And if you never use the map, you can resize the app window to the point where it disappears, and all you have is the location list and a handful of buttons and status panels. But you can also choose a location direct from the standard text list if you prefer.

The map works well, and you're able to pan around, zoom in and out, and click a location marker to connect. They open with a world map highlighting your choice of locations, and a more standard location list. Proton VPN's Windows and Mac apps are well-designed tools which include loads of features and settings, while also looking good and proving very easy to use. This is Proton VPN's smartly designed and well-featured Windows client (Image credit: Proton VPN) Windows and Mac apps But even without that, the firm deserves real credit for its transparency, which goes far beyond what we see with almost all the competition. TunnelBear now audits its apps, servers, website and backend infrastructure every year, and we'd like to see Proton VPN go through a more in-depth inspection, too. And whatever extreme techniques we used to stress test the kill switch, it successfully blocked our internet traffic, shielding it from accidental exposure.Īll that said, there's still more the company could do. They use only the strongest protocols (WireGuard, OpenVPN), for instance. In real-world use, we found the apps did a very solid job of protecting our privacy. The process uncovered some issues, but nothing major, and Proton fixed everything that mattered. In 2020, Proton called in security experts SEC Consult to audit its apps. Unusually, they're all open source, so anyone qualified can download the code and check for bugs or security issues. Founded in 2014 by a group of CERN-based scientists, the Swiss team began by creating ProtonMail, which now claims to be 'the world's largest encrypted email service.' This is a company which clearly knows how to deliver secure web services worldwide.Įxperts looking for more evidence can take an in-depth look at the apps. Proton VPN's backstory gets it off to a good start, because the company has a track record of security success.

When you're choosing a VPN, paid or free, one of the first questions to ask is whether it can be trusted – whether it has the knowledge, the experience, and the intent to properly look after your privacy. Proton VPN provides a kill switch, and it's a good one (Image credit: Proton VPN) Privacy and logging

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