Proton VPN Pricing 2026

Plans, hidden costs, and cheaper alternatives compared

Coverage fromTechRadarBusiness InsiderCNET

3 plans tracked·Updated Jun 2026

Is Proton VPN worth the price?

8.5/10

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.