Latest news with #ProtonVPN
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Is Proton VPN's free plan any good? We put it to the test
Price The clue is in the name. Proton VPN's free tier doesn't cost a thing. You get unlimited data (though only on one device). It's the only free VPN provider we've tested without a data cap. The catch? You're limited to roughly one of 2,300 servers in five countries (the US, Netherlands, Japan, Romania and Poland), and you can't choose which one to connect to. The app automatically assigns you to your nearest or fastest location each time, and it won't work with any streaming platforms. If you want more, you can upgrade to Proton VPN Plus, which starts from £3.59 per month, and unlocks streaming support and features like Secure Core routing and higher speeds. Privacy and features Proton is one of the most privacy-focused organisations, and it extends that mission its free services. It's based in Switzerland, a country with some of the world's strictest data protection laws, and well outside any intelligence-sharing alliances like Five Eyes. The service has a strict no-logs policy, meaning it doesn't track your browsing history, log your IP address or store any session metadata. Crucially, Proton VPN's apps are all open source and independently audited. That level of transparency is rare, especially for a free VPN. In 2024, Proton completed its third infrastructure audit, where external experts reviewed its entire system and confirmed it wasn't storing logs, not even temporarily. The free tier includes bank-level AES-256 encryption and support for the same secure protocols as paid users, including WireGuard, OpenVPN and Proton's stealth protocol. The kill switch is included (but not enabled by default), and the Always-on VPN feature automatically reconnects you if the connection drops. While you don't get split-tunnelling, Proton's Secure Core routing, a feature that sends your traffic through two servers for extra protection or its built-in ad, tracker and malware blocker NetShield, all of which are only available on the paid tier, you still get all the essentials for secure browsing. Annoyingly, despite having five servers on the free tier, you can't choose which one you connect to. Speed and performance Proton VPN's free tier isn't as fast as the paid tier, and that's largely down to congestion. Free users have to share servers that are heavily loaded, especially during peak times, which leads to slower performance compared to Proton's premium servers. That said, speeds were generally decent during testing. On a 67Mbps home broadband connection, download speeds typically hovered between 45Mbps and 55Mbps, which was enough for web browsing, messaging and HD YouTube streaming without buffering. Pages took slightly longer to load, but the connection was stable enough for everyday use. You can't manually choose which server or country you connect to on the free plan. The app automatically assigns you to the nearest of one of five available countries, and if the connection is too slow, the only option is to hit 'Change server', which reassigns you to another new server, most likely in the same country as before. There's also a cooldown period, so you can't keep hitting 'Change server' over and over again until you get the country you want, an annoying (though understandable) limitation. We were basically always connected to the Netherlands, though occasionally got the US. User experience Proton VPN's apps are really clean and consistent across devices and platforms, but the free experience feels a little pushy. You're immediately presented with a large 'Quick connect' button and an attractive world map interface, but that's where most of the control ends. You can't choose a country, and hitting 'Change server' just reassigns you to another random free server. You'll need to wait around 90 seconds before doing it again. The interface is littered with prompts to upgrade. Features like Secure Core, NetShield and split tunnelling are all visible, but clicking them leads to a paywall. On mobile and desktop, the tabs basically double up as mini adverts, pushing you to upgrade. Even in the settings menu, toggling some options will trigger a 'Get Proton VPN Plus' pop-up. While it's not quite ad-supported in the traditional sense, the upgrade buttons are hard to ignore. Still, once connected, the experience is smooth and we were never interrupted by intrusive ads or pop-ups when browsing. On Android, free users also get features like DNS leak protection and a pause toggle, but these aren't available on iOS.
Tom's Guide
10-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
Proton VPN announces a big summer update – with even more new features on the horizon
Proton VPN has announced a host of new updates for its VPN app. Some features are live now, with others coming later in 2025 and into 2026. The privacy-focused provider is one of the best VPNs out there and has released some significant updates in recent months – including a major UI redesign. You can read about these in our Proton VPN review. Improvements to NetShield, Proton VPN's threat protection offering, are live now. Speed boosts and over 3,000 new servers are also ready to be used. Proton VPN's summer check-in details what else users can look forward to. The start of summer saw a much-needed focus on NetShield. The feature, which also prevents ads and trackers, is now said to block "almost all known phishing domains" and minimizes false positives. Historically, NetShield hasn't been as effective as NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro. We'll see if this is still the case when we get round to testing Proton VPN's updated offering. Proton VPN's VPN Accelerator can now detect changes to your network conditions and configurations. It will automatically reconfigure these settings to ensure you can browse without buffering. In our latest speed testing Proton VPN recorded speeds of 950+ Mbps, making it one of the fastest VPNs. The provider claims VPN Accelerator can improve speeds by up to 400%. It's enabled by default on all premium plans and works for all VPN protocols. Over 3,000 new servers have been added, taking Proton VPN's total to over 13,600 in 122 countries – this is the highest server count out of any leading VPNs. Panama, Armenia, Mongolia, Laos, and Brunei are the five new countries you can now browse from. Two new US cities have also been made available, Memphis, Tennessee, and McAllen, Texas. Battery usage has also been optimized. Proton VPN's Android and iPhone VPN apps have had their background usage minimized, helping conserve your battery life. Proton VPN says before the update a Xiaomi 13T, with no apps running, had 70% battery remaining after 24 hours. Post-update this figure was 95%. Split tunneling allows you to decide which of your apps you want to protect with a VPN and which you don't. You can set this up in-app and don't have to worry about manually turning your VPN on and off. Due to a depreciation of Network Kernel Extension APIs, Mac data packets are harder to control. This means split tunneling on the device is hard to do, and not a feature offered by most VPNs. However, Proton VPN says you'll soon be able to use split tunneling on Linux and Mac – the feature is commonly available on Android and Windows VPN apps. Mac users looking to share files via P2P will also be pleased as port forwarding is coming to macOS. Connections are routed through the Proton VPN firewall and online gamers may also benefit from speed improvements as a result. Port forwarding is enabled on Windows and Linux VPN apps and Proton VPN has said many Mac users have been asking for it. There's more love for Apple users as Guest Mode is coming to iOS and iPadOS. Guest Mode enables users to connect to Proton VPN Free without signing up for a Proton account. It's one of Proton VPN's dedicated anti-censorship features and is currently only available for Android VPN apps. These anti-censorship features will also receive improvements. These are a lifeline for accessing the internet in countries where internet censorship is prevalent. Other imminent updates include: Proton VPN has said it's working on a command-line interface (CLI) for Linux, alongside GUI improvements. Gaming optimization and new features to "combat emerging privacy threats online" are also being explored. The provider hopes to release these updates before the end of the year but "can't promise" anything. Proton VPN: Top-rated privacy-focused VPNProton VPN is an ideal VPN for the more privacy conscious. It's open source, won't log your data, and Proton makes it its mission to campaign for a free and open internet. What you'll get... • Speeds of 950+ Mbps• 13,000+ servers • Streaming site unblocking • Support for 10 devices• Secure Core severs • Dedicated anti-censorship features • NetShield threat protection• Free VPN option• 30-day money-back guarantee• Two-year plan for $3.59 per month ($86.11 up front) We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
Tom's Guide
07-07-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Proton sues Apple to fight back against the company's 'predatory practices'
Swiss privacy advocates Proton have joined an existing class-action lawsuit against Apple. The company is challenging the US tech giant's App Store policies, which it describes as "anti-competitive." Proton operates one of the best VPNs, Proton VPN, and is a champion of online freedom, privacy, and security. Confronting Apple is not a decision Proton has taken lightly, but it believes the "action is necessary." Apple's practices are said to harm developers and consumers. Proton is a plaintiff in the case and is representing and suing on behalf of a class of similarly situated developers – all impacted by Apple's conduct. The case challenges Apple's monopolization of the markets for iOS app distribution and iOS app payment processing. Legal papers say "Apple has eliminated competition and extracted supracompetitive profits from app developers through a web of exclusionary conduct" – this means higher profits than what would be present in a competitive market. This lawsuit is seeking to restore competition to the iOS app distribution and payment processing markets. Damages for developers are also being sought for harm suffered through Apple's "illegal monopolization." Court papers were filed on 30 June 2025 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. In its blog post, Proton describes Apple as "one of the most powerful corporations in the history of capitalism." But it states the company's App Store policies are considered "anti-competitive and illegal" in numerous countries. Proton says all developers are required to pay an annual fee of $99 to be on the App Store. It says iOS apps are forced to use Apple's payment system and a 30% cut is taken by Apple from payments made through iOS apps. "Apple's monopoly control of software distribution on iOS devices presents a myriad of problems for consumers, businesses, and society as a whole," Proton said. It went on to say that "privacy-first companies that monetize through subscriptions are disproportionately hit by this fee, putting a major barrier toward the adoption of privacy-first business models." Free services – including those that pose a risk to your privacy by monetizing your data – aren't affected as they don't process payments through the App Store. Proton argues that this gives Apple "a dangerous level of control over app distribution" and allows it to "decide which apps can and cannot be distributed in different markets." Apple has historically been involved with removing a number of VPN apps from the App Store. In 2024 this was done at the request of Russian authorities, and in 2025 VPN apps were removed from the App Store in India. On April 22, Apple was fined €500m by the European Commission for breaches of European competition law. On April 30, Apple was found to have defied a court order concerning its anti-competitive conduct. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers referred the company to the US attorney for Northern District of California, with potential criminal prosecution being explored. After this ruling, Proton CEO Andy Yen said that no "Apple tax" would lead to a 30% reduction in price for Proton users. In response to the recent court ruling in the US against Apple's illegal in-app purchase monopoly, @ProtonPrivacy will finally be allowed to let iOS users purchase subscriptions outside of the app store. No Apple tax means we will lower prices for users by up to 30%.May 1, 2025 The UK, Brazil, the Netherlands, and South Korea have all taken action against Apple's anti-competitive behavior. In May, the Korean Publishers Association filed a parallel class-action lawsuit against Apple – something which sparked Proton's own urgency. Proton said its outcome, and any settlement, could "be binding on all other developers." Proton wants to end Apple's anti-competitive behavior and enact beneficial policy changes. It said: "We are seeking to permanently end anti-competitive behavior on the App Store, and we are joining this lawsuit to ensure that any future settlement enforces real changes to Apple's practices and policies to benefit all consumers, developers, and competition, and not just cosmetic changes." "Proton will donate any money we receive from the lawsuit to organizations fighting for democracy and human rights so that some portion of Apple's profits made from countries with authoritarian regimes are redirected to freedom." Proton said its primary shareholder and overseer, the non-profit Proton Foundation, will coordinate these donations. The company expects a lengthy, and "difficult" fight but its mission of creating a free, open, and privacy-focused internet, gives it no choice. Tom's Guide has approached Apple for comment but has not received a reply at the time of writing. We will update this article should we receive a response. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
The Sun
26-06-2025
- The Sun
Every iPhone owner should be using these privacy settings – but only ONE is essential
DATA is one of the most valuable assets in today's world, and protecting it has become more important than ever. Apple iPhone owners have a variety of easy ways to keep their data safe, but there's only one method that will guarantee a certain level of online security. 1 Proton VPN Anyone using an iPhone - or indeed just browsing on the internet - will leave a 'digital footprint' behind them. Most people realise this is how advertisers can target you with personalised ads and the like, but it's also something that can be exploited by cybercriminals. Apple has rolled out a series of features in recent years to help users safeguard their online activity, but none can match the overall levels of security offered by a VPN such as ProtonVPN. Read on to find out more about the privacy features offered to Apple users, and how they compared to installing a VPN on your iPhone. App Tracking Transparency (ATT) ATT (App Tracking Transparency) is a tool offered by Apple that gives you more control over your data. It was first introduced when iOS 14.5 was rolled out in 2021, and is essentially a new requirement for apps to ask for your permission before tracking your activity. This tracking was previously automatic and allowed apps to collect data about your interests, location, and behaviour. But now apps must show a pop-up asking if you want to 'Allow Tracking.' If you choose not to allow it, the app cannot track you: a little victory for user consent. iCloud Private Relay iCloud Private Relay is a privacy feature for iCloud+ (Apple's premium cloud service) users that protects your browsing in Safari. It works by hiding your IP address and encrypts your DNS requests so websites and internet providers (ISPs) can't track or profile you. The first server, run by Apple, hides your DNS request so even Apple doesn't know which sites you want to visit. The second server, run by a third party, assigns a temporary IP address to mask your real one. Anyone who knows a little about VPNs will find these encryption techniques familiar - but iCloud Private Relay only works in Safari, Apple's browser. Scroll down for further information about how the two services differ. Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) Thought that everything that happens in your inbox stays in your inbox? Wrong. Email senders are able to track your activity via your IP address - but MPP hides this, preventing them from keeping tabs on your online behaviour. It also blocks senders from finding out if and when you've opened their sent email, data which could otherwise be used for marketing purposes. MPP also preloads email content in a way that protects your data, and ensures that email trackers can't gather up information about you. By using MPP, you can stop advertisers and marketers from keeping tabs on your email habits and maintain greater control over your privacy. iCloud Private Relay vs VPN Both iCloud Private Relay and VPNs work to protect your online activity, but do so differently. Private Relay only encrypts Safari traffic, while a VPN encrypts all internet activity on your device. In other words, any app you use is protected by a VPN such as ProtonVPN. A VPN, on the other hand, encrypts everything, making it a better option for securing your entire connection - especially on public Wi-Fi. VPNs also allow you to change your virtual location by choosing servers in different countries. Private Relay only assigns an IP address within your region, so you can't appear to be in another country. That's not ideal if, for example, you want to watch ITV abroad or watch BBC iPlayer abroad. For full protection across all apps and browsers, a VPN is the smarter choice. Why choose Proton VPN? Proton VPN offers strong privacy features and is based in Switzerland, which has strict data protection laws. Unlike iCloud Private Relay, Proton VPN encrypts all your online activity, not just Safari traffic. It also keeps no logs, ensuring users get complete privacy. Proton provides additional services besides a VPN connection: Proton Mail encrypts your emails on your device, so even Proton can't read them. This is more secure than Apple Mail, which doesn't encrypt emails by default. Proton Drive and Calendar fully encrypt your files and events, unlike iCloud, which only offers partial encryption unless you enable Advanced Data Protection. Proton Pass is a password manager with advanced security features like two-factor authentication and zero-knowledge encryption. It works on all devices, not just Apple. Proton's tools are designed to give you complete privacy and security, making it a great choice for protecting your digital life. Proton Free vs Proton Plus vs Proton Unlimited ProtonVPN offers a free service with a basic roster of features, but for added security, it's worth comparing its Plus and Unlimited packages, which start at £3.59 per month. Unlike the random selection of servers in five countries provided with the free package, the two premium plans grant access to 13,000 servers across more than 120 countries. Proton Plus includes all the brand's premium features in a single package, which includes the VPN service, 5GB of encrypted cloud storage, a secure password manager and a private inbox. It's a solid option for those who want streaming support, faster connection speeds and extra security features. Proton Unlimited offers all that along with a range of advanced features, include 15 different private email inboxes, unlimited email aliases and 500GB of cloud storage. Apple users should also check out another iPhone app that offers a secret 'privacy report' to let you know if apps are spying through your microphone or camera.
CNET
13-06-2025
- CNET
Best VPN for Torrenting 2025: Keep Your Download Activity Private
Torrenting servers and features While most VPNs support torrenting, some VPNs restrict file-sharing activity to select servers, whereas others allow torrenting on any server. For instance, NordVPN and Proton VPN have designated P2P servers, while ExpressVPN and Surfshark allow you to torrent on any server. If torrenting activity is limited, make sure there's a comprehensive roster of P2P servers to pick from. A feature known as port forwarding can be advantageous for torrenting by allowing faster download and upload speeds or starting poorly seeded torrents (ones with few uploaders). Think about making a call with a restricted number. You can place calls, but if nobody picks up and you can't leave a message, then you probably won't get a call back. But if your phone number is publicly available, the combination of incoming and outgoing calls boosts the chance of having a conversation. Without port forwarding, your torrent app searches for sources to download a file from, and if it's a healthy torrent file with lots of uploaders, you shouldn't have any issues. But if you're downloading a file with few seeders, your torrent client bears the full responsibility of finding a connection. Port forwarding leaves a port open, so uploaders can find you, not just the other way around. And the two-way traffic may help, particularly with older or obscure torrents lacking seeders. However, leaving ports open can also be a minor security risk, so many VPN providers don't support it. Proton VPN offers port forwarding, and the service claims that its implementation has addressed some security vulnerabilities. In my experience, downloads and uploads -- even of poorly seeded torrents -- worked just fine with VPNs that lacked port forwarding, so you may not need it. VPN torrenting speeds compared VPN Torrent Time to complete download File size Mullvad Batocera Linux Steam Deck 2 minutes and 34 seconds 3.29GB Mullvad Ubuntu 25.04 ISO 3 minutes and 32 seconds 5.84GB NordVPN Batocera Linux Steam Deck 5 minutes and 25 seconds 3.29GB NordVPN Ubuntu 25.04 ISO 5 minutes and 52 seconds 5.84GB PIA Batocera Linux Steam Deck 6 minutes and 34 seconds 3.29GB ExpressVPN Batocera Linux Steam Deck 6 minutes and 43 seconds 3.29GB Surfshark Ubuntu 25.04 ISO 9 minutes and 43 seconds 5.84GB ExpressVPN Ubuntu 25.04 ISO 10 minutes and 24 seconds 5.84GB PIA Ubuntu 25.04 ISO 10 minutes and 43 seconds 5.84GB Proton VPN Batocera Linux Steam Deck 13 minutes and 5 seconds 3.29GB Surfshark Batocera Linux Steam Deck 17 minutes and 23 seconds 3.29GB Proton VPN Ubuntu 25.04 ISO 19 minutes and 43 seconds 5.84GB Internet speed loss All VPNs slow down your internet speeds by nature of encrypting your connection, but the fastest VPNs only drop your base download speed by an average of 25% or less. For torrenting, you'll want the quickest possible download and upload speeds. NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Mullvad all delivered sub-25% internet download speed loss in our 2025 testing. You shouldn't notice much impact from a fast VPN, especially on a reliable, high-bandwidth connection of 50Mbps or more, like cable or fiber. Server network When analyzing a VPN's server roster, think about the overall number of server locations and the country count. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN and Surfshark offer thousands of servers peppering 100-plus countries. You'll want a generous global server lineup for frequent international travel and worldwide streaming content unblocking. But it's essential to make sure your VPN has a server presence in your home country and the nations you regularly travel to, so check the available cities and countries. For torrenting specifically, you'll want to verify if a VPN company supports P2P traffic on all servers or just select servers. Some VPNs, like ExpressVPN and Surfshark, let you torrent on any server. Others, including NordVPN and Proton VPN, have designated P2P servers. Privacy Privacy is paramount when torrenting, so look for a provider with a choice of VPN protocols, including WireGuard (or equivalents and derivatives) for faster download speeds and OpenVPN for obfuscation (which tries to hide the fact that you're using a VPN). Some VPN companies offer proprietary obfuscation-focused VPN protocols, like NordVPN's NordWhisper and Proton VPN's Stealth. Likewise, you'll want modern encryption: AES 256-bit with OpenVPN or ChaCha20 over WireGuard. Because you'll want to keep your torrenting activities hidden at all times, make sure your VPN app has a kill switch, which cuts off your internet in case your VPN unexpectedly disconnects. That way, if your torrent client is running and your VPN stops working, your internet connection is shut off to prevent your ISP from discovering your file-sharing activity. Split tunneling lets you route some apps and websites but not others through a VPN, and it's a useful privacy feature, particularly for torrenting. I often use split tunneling to send just my BitTorrent traffic through a VPN connection to mask my downloading while installing games in Steam or streaming Netflix outside of a VPN for faster internet speeds. RAM-only servers can provide peace of mind when torrenting, because theoretically, no data from your VPN session is saved to a hard drive. However, a traditional hard drive-based server infrastructure with full-disk encryption can deliver equally as reassuring security benefits. While they don't paint a full privacy picture, third-party audits and transparency reports can be helpful trust signals. If you've got serious torrenting privacy concerns, think about the country a VPN service is based in. VPN companies headquartered in jurisdictions outside of the Five, Nine and 14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances may not share information with other nations. Device support Think about the devices you want to torrent on. Most VPNs are compatible with Windows, MacOS and Linux, so you can easily use a VPN on your laptop or desktop. Our top VPN picks -- ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, Proton VPN and Mullvad -- all have Linux GUI apps, which are intuitive for beginners. Additionally, consider your other devices, like phones, tablets, streaming devices and smart TVs. Most VPNs work on Android, iOS/iPadOS, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV. If you need to use a VPN with a device that doesn't natively support VPN apps, like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X or a Roku device, you can run a VPN on a router or use a PC as a VPN hotspot. Streaming service unblocking While you can freely and legally torrent many public domain movies, like Plan 9 From Outer Space, many films and TV series aren't available to download. But you can use a VPN to unblock region-restricted content on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, BBC iPlayer and CBC. Accordingly, if you're traveling, you can binge-watch Bridgerton on Netflix or Cross on Prime Video. You may even be able to save money on streaming service subscriptions by leveraging a VPN. Price Most VPNs cost anywhere from $5 to $13 per month. Typically, you'll save money with a longer subscription term, paying between $20 and $100 for the first year. While two-plus year plans often provide the most savings, running anywhere from $30 to $140 for the two or more years, we don't recommend shelling out for more than one year at a time. Your initially fast, private VPN could suffer a data breach or slower speeds during the course of a year. We suggest sticking with an annual plan for the most significant savings with the least risk. Many VPNs hit you with price hikes after your initial subscription, so we suggest paying attention at sign-up and avoiding a costly renewal. Thankfully, you can often bypass an expensive autorenewal by stacking subscriptions or by canceling your plan and resubscribing.
