Proton VPN is a VPN service launched in 2017[9] and operated by the Swiss company Proton AG, the company behind the email service Proton Mail.[10][11] According to its official website, Proton VPN and Proton Mail share the same management team, offices, and technical resources, and are operated from Proton's headquarters in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland.[12] On June 17, 2024 the company announced that it will be transitioning to a non-profit structure under the Proton Foundation.[13]
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| Developer(s) | Proton AG | ||||||||||||||||
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| Type | Virtual private network | ||||||||||||||||
| Website | protonvpn | ||||||||||||||||
Features
editAs of 17th November 2024, Proton VPN has a total of 9,123 servers, sited in 112 different nations.[14]
Although Proton VPN owns and operates a portion of their servers, the bulk majority are owned and operated by ASNs such as M247 and Datacamp Limited.[15][16] Its service is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, ChromeOS and also has a command-line tool[17] for Linux and can be implemented using the IPSEC protocol.[18] Proton VPN can also be installed on a wireless router.
Proton VPN utilizes OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), IKEv2, and WireGuard (UDP/TCP) protocols with AES-256 encryption.[19] On October 11, 2022, Proton VPN released their Stealth Protocol for Android, iOS and MacOS clients, designed to disguise VPN traffic as HTTPS traffic.[20] In August 2024, Proton VPN announced that it had also added the Stealth protocol to its Windows client.[21]
Proton VPN has a no-logs policy[22] that was independently audited by Securitum, a European security auditing company.[23][24][25]
In January 2020, Proton VPN released its source code on all platforms[26] and had SEC Consult conduct an independent security audit.[27]
Reception
editIn a January 2023 review by TechRadar, Proton VPN received 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.[16]
A May 2023 PC Magazine review gave Proton VPN a 5 star rating. Proton VPN was awarded their Editor's Choice Award in 2022 and 2023.[28]
In October 2023 technology website Engadget rated Proton VPN as the "best overall" for streaming, gaming, privacy and security.[29]
In January 2024 a comparative review of 10 different VPNs by German technology magazine CHIP rated Proton VPN as their test winner.[30]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Proton VPN for Windows". Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "Proton VPN for macOS". Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "Proton VPN for Android". Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "Proton VPN for iOS". Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "Proton VPN for Linux (GUI)". Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "Proton VPN for Linux (CLI)". Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "Proton VPN Browser Extension (Chromium and Firefox)". Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "Proton VPN for tvOS". Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "Encrypted email provider Proton Mail launches free VPN service to counter increasing online censorship". ProtonVPN. 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- ^ "ProtonVPN review: Underground data centers, one-click multi-hop, and more make for a great choice". PCWorld. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "Proton VPN - About Us". ProtonVPN. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Privacy policy". Proton. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
- ^ "Proton is transitioning towards a non-profit structure". Proton. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
- ^ "Proton VPN - Server Locations". ProtonVPN. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "ProtonVPN - VPN Transparency Project". VPN Transparency Project. November 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Williams, Mike (24 January 2023). "ProtonVPN review". TechRadar. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
- ^ Nadel, Brian (2018-11-16). "ProtonVPN Free Review". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
- ^ "VPN gratis en Linux Debian con Proton VPN". Linux Latinoamérica (in Spanish). 2021-04-28. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-01.
- ^ "Protect your connection with strong VPN protocols". Proton VPN. 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Eddy, Max (October 11, 2022). "Proton VPN's New Stealth Feature Helps Fight Censorship in Iran and Russia". PCMag. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ Buria, Taras (August 6, 2024). "Proton brings its Stealth VPN protocol to Windows". Neowin. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Does Proton VPN keep logs?". Proton VPN. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ Szymczak, Maciej; Darecki, Jakub (March 24, 2022). "ProtonVPN's No-Logs policy – regarding VPN activity". Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Szymczak, Maciej; Rzepecki, Marek (May 1, 2023). "Proton VPN's No-Log policy – regarding VPN activity". Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Rzepecki, Marek; Zięba, Marcin (July 12, 2024). "Verification of Proton VPN's No-Log Policy". Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ "Proton VPN goes open-source: What this means for your privacy". tomsguide.com. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ Osborne, Charlie. "Proton VPN apps handed to open source community in transparency push". ZDNet. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ Eddy, Max; Key, Kim (May 8, 2023). "Proton VPN Review". PCMag. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ Malone, Katie (13 October 2023). "Proton VPN review 2023: Why it's our top-choice VPN". Engadget. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ Geiger, Joerg (4 January 2024). "VPN test: The best VPN providers in comparison". Chip_(magazine). Retrieved 5 February 2024.