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🛡️ Current Deal — Proton VPN Plus 2-Year Plan
$2.99/month — 70% off the standard monthly price
Total: $71.76 for 24 months (then renews at the standard rate of $9.99/mo)
✅ 10 simultaneous device connections ✅ 30-day money-back guarantee (prorated) ✅ Genuine free tier available (unlimited data, no trial limit) ✅ Swiss jurisdiction — outside 5/9/14 Eyes alliances ✅ No coupon code needed — discount auto-applies through our link
Verified at Proton VPN’s pricing page on April 23, 2026.
If privacy is your primary reason for wanting a VPN — not streaming access, not torrenting, not general “online security” but genuine privacy from surveillance and data collection — Proton VPN is the strongest pick on my list. It’s made by the same Swiss team behind Proton Mail (the encrypted email service used by journalists, activists, and privacy-critical users worldwide), based in Switzerland outside the 5/9/14 Eyes intelligence alliances, and operates on physical servers it owns rather than leasing from third parties. Every app is open-source and independently audited.
What Proton VPN isn’t: the cheapest VPN on the market. Surfshark at $1.88/mo is a dollar per month less, and for most users that price difference matters more than the jurisdictional nuance. But if you’re specifically prioritizing privacy credentials over price — or if you want a VPN from a company whose entire business model is privacy (not a side product alongside password managers and identity theft insurance) — Proton VPN at the current 70% off deal is worth the premium.
This page breaks down Proton VPN’s current deal across both paid tiers (VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited), explains the genuine free tier, and gives you my honest take on whether Proton VPN is worth paying for over cheaper alternatives. Updated every Monday.
Proton VPN Pricing — All Plans (April 2026)
Proton VPN offers three plan tiers: a genuine free tier (not a trial), VPN Plus (paid VPN-only), and Proton Unlimited (full Proton ecosystem bundle).
| Plan | What’s included | 2-year price/month | Total | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free 💚 Genuinely free | VPN access, unlimited data, 5 server countries, 1 device | $0 | $0 | Testing, light browsing privacy |
| VPN Plus 🏆 Best value for VPN-only | Full VPN, 15,000+ servers, 120+ countries, 10 devices, NetShield ad blocker, Secure Core, P2P | $2.99/mo | $71.76 (24 months) | VPN-focused users |
| Proton Unlimited | Everything in VPN Plus + Proton Mail premium, Proton Drive (500GB), Proton Pass, Proton Calendar premium | $7.99/mo | $191.76 (24 months) | Full privacy ecosystem users |
Which plan should you pick?
- Free is genuinely usable — no data caps, no time limits, no ads. Limited to 5 server countries (US, Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Romania) and 1 device. This is the best free VPN on the market alongside PrivadoVPN. If you want to test Proton VPN before paying, start here.
- VPN Plus is what I recommend for users focused on VPN use. Full server network (15,000+ servers across 120+ countries), 10 simultaneous device connections, all premium features including Secure Core routing, NetShield ad/malware blocker, and streaming unblocking.
- Proton Unlimited bundles the full Proton privacy ecosystem. If you were already considering paying for Proton Mail, Proton Drive, or Proton Pass separately, Unlimited becomes the better deal. Otherwise, stick with VPN Plus.
Monthly plans are expensive — as expected. $9.99/month for VPN Plus, $12.99/month for Unlimited. Don’t buy monthly unless you have a specific short-term reason. Proton VPN’s free tier works as a genuine trial instead.
Pricing verified on Proton VPN’s official site, April 23, 2026. Regional pricing and VAT may apply at checkout. Proton also accepts payment in US dollars, euros, or Swiss francs.
How to Claim the Proton VPN Deal (Step-by-Step)
Proton VPN’s checkout is the cleanest of any VPN I’ve tested — no dark patterns, no aggressive upsells, no pre-checked add-ons. This section is shorter than my other coupon pages because there’s less to warn you about.
Step 1 — Click through the deal link
Click here to go to Proton VPN with the 70% discount applied. You’ll land on Proton VPN’s pricing page with the promotional pricing already showing. Before selecting a plan, confirm you see $2.99/mo on the VPN Plus 2-year plan. If the price differs, the deal may have changed — email me and I’ll investigate.
No coupon code needed — the discount auto-applies through the link.
Step 2 — Pick your plan
- VPN Plus if you want a premium VPN and nothing else
- Proton Unlimited if you’d also use Proton Mail, Drive, Pass, or Calendar
Make sure “24 months” is selected — this is where the 70% discount lives. The 1-year plan is currently 60% off (still good value) but the 2-year is meaningfully cheaper per month.
Step 3 — Create your Proton account
Unlike some VPNs, Proton requires you to create a Proton account (free) before subscribing. This account gives you access to Proton VPN, Proton Mail Free (with a @proton.me email address), Proton Drive Free, Proton Calendar, and Proton Pass Free — all at no additional cost. Many users find the free Proton Mail alone valuable.
You’ll need to verify via email or phone number. Proton offers anonymous signup options (no phone required) through Tor or specific payment methods.
Step 4 — Pay
Proton accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, PayPal, and Bitcoin for initial subscriptions. Once you have a Proton account, you can also purchase Proton credits using cash, bank transfer, or cryptocurrency — notable for users who want fully anonymous payment options.
Confirm the total matches: $71.76 for VPN Plus 2-year or $191.76 for Unlimited 2-year before clicking “Pay.”
Step 5 — Download the app and start your 30-day clock
Proton VPN apps are available for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Chromebook, and Android TV. You can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously.
Important note about Proton’s money-back guarantee: Unlike most VPNs, Proton offers a prorated refund rather than a full refund. If you cancel after 10 days, you get a refund for the 20 days you didn’t use — not the full 30 days. This is unusual in the industry and worth knowing upfront. That said, Proton’s genuine free tier makes this less of an issue — you can try the free version indefinitely before committing to a paid plan.
What You Get with Proton VPN at This Price
Proton VPN is not a budget VPN. At $2.99/mo for Plus, you’re paying for infrastructure and principles that the cheaper competitors don’t offer.
Core VPN features (VPN Plus):
- 15,000+ servers across 120+ countries — Proton operates a substantial server network, with the majority on physical servers Proton itself owns (rare in the industry — most competitors lease from third-party hosts).
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols — WireGuard is the default and fastest.
- Stealth protocol — Proton’s proprietary obfuscation protocol for restrictive countries (works in China, Iran, Russia to varying degrees).
- AES-256 encryption with Perfect Forward Secrecy.
- 10 simultaneous device connections.
- VPN Accelerator — Proton’s technology to maintain high speeds even when connecting to distant servers. In independent speed tests, Proton VPN is consistently among the fastest VPNs available, trailing only Surfshark and Mullvad in some benchmarks.
- Kill switch on all major platforms.
- Permanent kill switch option — blocks internet entirely until you connect to the VPN (unusual and useful for high-security use cases).
- Split tunneling on Windows, Android, and Linux.
- NetShield — DNS-level ad, tracker, and malware blocker.
- Port forwarding — genuinely useful for torrenting; not offered by most VPNs (NordVPN removed this in 2023).
- Tor over VPN servers — route your connection through the Tor network via Proton VPN servers.
Secure Core routing — the standout privacy feature:
- Secure Core routes your traffic through multiple Proton-owned servers in privacy-friendly jurisdictions (Switzerland, Iceland, Sweden) before exiting to your chosen location.
- This means even if the exit server is compromised or legally coerced, the logs of your original IP would have to be obtained from Secure Core servers in Swiss/Icelandic bunkers — which have strong legal protections.
- No other mainstream VPN offers infrastructure like this. NordVPN’s Double VPN is similar in concept but uses regular servers, not privacy-jurisdiction-bunker servers.
Privacy credentials — the strongest in the industry:
- Switzerland-based — outside 5/9/14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances. Swiss privacy law is among the strongest in the world.
- Open-source apps — all Proton VPN client apps are open-source. You can (and auditors can) read the actual code that handles your data.
- Independent audits of apps, infrastructure, and no-logs policy by SEC Consult and Securitum.
- Physical server ownership — most Proton VPN servers are physical servers in data centers Proton operates or controls, not leased from third-party providers.
- No-logs policy — strictly enforced, audited, and tested in real legal cases.
- Bug bounty program — active security research partnerships.
- Funded by the Proton community, not by VC — unusual and worth noting. Proton has no investor pressure to compromise privacy for growth.
Proton Unlimited adds:
- Proton Mail premium — 500GB mailbox, custom domains (use your own email address), 15+ aliases, priority support
- Proton Drive — 500GB encrypted cloud storage with end-to-end encryption and sharing
- Proton Pass — premium password manager with unlimited devices, 2FA support, aliasing
- Proton Calendar — premium features, sharing with non-Proton users
- If you were planning to pay for Proton Mail ($3.99/mo) separately, Unlimited essentially makes the Mail service free and bundles everything else
Is the Proton VPN Deal Actually Good? My Honest Take
Yes — but Proton VPN isn’t for everyone, and I want to be honest about the trade-offs.
This is a genuinely strong Proton VPN price. Proton VPN rarely runs aggressive promotions — unlike NordVPN or Surfshark, which run perpetual 70%+ discounts, Proton usually sells at closer to its “regular” price. The current 70% off VPN Plus 2-year deal is among the best Proton VPN pricing I’ve tracked. It’s cheaper per month than NordVPN ($3.09/mo) and only $0.20/mo more than ExpressVPN’s current spring promo ($2.79/mo).
The renewal price is significant — and worse than most competitors. Your 2-year plan renews at the standard monthly rate of $9.99/month. That’s a 3.3× jump from the promotional rate. Here’s how to avoid it:
- After purchasing, go to your Proton account → VPN subscriptions
- Turn off auto-renewal
- Set a calendar reminder for ~22 months from your purchase date
- When your 2-year term expires, sign up again at the then-current promotional rate (Proton’s deals are less frequent than competitors’ but consistent at 60–70% off on long-term plans)
A notable caveat — the prorated refund. Unlike most VPNs’ 30-day money-back guarantees, Proton VPN only refunds the unused portion of your subscription. If you cancel after 15 days, you get a refund for 15 days, not the full month. This is fairer from Proton’s perspective (you used the service, you pay for what you used) but stricter than competitors offering full refunds. If money-back flexibility matters, Surfshark or NordVPN are more forgiving. The mitigation: use the genuine free tier first — there’s no time limit on Proton’s free plan, so you can test indefinitely before committing.
How Proton VPN compares to other current deals:
- Surfshark ($1.88/mo) is $1.11/mo cheaper and offers unlimited simultaneous connections vs. Proton’s 10. For most users, Surfshark is the better value. But Surfshark is Netherlands-based (9 Eyes jurisdiction) and Nord Security-owned — both legitimate privacy trade-offs.
- NordVPN ($3.09/mo) is $0.10/mo more expensive, with more audits (6 vs. Proton’s fewer) but Panama rather than Swiss jurisdiction. Panama is also privacy-friendly but arguably a step below Switzerland for legal protection.
- ExpressVPN ($2.79/mo) is currently $0.20/mo cheaper due to its spring promo. But ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies (which owns multiple VPN review sites) — corporate concentration that Proton doesn’t have.
- Mullvad (~$5/mo) is more expensive and doesn’t discount, but matches or exceeds Proton’s privacy credentials. Mullvad doesn’t even require an email address to sign up. If you want to go deeper into privacy than Proton, Mullvad is the next step.
Where Proton VPN earns its premium over cheaper competitors:
- Swiss jurisdiction — genuinely stronger legal privacy protections than most VPN jurisdictions
- Open-source apps — no other mainstream VPN matches this transparency. You (or anyone) can audit the actual code
- Physical server ownership — most Proton VPN servers are operated directly by Proton, not leased from hosting providers who could theoretically be compromised
- Not owned by a large corporate group — Proton is independent, privately held, and funded by the community rather than VCs
- Secure Core routing — unique infrastructure that no competitor offers
- Genuinely usable free tier — the best free VPN on the market alongside PrivadoVPN
- Port forwarding — rare feature, genuinely useful for torrenting
- Company reputation — Proton Mail is used by journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and privacy-critical professionals. The parent company’s entire business model is privacy, not a side product
Who should buy this deal:
- Privacy maximalists and privacy-critical users (journalists, activists, researchers)
- Users who want open-source VPN apps they can audit
- Anyone who wants the full Proton ecosystem (Mail, Drive, Pass, Calendar) — Unlimited plan pays for itself
- Users who want a VPN company that isn’t part of a large corporate group
- Torrenters who specifically want port forwarding
- Budget users who want the best free VPN — Proton’s free tier is genuinely usable
Who should look elsewhere:
- Budget-focused users — Surfshark at $1.88/mo delivers most of the VPN functionality for $1.11 less per month, with unlimited devices as a bonus
- Households needing many device connections — Proton’s 10-device cap matches NordVPN but trails Surfshark’s unlimited
- Users who want a lenient refund policy — Proton’s prorated refund is stricter than competitors’ full-refund guarantees (though the free tier mitigates this)
- Heavy streamers in many regions — Proton works well with major streaming platforms but NordVPN and Surfshark have slightly broader streaming library coverage
[Embed YouTube Video Here]
Watch my full hands-on Proton VPN review — I tested it for 60+ days across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux:
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About Proton VPN — The 60-Second Version
Proton VPN launched in 2017, built by the same Swiss team behind Proton Mail — the end-to-end encrypted email service founded in 2014 by scientists from CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research). Proton is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, which has some of the strongest privacy laws in the world and is outside the 5/9/14 Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances.
Proton VPN operates primarily on physical servers Proton owns and controls, including servers in former military bunkers in Switzerland and Iceland (used for the Secure Core routing feature). All Proton VPN client apps are open-source and independently audited. The company has been privately held and community-funded rather than venture-capital-backed — an unusual structure that insulates Proton from the growth-pressure-over-privacy trade-offs common in the VPN industry.
Proton VPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited and tested in real legal cases, including a 2019 Swiss court ruling that required Proton to implement specific logging for a single targeted account (which Proton disclosed transparently in its transparency report). Outside of court-ordered targeted logging (which any VPN in any jurisdiction can be compelled to do), Proton VPN maintains no connection or activity logs.
For a full breakdown of features, speed tests, streaming performance, and comparisons to alternatives, see my complete Proton VPN review →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 70% off discount really work?
Yes — verified on April 23, 2026. Click through any of the deal links on this page and the discount applies automatically at checkout. You don’t need to enter a coupon code. If the price you see at checkout isn’t $2.99/mo for VPN Plus 2-year, the deal may have changed. Email me and I’ll investigate.
Do I need a coupon code?
No. The current deal auto-applies through the deal link on this page. Proton VPN doesn’t typically distribute specific coupon codes for affiliates — the discount is applied through the promotional link itself.
Is Proton VPN’s free plan really free?
Yes — and it’s the best free VPN on the market (tied with PrivadoVPN in my opinion). No data limits, no time limits, no ads, no credit card required. The limitations: 5 server countries (US, Netherlands, Japan, Poland, Romania), 1 simultaneous device connection, and slower speeds than paid tiers (the apps prioritize paying users on shared servers). No P2P/torrenting support. No NetShield ad blocker. No Secure Core. But for basic privacy browsing or testing the service, the free plan is genuinely usable indefinitely.
What’s the difference between VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited?
VPN Plus ($2.99/mo on 2-year) gets you the full Proton VPN service — all servers, all features, 10 devices. It’s purely a VPN subscription.
Proton Unlimited ($7.99/mo on 2-year) includes VPN Plus PLUS the premium tiers of Proton Mail, Proton Drive, Proton Pass, and Proton Calendar. If you’d pay for Proton Mail separately ($3.99/mo), Unlimited is cheaper overall. If you just want a VPN, stick with VPN Plus.
What’s the renewal price after 2 years?
Your 2-year VPN Plus plan renews at the standard monthly rate of $9.99/month (approximately $120/year). That’s a significant jump from the promotional $2.99/mo rate.
To avoid the renewal price: Go to your Proton account → VPN subscriptions and disable auto-renewal immediately after purchase. When your 2-year term expires, sign up again at the then-current promotional rate. Proton’s deals are less frequent than competitors’ but there’s consistently a 60–70% off promotion running at any given time.
Is Proton VPN safe to buy through a coupon link?
Yes. The deal link on this page is an affiliate link — it redirects you to Proton VPN’s official website with the promotional pricing applied. I don’t process your payment, never see your payment details, and don’t touch your account. The commission I earn comes from Proton’s marketing budget, not from your price.
Is Proton VPN worth paying more than Surfshark?
Depends entirely on your priorities. For most users, Surfshark at $1.88/mo is the better value — it offers comparable core VPN functionality, unlimited device connections, and its own Deloitte-audited no-logs policy. But Surfshark is Netherlands-based (9 Eyes jurisdiction), owned by Nord Security (corporate concentration), and its apps are not open-source.
Proton VPN at $2.99/mo earns its $1.11/mo premium specifically for privacy credentials: Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, physical server ownership, independent corporate structure, and Secure Core routing. If these matter to you — because you’re a journalist, activist, researcher, or just deeply privacy-conscious — Proton is worth the extra dollar per month. If you just want a VPN for streaming, general privacy, or price, Surfshark is the better pick. For a full comparison, see my Surfshark vs Proton VPN head-to-head.
Does Proton VPN work with Netflix?
Yes, on the paid VPN Plus and Unlimited tiers. In my testing over the past 60 days, Proton VPN reliably unblocks Netflix in the US, UK, Japan, Canada, France, and Germany. Streaming servers are specifically optimized for unblocking. Disney+, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video also work consistently. The free tier does not reliably unblock streaming platforms — this is a paid-tier feature.
Does Proton VPN work in China?
Proton VPN’s Stealth protocol works in China with varying reliability. It’s generally considered less consistent than NordVPN or ExpressVPN in restrictive countries. If China access is your primary use case, ExpressVPN or NordVPN are stronger picks.
Can I pay for Proton VPN with cryptocurrency or cash?
Yes — and this is one of Proton’s privacy differentiators. For initial subscriptions, Proton accepts Bitcoin. Once you have a Proton account, you can also top up “Proton credits” using cash sent to Proton’s office, bank transfers, or additional cryptocurrencies. Very few VPNs offer cash payment — this is notable for users who want fully anonymous signup.
What’s the money-back guarantee like?
30 days, but prorated. Unlike most VPNs that offer a full refund within 30 days, Proton VPN refunds only the unused portion of your subscription. If you cancel after 10 days of a monthly plan, you get 20/30 refunded — not the full amount. This is stricter than competitors but fairer from Proton’s business perspective.
The workaround: Use Proton’s genuine free tier (unlimited time) to test the VPN indefinitely before committing to a paid plan. This is something no other mainstream VPN offers at this quality level.
What if I find a better Proton VPN deal somewhere else?
Send it to me. If it’s a legitimate, verifiable deal that beats what I’m listing, I’ll update this page and credit you. I’d rather lose a single commission than show stale pricing.
Ready to Claim the Proton VPN Deal?
Proton VPN’s 70% off 2-year VPN Plus plan at $2.99/month is a fair price for what remains the strongest privacy-focused VPN on the market — Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, independently audited no-logs policy, unique Secure Core routing, and physical server ownership. You’re covered by the 30-day prorated money-back guarantee, and you can test the service indefinitely on the genuine free tier before committing.
If privacy is your primary concern, Proton VPN is worth the premium over cheaper alternatives. If you want the best value for money and don’t need Proton’s specific privacy differentiators, Surfshark at $1.88/mo remains the better pick for most users.
→ Claim the Proton VPN Deal Now
Deal verified April 23, 2026. Next scheduled update: April 28, 2026.
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