PrivadoVPN vs Proton VPN
We give PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN the same GPA: 2.8 out of 4.0. PrivadoVPN grades higher on value for money. Proton VPN grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
PrivadoVPN
VPN with a 10GB free plan and ad blocking on paid plans
Proton VPN
Open-source Swiss VPN with a free plan that has no data cap
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAPrivadoVPNGood | 2.8GPAProton VPNGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe 24-month plan is $1.11 a month for the first 27 months, about $30 in all, so two years cost about $1.25 a month, well under the $2 an A needs. The renewal price isn't stated, so check it before month 27. Monthly is $10.99. | 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 | C10GB every 30 days on one device, with a subset of servers. Fine for café Wi-Fi and the odd trip, but streaming will burn through it. | 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 | BUnlimited data, 10 connections at once on any number of installs, an ad and tracker blocker, threat protection, parental controls, a SOCKS5 proxy, a kill switch, split tunneling and smart DNS. It covers the whole job; antivirus is $1.99 a month extra. | 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 | C3.99 from about 740 App Store ratings, below most VPNs here and well short of the 4.5 a B needs. | 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, iPhone, Android, Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and browser extensions. 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 | the cheapest first two years of VPN | 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: PrivadoVPN and Proton VPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
PrivadoVPN starts at $1.11 a month 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 $5.88 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, none scores higher than PrivadoVPN 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
- PrivadoVPN starts at $1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not stated. Proton VPN starts at $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88.
- Proton VPN is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| PrivadoVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $1.11 per month for a first 27 months (24-month plan); renewal price not stated | $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88 |
| Free plan | 10GB of data every 30 days on one device, with access to a subset of servers. | 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 | Privado Networks ehf | Proton AG |
| Price read from | privadovpn.com | protonvpn.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
PrivadoVPN
- Light users who need a few gigabytes of VPN a month for free
- Buyers who want an ad blocker and parental controls with the VPN
- Households with many devices on one account
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
PrivadoVPN
- The pricing page gives the 24- and 12-month plans only as a monthly rate and does not say what they renew at; the terms say renewals use the then-current price.
- Antivirus costs $1.99 a month extra on the 12- and 24-month plans.
- The pricing page calls PrivadoVPN Switzerland-based, but its terms name Privado Networks ehf of Iceland as the provider since May 1, 2026.
- The terms allow personal, non-commercial use only, and there is no free trial of paid features.
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
PrivadoVPN
- Ad blocker and threat protection
- Paid plans block ads and trackers and warn about phishing and malware sites.
- Parental controls
- Listed on every paid plan, and the homepage pairs them with social filters.
- 10 connections, unlimited installs
- Paid accounts can be installed on any number of devices and connect 10 at once; free accounts connect one.
- SOCKS5 proxy and kill switch
- A SOCKS5 proxy is included alongside the VPN, and a kill switch cuts traffic if the VPN connection drops.
- Smart DNS and split tunneling
- Control Tower smart DNS and split tunneling, which lets chosen traffic bypass the VPN, are part of the feature set along with VPN SmartRoute.
- Apps for TVs and browsers
- Apps for Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Wear OS, plus proxy extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Brave.
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
PrivadoVPN
Free$0
10GB every 30 days on one device.
24 Month Plan$1.11
per month for a first term of 27 months; renewal price not stated
24 months plus 3 free. Unlimited data, 10 connections, ad blocker, threat protection and parental controls. Shown as 90% off the monthly plan.
12 Month Plan$1.33
per month for a first term of 15 months; renewal price not stated
12 months plus 3 free, with the same features. Shown as 88% off the monthly plan.
1 Month Plan$10.99
per month
The same features billed monthly, with no saving.
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
PrivadoVPN
- Other savings
24-month plan plus 3 free months at $1.11 a month
The first 27 months are priced at $1.11 a month, shown as 90% off the $10.99 monthly plan. The page does not state the renewal price.
- Other savings
12-month plan plus 3 free months at $1.33 a month
The first 15 months are priced at $1.33 a month, shown as 88% off the monthly plan. The page does not state the renewal price.
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.
