Proton VPN

Full Proton VPN Review for UK Users

Proton VPN is developed by Proton AG, the Swiss company behind the widely respected ProtonMail encrypted email service. This pedigree gives Proton VPN immediate credibility in the privacy space, and the service lives up to the reputation with what is arguably the most privacy-focused commercial VPN available in 2026.

Switzerland's strong privacy laws form the foundation of Proton VPN's appeal. The country is not part of the European Union, NATO, or any intelligence-sharing alliance, and Swiss law requires a Swiss court order before any user data can be requested. Proton VPN's strict no-logs policy has been verified through independent audits by Securitum.

The free tier is Proton VPN's most distinctive feature and is genuinely unique in the industry. Unlike other free VPNs that impose data caps, speed limits, or bombard users with advertisements, Proton VPN Free offers unlimited data, no ads, and reasonable speeds. Free users can connect to servers in five countries including the United Kingdom. This makes it the only recommendation-worthy free VPN for UK users.

Secure Core is Proton VPN's answer to advanced threats. This feature routes traffic through hardened servers in privacy-friendly countries (Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden) before exiting through a second server in the destination country. This means that even if an exit server were compromised, the attacker could not trace traffic back to the user.

NetShield is the integrated ad and malware blocker, which operates at the DNS level to block advertisements, trackers, and malicious domains. The VPN Accelerator feature uses advanced networking techniques to boost speeds by up to 400% in certain conditions, particularly useful for connections to distant servers.

All Proton VPN applications are open-source and have undergone independent security audits. The company also publishes a transparency report and operates a warrant canary.

The Stealth protocol is designed specifically to evade VPN blocking, making Proton VPN effective in restrictive network environments. For UK users, this is particularly useful on corporate or university networks that block VPN connections.

Pricing for the paid plan starts at £4.49 per month on the annual subscription. While not the cheapest option, the combination of Swiss privacy, a genuine free tier, and strong security credentials makes Proton VPN excellent value for privacy-conscious UK users. All paid plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.