don’t have any issues committing to such a long plan.
Proton VPN backs all of its plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee — just keep in mind it’s prorated. This means you’ll only be refunded for the days you didn’t use during the subscription period. For example, if you request the refund on the 13th day, Proton VPN will refund you for the remaining 17 days.
Here’s a quick breakdown of Proton VPN’s pricing:
Proton VPN Features: What Do You Get For the Cost?
Proton VPN is among the best VPNs in 2024. It has servers in 112 countries, it maintains very fast online speeds, and it comes with all essential security features (a kill switch, 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy, and DNS leak protection). The provider also has other high-end security features. This includes a very good ad blocker called NetShield, and Secure Core servers — these servers send your data through two VPN servers (encrypting it twice), and one of the servers is located in a privacy-friendly country.
Proton VPN is also one of the most privacy-friendly VPNs on the market. Its no-logs policy has been independently audited and confirmed, and all of the provider’s apps are open-source (meaning anyone can inspect the code for security issues) — plus, the apps have passed security audits, too. In addition, the VPN is located in Switzerland, which is a privacy-friendly country. And it also releases transparency reports, which detail how the provider receives requests for user data, and how it doesn’t comply with them.
This is also one of the best VPNs for torrenting. It allows P2P traffic on servers in 75+ countries, and it also has built-in support for port forwarding in most of its apps — this feature lets you connect to more peers to get faster downloads. Proton VPN also has very good streaming support, as it’s compatible with 50+ streaming sites, including top ones like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+.
And you also get access to great additional features. For example, you get split-tunneling, which lets you choose which apps and sites use and don’t use the VPN. There’s also VPN Accelerator, which is a feature unique to Proton VPN that boosts speeds on all VPN servers (especially distant ones).
To learn more about Proton VPN, check out our full review.
Is Proton VPN a Good Value?
Proton VPN’s prices start at £2.31 / month, which is pretty affordable. I particularly think that this VPN provides the best value for people focused on privacy and security, and downloading torrents.
That said, if you’re looking for a better deal, check out Private Internet Access (PIA). It’s cheaper than Proton VPN since its prices begin at just £1.57 / month. It provides the same high level of security and privacy since it has all essential VPN security features, it has an audited no-logs policy, and all of its apps are open-source.
Plus, it even provides slightly better P2P support — it allows torrenting on all servers (located in 91 countries), it has built-in support for port forwarding on most apps, and it also has SOCKS5 proxy support, which hides your IP but doesn’t encrypt your traffic, providing very fast download speeds.
If you don’t mind spending more money, ExpressVPN is also a great alternative (it’s actually the best VPN in 2024). It has servers in 105 countries, it allows torrenting on all of them, it works with 100+ streaming services, it has super-fast speeds, and it provides industry-leading security and privacy features.
Can I Try Proton VPN For Free?
Yes, as Proton VPN has a free version — and it’s the best free VPN on the market. The provider’s free plan has unlimited bandwidth, which means you can use the free version to surf the web as much as you want (many free VPNs limit you to 2–10 GB per month). The free plan maintains pretty fast VPN speeds, too.
What’s more, the free plan also provides great security and privacy — it provides access to all essential VPN security features, and it also doesn’t log your data. It’s also great how the free version doesn’t interrupt your VPN usage by displaying in-app ads.
Just keep in mind the free version comes with some limitations. For one, you’re limited to free servers in 5 countries (the US, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, and Japan) — and you also can’t choose which server you connect to, as the VPN automatically connects you to the fastest server location. Free users also don’t get streaming and torrenting support and are limited to installing and using Proton VPN on just one device.
I definitely recommend using the provider’s free plan to try out the VPN and see if it’s right for you. Even after you upgrade to the paid version, you can still test the VPN risk-free since it has a 30-day money-back guarantee (just keep in mind it’s prorated).
Proton VPN Payment Methods
Proton VPN accepts several payment methods. However, some payment options are only available when you upgrade from the free version to the paid version and not when you sign up for a paid plan directly. Here’s a quick overview of all supported payment methods:
- Credit/Debit cards. Proton VPN accepts popular credit/debit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and JCB.
- PayPal. Securely and quickly pay using your PayPal account.
- Bank transfer. You can wire money to a Proton VPN bank account in USD, EUR, or CHF. Once you make the transfer, you’ll need to provide Proton VPN with the transfer details, so that they can credit your account. Keep in mind this payment option isn’t covered by Proton VPN’s refund policy.
- Bitcoin. Proton VPN accepts Bitcoin payments via a deposit — you need to either send Bitcoin to a wallet address provided by Proton VPN, or scan a QR code to make the payment. You then have to wait for the payment to be confirmed. This payment option is only available when you upgrade from the paid version.
- Cash. You can send cash payments in USD, EUR, or CHF to an address provided by Proton VPN. This option is only available if you upgrade from the free plan to the paid version. Also, it isn’t covered by the refund policy. What’s more, using this payment method means Proton VPN will only upgrade your account when it receives and confirms the payment.
Proton VPN Renewal Costs & How to Cancel Auto-Renewal
All Proton VPN subscriptions automatically renew when they expire. The plans renew at the same price as long as your subscription stays active. However, if you bought the plan for a promotional price (like during Black Friday, for example), the renewal will be under the normal price.
Also, if you paid for your subscription using Bitcoin, the subscription will auto-renew, but the Bitcoin payment won’t. The provider recommends making a Bitcoin payment at least 24 hours before your new bill is due.
How to Disable Auto-Renewal for Your Proton VPN Subscription
- Access the account dashboard on Proton VPN’s website. Just click the Sign in button in the top right on Proton VPN’s website. If prompted, use your username or email address and password to log in.
- Locate the Cancel subscription section. It’s on the Subscription tab, right at the bottom. Once you find it, click Continue.
- Confirm the auto-renewal cancellation. Proton VPN will ask you to confirm that you actually want to cancel your subscription — just tap the red Cancel subscription button.
- Fill out Proton VPN’s feedback form. The provider will ask you to provide a reason for canceling your subscription. Just pick one from the list, then select Submit.
- Verify your subscription status. If the auto-renewal has been turned off, Proton VPN will display a Reactivate button next to the subscription.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Proton VPN worth the money?
Yes, Proton VPN provides excellent value, especially if you’re focused on security, privacy, and torrenting. It has all essential security features, its no-logs policy passed an independent security audit, and all of its apps are open-source and audited. What’s more, the VPN has a very good ad blocker, it allows torrenting on servers in 75+ countries, and it supports port forwarding, which could boost P2P speeds.
Does Proton VPN have a free version?
Yes, Proton VPN has a free plan — and it’s the best free VPN plan on the market. The free version allows unlimited bandwidth, doesn’t log your data, and doesn’t display ads. Plus, it provides very good speeds. But it limits you to servers in 5 countries (and you can’t choose which one you connect to), it doesn’t support streaming and torrenting, and it restricts you to installing and using Proton VPN on just one device.
What payment methods does Proton VPN accept?
Proton VPN accepts many payment options, including credit/debit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, Bitcoin, and cash. However, some payment methods are only available when you upgrade from the free version to the paid version — this includes Bitcoin and cash payments. In addition, cash payments and bank transfers are non-refundable.
Can you refund Proton VPN?
Yes since Proton VPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee, and it applies to all of its paid plans. Just remember that the refund is prorated, which means you’ll only be refunded for the days you didn’t use during the subscription. So, if you ask for a refund on the 15th day, Proton VPN will refund you for the remaining 15 days.
