IVPN vs Proton VPN
We give IVPN a 2.0 GPA and Proton VPN a 2.8, out of 4.0. Proton VPN grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Proton VPN
Open-source Swiss VPN with a free plan that has no data cap
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAIVPNFair | 2.8GPAProton VPNGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStandard is $60 a year and renews at that, so two years cost $120, about $5 a month, right in the middle of what VPNs charge. Monthly is $6, and Plus and Pro Suite are $80 and $100 a year for the email aliases, DNS filtering and app firewall. | CVPN Plus bills $83.76 for the first 24 months, about $3.49 a month over two years, just above the cheaper quarter of VPNs, which tops out at $3.33. It then renews at $83.88 a year, above the middle. Monthly is $9.99, and Proton Unlimited adds Mail, Drive and Pass for $119.88 a year. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial. IVPN points you to a $2 one-week plan for trying it, and the 30-day refund is once per customer. Neither of those is a trial. | BFree for good with no card, no ads and no data limit, which is rare. One person could really live on it. The limits are one device, medium speed, and servers in 10 countries picked for you. |
| Features | CMulti-hop, the AntiTracker blocker, WireGuard with key rotation, and V2Ray and obfs4 for networks that block VPNs. But the listing names the gaps: no port forwarding, no streaming promises, 5 devices on Standard and servers in 41 countries. | BSecure Core routing through Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden, the Stealth protocol, NetShield blocking, port forwarding, a kill switch and open-source apps with published audits, on 10 devices with Plus. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record. You generate an account ID instead of signing up with an email, then install the app and connect, with nothing to configure first. | B4.65 from about 120,000 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A needs. On the free plan there's no card and nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, all with open-source apps. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | a private VPN you can try for a week | a free VPN with no data cap |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: IVPN and Proton VPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
IVPN starts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Proton VPN starts at $6.99 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0.
Proton VPN scores higher, and starts $1.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 3 score higher than IVPN for less, and 1 scores higher than Proton VPN for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- IVPN starts at $60 per year (Standard), also sold at $6 a month or $2 a week. Proton VPN starts at $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88.
- Proton VPN has a free plan. IVPN does not.
- Only Proton VPN lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| IVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $60 per year (Standard), also sold at $6 a month or $2 a week | $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88 |
| Free plan | None | Proton Free: 1 device, servers in 10 countries chosen at random, medium speed and no data limit. No credit card needed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | IVPN Limited | Proton AG |
| Price read from | ivpn.net | protonvpn.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
IVPN
- People who want to pay for a VPN without giving an email or card
- Buyers who want open-source apps and yearly third-party audits
- Small teams that want per-seat VPN billing without dedicated servers
Proton VPN
- Trying a VPN for free without a data cap
- People who want open-source VPN apps
- Proton Mail users who want the VPN on the same bill
Worth knowing
IVPN
- There is no free trial or free plan; IVPN offers a 1-week plan and a 30-day refund, available once per customer.
- Servers are in 58 locations across 41 countries, and IVPN states it offers no port forwarding and no streaming guarantees.
- Portmaster Pro, the main Pro Suite extra, runs only on Windows and Linux.
- Teams has no dedicated servers or IPs and is not a way into a company network, per IVPN's teams page.
Proton VPN
- The free plan covers one device and picks the server country for you from 10 countries.
- The headline $3.49 a month is the first 24 months of VPN Plus; it then renews at $83.88 a year, and the 1-year plan's $53.88 also covers only the first year.
- Ad and malware blocking, streaming and P2P are paid features; VPN Plus covers 10 devices.
Key features
IVPN
- Signup without an email address
- An account is a generated ID with no email required, and IVPN accepts card, PayPal, Bitcoin, Lightning, Monero and cash.
- WireGuard, OpenVPN and IPSec
- Quantum-resistant WireGuard is on by default in the apps, with automatic key and IP rotation on a schedule you set.
- Multi-hop routes
- Sends traffic through two servers in separate jurisdictions. Included on every tier since the May 2026 plan changes.
- AntiTracker
- A DNS-based blocker for ads, adware, malicious sites and trackers, built into the apps. modDNS on Plus and Pro Suite extends it.
- Obfuscation for blocked networks
- V2Ray obfuscation on every platform, plus obfs4 for OpenVPN on desktop, for connecting from networks that block VPNs.
- Mailx, modDNS and Portmaster
- Email aliases, filtered encrypted DNS and an app firewall run by IVPN, each signed into separately without sharing your IVPN account ID.
Proton VPN
- Free plan without a data cap
- Proton Free has no data or artificial speed limits, but connects one device to servers in 10 countries that you cannot choose.
- Secure Core
- Routes traffic through Proton's own servers in hardened data centers in Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden before it leaves the network.
- Stealth protocol
- An obfuscation protocol based on WireGuard tunneled over TLS, meant to get past firewalls and VPN blocking.
- NetShield
- DNS filtering on paid plans that blocks ads, trackers and domains known for malware.
- Open-source, audited apps
- All apps are open source, and Proton publishes the results of the independent audits it commissions.
- Port forwarding and kill switch
- Port forwarding for P2P, plus a kill switch and always-on VPN in every app.
Plans
IVPN
Standard, 1 week$2
per week
The VPN on up to 5 devices, with Multi-hop and the AntiTracker blocker. IVPN suggests the weekly plan for trying the service.
Standard, 1 month$6
per month
The same Standard VPN on up to 5 devices, renewing monthly.
Standard, 1 year$60
per year
The same Standard VPN on up to 5 devices, renewing yearly.
Plus, 1 year$80
per year
Adds Mailx email aliases and modDNS filtering, still on 5 devices. Also $3 a week or $8 a month.
Pro Suite, 1 year$100
per year
Adds Portmaster Pro for Windows and Linux and raises the limit to 10 devices. Also $4 a week or $10 a month.
Teams$90
per user / year at 1 to 20 seats ($9 per user billed monthly)
VPN only, 10 devices per seat, with admin tools. The seat price falls with team size, to $50 a year above 80 seats. Set up by email.
Proton VPN
Proton Free$0
One device, servers in 10 randomly selected countries, medium speed, no data limit and no ads.
VPN Plus, 1 month$9.99
per month
10 devices, 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, streaming, P2P and the NetShield blocker, billed monthly.
VPN Plus, 1 year$83.88
per year at renewal, after a first year for $53.88
The same features as monthly. The first year costs $53.88 ($4.49 a month), then it renews at $83.88 a year.
VPN Plus, 2 years$83.88
per year at renewal, after a first term of 24 months
The first 24 months cost $83.76 ($3.49 a month), shown against $9.99 a month, then it renews every 12 months at $83.88.
Proton Unlimited, 1 year$119.88
per year
VPN Plus plus premium Proton Mail, Calendar, Drive (500 GB) and Pass. Also sold monthly at $12.99.
Proton Unlimited, 2 years$119.88
per year at renewal, after a first term of 24 months
The first 24 months cost $191.76 ($7.99 a month), then it renews every 12 months at $119.88.
Ways to pay less
IVPN
- Annual discount
Yearly billing about 17% below monthly
Standard costs $60 a year against $72 for twelve months at $6. Plus ($80 against $96) and Pro Suite ($100 against $120) save the same share.
Proton VPN
- Other savings
VPN Plus 2-year plan: first 24 months for $83.76
The 2-year VPN Plus plan bills $83.76 for the first 24 months ($3.49 a month), then renews at $83.88 every 12 months.
- Other savings
VPN Plus 1-year plan: first year for $53.88
The 1-year VPN Plus plan bills $53.88 for the first year ($4.49 a month) before renewing at $83.88.
- Other savings
Proton Unlimited 2-year plan: first 24 months for $191.76
The 2-year Proton Unlimited plan bills $191.76 for the first 24 months ($7.99 a month), then renews at $119.88 every 12 months.
