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Proton VPN Review (2026): Tested Speed, Streaming & Privacy

Independent, hands-on test of Proton VPN — speed on Dutch, German, UK and US servers, leak tests, kill switch, streaming, gaming, privacy and price. Tested 16–17 October 2026 from the Netherlands on Windows 11 over WireGuard. Overall score: 8.6 / 10.

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Our Verdict

Proton VPN did very well in our hands-on test. On a Dutch server it reached about 951 Mbps download with no added latency. It showed no IP, DNS, IPv6 or WebRTC leaks, and its kill switch held up when we cut the connection. Netflix worked in the Netherlands, the US and the UK, and so did Max. Disney+ was blocked (error code 83), and Prime Video only partly worked. Proton is based in Switzerland, has an independently audited no-logs policy and open-source apps. The main downsides are that the kill switch is not on by default and that the monthly plan is expensive compared with the longer plans.

Quick Facts

• Overall score: 8.6 / 10
• Tested: 16–17 Oct 2026, from the Netherlands
• Avg. download (NL server): 951 Mbps
• Server locations: 140+ countries, 20,000+ servers (Proton’s own figures)
• Devices per account: 10
• Price: From €3.49/month (billed €83.76 for the first 24 months)
• Money-back guarantee: 30 days
• Free plan: Yes (limited)
• Jurisdiction: Switzerland
• No-logs audit: Yes, Securitum (May 2026)
• Apps tested: Windows 11 (desktop and laptop)

Score Breakdown

Speed	25%	8.4
Privacy	20%	8.5
Security	20%	9.0
Streaming	15%	7.5
Gaming	10%	10.0
Ease of use	5%	9.6
Price	5%	8.7
Overall (weighted)	100%	8.6

Scores follow fixed rules that are the same for every VPN. See How We Test.

Pros & Cons

What we like:

• Fast: about 951 Mbps download on a Dutch server, and 683–842 Mbps on German, UK and US servers
• No added latency on the Dutch server (+0.1 ms), so it’s good for gaming
• No IP, DNS, IPv6 or WebRTC leaks in all 4 countries tested
• Kill switch passed our disconnect test
• Netflix NL, US and UK all worked, and so did Max
• Connects in about 2 seconds, with no connection drops during our tests
• Swiss jurisdiction, an independently audited no-logs policy (May 2026) and open-source apps
• 10 devices per account and a 30-day money-back guarantee

What could be better:

• Disney+ was blocked on several Dutch servers (error code 83)
• Prime Video only partly worked: it played in HD, but with a reduced catalogue
• The kill switch is off by default, so you have to turn it on yourself
• Servers are not RAM-only (Proton uses full-disk encryption instead)
• The monthly plan (€9.99) costs much more than the 1- and 2-year plans
• In our test the download speed topped out just under 1 Gbps, so a faster line won’t get more through the VPN

Speed Test

We measured speed with our own LibreSpeed-based test tool against a fixed test server (Clouvider, Amsterdam). Each location was run 3 times and we show the median. The test PC was a Windows 11 desktop on wired Ethernet with a 2 Gbps Odido fibre line, using WireGuard (UDP).

Location	Download (Mbps)	Upload (Mbps)	Latency (ms)	Added latency
No VPN (baseline)	2,154	1,760	21.1	–
Netherlands	951	751	21.2	+0.1 ms
Germany	842	1,056	21.6	+0.5 ms
United Kingdom	683	1,093	15.1	none measured (varied between runs)
United States	737	601	78.9	+57.8 ms

Speed loss is measured against a 1 Gbps reference. Across the 4 locations, Proton VPN lost on average 19.7% download and 12.5% upload against that reference. Results depend on time, server load and your own connection, so treat them as indicative.

Security (Leak Tests & Kill Switch)

Test	Result
IP address hidden (NL, DE, UK, US)	Yes, in all 4 countries, IP matched the chosen country
DNS leak	No leak (only Proton DNS servers)
IPv6 leak	No leak
WebRTC leak (browserleaks.com)	No leak
Kill switch test	Passed (Windows 11 laptop on Wi-Fi, no traffic leaked)
Kill switch on by default	No, you have to turn it on yourself
Protocol tested	WireGuard (UDP); app default is "Smart" (automatic)

Streaming Test

We tested with our own Dutch subscriptions. Quality was HD on every working service. We could not test 4K because the test screen is not 4K. We had no buffering on any service that worked.

Service	Server	Result	Notes
Netflix NL	Netherlands	Works	Full Dutch catalogue, HD
Netflix US	United States	Works	US-only title "Sacrifice" played, HD
Netflix UK	United Kingdom	Works	UK-only title "Judge John Deed" played, HD
Max	Netherlands	Works	Same titles as without the VPN, HD
Amazon Prime Video	Netherlands	Partial	Plays in HD, but the catalogue was reduced with the VPN on (tried 2 Dutch servers)
Disney+	Netherlands	Blocked	Error code 83 on several Dutch servers; works with the VPN off
BBC iPlayer	United Kingdom	Not tested yet	Requires a UK TV licence; will be added after a licensed test

Streaming score: services that work count 1, partial 0.5 and blocked 0. Services we haven’t tested don’t count. 4.5 of 6 tested gives 7.5/10.

Gaming Test

We don't play games in this test, but we do measure what matters for online gaming. On the Dutch server Proton VPN added only 0.1 ms latency, jitter was 4.3 ms and packet loss was 0%. That gives a gaming score of 10/10. On the US server latency rose to 78.9 ms (+57.8 ms), which is normal for the distance.

Privacy

Proton VPN is run by Proton AG in Switzerland, outside the EU and US. It has a strict no-logs policy, which the independent firm Securitum audited again in May 2026 (Proton has these audits done every year). Proton’s apps are open source. Its servers are not RAM-only, but they use full-disk encryption instead. Proton says it has 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries.

Item	Value
Jurisdiction	Switzerland
No-logs policy	Yes, strict
Independent audit	Yes, Securitum, May 2026
Open-source apps	Yes
RAM-only servers	No (full-disk encrypted servers)

Price & Plans

Proton VPN Plus (EUR, checked on protonvpn.com/pricing on 17 Oct 2026). Prices are always shown per month together with the total amount billed.

Plan	Per month	Billed
1 month	€9.99/month	€9.99 every month
1 year	€4.49/month	€53.88 for the first year, then €83.88 per year
2 years	€3.49/month	€83.76 for the first 24 months, then €83.88 per year

30-day money-back guarantee (conditions apply; we didn’t test a refund). A limited free plan is also available. Up to 10 devices per account. Prices can change, so check Proton’s website for the current price.

Check Proton VPN prices: protonvpn.com/pricing (sponsored link, opens in a new tab)

Who Should Use It / Who Should Consider an Alternative

Good fit for: people who care about privacy and want an audited, Swiss no-logs VPN; Netflix users who want the NL, US or UK catalogue; gamers on nearby servers; anyone with a line up to about 1 Gbps.

Consider an alternative if: you mainly need Disney+ or the full Prime Video catalogue through a VPN; you want the kill switch on without changing settings; you only want to pay monthly; you need more than about 1 Gbps through the VPN.

How We Tested

We tested Proton VPN on 16–17 October 2026 from the Netherlands. Setup: a Windows 11 desktop on wired Ethernet with a 2 Gbps Odido fibre line, the Proton VPN Windows app with default settings (kill switch turned on manually), and WireGuard (UDP). We tested speed and leaks on servers in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK and the US, with 3 runs per location and the median result, against a Clouvider server in Amsterdam. We checked leaks with our own tool, browserleaks.com and dnsleaktest.com. We tested the kill switch on a Windows 11 laptop over Wi-Fi. We tested streaming with our own subscriptions. We paid for the subscription ourselves. Read the full methodology

Compare Proton VPN With Other VPNs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Want to try Proton VPN? Check the current prices on Proton’s website. You have 30 days to get your money back if it doesn’t suit you. Check Proton VPN prices