How to Get a Free Trial of Proton VPN (Tested 2024)
Reading time: 8 min
Updated on July 12, 2024
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Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Lead Cybersecurity Editor
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Reader's Comments 2
Even though Proton VPN has an excellent reputation and great reviews, I don’t want to have to buy a premium subscription just to see if a service is for me. The good news is that Proton VPN has a free version and trial for its Plus plan that you can try without spending a dollar.
Just like any form of complimentary offerings, drawbacks accompany Proton VPN’s no-cost version. These include speed restrictions, a reduced number of device connections, and other limitations. Editor’s Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
For the full package, you can subscribe to Proton VPN Plus and enjoy one of the top VPN services on the market. If you’re not sure whether it’s worth it, Proton VPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it without risk.
How To Get a Proton VPN Free Trial
- Select “Pricing” at the top of Proton VPN’s website.
- Select “Get VPN Free” under “Compare plans”.
- Fill out your information for the download link.
- Start using Proton VPN for free!
Proton VPN Free vs Proton VPN Plus
Although websites may present positive reviews and enticing descriptions, taking a leap into investing in a VPN plan without prior experience can be uncertain. Thankfully, Proton VPN presents a free version that you can use without sharing payment information. Moreover, they offer a 7-day trial of their Plus plan, enabling you to experience the premium services included in their paid plans.
As one of the best free VPNs on the market, Proton VPN’s free tier doesn’t have any ads and offers a bare-bones VPN that’s solid enough for general online privacy when browsing. However, it does have some differences when it comes to speeds, streaming, and downloads compared to paid plans.
1. Security
Both free and paid subscriptions have adequate security measures to keep you safe online. Proton VPN comes with the following features:
- AES-256-bit military-grade encryption to hide your data from third-party spies
- Public WiFi protection to keep your browsing activities private even when you’re away from home
- IKEv2, IPSec, and OpenVPN protocols are rigorously tested to make sure they keep your data safe
- Perfect Forward Secrecy generates new encryption keys every session to ensure you’re safe from hackers
The only difference is that the free version doesn’t offer NetShield, Proton VPN’s adblocker that blocks ads, trackers, and malware. You only get this service only when you upgrade to Proton VPN Plus.
2. Torrenting
P2P is not supported on the free version of Proton VPN. However, all paid versions support file sharing, with excellent speeds for uploads and downloads.
For optimum torrenting performance with Proton VPN connect to servers with a two-arrow icon, which indicates the server is optimized for P2P traffic.
3. Streaming
Both the free and paid versions of Proton VPN can access most streaming platforms, including the following sites:
| Netflix | HBO Max | Disney+ | Amazon Prime Video |
| Hulu | BBC iPlayer | DAZN | ESPN |
Proton VPN’s connection speeds allow for HD video streaming without any buffering or lags.
However, the free version is only available in 71 countries, so only the US, UK, or German servers can be used for accessing those streaming sites. The paid plans have servers in 71 countries, so can access more streaming services.
4. Privacy
Proton VPN’s no-logs policy applies to both free and paid versions. Their physical servers are stored and secured in Switzerland, outside of any jurisdictions that would require them to keep or turn over any logs to authorities. This means your privacy is in good hands even when you use the free plan.
Plus, Proton VPN is a trusted company that has a robust and ethical commitment to full online privacy in every way. It supports international journalists in censored countries and dedicates its resources to educating the public on these issues.
5. Customer Support
At Proton VPN, we prioritize providing comprehensive support to all our customers, whether they are using our free or paid services. Rest assured, you will have access to our knowledge base, installation guides, and the convenience of reaching out to us through email support tickets, regardless of your subscription type. If you prefer not to use our email form, you have the option to send your questions directly to our email address. However, please note that at the moment, live chat support is not available for both free and paid versions. We value our readers and are committed to assisting them in the most accessible and informative manner possible, always maintaining a friendly and professional approach.
6. Device Connections
Proton VPN has apps for various devices and operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Linux, certain smart TVs, and more. However, you can only use Proton VPN on 1 device at a time on the free plan, while its Plus plan allows 10 simultaneous connections. If you want to use it on more than one device, you need to subscribe to its paid plan.
7. Speed
Proton VPN’s Plus plan gives you the highest speed, up to 10Gbps. When I tested the speeds of Proton VPN’s Plus plan, I found that my speeds were only reduced by a maximum of 41% on distant servers.
In comparison, Proton VPN’s free plan offers heavily reduced speed. While it’s still fast enough to stream shows in HD, I experienced a speed drop of 90% on faraway servers.
FAQs About Proton VPN
Does Proton VPN’s free trial require payment details?
No, payment details aren’t needed to subscribe to the free service or to take advantage of the 7-day free trial.
The free trial upgrade is assigned in-app after you subscribe. You will only be asked to provide payment details if you decide to upgrade to its Plus plan. If you decide to subscribe to a Proton VPN plan you should know that it only accepts payment via Credit Card or PayPal.
Does Proton VPN have a money-back guarantee?
Yes, you have 30-days to contact support and request your money back after signing up for any paid version. However, Proton VPN’s refund policy works differently.
Unlike most VPNs with great monthly plans, Proton VPN only refunds the amount of the service you haven’t used. For example, if you apply for a refund on the 25th day, you’ll only get money back for the remaining 5 days.
Does Proton VPN unblock streaming sites?
Yes, Proton VPN can access several streaming platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now!, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.
Although Netflix is currently supported, streaming services are only accessible on specific US, UK, and German servers.
This means that if you want to access streaming platforms in Japan or Serbia, you need to subscribe to paid plans. If you only need to watch American Netflix, then the free plan will work.
What else can Proton VPN do?
Proton VPN prides itself as a privacy-focused VPN, so it offers privacy and security extras to help keep you safe and anonymous online. Proton VPN’s Secure Core VPN feature passes your traffic through multiple servers and protects you from network attacks.
Proton VPN even helps you access the anonymous Tor (The Onion Router), a network people use to increase their privacy and freedom online. Proton VPN’s Tor servers route your traffic through the Tor network on any device. These are excellent privacy features that even some of the best VPNs on the market don’t offer.
However, neither of these features are available on the free plan, you need to subscribe to Proton VPN Plus to use them.
Final Thoughts
No matter how great the reviews and website descriptions are, paying for a VPN plan you’ve never tried before can be risky. The good thing is that Proton VPN has a free version that you can use for free without giving payment information. It also gives you a taste of its paid plans’ premium services with the 7-day trial of its Plus plan.
It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee too. So, if you subscribe to Proton VPN’s paid plans and it falls short of your expectations, you can get the remaining amount of your money back, depending on how long you’ve used it.
Summary: Other Premium VPNs in 2024
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
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