You can set custom DNS servers, choose OpenVPN UDP or TCP connections, use split tunneling to define apps which bypass the tunnel, apply DNS and IPv6 leak protection, and more.
The app is unusually configurable for a free VPN, too. We did our very best to break the app and cause a data leak, for instance, but the kill switch shrugged off all our tricks and blocked internet access until we reconnected. Connections are secure, though - smartly configured OpenVPN with AES-256-CBS encryption - and there's solid engineering under the hood. If you think maps are a poor way to choose VPN locations, for instance, collapse the map view and you're left with little more than a simple list of countries and a Connect button.Ĭonnect times are a little longer than average. The interface is relatively bulky, at least compared to most VPN apps, but fortunately it's also very configurable. A zoom-able world map highlights all the server locations, there's a separate list of countries, assorted menus and settings, and a Quick Connect button for folks who just want to get online straightaway.
The ProtonVPN Windows client looks great, with a professional and polished interface. This is the user interface of ProtonVPN's Windows client (Image credit: ProtonVPN) Our tests showed all ProtonVPN servers were in the locations promised, and the apps correctly shielded our identity by blocking DNS and WebRTC leaks. Whichever account you choose, the ProtonVPN network and apps do a good job of protecting you online. Use free encrypted email account with ProtonVPN's sister service, ProtonMail - which doesn't require any other email address to authenticate it - and you can be completely anonymous. The company does require an email address to create your account in the first place, but this can be whatever you want. Keep in mind, though, that whatever ProtonVPN is doing under the hood, you don't have to hand over any payment details to sign up. That's good news, although it doesn't tell us what might be happening on the ProtonVPN servers or the company infrastructure, and we'd like to see future audits with increased scope.
For instance, the company announced in January 2020 that all of its apps were now open source, and released independent audit reports on them all. You shouldn't take any VPN's word on trust alone, but ProtonVPN is more transparent than most. The only data stored is the timestamp of your most recent login, which of course is overwritten when you next log in. The company says it doesn't monitor your traffic, the sites you're visiting, incoming or outgoing IP addresses. The country has very strong privacy laws, is outside of US and EU jurisdiction, and not a member of the ‘Five Eyes’ surveillance network, making it a little more difficult for your data to be shared with others.
ProtonVPN's Swiss base gives it an immediate privacy advantage over most of the competition. ProtonVPN recently open sourced all of its apps and underwent an independent audit (Image credit: ProtonVPN) Privacy and logging