Verdict: ProtonVPN is one of the most secure VPNs I’ve seen. Their encryption is top-notch, and their policies fully support user privacy.
Encryption and Protocols
ProtonVPN promises to use only the strongest encryption mechanisms for securing an internet connection:
- AES-256 as the encryption algorithm
- 4096-bit RSA for exchanging keys
- HMAC with SHA384 for message authentication
The encryption cipher suites include only ones with Perfect Forward Secrecy. What this means is that no one can capture your encrypted traffic and decrypt it later using a compromised key from a previous session. A new encryption key is generated at every connection, and it can’t be used again in another session.
ProtonVPN uses strong secure protocols: IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN. Some of the low operational costs involved in protocols such as PPTP and L2TP/IPSec aren’t in ProtonVPN servers.
Logging
As the ProtonVPN vendor is based in Switzerland, Swiss law prohibits the company from saving user connection logs. Moreover, they can’t be forced to perform targeted logging on specific users. Therefore, your browsing activity will stay private, and no third-party applications can read them. This no-log policy applies to all users, even including those using ProtonVPN’s free version.
Here’s a snippet of their Privacy Policy:

However, for the purpose of securing your account and to authenticate the user, ProtonVPN does store the timestamp of the user’s most recent login. But the location of signing in and the duration of the logged-in state aren’t stored.
Features and Allowances
Let’s go through some of ProtonVPN’s interesting features!
Killswitch
What’s a kill switch, you ask? A kill switch makes sure your internet traffic always goes through the VPN. And if for any reason a VPN failure occurs, the kill switch cuts off your internet connection, protecting you from any threats and vulnerabilities.
There’s a built-in kill switch in ProtonVPN. It’s an always-on feature in the mobile application that automatically re-establishes the connection with the VPN server and prevents you from revealing your IP address.

P2P
In a peer-to-peer (P2P) computer network protocol, peers are the computers connected to each other using the internet. It allows users to directly share files among the systems, with no central server required. The structure of this network makes it efficient to download large files.
Torrents use peer-to-peer software. Considering that many people use VPNs for torrenting, it’s essential to have servers that support P2P.
Not all the servers in ProtonVPN support P2P. Therefore, make sure to select one that has this facility. You can see if the server supports P2P using the icon with two arrows pointing in opposite directions:

Iceland, Netherlands, Singapore, and Switzerland are some of the countries with servers that support P2P facilities.
Tor Over VPN
Another special feature in ProtonVPN is the built-in Tor support. The Tor anonymity network can obtain access to sites on the dark web by routing your traffic through it with the VPN servers that support Tor even in ProtonVPN.
You can identify servers that support Tor using the Onion icon next to the country name.
Simultaneous Connections
Simultaneous connections are allowed in paid versions of the application, starting from two devices up to ten. The Basic plan includes two connections; the Plus plan, five connections; and the Visionary plan, ten connections.
Also, for longtime paying customers, ProtonVPN offers two extra connections for free as a thank you.
Getting Started With ProtonVPN
If you decide that ProtonVPN is right for you, here’s a quick guide to help you get started.
Signing up with ProtonVPN is easy, and these steps are a must even if you intend to use it free of charge. To create your free account, do the following:
1. Go to ProtonVPN’s official site and click the “Signup” button.

2. Select your plan — in this case, the free one.

3. Enter your details and create an account.

4. You’ll receive a confirmation code via email or phone to verify your account.
5. Verify your account by entering the verification code sent to you.
6. Then you’ll be directed to the Downloads page. Select your operating system.
As of the time of writing this article, there are 51 countries and 954 servers under ProtonVPN. It can support up to ten devices, including mobile phones and routers, depending on the subscription you purchase.
ProtonVPN Installation
For Windows or Mac, installation is a breeze. First, you’ll need to create an account by providing an email address and username. Then select your operating system.

Then follow the prompts. Everything’s wonderfully straightforward. For example, if you’re a Mac user, this should look very familiar to you:

Installation for Linux is a little more involved. Fortunately, it’s still fairly easy using the terminal. Here’s how to install the ProtonVPN command-line tool for Linux operating systems:
Make sure you’ve installed the latest versions of the following dependencies:
- openvpn
- python3.5+
- dialog
- pip for python3
Then enter the following commands on your terminal:
sudo apt install -y openvpn dialog python3-pip python3-setuptools
sudo pip3 install protonvpn-cli
After installing the client, you have to proceed with the initialization process to connect your ProtonVPN profile to a VPN server.
Enter the following command:
sudo protonvpn init
Then you’re all set!
Final Thoughts
All in all, ProtonVPN is a great choice for those who need to add privacy to their internet connection. If you want to use the application on just one device, the free option should be fine for you.
Unfortunately at the time of this review, we were unable to access Netflix or BBC iPlayer through ProtonVPN.
Any questions or comments? Post them below!