ProtonVPN Review
Over the past few years, we have seen the Government have become more strict with internet usage. As a result, every month we get to know that the government is banning a handful of mobile applications, software and websites. Yes, of course, there is a solid reason behind it like a national security issue, protection of kids against dark web etc. But still, internet users need to access many of the banned sites and application. One such case is the torrent movie sites. But when we try to open those banned sites, servers just don’t let us access those sites and application.
Besides, In 2021, cybercrime like hacking is a common story. The graph of Cyberattacks and online theft is pointing upward day by day. This is where the need for VPN comes to. VPN which stand for Virtual Private Network is a technology that can encapsulate and transmit network data, typically Internet Protocol data, over another network. Such a system enables users to access network resources that may otherwise be inaccessible from the public internet.
Internet user can use VPN for multiple purposes:
- Safety And Security
- Anonymity
- Breaking Geo-Restrictions
- Subsidized Shopping and Traveling
- Using Public Wifi
So there are a whole lot of VPN service providers in the market right now. After deep research and thorough testing, I have handpicked some of the Best VPN. One such extremely strong VPN is ProtonVpn. Here is the complete ProtonVpn Review.
In this, ProtonVPN review the VPN is tested and its performance is compared with other free VPN providers. ProtonVPN comes both with ProtonVPN Paid mode and ProtonVPN free VPN version. In short, it’s not that bad at all. ProtonVPN comes from the same CERN Scientist and Harvard Physics PhD brains behind ProtonMail, the world’s largest encrypted email network. So they’ve already created a free-to-paid, encrypted internet privacy service in one space. Surely they can do it in the VPN space, too? That’s what we’re going to find here out. Over the past few months, we’ve been comprehensively testing their OpenVPN protocol, encryption connection standards, speed, security, pricing, and more. So, in this review, you’re sure to find out the good and bad both about this VPN server.
Introduction
What Is ProtonVPN?
ProtonVpn is a Virtual Private Network Service provider that operated by the Swiss company Proton Technologies AG, the company behind the email service ProtonMail. According to its official website, ProtonVPN and ProtonMail share the same management team, offices, and technical resources, and is operated from Proton’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland under the protection of Swiss privacy laws.
Proton was founded in 2014 by a team of scientists who met at CERN (the European Center for Nuclear Research) and created ProtonMail, the world’s largest encrypted email service. In total, Proton VPN protects over 20 million people with our products. Unlike other VPN services, ProtonVPN provides full transparency so you know who is running the service.
In short, ProtonVPN have:
- Strict no-logs policy
- All apps are open source and audited
- High-speed connections (up to 10 Gbps)
- Based in Switzerland
- 30-day money-back guarantee
We will discuss all ProtonVPN Features, Pros and Cons as well as ProtonVpn Price Structure in details below.
ProtonVPN Features
Some Of The Key Features Offered By ProtonVPN
These are bank-grade, state-of-the-art encryption standards. If you are going to suffer a hack, it won’t be because they broke through this encryption. Because it’s never been done. Instead, most hackers will cut their losses and go after other methods of breaking in, like guessing your password reminders.
So in terms of security, we can conclude in this ProtonVPN Review that this mentioned VPN is retaining its user’s privacy quite strongly.
This allows this VPN to ensure that your private browsing history does, in fact, stay private and cannot be turned over to a third party under any circumstances. Its No Logs Policy applies to all ProtonVPN users, including anyone using our free VPN.
Other Additional Features Of ProtonVPN are:
- P2P Support
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Up to 10 Devices
- Professional Support
- Connection Profiles
- Quick connect
- Modern Interface
- Multi-platform Support
- Quick Country Selector
ProtonVpn Pricing Info
Plans And Pricing Of ProtonVPN
| PLANS | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| FREE | ✔ 1 VPN connection ✔ Servers in 3 countries ✔ Medium speed ✔ Strict no-logs policy | $ 0.00/month |
| BASIC | ✔ 2 VPN connections ✔ Servers in 55 countries ✔ High speed ✔ Strict no-logs policy ✔ P2P/BitTorrent support ✔ Adblocker (NetShield) | $ 4/month |
| PLUS | ✔ 5 VPN connections ✔ Servers in 55 countries ✔ Highest speed (10Gbps) ✔ Strict no-logs policy ✔ P2P/BitTorrent support ✔ Adblocker (NetShield) ✔ Secure Core VPN ✔ TOR over VPN ✔ Access blocked content | $ 8/month |
| VISIONARY | ✔ All Plus plan features ✔ 10 VPN connections ✔ ProtonMail Visionary account | $ 24/month |
As you can see from the above table that ProtonVPN have 4 plans, namely, FREE, BASIC, PLUS and VISIONARY. If you opt for the yearly plan, you can save $ 12 from the BASIC Plan (Charging $48 yearly), $ 24 from the PLUS Plan (Charging $96 yearly) and $ 72 from VISIONARY Plan (Charging $288 yearly).
ProtonVPN also offer two-year plans in which you can save upto 30%.
ProtonVPN Pros And Cons
Advantages And Disadvantages Of ProtonVPN
Detailed Advantages Of ProtonVPN:
ProtonVPN was founded on the back of security experts. As we have already discussed some of the main security features of ProtonVPN, confirming that the encryption standards are top-notch. Despite being a free VPN, they also don’t disappoint in a few other key areas that need to be mentioned in this ProtonVPN Review.
1. Easy To Use
It is important for security technology to be easy to use. The developers of ProtonVPN have designed the applications to have a simple and intuitive user interface so that browsing privately and anonymously can be done with a single click. Additionally, you can create custom connection profiles that automatically protect your device whenever you connect to the internet.
2. ProtonVPN For Netflix
ProtonVPN says on their site that Netflix will work on “certain servers“. We were able to successfully stream content on a Netherlands Netflix server. Unfortunately, I have no clue what shows licensed under the Netherlands. Two U.S. servers failed, as did one in Canada and another in the UK. So ProtonVPN for Netflix worked only on one server and failed in all the rest of them.
3. Leak Free Connection
DNS and Web-RTC leaks can accidentally expose your true IP address. These are typically caused by connection conflicts that open a teeny, tiny hole for your data to seep through. It may sound minor. But it isn’t. It allows your ISP, governments, and even two-bit hackers to spot you from a mile (or more) away.
ProtonVPN doesn’t just protect your browsing traffic, it also protects your DNS queries. By routing your DNS queries through the encrypted tunnel and not relying on third-party DNS providers, ProtonVPN ensures that your browsing activity cannot be exposed by leaks from DNS queries.
4. Decent Customer Support
Ticket-based support systems usually make us cringe. It’s because all have experienced several day delays between each email, which requires a week-long back-and-forth process to answer even the simplest of questions. That initial thought flashed through my head when I laid eyes on Proton’s support options. They do reply to emails but it just needs to be relatively fast and direct. But overall a pretty good experience that requires mention in this ProtonVPN.
5. Open Source
Founded by MIT and CERN scientists, ProtonVPN believes in transparency and peer review. ProtonVPN app is 100% open source, so anyone can examine their code. This transparency means that you can have confidence that the apps are doing what they are supposed to be doing, and only what they are supposed to be doing.
6. Independently Audited
Although being open source means that ProtonVPN coding can be checked by anyone, there is usually no guarantee that it has been. ProtonVPN has commissioned professional audits for all their full-release software from SEC Consult. And unlike some VPN companies, it publishes the full results of these audits online for all to see.
7. High Speed
For optimal performance, ProtonVpn uses only high-speed servers. All ProtonVPN servers have at minimum 1 Gbps bandwidth, and many of their servers also utilize 10 Gbps connections. Most of its servers have high network speed. I have tested downloading speed in torrent sites which is more than 6 Mbps. Besides Torrent downloading, I have used to download games like PUBG through a Chinese Emulator, and have got an impressive result with the speed. And yes, considering that ProtonVPN has a free version, the speed is quite good.
Detailed Disadvantages Of ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN gets high marks in this ProtonVPN review for their attention to security detail. However, there are still a few drawbacks we uncovered. Let’s take a look at each of them in-depth.
1. ProtonVPN are located in Switzerland
Switzerland has a history of being a ‘neutral’ country. One that protects the privacy of its citizens and doesn’t like to get involved in domestic conflicts. And all of that is true. Swiss laws do protect privacy. Generally speaking. The issue, though, is that Switzerland is also a cooperating member of the extended Eyes security alliance. This is a worldwide agreement that essentially helps government agencies to spy on each other’s citizens in the name of “worldwide safety.” But, nothing is new in this as such things have already been happening for decades. So a Swiss-based location means you’re mostly good. Your privacy is mostly safe. The good news is that ProtonVPN doesn’t keep a lot of its customer data on file. But just keep in the back of their mind that their government might force them to cooperate.
2. Server Speeds are a bit slow for the price
Speed is the great equalizer. All else being similar — pricing, features, security protocols, etc. — you’re going to go with the fastest option. Because speed makes all things possible (streaming, torrent downloads, or just a dozen tabs up while you’re bouncing around between browsing sessions). Unfortunately, ProtonVPN’s combined speed score only put them at 48th out of 74 VPN companies. When their speed was tested at SpeedTest.net to get a reading before composing this ProtonVPN review. It showed a 97 Mbps download and a 53 Mbps upload at the same time.
Then it was connected to different ProtonVPN servers and random servers were selected and connected to just get an unbiased reading. Finally, the difference was calculated and a combined score was given that gets ranked against all of the other reviews we’ve previously done. So, let us check out each server test in detail now.
U.S. Servers (East & West)
Ping: 190 ms
Download: 24.6 Mbps (75% slower)
Upload: 36.4 Mbps (31% slower)
ProtonVPN’s U.S. servers started extremely slow. The download speed, especially, would make most torrenting activities slow to a crawl.
EU Servers (Switzerland)
Ping: 66ms
Download: 54.46 Mbps (44% slower)
Upload: 37.86 Mbps (29% slower)
The EU servers, on the other hand, didn’t disappoint. This probably also had something to do with our closer proximity to these servers. Even something as simple as the physical distance between you and the connected server can impact performance. But credit where credits due.
Asia Servers (Hong Kong)
Ping: 317 ms
Download: 16 Mbps (84% slower)
Upload: 6.4 Mbps (88% slower)
We thought the U.S. server speeds were bad. Until we saw the Asian ones out of Hong Kong. 85% slower across the board.
UK Servers
Ping: 46ms
Download: 52 Mbps (46% slower)
Upload: 47 Mbps (11% slower)
And last but not least, a UK server feels somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, it wasn’t on the ‘good’ side of the middle. These results were disappointing across the board. Consistent, yes. But consistently slow is not good. Companies like ExpressVPN, PIA, and Trust. Zone all offer better speed (at only a fraction of the price).
3. ProtonVPN for China
ProtonVPN doesn’t work in China. Although the provider claims to work in China, it does not offer any servers in the country. Some users also reported troubles in bypassing geo-restrictions on foreign websites. Therefore, ProtonVPN for China doesn’t work.
How To Unblock ProtonVPN for China?
Before we could dive into the unblocking tricks of unblocking ProtonVPN for China, we must first
understand what actually is the Great Firewall of China doing to the VPN services. Basically, China
is blocking the protonvpn.com domain on a DNS level so all we need to do is exchange the domain with
the IP.
Follow these steps towards unblocking ProtonVPN for China:
STEP 1: Download a ProtonVPN OpenVPN configuration file corresponding to the server you like to use. As protonvpn.com is blocked I would suggest accessing it through the Tor network. Ensure to download the TCP configuration file which ProtonVPN has to offer.
STEP 2: Open the .ovpn file with any text editor and search for the line remote xxx.protonvpn.com 443 and copy the domain.
STEP 3: Go to lookingglass.level3.net and click on “Ping from Level 3 sites”. Then paste the domain in the “Ping to” field and click submit.
STEP 4: When it’s done loading, copy the IP address.
STEP 5: Replace the domain with the IP address in the .ovpn file.
STEP 6: Save it, then use your preferred OpenVPN client to connect with the new profile. Now the connection
should work.
Final Verdict
Conclusion
Overall, ProtonVPN is a powerful VPN service provider with a handful of top-notch features. ProtonVPN has very strong security protocols that will surely save you from hackers. You can mask your IP from hackers, Government and can enjoy content from websites that are banned or inaccessible. You can also websites that are not accessible from a particular country. Thus with ProtonVPN, you have no limits while browsing the internet. Considering that it has a free version, ProtonVPN is one of the best free VPN in the market right now and it is highly recommendable.
NOTE: Accessing banned websites by using VPN is still illegal. You may face serious Legal problems while doing so.
I hope you have liked my ProtonVPN Review (2021)-Tested By Security Experts. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below. I will be happy to respond.
