Proton VPN vs Zoog 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 2.4.
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. Zoog VPN grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on 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
Zoog VPN
VPN with a 10GB free plan and cheap multi-year terms
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 Zoog VPN if
- Fits if you stay under 10GB a month on one device
- Works for households that want one Premium account on up to 10 devices
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stream, because free is 10GB, 1 device and limited speed
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $9.99 against $2.49 on the 2-year term
- Watch out: the pricing page shows first-term prices only, and renewals fall under other conditions
- Watch out: the 2-year plan bills $59.99 at once for 27 months
- Watch out: the 7-day refund covers new subscriptions only
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAProton VPNGood | 2.4GPAZoog VPNFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$2.49 a month on the 27-month plan ($59.99 up front) and $3.39 on 12 months, inside the category's cheapest quarter ($3.99). Monthly is $9.99, and renewal prices are not stated. |
| 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. | CFree is 10GB a month on 1 device, 5 locations and limited speed, which a regular user will outgrow. |
| 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. | CAd blocker, kill switch, P2P servers, streaming access and a free tier. The free plan is only basic 128-bit encryption. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record, and the listing shows nothing to set up beyond installing an app. |
| 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. | BWindows, Mac, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Android TV and browser extensions. |
| Best for | a free VPN with no data cap | a cheap long-term VPN or a light free one |
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 Zoog VPN. 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. Zoog VPN starts at $2.49 a month and scores 2.3.
Proton VPN scores higher, and starts $4.50 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 2 score higher than Zoog 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
| Proton VPN | Zoog VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $83.88 per year at renewal (VPN Plus), after a first year for $53.88 | $2.49 per month, billed $59.99 for the first 27 months |
| Free plan | Proton Free: 1 device, servers in 10 countries chosen at random, medium speed and no data limit. No credit card needed. | 10GB of traffic a month, 5 locations, 1 device, basic 128-bit encryption and limited speed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Proton AG | Zoog Services IKE |
| Price read from | protonvpn.com | zoogvpn.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Zoog VPN
- The pricing page shows only first-term prices; the 7-day refund covers new subscriptions, while renewals fall under other conditions.
- The free plan is limited to 1 device, 10GB a month and 5 locations.
- The 2-year plan bills 27 months at once, so the up-front cost is $59.99.
- Apps are listed for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Fire TV and Android TV, plus Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions.
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.
Zoog VPN
- Free plan
- 10GB of traffic a month on one device with 5 locations. Premium lifts the cap, adds locations and raises encryption to 256-bit.
- Ad Blocker
- A built-in blocker for ads, trackers and harmful sites, described on its own feature page.
- Kill switch
- The desktop apps cut traffic if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
- Shadow protocol
- Aimed at countries that block VPNs; the vendor names Russia, China, the UAE and Iran, and supplies a manual IP to connect.
- P2P servers
- Servers marked P2P allow torrenting, and the vendor says it keeps no logs.
- Streaming access
- Premium lists access to 20 Netflix regions, Hulu, Disney+ and BBC iPlayer.
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.
Zoog VPN
Free$0
10GB a month on 1 device, 5 locations, limited speed, and partial access to streaming services.
Premium 2 years$59.99
for 27 months, first term; renewal price not stated
$2.49 a month over 24 months plus 3 free months, shown as 75% off $9.99 a month.
Premium 1 year$39.99
for 12 months, first term; renewal price not stated
$3.39 a month, shown as 66% off $9.99 a month. Unlimited traffic, up to 10 devices.
Premium 1 month$9.99
per month
Billed $9.99 for 1 month. Same Premium features as the longer terms.
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.
Zoog VPN
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Proton VPN or Zoog VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Zoog VPN is cheaper to start with: $2.49 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 Zoog VPN starts at $2.49 per month, billed $59.99 for the first 27 months.
Which has a free plan, Proton VPN or Zoog VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Proton VPN and Zoog VPN have a free plan.
Which platforms do Proton VPN and Zoog VPN run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Proton VPN lists a Linux app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. 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.