Proton VPN review

Updated 21 September 2026 · Based on vendor documentation and protocol specifications · Read our methodology

Quick verdict

Proton VPN's distinguishing technical feature is Stealth, an obfuscation protocol the company describes specifically as WireGuard tunnelled over TLS. Stating the architecture rather than leaving it unspecified is unusual in this sector and makes the protocol far easier to reason about. Split tunneling is documented across five platforms, though not iOS.

Documented facts

Protocols: 3 (incl. Stealth)
Kill switch: Stated for all apps
Split tunneling: Win, macOS, Linux, Android, Android TV
Simultaneous devices: 10
Refund window: 30-day money-back guarantee
Notable extras: Secure Core, NetShield

$4.99/month

Get Proton VPN Deal30-day money-back guarantee · 10 devices

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How to read this review

Everything below comes from Proton VPN's own published documentation, retrieved 21 September 2026, or from public protocol specifications, except where a section is explicitly marked as resting on our review-pass captures. We did not run a controlled lab benchmark, and we publish no speed figures, scores or audit verdicts we have not verified. Where a screenshot is cited it supports the visible state at the time of capture, not long-term behaviour.

Protocol support

Proton VPN ships a smaller protocol list than some competitors, but the third entry is the interesting one. Rather than offering an unspecified proprietary transport, Proton describes exactly how its obfuscation works, which lets you reason about the trade-offs instead of taking a marketing claim on trust.

Protocols as listed on Proton VPN's features page, retrieved 21 September 2026.

Protocol	What the vendor says
WireGuard	"A cutting-edge VPN protocol that is both fast and secure"
OpenVPN	Described as among "the strongest and most cryptographically secure VPN protocols"
Stealth	"Custom obfuscation VPN protocol based on WireGuard tunneled over TLS"

Wrapping WireGuard inside TLS is a well-understood approach: every network must permit TLS on port 443, so the tunnel blends into the largest possible pool of traffic. The cost is an encrypted tunnel inside an encrypted session, usually over TCP, which reintroduces the TCP-over-TCP behaviour described in OpenVPN TCP vs UDP. Expect it to be slower than plain WireGuard — that is inherent to the technique, not a flaw in this implementation. The absence of a separate mobility protocol such as IKEv2 is worth noting if you use a phone that changes network frequently.

Documented security features

Kill switch: the vendor states "a kill switch in all our apps ensures your IP address is never exposed if the VPN connection is interrupted". The documentation does not break behaviour down by operating system, so the platform-specific cases described in our kill-switch guide are still worth testing yourself.
DNS leak protection: stated to prevent browsing history leaking to your ISP. As with every provider, this does not address WebRTC, which is a browser-level problem.
Split tunneling: listed on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Android TV and the browser extension. iOS is absent, which reflects an Apple platform restriction rather than a vendor choice — see split tunneling.
Secure Core: described as a double-VPN implementation in which the first server sits in a privacy-friendly country. This changes the trust model and adds latency; we have not measured the trade-off.
NetShield: DNS filtering for malware, ads and trackers. Because it operates at the DNS layer it cannot see inside encrypted connections, so treat it as a complement to browser controls rather than a replacement.

Platform coverage

Platform coverage as published by Proton VPN, retrieved 21 September 2026.

Platform	Notes
Windows	WireGuard, OpenVPN, Stealth; split tunneling listed
macOS	Split tunneling listed
Linux	Split tunneling listed
Android	Split tunneling listed
Android TV	Split tunneling listed — unusual for a TV platform
iOS	No split tunneling; an Apple platform restriction
Browser extension	Split tunneling listed

Encryption and authentication

Cipher choice follows from protocol choice rather than being a separate setting you tune. On WireGuard the suite is fixed — ChaCha20-Poly1305 for the data channel, Curve25519 for key agreement, BLAKE2s for hashing — and there is no negotiation, which removes a whole class of downgrade risk. On OpenVPN and IKEv2 the data channel is normally an AEAD construction such as AES-GCM, agreed during the handshake. Both AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20-Poly1305 are unbroken; ChaCha20 tends to be quicker on processors without AES hardware acceleration, which covers a lot of older phones.

What matters more than the cipher name is forward secrecy: each session should use ephemeral keys that are discarded afterwards, so that compromising a server's long-term key later would not decrypt traffic recorded earlier. All three mainstream protocols provide this when correctly configured. Treat "military-grade encryption" as marketing language — AES-256 is a public NIST standard anyone can use. The detail is in VPN encryption.

Leak protection and kill switch: what to check

Vendor documentation across this sector tends to describe DNS leak protection and a kill switch in general terms, without stating behaviour per operating system or during the moments when leaks actually happen. Rather than restate marketing copy, here is what is worth verifying yourself on this provider, in the order the failures usually occur.

DNS. Connect, then confirm every resolver shown in a leak test belongs to the VPN rather than your ISP.
IPv6. Check that either no IPv6 address appears or the one shown belongs to the VPN. An IPv4-only tunnel can let IPv6 traffic escape.
WebRTC. Test in each browser separately. No VPN client can fully close this, because the exposure happens inside the browser.
Kill switch under crash. End the client process from the task manager rather than disconnecting cleanly; traffic should stop immediately.
Kill switch on network change. Switch Wi-Fi to cellular, or disable and re-enable the adapter.
Reconnect and server change. Watch for a gap in protection while the tunnel is rebuilt — this is where most real leaks appear.

The full procedure, including what to record, is in how to test a VPN. We publish our own results for no provider, because we have not run a controlled testing programme — so these are checks for you to run, not findings for you to take on trust.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

An obfuscation protocol whose architecture is publicly described, which is rare.
Split tunneling across five platforms plus a browser extension.
A documented double-hop option in Secure Core.
DNS-level filtering bundled through NetShield.

Limitations

Only three protocols; no IKEv2 for phones that change network often.
No split tunneling on iOS, though this is an Apple restriction.
Stealth runs over TLS and will be slower than plain WireGuard.
Secure Core's latency cost is not quantified in the documentation.

What our review-pass screenshots show

We captured a short set of checks while running Proton VPN. As with every capture on this site these are single observations, not a controlled test programme.

DNS: the resolvers returned matched the active Proton VPN connection, with no local ISP resolver visible.
WebRTC: the test returned the VPN address with no separate local or public WebRTC address exposed.
Split tunneling: two browsers reported different public addresses at the same time, one inside the tunnel and one outside it.
Netflix: content loaded and played through a US server in the capture reviewed.
Throughput over the Stealth protocol sat well below the unprotected baseline on both a European and a US server, which is the expected cost of an obfuscated transport rather than a fault.

What we could not verify

Stating gaps plainly is more useful than filling them with plausible-looking numbers.

Question	Status
Throughput on any route	Not measured. We have not run a controlled testing programme, so we publish no speed figures for any provider.
Independent security audit	We do not assert an audit exists unless we can point at the report, its author and its date.
Server count and locations	Vendor-published figures change frequently; we do not restate them as fact.
Streaming platform access	Varies by platform, server and region, often week to week. We make no fixed claims.
App screenshots	We hold no licensed product screenshots and will not reuse images from other sites.
Secure Core routing benefit	A double hop changes the trust model and adds latency. We have not measured the trade-off.
NetShield block-list scope	The documentation does not publish list sources or update frequency.

Who it suits

People who want an obfuscation option whose design is publicly stated.
Users who need split tunneling across several desktop and Android devices.
Anyone who values a documented double-hop route.

Less suitable if: you rely on a phone that frequently switches between Wi-Fi and cellular and want a dedicated mobility protocol such as IKEv2/IPsec, or you need split tunneling specifically on iOS.

Pricing and plans

Commercial terms exactly as published on VPN Sherlock. We do not refresh these from vendor sources; confirm current pricing at checkout.

$4.99/month

10 devices30-day money-back guarantee

Get Proton VPN Deal Read our full review

Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure. Pricing shown as published on VPN Sherlock; confirm current terms at checkout.

How it compares

The table below carries the commercial terms exactly as published on VPN Sherlock. There are no speed or score columns, because we have not run the tests that would justify them.

Commercial terms as published on VPN Sherlock, September 2026.

#	VPN	Best for	Key features	Protocols	Devices	Price	Learn more
1		Best overall	Six published protocols — the widest range among the five compared here	6 (incl. Shadow, ZoogTLS)	Unlimited	$2.49/month	Get dealRead review
2	Proton VPN	Clearest obfuscation	The only provider here that publishes how its obfuscation protocol is built	3 (incl. Stealth)	10	$4.99/month	Get dealRead review
3	PureVPN	Most devices covered	Native Apple TV and Fire Stick apps, which removes the usual reason to configure a router	3 (WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2)	10	$3.24/month	Get dealRead review
4		Most obfuscation options	Two proprietary transports, one of them available at router level. No IKEv2	4 (incl. OpenWeb, StealthVPN)	5	$5.00/month	Get dealRead review
5	Windscribe	Most flexible	Manual config generation for all three protocols, plus a free tier you can evaluate first	3 (OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard)	Unlimited	$3.00/month	Get dealRead review

For a fuller picture of where each product sits, read the ZoogVPN review, PureVPN review, Astrill VPN review, Windscribe review.

How it differs from the other four

Against ZoogVPN, the trade is breadth for transparency: ZoogVPN publishes six protocols to Proton's three, but Proton states the architecture of its obfuscation protocol outright. ZoogVPN's Shadow is unspecified, and while ZoogVPN describes ZoogTLS as OpenConnect-based, its own build of it is not published either.

Most regret with a VPN subscription comes from buying on a feature list and discovering a platform gap afterwards. The refund window exists for this; use it deliberately rather than hoping.

Confirm the protocol you actually need is available on the device you will use it on. Per-platform availability varies more than headline protocol counts suggest.
Check the current price and terms at checkout. Figures on this site are preserved as previously published and are not refreshed from vendor sources.
Run the leak and kill-switch checks above in the first day, while a refund is still straightforward.
Test the specific thing you are buying for — a particular network, a particular service, a particular country — rather than a generic speed test.
If something does not work, request the refund inside the stated window rather than waiting to see whether it improves.

Frequently asked questions

What is Proton VPN's Stealth protocol?

Proton describes Stealth as a custom obfuscation protocol built from WireGuard tunnelled over TLS, intended for networks that block standard VPN traffic. Stating the construction is unusual and makes it far easier to reason about than an unspecified proprietary transport. Expect it to be slower than plain WireGuard, which is inherent to wrapping a tunnel inside a TLS session rather than a flaw.

Does Proton VPN support split tunneling on iPhone?

No, and no provider can offer it. Proton lists split tunneling on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Android TV and its browser extension. iOS reserves per-app VPN for devices under mobile device management, so a consumer App Store client cannot provide it. Treat any provider advertising the feature for an ordinary iPhone with suspicion.

What is Secure Core?

Proton describes Secure Core as a double-VPN arrangement in which the first hop is a server in a privacy-friendly country. It changes the trust model - an observer at the exit no longer sees your entry address - at the cost of a second hop. It adds latency; we have not measured how much, and the benefit only matters against an adversary watching the exit.

Is Proton VPN's free tier the same service?

No. Proton's paid and free offerings differ in server choice, speed and feature access, and Secure Core and Stealth are not part of what a free user gets. Evaluate the tier you intend to pay for rather than assuming the free one represents it.