Only the higher-level subscription tiers include the anonymous routing. The Secure Core and Tor network advantages are not included in the free nor basic plans. Tor is another layer of VPN protection that routes your encrypted traffic through the Tor anonymity network. Secure Core will connect you to core servers that are stationed in privacy-friendly countries like Switzerland before connecting you to standard servers. While ProtonVPN is an excellent free VPN, a few features are not available in the free tier that the paid versions include like Secure Core and Tor over VPN. You can enable or disable DNS leak protection and IPv6 leak protection in the ‘Advanced’ area. A list will appear beneath the split tunneling choice to let you choose the software to either exclude or include. The connections included in the VPN tunnel will also be protected. You can exclude certain programs to make your VPN speed quicker. The split tunneling command is available in the ‘Advanced’ tab to let you control the applications and IPs that get tunneled through the VPN. A window will appear to let you manage the kill switch settings. The kill switch is available to turn off and on in the hamburger menu. The free version includes a kill switch to make sure your true IP address does not leak in case your VPN connection is interrupted. Your internet connection is encrypted with AES 256-bit encryption, and ProtonVPN delivers multiple tunneling protocols like IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN TCP, and OpenVPN UDP. The only activity that gets logged is your sign-in time, and the timestamp is replaced each time you log in.Īdditionally, your browsing history is not logged. VPN utilities often log your personal data to share with third parties, however, ProtonVPN has a strict no-logging privacy policy. While free VPN apps are often seen as unsafe, and rightfully so, the free ProtonVPN app is an exception. Switzerland is a country that has strict privacy laws and is not part of the Five Eyes Alliance nor Fourteen Eyes Alliance.

As the developers are headquartered in Switzerland, your privacy is respected.

Proton Technologies AG developed ProtonVPN and an encrypted email service called ProtonMail.

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