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Proton VPN

#4 in UK

Best VPN for Privacy Enthusiasts

Proton VPN is built from the ground up for privacy, based in Switzerland with the most UK servers (553) of any provider. Open-source, independently audited, and bundled with the Proton privacy ecosystem including encrypted email and storage.

9.3
/10
Excellent
Monthly Price
£9.99
or £2.83/mo annually
Devices
10
simultaneous
UK Servers
553
of 9,000+ total
Top Speed
1,521 Mbps
tested February 2026

Proton VPN Full Review for UK Users

Proton VPN is the privacy-focused VPN from the team behind Proton Mail, the world's most popular encrypted email service. Based in Switzerland, which has some of the strongest privacy laws in the world and sits outside both EU and Five Eyes jurisdictions, Proton VPN has been built from the ground up as a privacy-first product.

As of 2026, Proton VPN boasts the most servers in the UK of any top provider, with 553 servers across five locations. These servers deliver outstanding performance, with speeds of 1,521 Mbps recorded on a 10 Gbps UK line during independent testing. The Securitum audit conducted in 2025 verified that Proton VPN maintains a genuine no-logs policy.

What sets Proton VPN apart is its commitment to transparency and open source. All of its applications across every platform are fully open-source, meaning anyone can inspect the code for vulnerabilities or privacy concerns. This level of transparency is rare in the VPN industry and provides an additional layer of trust.

Proton VPN is one of the few premium VPN services to offer a genuinely useful free tier. The free plan provides unlimited data (a rarity among free VPNs) and access to servers in five countries, making it a solid choice for users who want basic privacy protection without paying anything.

Paid subscribers gain access to the full network of 9,000+ servers across 112 countries, plus advanced features like Secure Core (which routes traffic through privacy-friendly countries before reaching the destination), NetShield (an ad and tracker blocker), and Tor over VPN support.

As a bonus, Proton VPN subscribers on the Proton Unlimited plan also receive access to Proton Mail, Proton Drive (up to 5GB encrypted storage), Proton Calendar, and Proton Pass password manager, creating a comprehensive privacy ecosystem that no other VPN provider can match.

Pros

  • Swiss-based with strongest privacy jurisdiction
  • Most UK servers of any provider (553 across 5 locations)
  • Open-source and independently audited applications
  • Free tier available with no data limits
  • Bundled with Proton Mail, Drive, and Calendar

Cons

  • Free tier limited to servers in 5 countries
  • Interface not as polished as ExpressVPN
  • Slightly higher price than budget competitors

Key Features

📎Secure Core (multi-hop through privacy-friendly countries)
📎NetShield ad & tracker blocker
📎Tor over VPN support
📎Open-source applications
📎Free tier with unlimited data
📎Proton ecosystem (Mail, Drive, Calendar, Pass)
📎Stealth protocol for censorship circumvention

Technical Specifications

HeadquarteredSwitzerland
Founded2017
EncryptionAES-256 / ChaCha20
ProtocolsWireGuard, OpenVPN, Stealth
Countries112
Total Servers9,000+
Money-Back Guarantee30 days
Best ForPrivacy & Open Source Advocates

Security & Privacy

No-Logs Policy
Kill Switch
Split Tunnelling
Streaming Support
Torrenting Allowed

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