The main reason ProtonVPN provides a free plan is that it is run by the same team of scientists who created ProtonMail, the world’s largest secure email service, and the free VPN service is paid for by ProtonMail. Free plans are partially subsidized by paid plans, which come with additional features, such as servers in 30+ countries, higher speeds, our Secure Core network, and support for P2P file sharing and streaming services ( Netflix VPN, etc.).

ProtonVPN, however, utilizes a different model. It costs money to run VPN servers, develop applications, and provide customer support, which means that VPN services need to bring in revenue, one way or another. Free VPNs typically do this by abusing your privacy and selling your data to advertisers. How can ProtonVPN provide an unlimited free VPN? We are also one of the only free VPN services to open source all our apps. This promise is backed up not only by our word but also by third-party assessments and Swiss and European law. We do not sell your data because we do not collect it in the first place, and we do not attempt to generate revenue from our free users. Our free VPN is the only one in the world with no ads, no malware, no logs, and no bandwidth limits. ProtonVPN however, is an exception to this rule. Generally speaking, free VPN services are too good to be true and should be avoided. Free VPN services that have been caught doing this include Hola in 2015, Betternet in 2016, and Hotspot Shield in 2017. The vast majority of free VPN services are unfortunately doing the same thing, selling your data to advertisers when they are supposed to be protecting your privacy. The classic examples are Facebook and Google, which don’t charge you for their products but instead sell advertisers access to you and your profile.

The phrase “if you’re not paying for a product, you are the product” has been proven correct time and time again. Here’s why ProtonVPN’s free VPN service is different. When it comes to protecting your privacy, free services have a poor track record, as most are subsidized by selling your data.

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