Privaroo score: 4.5/5 Reviewed January 2026 iOS App Store: 4.6 (180K+ reviews)
Our ProtonVPN review for 2026 tests both the free and paid tiers on iPhone. Same leak tests, same speed measurements, same battery tracking across 30 days of real use. Here’s what works, what doesn’t, and whether the free version is enough.
Quick verdict
ProtonVPN passes every leak test on iOS even on the free tier, which is rare. Annual security audits by Securitum, open-source apps, Swiss jurisdiction, and the only actually safe free VPN we’d recommend. Speeds are good but not class-leading. Streaming requires the paid tier.
ProtonVPN at a glance
|—|—|
| iOS App Store | 4.6 180K+ reviews |
| Pricing (free) | $0 3 server locations, no data cap |
| Pricing (Plus) | $9.99/mo (monthly) $4.99/mo (2-year plan) |
| Audits | Annual since 2022 (Securitum) |
| Servers | ~3,800 across 80+ countries (Plus tier) |
| Free servers | 3 locations (US, NL, JP) |
| Protocols | WireGuard (default), OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth |
| Devices per account | 10 (Plus tier) 1 (free) |
| Logs | None (audit-checked) |
| Headquarters | Switzerland |
| Privaroo leak test (free tier) | Passed all 5 checks |
| Privaroo leak test (Plus tier) | Passed all 5 checks |
What ProtonVPN is and isn’t
ProtonVPN is the privacy-focused VPN built by the team behind ProtonMail, the encrypted email service used by millions worldwide. It’s based in Switzerland, which has strong legal protection for user data and isn’t part of any intelligence-sharing alliance like Five Eyes.
SCREENSHOT: ProtonVPN iOS app main connection screen with server selection
It is not a VPN built primarily for streaming or speed (though both are fine on the paid tier). It is not the cheapest option on a long commitment. It is not the fastest VPN we tested.
What it is: the most credible privacy-focused VPN that’s actually usable for free.
Features that actually matter
Leak protection (our methodology)
We ran the same 5-test sequence on ProtonVPN that we run on every VPN once on the free tier, once on the Plus tier:
- IPv6 leak protection on by default. Across 12 connections to 8 servers, no IPv6 leak detected at ipleak.net on either tier. Test passed.
- DNS leak protection on by default. ProtonVPN runs its own DNS. dnsleaktest.com consistently showed only ProtonVPN DNS. Test passed.
- WebRTC handling the iOS app routes WebRTC through the tunnel. Browser leak tests showed VPN IP, not real IP. Test passed.
- Kill switch built into the iOS app, on by default. Disconnect Wi-Fi mid-session 10 times: traffic stopped cold every time. Test passed.
- Reconnection switching Wi-Fi to cellular, the kill switch held the line. No real IP visible during the gap. Test passed (8 trials).
All 5 leak checks: passed on both free and paid tiers.
Speed performance (our test data)
Setup: iPhone 15 Pro, 940 Mbps fiber baseline, WireGuard protocol, tested across 7 days.
Plus tier:
- European servers (~50 ms latency): 81% retention (~760 Mbps)
- US East Coast (~100 ms): 68% retention (~640 Mbps)
- Asian servers (~250 ms): 47% retention (~440 Mbps)
Free tier:
- Free server (NL): 32% retention (~300 Mbps) noticeably slower, expected since you’re sharing 3 servers with everyone
ProtonVPN is competitive on Plus, slow on free. The free tier still works fine for everyday browsing emails, social media, news but you’ll notice it on streaming or large downloads.
No-logs policy
ProtonVPN has been independently audited annually since 2022 by Securitum:
Each report is published in full on ProtonVPN’s site. Switzerland’s legal jurisdiction means even a court order can’t easily compel ProtonVPN to log future user activity.
Open-source iOS app
ProtonVPN’s iOS app code is publicly available on GitHub:ProtonVPN/ios-app. This is rare in the VPN industry. It means anyone security researchers, developers, you if you want can audit the code yourself and confirm the leak protection claims.
Secure Core (Plus tier only)
A multi-hop feature that routes your traffic through two servers in privacy-friendly countries: Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden, before exiting to your destination. Slower (about 30-40% extra speed loss in our tests), but harder for anyone watching one server to correlate your activity. Useful for higher-stakes threat models.
SCREENSHOT: ProtonVPN iOS app Secure Core toggle showing dual-server routing path
What we liked
- Free tier passes every leak test. The only major free VPN where this is true.
- Annual security audits. Most VPNs cite a single audit from years ago. ProtonVPN has yearly reports going back to 2022.
- Open-source apps on every platform. Genuinely verifiable, not just marketing.
- Lowest battery drain of all 5 picks in our broader iPhone VPN test (7% extra over 4 hours).
- Swiss jurisdiction. Better legal privacy protection than most.
- No upsells in the free app. The free tier doesn’t constantly nag you to upgrade refreshing.
- 10 simultaneous devices on Plus. More than most competitors (which cap at 5-6).
What we didn’t
- Free tier is noticeably slower. Expected, but you’ll feel it on video calls or streaming.
- Free tier is single-device only. Plus tier is required for multi-device.
- Streaming on free tier blocks most major services. Plus tier handles Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer fine.
- The cheapest paid plan requires a 2-year commitment. Monthly pricing is double.
- Customer support response times slower than NordVPN/Surfshark in our tests (24-48 hours typical).
- Less polished iOS app than NordVPN. Functional, but the UI feels older.
Pricing breakdown
| Plan | Monthly equivalent | Total upfront |
| Free | $0 | $0 |
| Plus, 2-year | $4.99/mo | $119.76 |
| Plus, 1-year | $5.99/mo | $71.88 |
| Plus, monthly | $9.99/mo | $9.99 |
Renewal pricing on Plus stays at the same rate as the original commitment no doubling at renewal like some competitors.
Payment options: credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, Apple Pay (iOS specifically).
Free vs Plus: which one do you actually need?
Stick with free if:
- You only need a VPN occasionally (browsing on public Wi-Fi, hiding your IP from a few websites)
- You don’t need streaming
- You only use the VPN on your iPhone (free is single-device)
Pay for Plus if:
- You want streaming (Netflix US from another country, etc.)
- You need multiple devices on one account
- You want fastest possible speeds
- You want Secure Core multi-hop routing
For most casual privacy users, the free tier is enough. We’ve used it for weeks at a time without paying leak protection is identical between the tiers.
Who ProtonVPN is for
Best fit for:
- Anyone testing VPNs for the first time (free tier is risk-free)
- Privacy-focused users who don’t want to commit before verifying
- Open-source enthusiasts who want to audit the code themselves
- iPhone users who care about battery life
- Existing ProtonMail users (account integration is seamless)
Less of a fit for:
- Streaming-first users who don’t want to pay (free tier blocks most services)
- Households with many devices (10-device cap on Plus is good but not unlimited)
- Users who want the fastest possible speeds (NordVPN is faster)
Is ProtonVPN safe?
For most users on iPhone, yes. The free tier passed every leak test in our 30-day window IPv6, DNS, WebRTC, kill switch, network switch. The Plus tier did the same. Switzerland’s privacy jurisdiction, the annual Securitum audits with public reports, and the open-source iOS code on GitHub all back the no-logs claim with verifiable evidence rather than marketing language.
The one limitation worth knowing: ProtonVPN cannot protect you from yourself. If you sign into Google with the VPN on, Google still knows it’s you. The VPN hides your IP and encrypts your traffic it doesn’t change account-level identification.
ProtonVPN review 2026: verdict
ProtonVPN matches its claims in our testing. The free tier passed every leak test on iOS something we couldn’t say for any other free VPN we tested. The Plus tier is competitive on speed and stronger on transparency than most paid VPNs. Annual audits, open-source apps, Swiss jurisdiction, no-logs checked by outside auditors at Securitum.
The free tier costs nothing to verify, and it passes the same leak tests as the paid version. If you outgrow free, $4.99/month on a 2-year Plus plan is reasonable for what you get.
For a broader comparison with other iPhone VPNs, see our Top 5 best VPNs for iPhone 2026 tested side-by-side.
Want to understand the 8 criteria behind our iPhone VPN rankings? See our guide to choosing a VPN for iPhone in 2026.
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