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| Developer(s) | Proton AG | ||||||||||||
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| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||||||
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| Type | Virtual private network | ||||||||||||
| Website | protonvpn | ||||||||||||
Proton VPN is a VPN service launched in 2017 [7] and operated by the Swiss company Proton AG, the company behind the email service Proton Mail. [8] [9] According to its official website, Proton VPN and Proton Mail share the same management team, offices, and technical resources, and are operated from Proton's headquarters in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland. [10]
As of 27 May 2024, Proton VPN has a total of 5,008 servers, sited in 91 different nations. [11]
Although Proton VPN owns and operates a portion of their servers, the bulk majority are owned and operated by ASNs such as M247 and Datacamp Limited. [12] [13] Its service is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, ChromeOS and also has a command-line tool [14] for Linux and can be implemented using the IPSEC protocol. [15] Proton VPN can also be installed on a Wireless Router.
Proton VPN utilizes OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), IKEv2, and WireGuard protocols with AES-256 encryption. [16] On October 11, 2022, Proton VPN released their Stealth Protocol for Android, iOS and MacOS clients, designed to disguise VPN traffic as HTTPS traffic. [17]
Proton VPN has a no-logs policy [18] that was independently audited by Securitum, a European security auditing company. [19] [20]
In January 2020, Proton VPN released its source code on all platforms [21] and had SEC Consult conduct an independent security audit. [22]
In a January 2023 review by TechRadar , Proton VPN received 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. [13]
A May 2023 PC Magazine review gave Proton VPN a 5 star rating. Proton VPN was awarded their Editor's Choice Award in 2022 and 2023. [23]
In October 2023 technology website Engadget rated Proton VPN as the "best overall" for streaming, gaming, privacy and security. [24]
In January 2024 a comparative review of 10 different VPNs by German technology magazine CHIP rated Proton VPN as their test winner. [25]
OpenVPN is a virtual private network (VPN) system that implements techniques to create secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities. It implements both client and server applications.
This is a comparison of voice over IP (VoIP) software used to conduct telephone-like voice conversations across Internet Protocol (IP) based networks. For residential markets, voice over IP phone service is often cheaper than traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) service and can remove geographic restrictions to telephone numbers, e.g., have a PSTN phone number in a New York area code ring in Tokyo.
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a personal VPN service that allows users to connect to multiple locations. In 2018, former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès was named chief technology officer of PIA's parent company, London Trust Media. In November 2019, Private Internet Access was acquired by Kape Technologies.
Proton Mail is a Swiss end-to-end encrypted email service founded in 2013 headquartered in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland. It uses client-side encryption to protect email content and user data before they are sent to Proton Mail servers, unlike other common email providers such as Gmail and Outlook.com. The service can be accessed through a webmail client, the Tor network, Windows, macOS and Linux (beta) desktop apps and iOS and Android apps.
TunnelBear is a public VPN service based in Toronto, Canada. It was created by Daniel Kaldor and Ryan Dochuk in 2011. In March 2018, TunnelBear was acquired by McAfee.
Mullvad is a commercial VPN service based in Sweden. Launched in March 2009, Mullvad operates using the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. It also supports Shadowsocks as a bridge protocol for censorship circumvention. Mullvad's VPN client software is released under the GPLv3, a free and open-source software license.
ExpressVPN is a VPN service which offers privacy and security software that encrypts users' web traffic and masks their IP addresses. It is offered by a Hong Kong-based company registered in the British Virgin Islands as Express Technologies Ltd.
NordVPN is a Lithuanian VPN service provided by Nordsec Ltd with applications for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, and tvOS. Manual setup is available for wireless routers, NAS devices, and other platforms.
IVPN is a VPN service offered by IVPN Limited based in Gibraltar. Launched in 2009, IVPN operates using the WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols.
Outline VPN is a free and open-source tool that deploys Shadowsocks servers on multiple cloud service providers. The software suite also includes client software for multiple platforms. Outline was developed by Jigsaw, a technology incubator created by Google.[3]
HMA is a VPN service founded in 2005 in the United Kingdom. It has been a subsidiary of the Czech cybersecurity company Avast since 2016.
KeepSolid VPN Unlimited is a personal virtual private network software product available for iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, and Linux.
PureVPN is a commercial VPN service and a part of PureSquare. It is owned by GZ Systems Ltd. Founded in 2007, the company is based in the British Virgin Islands.
Proton AG is a Swiss technology company offering privacy-focused online services. It was founded in 2014 by a group of scientists who met at CERN and created Proton Mail. Proton is headquartered in Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland. It is supported by FONGIT and the European Commission.
Mozilla VPN is an open-source virtual private network developed by Mozilla. It launched in beta as Firefox Private Network on September 10, 2019, and officially launched on July 15, 2020, as Mozilla VPN.
Surfshark is a brand of VPN services offered by a Lithuanian capital, now Netherlands-based company of the same name.
Windscribe is a commercial, cross-platform virtual private network (VPN) service provider that is based in Canada, but operates internationally.
A virtual private network (VPN) service provides a proxy server to help users bypass Internet censorship such as geo-blocking and users who want to protect their communications against data profiling or MitM attacks on hostile networks.
PrivadoVPN is a VPN service provider with applications for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, AndroidTV and Amazon Fire TV along with custom configuration support for routers and Linux. PrivadoVPN is based in Switzerland and operates under Swiss privacy laws.
Atlas VPN was a freemium VPN service provider, launched in 2019 with applications for Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.
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