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How to Get a Proton VPN Free Trial

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Callum Tennent oversees how we test and review VPN services. He's a member of the IAPP, and his VPN advice has featured in Forbes and the Internet Society.

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Our Verdict

You can try Proton VPN for free for 30 days by using its risk-free money-back guarantee. Proton VPN once offered a 7-day free trial of its premium version, but this was removed in 2021 to prevent abuse. Proton VPN still offers a 100% free version that you can use without data limits, but it only has 3 server locations and it doesn’t work for streaming or torrenting.

Proton VPN once offered a 7-day free trial of its premium service on all devices and platforms.

As of 2023, Proton VPN no longer offers a genuine free trial. You can now choose from its 100% free version and two premium subscription plans.

Although Proton VPN has stopped its official seven-day free trial, there is a workaround you can use to get a premium Proton VPN free trial account for 30 days.

You can still use Proton VPN Plus for free by taking advantage of its risk-free refund guarantee. Although you will be billed when you subscribe, you’ll get your money back in full by canceling before the refund window ends.

You can also download Proton VPN’s free service to use a limited version of the VPN without paying anything, indefinitely. You can sign up without entering any payment details, but the VPN is much less effective: it offers servers in just 3 countries, torrenting is banned, and it doesn’t unblock streaming services.

In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how you can trial the premium version of Proton VPN for free using its money-back guarantee. You’ll learn what happened to Proton VPN’s original free trial, how to use the free version, and whether it’s really worthwhile using it at all.

Try Proton VPN for free by taking advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Does Proton VPN Offer a Genuine Free Trial?

Proton VPN no longer offers a genuine free trial of its premium service. Previously, you could trial the premium VPN for seven days by simply signing up to Proton VPN Free.

Like many other VPN services, Proton VPN has now stopped its free trial offer to prevent abuse of its premium servers and features. According to Proton VPN, it faced issues with users signing up to multiple free trial accounts, which impacted server performance and speeds for its premium customers.

Explanation of why Proton VPN got rid of it's free trial.

Proton VPN’s explanation of what happened to its free trial offer.

For users unable to upgrade to Proton VPN’s premium subscription tier, Proton VPN recommends using its free plan, which you can sign up to without entering any payment details.

Proton VPN Free offers strong security and privacy, but it’s much less effective than the paid version of the VPN. There are fewer servers (it only has locations in the US, the Netherlands, and Japan). These often suffer from congestion, and they don’t unblock Netflix or work for P2P downloads.

If you still want to get a Proton VPN free trial, you can try its paid features for free by signing up for a subscription and then claiming the 30-day money-back guarantee. If you cancel before 30 days, you’ll even get refunded the unused days of your subscription.

This means you can trial the VPN’s streaming capabilities, server network, torrenting performance, and unrestricted connection speeds for 30 days, without paying a cent.

How to Get a Proton VPN Free Trial (30 Day Guarantee)

​The only way to use Proton VPN’s premium plan for free, on every device, is to use its 30-day money-back guarantee.

The workaround below lets you test Proton VPN Plus for free on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and more.

EXPERT TIP: To be eligible for Proton VPN’s refund policy, you need to sign up directly via its website or applications. If you sign up through an intermediary like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you’ll be subject to the app store’s refund policies instead.

Follow these simple steps to subscribe and claim a refund:

  1. Subscribe to Proton VPN. We recommend choosing the one-month plan so you pay the least at sign-up. If you forget to cancel, you’ll also minimize your loss. Payments made via cash or bank transfer are not refundable, so avoid using those.Proton VPN's pricing planTo get the most benefit from your trial period, cancel as close as possible to the 30-day expiration date. However, if you do choose to claim your refund earlier, you’ll be refunded the unused portion of your subscription fee, too.
  2. Install the Proton VPN app to your chosen device. Proton VPN has apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and Fire TV. They’re all well-designed, and there are setup guides available online if you need them.
    Proton VPN's device installation choices
  3. Log in to the app using the account details you created when you subscribed.
    Proton VPN's login interface
  4. You can now use Proton VPN and all of its premium features on any device, completely free for 30 days. Remember to set a reminder to cancel your subscription before the refund period is up.

    Proton VPN's server location menu

    To use Proton VPN, use the map or search in the app’s server list to find a server location, then select it to connect to it.

  5. Before the 30-day refund window expires, contact Proton VPN’s support team using the online form and request a cancellation. Payments are made to your original payment method within 30 days.If you miss the 30-day deadline, you can try contacting Proton VPN, but any refunds would be at their discretion.
  6. Once you’ve received your refund, you’ll have used the premium version of Proton VPN completely free for up to 30 days.

EXPERT TIP: The 100% free version of Proton VPN does not require any payment details. However, the premium version will ask for payment details and charge you on signup. You’ll only get your money back if you cancel the subscription before the 30 days have passed.

We’ve tested Proton VPN’s refund guarantee several times, and we received a refund every single time, without issues.

However, if you want a free trial VPN that doesn’t require you to submit any payment details upfront, then we recommend trying CyberGhost’s free trial.

How to Cancel Your Proton VPN Subscription

To cancel your Proton VPN subscription and claim the money-back guarantee, simply contact the Proton VPN support team using the online form within 30 days of your initial purchase.

Refund payments are made to your original payment method within 30 days.

Previously, Proton VPN only refunded users for the unused portion of their subscription. For example, if you claimed a refund after 20 days, you’d get a refund for the remaining 10 days. However, we’re pleased to see that Proton VPN has stopped this unreasonable practice, and you can now get a full refund of the entire subscription price.

Proton VPN has also stated that they may offer a pro-rated refund if the service is not available or usable — so if the service performs poorly, you could contact them for a partial refund.

There are almost no conditions you need to meet to be eligible for Proton VPN’s money back guarantee.

In order to get your subscription refunded, you need to meet the following conditions:

  • You must request a refund within 30 days of the initial purchase.
  • Your initial payment cannot be made via cash or bank transfer.
  • Refunds can only be requested once per user.
  • Refunds are only available to users who subscribed directly through Proton VPN’s website or applications. If you sign up through an app store, you may not be eligible for its money-back guarantee.

Here’s a snapshot of the VPN’s terms and conditions:

Proton VPN's terms and conditions

The terms and conditions for Proton VPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

How to Use Proton VPN’s 100% Free Version

To use the free version of Proton VPN, follow these steps:

  1. Sign up for Proton VPN Free. You’ll need to create an account, but you don’t need to enter any payment details.
  2. Install the app. It’s available on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android TV and Fire TV.
  3. Log in to the app. Use the account details you created when you subscribed.
  4. Connect to a server. Use the map or search to find a country and server to connect to, then select it to connect to it.
  5. Browse the web. You can now browse the web with unlimited data every month. However, you’ll be limited to 3 server locations, and you won’t be able unblock geo-restricted streaming services or torrent files.

Proton VPN Premium vs Proton VPN Free

Here’s a summary of the differences between Proton VPN’s paid service, called Plus, and Proton VPN Free.

Attribute Proton VPN Free Proton VPN Plus
Cheapest Monthly Price Free $4.99
Simultaneous Connections 3 3
Data Cap Unlimited Unlimited
Avg. International Speed 85Mbps 84Mbps
Streaming Support No Yes
Torrenting Support No Yes
Server Countries 3 68
Servers 200 2,970+
Secure Core No Yes
Netshield No Yes

There is also an “Unlimited” subscription tier for Proton VPN, but it has the same VPN features as Plus. It only adds applications for email, storage, and a calendar.

As the table shows, Proton VPN Free has far fewer servers than the Plus tier, and they are only in 3 countries (the Netherlands, USA, and Japan). The servers are typically far more congested too, so we often experience slower speeds when testing them.

Proton VPN Plus unblocks 10 Netflix regions (including the US), BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. In contrast, the free servers are all blocked by streaming services.

Torrenting support is also excellent on Proton VPN Plus — it received a torrenting rating of 9.2 in our testing. Torrenting is allowed on all servers, and there are P2P-optimized servers too, plus support for port forwarding. Torrenting is not supported at all on the free servers at all.

There are also some key security features that you don’t get with the free version:

  • Secure Core Servers: This is a network of first-party owned servers located in countries with strong privacy laws. When you use a Secure Core server, your traffic goes through one of these servers before it connects to your destination VPN server. If that destination server is ever compromised, they can only trace your traffic back to the Secure Core server, not your real IP address.
  • Netshield: This is Proton VPN’s advert and malware blocker. It does stop malware and trackers, but we found the ad blocking ineffective in our VPN ad blocker testing. Ads are replaced with ugly gray boxes, and Netshield only works when you’re using the VPN.

Using Proton VPN Plus, you can connect up to 10 devices at the same time with one subscription. With Proton VPN Free, you can only use one device at a time.

In other respects, the free and premium services are similar. Privacy protections are the same, speeds are typically excellent, and there is no monthly data cap on either version.

You can learn about these differences in more detail in our full review of Proton VPN and Proton VPN Free.

How Much Does Proton VPN Cost?

There are two paid subscription levels for Proton VPN: Plus and Unlimited. The Plus subscription tier is the full VPN service, which costs $4.99 on its longest term, or $11.49 per month.

This includes up to 10 simultaneous connections, 68 server locations, streaming support, and unlimited bandwidth.

The Unlimited plan has all the same VPN features as the Plus plan, but it also includes Proton’s Mail, Calendar, and Drive services. It costs $7.99 per month on a two-year subscription plan, or $12.99 per month. We recommend the Plus plan.

Should you use Proton VPN Free?

There is also a 100% free version of Proton VPN called Proton VPN Free. Proton VPN Free isn’t just an excellent free VPN, it’s actually the best free VPN we’ve tested. It’s highly-secure, ad-free, and does not require any payment details to sign up. It’s one of the only safe free VPN services that does not impose a data cap, too.

If you need a free VPN to protect your privacy while browsing the web or using public WiFi, Proton VPN Free is an excellent choice.

While impressive, the free version of Proton VPN does have drawbacks. It does not work for streaming or torrenting, and it doesn’t offer access to Secure Core servers, either. More pressingly, it only gives you access to 3 server locations.

Neither version of Proton VPN works in China. The Stealth protocol does beat censorship in Russia and Iran, but is only available on Android, iOS and Mac.

If you need a free VPN that supports streaming and torrenting, has a large number of server locations, or offers the best possible security, we recommend trialing the premium version of Proton VPN using the money-back guarantee. You’ll need to pay up front, but you’ll get all the features of Proton VPN Plus and can claim a refund within 30 days.

Try Proton VPN for free on all your devices by taking advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Is Proton VPN Premium Worth Paying For?

If you need a VPN to change Netflix regions, access geo-restricted streaming services, or to protect your IP address while torrenting, it’s worth paying for Proton VPN Plus over the free version — or using the Proton VPN free trial workaround.

However, while its premium version is better than the free alternative, Proton VPN does not offer the best value for money compared to every top VPN service on the market.

Put simply, other top-rated VPNs are cheaper. NordVPN costs just $3.29 per month over two years, and Private Internet Access is just $2.19 per month over 26 months.

How does Proton VPN Compare to Other Free Trial VPNs?

The best VPN free trials are offered by CyberGhost VPN, Surfshark VPN, ExpressVPN and NordVPN. These VPN services all offer genuine free trials in combination with a money-back guarantee.

You can compare Proton VPN’s free trial to these VPNs in the table below:

CyberGhost is the best option if you don’t want to enter any payment details. It offers a one-day free trial on all devices, a 45-day money-back guarantee, and another seven-day free trial on mobile devices only.

Surfshark’s free trial gives you the longest time to try its service. It offers a seven-day free trial on mobile and two chances to claim the 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can get 67 days for free in total. It also has a Smart DNS service that works with games consoles and Apple TV, giving it the edge over Proton VPN.

If you’re mainly interested in streaming, you can get a free trial of ExpressVPN for seven days on iOS and Android, or sign up directly and claim a risk-free refund in 30 days. It unblocks 10 Netflix libraries, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu, amongst other things.

Proton VPN is an excellent VPN, and it’s undoubtedly worth trying for free using its money-back guarantee. However, there are better alternatives that offer genuine free trials along with the same refund policy.

FAQs

Does Proton VPN Offer a Free Trial?

Proton VPN no longer offers a genuine free trial of its premium service. Previously, you could trial the premium VPN for seven days by simply signing up to the free version of the app.

Like many other VPN services, Proton VPN has now stopped its free trial offer to prevent abuse of its premium servers and features.

If you still want to get a free trial of Proton VPN, you can try its paid features for free by signing up for a subscription and then claiming the 30-day money-back guarantee. If you cancel before 30 days, you’ll even get refunded the unused days of your subscription.

Is There a 100% Free Version of Proton VPN?

Proton VPN offers a 100% free version called Proton VPN Free. It doesn’t cost anything to download, it does not impose a data cap, and you don’t need to enter any payment details when you sign up.

However, Proton VPN Free is more limited than the paid version. It doesn’t support streaming or torrenting, there are only 3 server locations to connect to, and you can only use one device at a time.