OVPN vs Proton VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Proton VPN: it is first in our ranking of VPNs, and it grades higher too, 2.8 against 1.8.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Proton VPN grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money 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
Which one is for you
Pick OVPN if
- Fits if you want a stated no-log policy and port forwarding or multihop
- Works for people ready to commit to a 12 or 36 month term
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before paying, as only a 10-day refund is offered
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $12 against $4.22 on the 36-month term
- Watch out: devices go from 4 to 5 to 7 as the term gets longer
- Watch out: the page does not say whether long terms are charged up front or what they renew at
- Skip it if you need servers in many countries, as there are only 32 cities
Pick Proton VPN if
- Fits if you want a free VPN on one device with no data cap
- Works for Proton Mail users who want the VPN on the same bill, at $119.88 a year for Unlimited
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: one device, medium speed, and Proton picks the country from 10
- Skip it if you want ad blocking, streaming or P2P for free, as all three are paid features
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $9.99 a month
- Watch out: the $3.49 a month is the first 24 months only; VPN Plus then renews at $83.88 a year
- Tight if you have more than 10 devices, the VPN Plus limit
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAOVPNWeak | 2.8GPAProton VPNGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$4.22 a month on the 36-month term and $4.99 on 12 months sit between the category's cheapest quarter ($3.99) and its middle ($5). Monthly is $12, and the page does not say what longer terms renew at. | 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 | FNo free plan or trial; a 10-day money-back guarantee is not a trial. | BFree for good with no card, no ads and no data limit, so one person could live on it. The limits are one device, medium speed, and servers in 10 countries picked for you. |
| Features | CNo-log policy, RAM-only servers, multihop, port forwarding, kill switch, OpenVPN and WireGuard. The listing's own gap is 32 server cities, fewer than the largest providers. | 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 | CNo store rating on record, and the listing gives no setup details. | 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 | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, so phone and computer. | 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 no-log VPN with RAM-only servers | 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: OVPN and Proton VPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
OVPN starts at $4.22 a month and scores 2.3 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 $2.77 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 15 score higher than OVPN for less, and 2 score 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
- Proton VPN is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| OVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4.22 per month on the 36-month term | $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 | OVPN | Proton AG |
| Price read from | ovpn.com | protonvpn.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
OVPN
- There is no free plan or free trial; the page lists a 10-day money-back guarantee instead.
- The device limit rises with term length: 4 on the monthly plan, 5 on 12 months and 7 on 36 months.
- The pricing page does not say whether the longer terms are charged up front or what they renew at.
- Servers are in 32 cities, a smaller footprint than the largest VPN providers.
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
OVPN
- Diskless servers
- OVPN says its servers have no hard drives and load their operating system into RAM, so nothing is written to disk.
- No-log policy
- The vendor states that it logs no activity while you are connected, and its security page describes how syslogs are disabled.
- Multihop
- Route traffic through two servers. The pricing page lists it as included on every plan at no extra cost.
- Port forwarding
- Open ports through the VPN for incoming connections, such as torrent clients. Included on every plan.
- Desktop kill switch
- The desktop client blocks traffic if the VPN drops, and it rewrites DNS settings on all network adapters to prevent leaks.
- OpenVPN and WireGuard
- Both protocols are offered, and the site publishes configuration files and setup guides for routers and other devices.
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
OVPN
1 month$12
per month, billing basis not shown
Protects 4 devices at a time. Includes port forwarding, multihop and the ad and tracker blocker.
12 months$4.99
per month, billing basis not shown
Shown as 71% off the monthly price. Protects 5 devices at a time, with the same features.
36 months$4.22
per month, billing basis not shown
Shown as 75% off the monthly price. Protects 7 devices at a time, with the same features.
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
OVPN
No public discounts listed.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OVPN or Proton VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, OVPN is cheaper to start with: $4.22 a month, against $6.99 a month when paid by the year for Proton VPN. OVPN starts at $4.22 per month on the 36-month term, and Proton VPN starts at $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88.
Which has a free plan, OVPN or Proton VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Proton VPN has a free plan. OVPN does not.
Which platforms do OVPN and Proton VPN run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Proton VPN lists a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.