Proton VPN Pricing 2026

Plans, hidden costs, and cheaper alternatives compared

Coverage fromTechRadarBusiness InsiderCNET

3 plans tracked·Updated Jul 2026

Is Proton VPN worth the price?

85/100

Proton VPN is the strongest privacy-first VPN on the market, and the 2-year plan at $2.99/month makes it one of the cheapest premium options too.

The free tier is genuinely usable, unlimited data with no ads, which no other major VPN matches. VPN Plus delivers 18,700+ servers across 130+ countries, Secure Core multi-hop routing, and NetShield ad blocking, all wrapped in open-source audited apps.

The main tradeoff: monthly pricing at $9.99 is steep compared to NordVPN ($3.39/mo on 2-year) or Surfshark ($2.19/mo on 2-year), so you need to commit to a long subscription to get competitive pricing.

Pricing Plans

Free

Basic VPN

1 device
100+ servers
Medium speed
No logs

VPN Plus

$4.99/month

Full VPN

10 devices
3000+ servers
Highest speed
Streaming support

Proton Unlimited

$9.99/month

Full suite

All VPN features
All Proton apps
500GB storage
Priority support

Calculate your cost View full pricing

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

The $2.99/month and $3.99/month prices require paying the full 2-year ($71.76) or 1-year ($47.88) amount upfront. If you cancel mid-term, you forfeit the remaining balance after the 30-day refund window.

Monthly pricing ($9.99/month) is 3.3x more expensive than the 2-year rate. Casual users testing the service for a few months pay a significant premium.

Renewal pricing reverts to standard rates after promotional periods. Check your renewal price before your term ends, it may be higher than your initial sign-up rate.

The free plan limits you to 1 device and servers in only 5 countries (Netherlands, Japan, Romania, Poland, US) with medium speed. Streaming services are not supported on the free tier.

Proton Unlimited at $7.99/month sounds like a deal, but it also requires a 2-year upfront payment of $191.76. The monthly Unlimited plan is $12.99/month.

No dedicated IP option. If you need a static IP for accessing corporate networks or whitelisting, Proton VPN does not currently offer this, NordVPN and others do.

How Proton VPN Compares

Individual user protecting 5 devices with streaming and P2P support, 2-year commitment

Proton VPN$2.99/mo ($71.76 upfront)

NordVPN$3.39/mo 2-year

Surfshark$2.19/mo 2-year

Mullvad VPN$5.46/mo

Which Plan Do You Need?

Privacy-conscious individuals who want a reliable VPN without paying→ Free ($0)

Proton VPN is the only reputable VPN with a truly unlimited-data free tier and a no-logs policy independently audited by Securitum. You get servers in 5 countries with medium speed, perfectly adequate for secure browsing and basic geo-unblocking. No ads, no data harvesting, no time limits.

Power users who stream, torrent, and connect multiple devices→ VPN Plus 2-year ($2.99/mo)

10 simultaneous device connections, 18,700+ servers in 130+ countries, streaming/P2P support, and NetShield ad blocker. At $2.99/month on the 2-year plan, this undercuts NordVPN and ExpressVPN while offering Secure Core multi-hop and Tor over VPN that most competitors charge extra for or do not offer at all.

Users wanting a complete privacy ecosystem (email, storage, passwords, VPN)→ Proton Unlimited 2-year ($7.99/mo)

Bundles VPN Plus with Proton Mail (encrypted email with 15 addresses and 3 custom domains), Proton Drive (500 GB encrypted storage), Proton Pass (password manager with dark web monitoring), and Calendar. Buying these separately would cost $20+/month, the bundle saves roughly 60%.

Our Recommendation

Worth it if...

Privacy is your primary concern, not just geo-unblocking. Proton is headquartered in Switzerland (strong privacy laws), open-source, independently audited, and operates under a strict no-logs policy. If you distrust VPN companies that are headquartered in Five Eyes countries or owned by advertising conglomerates, Proton is the gold standard.

Skip if...

You only need a VPN occasionally for a month or two. At $9.99/month without a long-term commitment, Proton VPN is overpriced compared to Surfshark ($2.19/mo on 2-year) or even Mullvad ($5.46/mo flat with no commitment). The free tier works fine for light, occasional use though.

Negotiation tips

Lock in the 2-year plan for the best rate ($2.99/mo). Check for seasonal promotions, Proton regularly runs spring and Black Friday sales that drop the 1-year plan to $2.49/month. Student discounts are available at ~50% off. The Proton Unlimited bundle at $7.99/month is worth considering if you also need encrypted email and cloud storage.

Proton VPN Pricing FAQ

How much does Proton VPN cost?

Proton VPN starts at $4.99/month on the VPN Plus plan. It offers 2 paid tiers ranging from $4.99/month up to $9.99/month. A free plan is also available with limited features.