What ProtonVPN does

ProtonVPN is a Swiss-based virtual private network service operated by Proton AG and offered alongside Proton Mail, Proton Pass, Proton Drive, Proton Calendar, Proton Docs, Proton Meet, Proton Authenticator, Lumo AI, and Simple Login as part of the Proton privacy ecosystem. The service routes user traffic through 20,000+ servers deployed across 140+ countries using WireGuard and Proton's proprietary Stealth protocol (for censorship circumvention), with AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, Secure Core double-hop routing through Swiss/Swedish/Icelandic infrastructure, NetShield DNS-level ad/tracker/malware blocking, and a VPN Accelerator claimed to boost speeds up to 400% on 10 Gbps server hardware. All client applications are 100% open source and have passed five consecutive annual independent no-logs audits by Securitum.

Proton VPN is distributed via a product-led growth model through direct self-serve sign-up on protonvpn.com, the iOS App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, and Chrome/Firefox browser extensions, with no channel reseller network. Revenue is generated through subscription plans — a free tier (1 device, 5 countries, medium speed), VPN Plus (10 devices, full server network, streaming, NetShield, paid at roughly $2.99-$5.99/month depending on term), Proton Unlimited (VPN plus the rest of the privacy suite at ~$108/year), and Proton VPN for Business (centralized admin, web filtering, always-on VPN). Primary customer segments are privacy-conscious individual consumers, organizations needing centralized remote-workforce security, and users in restrictive jurisdictions where censorship or surveillance drives demand; the company reports 100M+ users globally and event-driven signup spikes of up to 6,000% during internet disruptions.

Proton AG is incorporated in Switzerland and majority-owned by the non-profit Proton Foundation, which the company cites as insulating it from venture capital and advertising pressure. Distribution is global across 140+ countries with regional pricing in CHF, EUR, and USD, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and 24/7 customer support via Zendesk. Headcount is reported at 251-500, with offices at Route de la Galaise 32 in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. Proton has no public debt, no disclosed funding rounds beyond an early FONGIT grant in 2017, and does not publish revenue or ARR.

Name

ProtonVPN

Legal name

Proton AG

Website

https://protonvpn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ProtonVPN is a Swiss-based no-logs VPN service operated by Proton AG, serving 100M+ global consumers and organizations with 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, WireGuard and proprietary Stealth protocols, open-source audited apps, and a subscription-based privacy ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer VPN Services

NAICS

Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711), Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813)

akta.pro primary industry

VPN & Remote Access Gateways (HDADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration) (BPAEAEAG), Managed MPLS VPN Services (HDAIAFAA)

Keywords

• VPN service
• Encrypted browsing
• Privacy protection software
• Censorship circumvention tools
• Secure internet access

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. VPN Plus Subscription: Premium VPN subscription (VPN Plus) providing access to all VPN features including 20,000+ servers, highest speeds, streaming unblocking, NetShield ad-blocking, and 10 simultaneous device connections. Billed monthly, annually, or bi-annually. Sold directly via protonvpn.com website and app stores.
2. Proton Unlimited Bundle: Multi-product bundle subscription (Proton Unlimited) combining Proton VPN Plus with Proton Pass, Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, Proton Docs, and Proton Sheets at a discounted price vs. individual subscriptions. Targets users wanting comprehensive privacy suite across multiple services.
3. Proton VPN Free (Freemium): Free VPN tier with no ads, no data limits, and strict no-logs policy. Covers 1 device, medium VPN speed, and access to servers in 5 randomly selected countries. Functions as a lead-generation and trust-building channel for premium upsell.
4. Proton VPN for Business: Enterprise VPN subscription with advanced admin controls, web filtering policies, always-on VPN enforcement, split tunneling, and centralized management dashboard for organizational deployments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ProtonVPN provides an encrypted, no-logs virtual private network service spanning 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, secured by WireGuard and the proprietary Stealth protocol. It offers tiered consumer subscriptions (Free, VPN Plus) plus a Proton Unlimited bundle and a Proton VPN for Business offering with centralized management, web filtering, and always-on VPN controls, all backed by 100% open-source audited applications and Swiss jurisdiction.

Product overview

ProtonVPN operates as a unified privacy platform offering a core VPN service (Proton VPN) with tiered subscription models (Free, Plus, Unlimited) alongside the broader Proton ecosystem. The product portfolio centers on Proton VPN providing encrypted internet access with 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, enhanced by security features including Secure Core double-hop routing, NetShield ad-blocking, VPN Accelerator speed technology, and the proprietary Stealth protocol for censorship circumvention. The Plus and Unlimited tiers bundle additional privacy services: Proton Mail (encrypted email), Proton Pass (password manager), Proton Calendar (encrypted scheduling), Proton Drive (secure cloud storage), Proton Docs and Sheets (encrypted productivity tools), Proton Meet (video conferencing), and Proton Authenticator (2FA). Business VPN extends enterprise-grade controls with centralized management, web filtering, and always-on VPN enforcement. All Proton products share a common privacy-first architecture, open-source codebases, and Swiss jurisdiction legal protections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NetShield: Advanced DNS-filtering tool that blocks intrusive ads, trackers, and malware to prevent profiling and improve security.
• Secure Core
• Stealth Protocol
• VPN Accelerator

Products and services

• Proton VPN A no-logs VPN service providing encrypted internet access via 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, with WireGuard protocol support, AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, proprietary Stealth protocol for censorship circumvention, and 100% open-source audited client applications across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, and Firefox.
• Proton Unlimited Multi-product bundle subscription providing Proton VPN Plus together with Proton Pass, Proton Mail (500 GB storage, 3 custom domains, 15 email addresses), Proton Calendar (25 calendars), Proton Drive (500 GB), Proton Docs, and Proton Sheets, sold at a discount versus individual subscriptions and targeting users who want comprehensive privacy coverage across services.
• Proton VPN for Business Enterprise and team VPN solution offering centralized management via a dedicated dashboard, web filtering policies for administrators, always-on VPN enforcement, split tunneling controls, and administrative tooling to monitor alerts and network status across organizational device fleets.
• Secure Core VPN Double-hop VPN routing feature that tunnels user traffic through Proton's owned and operated servers in privacy-friendly jurisdictions (Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland) before exiting to the destination server, providing enhanced protection against network-based attacks and traffic correlation. Available as an add-on capability within Proton VPN subscriptions.
• NetShield DNS-level filtering tool that blocks intrusive ads, malicious trackers, and malware domains to prevent profiling and improve connection security, integrated with Proton VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited subscriptions.
• Stealth Protocol Proprietary VPN protocol that obfuscates VPN traffic to appear as regular HTTPS, enabling Proton VPN to function in restrictive regions where conventional VPNs are detected and blocked by deep packet inspection systems.
• VPN Accelerator Proprietary speed enhancement technology that increases Proton VPN connection speeds by up to 400% through protocol-level optimizations and pairing with 10 Gbps server infrastructure, offered across all Proton VPN subscriptions.

Quantifiable outcome

• VPN speeds increased by up to 400% through VPN Accelerator technology
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mozilla, Mullvad, ExpressVPN, Tor, Surfshark, NordVPNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Multiple VPN providers including Proton VPN actively responded to the UK's 'Growing Up in the Online World' national consultation (March–May 2026), coordinated through the VPN Trust Initiative, warning that mandatory age verification for VPN users would undermine privacy, compromise no-logs policies, and create security vulnerabilities for all users.
• VPN Trust Initiative (i2Coalition)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Proton VPN is a member of the VPN Trust Initiative coalition organized under the i2Coalition, alongside NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, Windscribe, and Mullvad VPN. The coalition has collectively responded to UK government consultations on child safety and VPN age-gating, warning that restrictions would expose children to greater cyber threats. This represents a coordinated industry stance on regulatory matters affecting VPN providers.
• Internet Freedom FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2025The Internet Freedom Foundation condemned India's Telegram ban as an overbroad restriction, noting that targeted channel takedowns had already reduced the perceived risk. This is a position Proton VPN aligns with rather than a formal partnership.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NordVPN: NordVPN is one of the largest direct competitors to ProtonVPN in the consumer VPN market, offering similar subscription-based VPN service with WireGuard/NordLynx protocol support. Both are members of the VPN Trust Initiative and frequently compete head-to-head in independent review rankings like PCMag's Best VPN list.
• ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN is a major direct competitor to ProtonVPN in the consumer VPN market, offering premium subscription VPN service with similar feature sets including streaming unblocking and privacy features. Both are members of the VPN Trust Initiative coalition and compete directly in PCMag, Mashable, and Wired best-VPN rankings.
• Surfshark: Surfshark is a direct competitor to ProtonVPN, owned by Nord Security alongside NordVPN. Both offer similar subscription-based consumer VPN services and are fellow members of the VPN Trust Initiative, frequently appearing together in best-VPN comparison content.
• Mullvad VPN: Mullvad VPN is a direct competitor to ProtonVPN focused on the privacy-purist segment, offering anonymous account creation (no email required) and a flat-rate pricing model. Both are members of the VPN Trust Initiative and emphasize no-logs policies and open-source clients, competing for the same privacy-conscious user base.
• CyberGhost: CyberGhost is a direct competitor to ProtonVPN in the consumer VPN market, owned by Kape Technologies (which also owns ExpressVPN). Both offer subscription-based VPN services with similar feature sets and are frequently compared in best-VPN review articles.
• Windscribe: Windscribe is a direct competitor to ProtonVPN in the privacy-focused consumer VPN market, offering similar freemium and subscription tiers. Both are members of the VPN Trust Initiative and emphasize no-logs policies and privacy features in their marketing.
• IVPN: IVPN is a direct competitor to ProtonVPN in the privacy-focused consumer VPN segment, emphasizing transparency through independent audits and a no-logs policy. Both target security- and privacy-conscious users, with IVPN positioned as a smaller, more minimalist alternative to Proton's broader ecosystem approach.
• Mozilla VPN: Mozilla VPN is a direct competitor to ProtonVPN in the consumer VPN market, backed by the Mozilla Foundation and built on Mullvad's WireGuard infrastructure. It targets privacy-conscious users with a similar brand-driven, non-profit-aligned positioning that overlaps with Proton's privacy-first messaging.

Broad incumbents

• Cloudflare WARP: Cloudflare WARP is a VPN-like privacy and performance service built into the 1.1.1.1 app, offered by Cloudflare as part of its broader internet infrastructure portfolio. While not positioned as a strict privacy-first VPN, it competes for users seeking encrypted internet connections and faster routing, leveraging Cloudflare's massive global network as an incumbent advantage.
• Bitdefender Premium VPN: Bitdefender Premium VPN is offered as part of Bitdefender's broader cybersecurity suite, making it a broad incumbent competitor. While not ProtonVPN's direct match in the privacy-first segment, it competes for VPN users who prefer bundled security software and leverages Bitdefender's incumbent security brand and customer base.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProtonVPN
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ProtonAG
• Facebookfacebook.com/Proton
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/protonprivacy
• Instagraminstagram.com/protonprivacy
• TikToktiktok.com/@privacytok

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ProtonVPN