Proton VPN vs Psiphon (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Proton VPN: it is first in our ranking of VPNs, and they share a 2.8 GPA.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Proton VPN grades higher on features. Psiphon grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, 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
Psiphon
Free, open-source circumvention VPN with an ad-free paid tier
Which one is for you
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
Pick Psiphon if
- Fits if you're on a network that blocks VPNs and need a free one with no sign-up
- Works for phone users who want ads gone for a low monthly price
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you're on a Mac, as the native app is still in development
- Too light for everything-on-the-device cover on iOS, where the browser only tunnels what it loads
- Tight if you stay free, because of the ads and the reduced features
- Watch out: the Plus price has no billing term and the page doesn't list what Plus adds
- Watch out: the Windows app is labelled a legacy client with some newer features missing
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAProton VPNGood | 2.8GPAPsiphonGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BPlus is shown as 'from $2.88 a month', which is inside the cheaper quarter ($3.99), but no billing term is given and there's no plan table. |
| Free plan and 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. | BPsiphon Basic is free with no account. It shows ads and has reduced features, and the vendor says it is free without limits where paying is hard. |
| Features | 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. | CIt tries several protocols on its own, has 50,000 servers in 33 countries and a Conduit sharing option. The gaps: no native Mac app, a legacy Windows client, and the iOS browser only tunnels its own traffic. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo store rating on record, but you install it and connect without an account or any protocol to pick. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | BAndroid, iOS and Windows. Phones and a computer, but no Mac or Linux and no API. |
| Best for | a free VPN with no data cap | a free VPN that keeps working on blocked networks |
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: Proton VPN and Psiphon. How we grade
Price against what you get
Proton VPN starts at $6.99 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Psiphon starts at $2.88 a month and scores 2.7.
Proton VPN scores higher, and starts $4.11 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 2 score higher than Proton VPN for less, and 1 scores higher than Psiphon 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 also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Proton VPN | Psiphon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88 | $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated |
| Free plan | Proton Free: 1 device, servers in 10 countries chosen at random, medium speed and no data limit. No credit card needed. | Psiphon Basic is free with no account: ad-supported, with reduced features. The vendor says it is free and without limits where payment restrictions make subscribing difficult. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Proton AG | Psiphon Inc. |
| Price read from | protonvpn.com | psiphon.ca |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Psiphon
- The free version shows ads and has reduced features; the page does not list which features Plus adds.
- The Plus price is shown only as "from $2.88 USD per month", with no billing term or plan table.
- There is no native Mac app yet (listed as in development), and the Windows app is labeled a legacy client with some newer features missing.
- On iOS, Psiphon Browser tunnels only traffic loaded inside the browser, not other apps.
Key features
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.
Psiphon
- Automatic connection methods
- The app tries several protocols and obfuscation techniques in turn, with no protocol to pick, so it can keep working where VPN traffic is blocked.
- No account needed
- You install the app and connect without giving an email address.
- Large server network
- The vendor says its network spans more than 50,000 servers in 33 countries.
- Conduit
- Volunteers can share spare connection capacity from their own devices to help others connect; the vendor lists a Conduit station as an unlimited access route, on Android only for now.
- Open source and audits
- Clients and core tunnelling code are open source, and the vendor publishes independent security reviews, naming Cure53.
Plans
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.
Psiphon
Psiphon Basic$0
Free, ad-supported and with reduced features; no account needed.
Psiphon Plus$2.88
per month and up; billing term not stated on the page
The full network with no ads and every feature, no account needed. The page says only "from $2.88 USD per month".
Ways to pay less
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.
Psiphon
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Proton VPN or Psiphon?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Psiphon is cheaper to start with: $2.88 a month, against $6.99 a month when paid by the year for Proton VPN. Proton VPN starts at $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88, and Psiphon starts at $2.88 per month and up for Psiphon Plus; the billing term is not stated.
Which has a free plan, Proton VPN or Psiphon?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Proton VPN and Psiphon have a free plan.
Which platforms do Proton VPN and Psiphon run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Proton VPN lists macOS and Linux apps and a browser extension. Both list Windows, 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.