ProtonVPN is a Switzerland-based VPN service provider, allowing users to benefit from some of the world's strongest privacy laws.

This VPN provider is developed by the same team of scientists who created ProtonMail, the world's largest encrypted email service. ProtonVPN was created to give journalists, activists, and everyday citizens unrestricted and secure access to the Internet.

ProtonVPN offers a great set of functionality, exclusive security standard, a strict no-logs policy, secure core servers, military-grade network security and impressive performance. It also features DNS leak prevention and comes with built-in Tor support and Kill Switch feature.

ProtonVPN general highlights

ProtonVPN has a strict no-logs policy, which means that no user activity or connection logs will be stored. It also uses the safest protocol out there - OpenVPN with AES 256-bit encryption. As usual we recommend to choose using the latter for both speed and security measures. ProtonVPN also provides users with ar feature to connect to the VPN with IKEv2 protocol. Moreover, it has some extra features like Tor functionality, as well as a kill switch which will block all network connections in the event that the connection with the VPN server is lost.

ProtonVPN does not just protect your browsing traffic - it also protects your DNS queries. By routing your DNS queries through the encrypted tunnel and not relying on third party DNS providers, they ensure that your browsing activity cannot be exposed by leaks from DNS queries.

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Feature / Criteria	ProtonVPN	PrivateVPN	ZenMate
OpenVPN
IKEv2
Wireguard or similar
Encryption (strongest)	aes-256	AES-256	AES-256
Internet activity logs
Connection logs
Killswitch

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It is known that in general, Internet speed drops when using a VPN, so it's important to try and find a VPN that still offers good speed even when using VPN services. Having ProtonVPN in mind, we have not experienced any issues during the standard web browsing experience whilst using ProtonVPN.

Both connection and server speeds were pretty good and a bit varying, but still fast. Connecting to a server location only took a few seconds and the connections were stable as well as reliable.

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Feature / Criteria	ProtonVPN	PrivateVPN	ZenMate
Unlimited speed
Server switches	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Unlimited data
Speed consistency & reliability	3.8	4	3.6

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ProtonVPN supports all major platforms with custom-developed apps: Windows, Mac OS X, and Android. There are numerous guides on how to set up ProtonVPN on these devices. Furthermore, Proton VPN provides with guides and detailed walkthroughs on how to manually configure this VPN for iOS, Blackberry, Windows phone, various routers and other devices as well.

HA troubleshooter is also available, so you can check out the knowledge base and blog articles if you've run into some kind of problem while using ProtonVPN. The troubleshooter contains information about connection,speed, account, subscription and many more. ProtonVPN is very easy to install and is user-friendly too.

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Feature / Criteria	ProtonVPN	PrivateVPN	ZenMate
Windows
Mac
Android
iOS
Linux	Manual configuration	Manual configuration
Router	Manual configuration	Manual configuration	Manual configuration
Smart DNS

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ProtonVPN offers over 1200 servers in 55 countries that are located all around the globe. Even though they have relatively small amount of suggested servers, ProtonVPN offers Secure Code servers which has the unique ability to defend against network based attacks. All ProtonVPN users have unlimited bandwidth and speed, so you won't need to worry about exceeding some kind of fixed limits.

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Feature / Criteria	ProtonVPN	PrivateVPN	ZenMate
Countries	55	62	78
Server locations	1200	150	2900

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Proton VPN provides users with email support as well as filling in the support ticket. We have tried contacting them with the fictitious issues and consultants were quick and professional to respond with their answers. Some technical questions have been handled by additional consultations with team members, but overall, the response quality was really satisfying.

Of course, you may eventually run into a problem - payment method not working, servers not connecting, pretty much anything can happen. That's where support comes through - many different customer support options mean that there are multiple ways to contact the support and get help from a professional.

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Feature / Criteria	ProtonVPN	PrivateVPN	ZenMate
Live chat
Email
Knowledge base
FAQ
24/7 support

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ProtonVPN is available in different plans and configurations to make sure that there is a right choice for everyone. Prices start at free, going up to $30 per month if paid monthly. Paying annually nets you a 20% discount. Existing ProtonMail users with paid-for accounts can claim a 20% discount (which is cumulative with the annual discount). For most people who are willing to pay for a VPN, the sweet spot is likely to be the Plus plan. This provides access to all ProtonVPN servers at the highest speeds available. It also provides access to all ProtonVPN's advanced features.

ProtonVPN does not have a free trial - even better than it, basic ProtonVPN features are free to use. You can simply sign up, download the app and use provided features for unlimited period of time.

All major payment options are available, including Credit Cards, PayPal and BitCoin ensuring that privacy can be secured even during payment.