NordVPN vs Proton VPN: Which Should You Choose in 2026?
NordVPN and Proton VPN are two large commercial VPNs with apps for most phones, computers and TVs. NordVPN is part of Nord Security, and Proton VPN is made by Proton, the company behind the Proton Mail email service. This page sets them side by side on price, privacy, apps and features, using the figures each provider publishes and the incident records about each. Speed and streaming results come from other sites’ tests and are listed with their source, so this page names no winner for those.
How do NordVPN and Proton VPN compare?
| Compared on | NordVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Lowest intro price | $3.49/moBasic, 27 months · $94.23 for the first termnordvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-12Black Friday · verified on the provider's pricing page by our editors on · ends | $2.99/moVPN Plus, 1 year · $35.88 for the first termprotonvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Then renews at | $139.08 a yearnordvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-12 | $83.88 a yearprotonvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Network | ||
| Servers | 7,000+nordvpn.com/trust · checked 2026-11-08 | 22,116protonvpn.com/vpn-servers · checked 2026-11-13More servers |
| Countries | 150 (incl. virtual locations)api.nordvpn.com/v1/servers/countries · checked 2026-11-08 | 149protonvpn.com/vpn-servers · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Plan | ||
| Devices per plan | 10nordvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-08 | 10 (VPN Plus)protonvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 daysnordvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-08 | 30 daysprotonvpn.com/pricing · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Free plan | —not published | Yes (1 device, servers in 10 countries)protonvpn.com · checked 2026-11-08 |
| Privacy | ||
| Jurisdiction | Panamanordvpn.com/features/no-log-vpn · checked 2026-11-08 | Switzerlandprotonvpn.com · checked 2026-11-08 |
| Owner | Nord Security (parent company, headquartered in Lithuania)nordvpn.com/about-us · checked 2026-11-08 | Proton AG (Switzerland). Proton says its primary shareholder is the Proton Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit; employees own most of the other shares, with the rest held by the nonprofit FONGIT and by Proton usersprotonvpn.com/support/who-owns-protonvpn · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Logging policy | Says it does not log or keep users' browsing activity and stores only what is needed to provide the service; its privacy policy says: "In accordance with our strict no-logs policy, we do not record our users' internet activity or their IP addresses when using our NordVPN services." (privacy policy read in a browser by an editor on 2026-11-13)my.nordaccount.com/legal/privacy-policy · nordvpn.com/features/no-log-vpn · checked 2026-11-13 | Says it keeps no session usage logs and logs no websites visited, traffic or its content, IP address, session lengths or location information; data needed for maintenance and troubleshooting is stored on full-disk-encrypted bare-metal servers; account information is kept as described in its privacy policyprotonvpn.com/support/no-logs-vpn · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Latest audit | 2025Deloitte · no-logs policynordvpn.com/features/no-log-vpn · checked 2026-11-08 | 2026Securitum · no-logs policy: the VPN server infrastructure; Proton quotes the report as finding no technical evidence that the examined servers log browsing activity, DNS queries, destination services, traffic contents or user-identifiable connection metadataprotonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Features | ||
| Protocols | NordLynx (WireGuard-based, default), NordWhisper, OpenVPN UDP/TCP, IKEv2/IPSec (manual setup only)nordvpn.com/servers · checked 2026-11-08 | Smart Protocol, Stealth and WireGuard (UDP and TCP) on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS; OpenVPN only in the Linux app with a window; IKEv2 only on macOSprotonvpn.com/support/how-to-change-vpn-pr… · checked 2026-11-12 |
| Kill switch | Windows (app-level or system-level), macOS (can name the apps to shut down), Linux, iOS, and Android (through Android's own Always-on VPN setting)nordvpn.com/features/vpn-kill-switch · checked 2026-11-12 | Windows, macOS, Linux (app with a window and command line), iOS/iPadOS and Android (through Android's own setting); the advanced kill switch, which blocks traffic whenever the VPN is off, is on Windows, the Linux app with a window and iOS/iPadOS (beta)protonvpn.com/support/what-is-kill-switch · checked 2026-11-12 |
| Split tunneling | Android, Android TV and Windows apps; website exclusions in the browser extensions; not on macOS or Linux (the macOS and Linux download pages, read 2026-11-13, do not mention it)nordvpn.com/features/split-tunneling · nordvpn.com/download/mac · nordvpn.com/download/linux · checked 2026-11-08 | Paid plans only: Windows, macOS (experimental, apps only), the Linux app with a window, Android, Android TV and the browser extensionsprotonvpn.com/support/protonvpn-split-tunn… · checked 2026-11-12 |
| RAM-only servers | Yes (all server data is stored in RAM)nordvpn.com/trust · checked 2026-11-08 | No. Proton says it does not use RAM-only servers (its blog post is titled "Why Proton VPN doesn’t use RAM-only VPN servers"); it says it secures all its server disks with full-disk encryption (LUKS, AES-256), with the encryption keys stored off-site, and that seizing a powered-off server yields no more information than seizing a RAM-only oneprotonvpn.com/blog/ram-only-servers · checked 2026-11-13 |
| Apps | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Android TV, tvOSnordvpn.com/download · checked 2026-11-08 | Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook, Android, iPhone and iPad, Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV; extensions for Chrome and Firefoxprotonvpn.com/download · checked 2026-11-12 |
| Visit NordVPN (opens in a new tab) | Visit Proton VPN (opens in a new tab) | |
A badge appears only where two figures can be compared like for like. Where a figure carries a condition, such as a country count that includes virtual locations or a device limit tied to one plan, or where the two sides are not counted the same way, the row is shown side by side without a badge. The privacy and feature rows are never marked, and neither is the free-plan row; the sections below explain how they differ.
Which is cheaper, NordVPN or Proton VPN?
We do not name a cheaper one here. The cheapest plans in the two tables below are not for the same length of time, so their prices cannot be set against each other. Each table shows only the offers an editor has checked on a US connection, and a table that says a price is being re-verified has nothing current to compare.
What does NordVPN cost?
| Plan | First term | Per month | First term total | Then renews at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 27 months | $3.491 | $94.23 | $139.08 a year |
| Complete | 27 months | $3.991 | $107.73 | $219.48 a year |
| Prime | 27 months | $6.991 | $188.73 | $296.28 a year |
| Basic | 15 months | $4.991 | $74.85 | $139.08 a year |
| Complete | 15 months | $5.991 | $89.85 | $219.48 a year |
| Prime | 15 months | $8.991 | $134.85 | $296.28 a year |
| Basic | 1 month | $14.99 | $14.99 | — |
| Complete | 1 month | $19.99 | $19.99 | — |
| Prime | 1 month | $29.99 | $29.99 | — |
US prices; prices and currencies vary by country.
What does Proton VPN cost?
| Plan | First term | Per month | First term total | Then renews at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPN Plus | 2 years | $3.49 | $83.76 | $83.88 a year |
| Proton Unlimited | 2 years | $7.99 | $191.76 | $119.88 a year |
| VPN Plus | 1 year | $2.99 | $35.88 | $83.88 a year |
| Proton Unlimited | 1 year | $6.49 | $77.88 | $119.88 a year |
US prices; prices and currencies vary by country.
Read the line under each table. NordVPN sells its lowest prices as a promotion with an end date, and the price table hides the offer after that day. Proton VPN’s longer-term prices were read by hand on its pricing page and confirmed by the owner of this site, and the table says when. In both tables, compare the intro price with the renewal price beside it: the renewal price is what you pay if you stay past the first term. Both providers list a money-back period, shown in the comparison table.
Which is better for privacy, NordVPN or Proton VPN?
Who owns each company, and where is it based?
NordVPN is owned by Nord Security, a parent company headquartered in Lithuania. The service is listed under the jurisdiction of Panama.
Proton VPN is made by Proton AG, which is based in Switzerland, and its jurisdiction is listed as Switzerland. Proton says its primary shareholder is the Proton Foundation, a Swiss nonprofit, that employees own most of the other shares, and that the rest are held by the nonprofit FONGIT and by Proton users. That is Proton’s own description of its ownership.
A jurisdiction is a fact about where a company is based. We describe it and do not rate it, and it does not tell you what a company does with your data.
What do the logging policies say?
NordVPN says it does not log or keep users’ browsing activity, and stores only what it needs to provide the service. Proton says it keeps no session usage logs and logs no websites visited, traffic or its content, IP address, session lengths or location information. It adds that data needed for maintenance and troubleshooting is stored on full-disk-encrypted bare-metal servers, and that account information is kept as described in its privacy policy.
Both are statements by the providers. The audits below are the nearest thing to an outside check.
What do the audits cover?
- 2025Deloitte · no-logs policynordvpn.com/features/no-log-vpn · checked 2026-11-08
- 2025Cure53 · apps: penetration tests and source code review of the Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux apps, the browser extensions, scam and phishing protection, NordAccount login and the core APIs (May and June 2025; report titled 06.2025)nordvpn.com/blog/cure53-latest-security-as… · sb.nordcdn.com/m/62f4965cc189532b/original… · checked 2026-11-13
- 2025Cure53 · infrastructure: penetration tests and source code review of the VPN servers and supporting infrastructure, including containerized services and internal access controls (October 2025; report titled 10.2025)nordvpn.com/blog/cure53-latest-security-as… · sb.nordcdn.com/m/698dd484b2f47d7d/original… · checked 2026-11-13
- 2024Deloitte · no-logs policy (NordVPN says the full report is available after logging in to the Nord Account user control panel)nordvpn.com/blog/nordvpn-no-logs-audit-2024 · checked 2026-11-13
- 2024Cure53 · apps: penetration test and source code review of the Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux apps, the Chrome, Edge and Firefox extensions, the next-gen antivirus (then called Threat Protection Pro) and other VPN features (from June 2024, 55 working days; report titled 06.2024)nordvpn.com/blog/cure53-app-security-asses… · sb.nordcdn.com/m/474e94942d7d224b/original… · checked 2026-11-13
- 2023Deloitte · no-logs policy (assurance report of 13 December 2023; NordVPN says the report can only be read after logging in to a Nord Account)nordvpn.com/blog/nordvpn-no-logs-audit-2023 · checked 2026-11-13
- 2022Deloitte · no-logs policynordvpn.com/features/no-log-vpn · checked 2026-11-08
- 2020PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Switzerland · no-logs policy (expanded: incl. obfuscated, Double VPN and P2P servers)nordvpn.com/blog/nordvpn-audit · checked 2026-11-08
- 2018PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Switzerland · no-logs policynordvpn.com/features/no-log-vpn · checked 2026-11-08
- 2026Securitum · no-logs policy: the VPN server infrastructure; Proton quotes the report as finding no technical evidence that the examined servers log browsing activity, DNS queries, destination services, traffic contents or user-identifiable connection metadataprotonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit · drive.proton.me/urls/DZVEJZFYHM · checked 2026-11-13
- 2025Securitum · no-logs policy: the VPN server infrastructure (configuration files, operating procedures, staff interviews)protonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit · drive.proton.me/urls/NA0V1AX7QR · checked 2026-11-13
- 2025Ruben Santamarta (independent security researcher) · apps: security assessment of the Proton VPN clients, namely macOS and iOS 6.4.1, Android 5.12.80.0, Linux 4.11.0, Windows 4.3.1 and the browser extension 1.2.9protonvpn.com/blog/open-source · drive.proton.me/urls/7VB8XDCPA0 · checked 2026-11-13
- 2024Securitum · no-logs policy: the VPN server infrastructure (configuration files, operating procedures, staff interviews)protonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit · drive.proton.me/urls/ED8G4GC5MG · checked 2026-11-13
- 2023Securitum · no-logs policy: the VPN server infrastructure (configuration files, operating procedures, staff interviews)protonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit · drive.proton.me/urls/TEGZZ53M28 · checked 2026-11-13
- 2022Securitum · no-logs policy: the VPN server infrastructure (configuration files, operating procedures, staff interviews)protonvpn.com/blog/no-logs-audit · drive.proton.me/urls/521N34GHTM · checked 2026-11-13
Both lists are no-logs assessments, not security tests of the apps. NordVPN’s list starts earlier: it begins with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Switzerland and continues with Deloitte in later years. Proton’s list is a single auditor, Securitum, which examined Proton’s VPN server infrastructure, including configuration files, operating procedures and staff interviews, and which Proton says has audited it every year. Proton says it publishes the full reports. A no-logs audit checks how a service was set up while the auditor looked, and neither proves what happens between audits.
Has either had a security incident?
- 2018One server at a third-party datacenter in Finland was breached around March 2018; NordVPN says it learned of it in April 2019, no user credentials or activity logs were affected, and the attacker obtained TLS keys that could not decrypt VPN traffic.nordvpn.com/blog/official-response-datacen… · checked 2026-11-08
- 2021Proton Mail, not Proton VPN: in September 2021 it came out that Proton Mail had logged the IP address of a French climate activist's account after a legally binding order from Swiss authorities that French police had requested through Europol; coverage says the activist was reportedly arrested afterwards. Proton said the order came from the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and could not be appealed, that it does not collect IP addresses by default but only on a legal order for a specific account, and that the order did not ask for message content, which it says it cannot provide. Proton's CEO also said Swiss authorities cannot use the same kind of order to force Proton to log its VPN.therecord.media/protonmail-forced-to-colle… · cyberscoop.com/protonmail-swiss-court-ip-f… · proton.me/blog/climate-activist-arrest · checked 2026-11-13
NordVPN, 2018. One server that NordVPN rented in a third-party datacenter in Finland was breached. NordVPN says the attacker obtained TLS keys that could not be used to decrypt VPN traffic, and that no user credentials or activity logs were on the server. The weak point is the timeline: the breach happened in 2018, and NordVPN says it learned of it in 2019.
Proton, 2021. This one concerns Proton Mail, the company’s email service, and not Proton VPN. In September 2021 it came out that Proton Mail had logged the IP address of a French climate activist’s account after a legally binding order from Swiss authorities, which French police had requested through Europol. Coverage says the activist was reportedly arrested afterward. Proton said the order could not be appealed, that it does not collect IP addresses by default but only on a legal order for a specific account, and that the order did not ask for message content. Proton’s CEO also said Swiss authorities cannot use the same kind of order to force Proton to log its VPN. Those are Proton’s statements. We list the case because it shows how the company behaves under a legal order, not because it involved the VPN service.
Both entries are listed for the same reason: they are the incidents on record for each company, and each comes with a source. They are different kinds of event, one a server breach at a VPN and the other a legal order served on an email product, so they should not be set against each other as a tally.
How do the apps and features compare?
Both have apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, and apps for Android TV and Apple TV. NordVPN’s list also names an Edge extension, which Proton’s does not. Proton’s list also names Chromebook and Fire TV apps, which NordVPN’s download page does not.
Both apps include a kill switch, which blocks your connection if the VPN drops so your real IP address is not exposed while it reconnects. NordVPN offers app-level and system-level versions on Windows and lets you name the apps to shut down on macOS. Proton’s advanced kill switch, which blocks traffic whenever the VPN is off, is available on Windows, in the Linux app with a window and on iOS and iPadOS, where it is in beta.
Split tunneling, which lets some apps skip the VPN, is in NordVPN’s Windows, Android and Android TV apps, with website exclusions in its browser extensions. It is not on macOS or Linux. Proton lists it on Windows, in the Linux app with a window, on Android and Android TV and in its browser extensions, and on macOS in an experimental form that covers apps only. On Proton it is a paid feature. So the macOS app has it only with Proton, and only as an experiment.
The protocols differ. NordVPN’s apps use NordLynx by default, its own protocol built on WireGuard, and also offer NordWhisper, a newer NordVPN protocol, and OpenVPN; IKEv2 is available only through manual setup. Proton’s apps offer Smart Protocol, Stealth and WireGuard on Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. OpenVPN is only in the Linux app with a window, and IKEv2 only on macOS.
Does either have a free plan?
Proton lists a free plan. It has limits on the number of devices and on the countries you can connect to, and the comparison table shows what Proton says they are. It also leaves out paid features such as split tunneling. NordVPN’s price table lists paid plans only, each with a money-back period.
Which is faster, and which works with streaming services?
We name no winner for speed or streaming on this page. Test results come from other sites and differ by date, place and server, so they are listed with their source instead of being ranked. Our own spot checks are below, where we have one.
| Our spot check | NordVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming playback on a US server | No spot check yet | No spot check yet |
A spot check is our own: run in the US on a US server, five minutes of continuous playback to pass, with no fixed schedule. Results for other countries come from other sites' published tests.
What have other testers found?
These are other sites' tests, not ours. Each one is credited and linked, and nothing is merged or averaged.
8 sites · 52 results
| Source | Latest | What they tested |
|---|---|---|
| Safelyo (opens in a new tab) | Nov 2026updated | streamingspeedleaks |
| Security.org (opens in a new tab) | Oct 2026updated | torrenting |
| Top10VPN (opens in a new tab) | Oct 2026updated | streamingleaks |
| CNET (opens in a new tab) | Oct 2026updated | streamingspeedleaks |
| Tom's Guide (opens in a new tab) | Oct 2026updated | torrenting |
| CyberInsider (opens in a new tab) | Sep 2026updated | speedleaks |
| Comparitech (opens in a new tab) | Aug 2026updated | streaming |
| vpnMentor (opens in a new tab) | Jun 2026updated | streamingleaks |
See all 52 results from 8 sitesHide the 52 individual results
Streaming · In the US
Safelyo
Netflix US played the full catalog in 4K UHD
Top10VPN
Netflix US worked; the reviewer noted that the VPN picked a server on its own that reached the US library
CNET
The US Netflix library opened
Comparitech
In Comparitech's own Netflix benchmark, which measures how often the US library opens, the US catalog loaded on 86.21% of 29 measurements
vpnMentor
The US Netflix library opened on the first server tried
Safelyo
Hulu played in the US in 4K UHD with no proxy errors
Top10VPN
Hulu US worked
vpnMentor
Hulu worked
Safelyo
Prime Video played in the US in 4K UHD with no proxy errors
Top10VPN
Prime Video US worked
Safelyo
Disney+ played in the US in 4K UHD with no proxy errors
Safelyo
Max played in the US in 4K UHD with no proxy errors
Top10VPN
HBO Max US worked
Safelyo
Peacock played in the US in 4K UHD with no proxy errors
Safelyo
Sling TV played in the US in 4K UHD with no proxy errors
Safelyo
ESPN streamed live sports in the US without lag
Streaming · In the UK
Safelyo
Netflix UK played the full catalog in 4K UHD
Top10VPN
Netflix UK worked
CNET
The UK Netflix library opened
vpnMentor
The UK Netflix library opened on the first server tried
Top10VPN
Disney+ UK worked
Safelyo
BBC iPlayer streamed live sports without lag
Top10VPN
BBC iPlayer worked
vpnMentor
BBC iPlayer streamed smoothly
Safelyo
ITVX played in 4K UHD with no proxy errors
Top10VPN
ITVX worked
Streaming · In Canada
Safelyo
The Canadian Netflix library worked, one of the 23 of 40 regional libraries that did
CNET
The Canadian Netflix library opened
vpnMentor
The Canadian Netflix library opened on the first server tried
Top10VPN
DAZN Canada did not work
Streaming · In Australia
Safelyo
The Australian Netflix library worked, one of the 23 of 40 regional libraries that did
CNET
The Australian Netflix library opened
Streaming · country not stated by the source
Safelyo
23 of the 40 regional Netflix libraries they tested worked; the other 17, Brazil, Thailand and Turkey among them, showed only Netflix Originals
Top10VPN
17 Netflix libraries opened; the Indian and Dutch libraries would not stream
CNET
Besides the US, the UK, Canadian, Australian, French, German, South African, Japanese and Romanian Netflix libraries opened; Netflix Egypt did not, and showed the US library instead
vpnMentor
More than 15 Netflix libraries worked, the UK, Japan, Canada, Argentina, Malaysia and Thailand among them, each on the first server tried
vpnMentor
Amazon Prime Video worked
vpnMentor
Disney+ worked
vpnMentor
Max worked
vpnMentor
Sling TV worked
vpnMentor
ESPN+ worked
vpnMentor
DAZN worked
Speed
Safelyo
On NordLynx, an average of 410.9 Mbps download across 8 server locations, keeping 47.7% of an 860.71 Mbps no-VPN baseline measured from Vietnam; the US Los Angeles server gave 446.39 Mbps, or 51.9%
CNET
They measured an average 27.2% download speed loss in 2026, ranging from 15% on macOS over Wi-Fi to 41% on Windows over Wi-Fi
CyberInsider
On a 1 Gbps connection in the US with NordLynx, NordVPN downloaded at 903 Mbps on a Seattle server and 868 Mbps in Los Angeles, with 658 Mbps on a London server
Torrenting
Security.org
Their tests measured downloads about 60% faster with NordVPN's SOCKS5 proxy, which hides the IP without encrypting the traffic
Tom's Guide
Torrent downloads were speedy and reliable across the torrents they tried, and P2P is supported on all servers, but port forwarding is not offered on any platform
Leaks and kill switch
Safelyo
No leaks in the ipleak.net, dnsleaktest.com and browserleaks.com tests: IPv4 and IPv6, DNS and WebRTC all passed. The Internet Kill Switch cut off all traffic whenever the connection was down, and the App Kill Switch closed qBittorrent when the VPN dropped, though restarting it while the VPN was not connected downloaded over the normal connection
Top10VPN
The VPN passed all of the reviewer's data leak tests, and when they simulated a sudden connection drop the kill switch stopped the real IP address from leaking
CNET
No leaks were detected in their 2026 testing, but the Windows kill switch stays engaged after a manual disconnect and has to be toggled off by hand
CyberInsider
No IP, DNS or WebRTC leaks on the Windows and macOS desktop apps, and no IPv6 leaks because the desktop apps block IPv6 at the engine level
vpnMentor
The reviewer's kill switch and leak protection behaved as expected: during forced disconnections both the internet kill switch and the app kill switch prevented data exposure, and leak tests on ipleak.net across 12 servers found no DNS, WebRTC or IP leaks
These are other sites' tests, not ours. Each one is credited and linked, and nothing is merged or averaged.
8 sites · 37 results
| Source | Latest | What they tested |
|---|---|---|
| CyberInsider (opens in a new tab) | Nov 2026updated | speedleaks |
| Safelyo (opens in a new tab) | Nov 2026updated | streamingspeed |
| Tom's Guide (opens in a new tab) | Oct 2026updated | torrenting |
| CNET (opens in a new tab) | Oct 2026updated | speedleaks |
| Top10VPN (opens in a new tab) | Oct 2026updated | streamingleaks |
| Security.org (opens in a new tab) | Sep 2026updated | torrenting |
| Comparitech (opens in a new tab) | Aug 2026updated | streaming |
| vpnMentor (opens in a new tab) | Jun 2026updated | streaming |
See all 37 results from 8 sitesHide the 37 individual results
Streaming · In the US
Safelyo
Netflix US played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan was blocked
Top10VPN
The US Netflix library opened
Comparitech
In Comparitech's own Netflix benchmark, which measures how often the US library opens, the US catalog loaded on 62.96% of 27 measurements
vpnMentor
They could stream Netflix in the US; the free version also reached Netflix but with long load times
Safelyo
Hulu US played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan was blocked
Top10VPN
Hulu US worked
vpnMentor
Hulu worked
Safelyo
Prime Video US played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan was blocked
Top10VPN
Prime Video US worked
Safelyo
HBO Max US played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan was blocked
Top10VPN
HBO Max US worked on the paid plan; the free plan did not
Streaming · In the UK
Safelyo
Netflix UK played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan has no UK servers
Top10VPN
Netflix UK worked on the paid plan; the free plan did not
vpnMentor
Netflix UK streamed, best on the optimized servers
Safelyo
Disney+ UK played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan has no UK servers
Top10VPN
Disney+ UK worked on the paid plan; the free plan did not
Safelyo
BBC iPlayer played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan has no UK servers
Top10VPN
BBC iPlayer worked on the paid plan; the free plan did not
vpnMentor
BBC iPlayer worked on the dedicated servers; not available on the free plan
Safelyo
ITVX played in HD on the paid plan; the free plan has no UK servers
Top10VPN
ITVX worked on the paid plan; the free plan did not
Streaming · In Canada
Top10VPN
The Canadian Netflix library was among the ten that opened
Top10VPN
DAZN Canada worked on the paid plan; the free plan did not
Streaming · In Australia
Top10VPN
The Australian Netflix library was among the ten that opened
Streaming · country not stated by the source
Top10VPN
The US library and nine others opened, the UK, Canada, Australia and Japan among them
vpnMentor
Netflix also streamed in the UK, France and Japan, best on the optimized servers
vpnMentor
Amazon Prime Video worked
vpnMentor
Disney+ worked
vpnMentor
Max worked
Speed
CyberInsider
On a 1 Gbps connection in the US, Proton VPN reached 698 Mbps on WireGuard
Safelyo
On WireGuard, an average of 335.45 Mbps download across 5 server locations, keeping 37.9% of an 884.36 Mbps no-VPN baseline measured from Vietnam; the US Seattle server gave 370.13 Mbps, or 41.9%, while Australia was an outlier at 25.21 Mbps, or 2.9%
CNET
An average 40.8% download speed loss in their 2026 testing, but only 11.9% on Windows over a 1 Gbps Google Fiber line while macOS speeds were roughly halved
Torrenting
Tom's Guide
P2P sharing is available everywhere except Cyprus, Myanmar and North Macedonia, and port forwarding works on Mac but not on iOS
Security.org
Enabling port forwarding raised their torrent download speed by up to 15%, and they found P2P allowed on most servers with port forwarding supported
Leaks and kill switch
CyberInsider
The reviewer's tests found no IP or DNS leaks with Proton VPN connected to an arbitrary server, and the kill switch stress test confirmed that it blocks internet traffic when the connection is interrupted
CNET
No leaks were detected in their 2026 testing
Top10VPN
Proton VPN passed the reviewer's checks for IP, DNS and WebRTC leaks on every platform they tested
The two lists are not the same size and should not be read as a score. The sites tested from different countries, on different connections, protocols and plans, and some results for Proton VPN say they apply to the paid plan only, so their figures cannot be set against each other. None of this is our own result.
Should you choose NordVPN or Proton VPN?
- Choose NordVPN if you want an audit record that starts earlier, or an Edge extension. Weigh its 2018 server breach and the time it took to find it.
- Choose Proton VPN if you want a free plan to try before paying, a company that says a Swiss nonprofit is its main shareholder, Chromebook and Fire TV apps, or split tunneling on macOS (experimental, apps only, paid plans). Weigh the 2021 Proton Mail case, which was not about the VPN but shows how the company responds to a legal order.
- Choose either with care if the price is what decides it. Neither table shows prices for the same term, and each provider’s lowest prices come with conditions, so read the notes under the tables.
FAQ
Is NordVPN better than Proton VPN?
Neither is better across the board. Proton VPN has a free plan and says a Swiss nonprofit is its main shareholder, while NordVPN lists an audit record that starts earlier. We name no winner on speed or streaming.
Which is cheaper after the first term, NordVPN or Proton VPN?
We do not name one. Prices appear on this page only after an editor has verified them on a US connection, and the cheapest plans in the two tables are not for the same length of time. The tables show the intro and renewal price side by side.
Which has more servers, NordVPN or Proton VPN?
Proton VPN publishes the larger server count. The two companies may not count servers the same way, so treat the gap as a pointer rather than a measure of quality. The comparison table shows the day each figure was checked and where it came from.
Do NordVPN and Proton VPN keep logs?
Both say they keep no activity logs, and both list outside audits of that claim. Both also say they keep some information needed to run the service or manage your account.
Which is faster, NordVPN or Proton VPN?
We do not name a winner. We run no speed tests of our own, and other sites’ speed results depend on where and how each site tested, so we list them with their source and do not rank them.
Is there a free version of NordVPN or Proton VPN?
Proton VPN lists a free plan, with limits on devices and server countries. NordVPN’s price table lists paid plans only, each with a money-back period.